Award: Stonewall Honor 2013
Art: Theatre

A wonderfully illustrated graphic novel that masterfully navigates the world of middle school from the perspective of Callie, a lovable, enthusiastic set designer who is crushing pretty heavy on two distinctly opposite boys. Callie is a likable character with an adorable enthusiasm for theatre (and we even get a bit of back story regarding her passion). Going along with several other reviews, the romance was definitely the boring part of the story and fizzled to a ridiculously anticlimactic ending. The way Telgemeier presents the gay characters in this story is, hm, interesting because they have predominant roles and distinct personalities but

Spoiler

Jesse turns into the conflict because he essentially abandons the protagonist at the dance

. The entire story around Callie and the unique framework of the story was lovely and I found myself smiling along with her theatrical experience.