Drama

Drama

by Raina Telgemeier

 

Callie loves theater. And while she would totally try out for her middle school's production of Moon Over Mississippi, she's a terrible singer. Instead she's the set designer for the stage crew, and this year she's determined to create a set worthy of Broadway on a middle-school budget. But how can she, when she doesn't know much about carpentry, ticket sales are down, and the crew members are having trouble working together? Not to mention the onstage AND offstage drama that occurs once the actors are chosen, and when two cute brothers enter the picture, things get even crazier! (description from Amazon.com)

 

I have to admit, I'm not a huge graphic novel reader and that's partly because I have a little bit of trouble following the panels in the manga style ones.  I do, however, occasionally find some graphic novels that I truly adore and both of Raina Telgemeier's fall into this category.

 

I love the colors, the drawing styles and they are easy to follow!  While her first one, Smile, was somewhat autobiographical, Drama is just a cool middle school story.  Callie loves theater and wants to become a set designer someday for Broadway.  Seeing her passion made me think back about all the plays and musicals I've seen and how important the stage set can actually be...

 

I also loved seeing her embrace her passion and not be ashamed at all of being into a "dorky" club.  It was great to see all the drama "geeks." I was once a drama geek so I loved that connection! Callie's friends each had their own passion and none of them hesitated to do the very best they could in their own facet of the show. 

 

The friendships and crushes seemed very realistic and reminiscent of how I remember feeling about people and interacting with them in my own middle school years.  I also loved that Telgemeier addressed homosexuality in a very easy manner, making it not the focus of the story, but just a natural part of Callie's day to day experience. 

 

I really thought this was a great read that left me smiling. I would love to read more about Callie and her friends.  

 



Full disclosure: Borrowed from my library