School
is already in full swing in most of the U.S., but in these parts, I
still have another week of staying in my pajamas until noon. Let me
rephrase that. I still have another week of not having the other moms
at school pickup giving me weird looks for still being in my pajamas
at noon. Hey, don't judge.
In
honor of this season of new school years and new beginnings, I'm
reviewing Laura Lee Gulledge's graphic novel, Page by Paige.
And just a reminder: when I say graphic novel, I mean a thoughtful
and complete story told with a combination of words and
illustrations, not a dirty book.
The
unfortunately named Paige Turner (yes, her parents are writers with a
sick sense of humor) has left her beloved Charlottesville, Virginia,
and moved to Brooklyn with her parents. As an aspiring artist, she
decides to both practice her craft and chronicle her feelings about
this transition into her sketchbook.
Over
the eight months covered in this sketchbook, we see Paige explore who
she is and how she relates to the people in her life. Through her
art, she gains courage to become the person she wants to be and to
share her talents with others.
There
isn't anything terribly original about the plot — new friends,
new love, and finding yourself. But I still cared deeply about the
characters Gulledge created, and I loved the way Gulledge tells the
story.
Gulledge
uses her black and white illustrations to capture the range of
Paige's feelings. I remember feeling the way Gulledge's illustrations
feel — carrying your heart through a field of banana peels,
trying to understand how you feel about something by simultaneously
looking at two dozen different gauges for different emotions, and
clicking with someone like Legos click together.
Gulledge's
art captivated my whole family. My husband, who only reads
nonfiction, read this in two sittings. My five-year-old has literally
spent an hour straight on the couch just looking at the
illustrations. My three-year-old likes to ask me questions about the
pictures. And, well, the baby tried to chew on it, but I guess that
goes for any book in her general vicinity. Or shoe, for that matter.
There
are one or two sexual jokes, and a character that is a lesbian, but
nothing graphic. It felt rather tame compared to many of the YA books
I've picked up recently.
Page
by Paige is Gulledge's debut, and if you like her blend of
imaginative illustration with low-angst personal growth, you can
check out her followup novel, Will & Whit.
Read
this book if...
You
like realistic fiction, but want it light on the angst, please. Real
life has enough drama.
You
love beautiful artwork and interesting visualizations.
You're
about to be the new kid at school, and you need a reminder that it
is a fantastic opportunity to learn new things about yourself and
world around you.
Erin
Cowles is a mother of two, living in the Washington D.C. suburbs.
Before motherhood, she used her masters in library and information
science in a law firm library. Now she uses it to find good books for
her family at her local public library. She teaches part time for a
SAT prep company, where she enjoys the challenge of making rather
dull subject matter interesting and making college a reality for her
students. During women's history month, she profiles Mormon women
that inspire her at ldswomenshistory.blogspot.com.
Erin
currently serves as a counselor in her ward's primary
presidency.