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Growing Pangs: (A Graphic Novel)

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Growing Pangs: (A Graphic Novel)

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Overview

NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY NPR
A PARENTS MAGAZINE BEST BOOK
Inspired by a true story! Eleven-year old homeschooled Katie has always felt different . . . and now she can't stop worrying. Introducing an irresistibly relatable graphic novel about friendship, anxiety, and growing up.

"An excellent companion to Raina Telgemeier's Guts and Shannon Hale and LeUyen Pham's Real Friends."—Booklist, Starred Review

New Friends. New grade. New worries?

Katie's always felt different. She's homeschooled, she has freckles, and her teeth are really crooked. But none of these things matter to Kacey. They’re best friends forever—just like their necklaces say. But when they go to summer camp, Kacey starts acting weird. What happened to the “forever”? And when Katie gets home, she can’t stop worrying. About getting braces. About 6th grade. About friends. She knows tapping three times or opening and closing a drawer won’t make everything better . . . but sometimes it helps stop the worrying. Is something wrong with her? And will anyone want to be friends with her if they find out?

Product Details
About the Author

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780593301289
Publisher:	Random House Children's Books
Publication date:	05/03/2022
Series:	From the Universe of Growing Pangs
Pages:	256
Sales rank:	685,113
Product dimensions:	5.70(w) x 8.10(h) x 1.10(d)
Age Range:	8 - 12 Years

About the Author

Kathryn (K.E.) Ormsbee is the author of several Middle Grade and Young Adult novels. She was born and raised in the Bluegrass State and now lives in Salem, Oregon. Visit her online at kathrynormsbee.com and @kathsby.

Molly Brooks is the author and illustrator of the Sanity & Tallulah graphic novel series as well as the illustrator of Flying Machines and many other short comics. She grew up in Tennessee and now lives in Brooklyn. Visit her online at mollybrooks.com and @mollybrooks.

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Editorial Reviews

Eminently relatable for middle schoolers, taking the shame out of OCD and anxiety.” —NPR

“An incisive and empathetic look at fitting in, anxiety, and what it means to be a good friend.” —Faith Erin Hicks, creator of The Adventures of Superhero Girl

“Kids will be buzzing about Growing Pangs!” —Jennifer L. Holm & Matthew Holm, co-creators of Sunnyside Up and Swing It, Sunny

“A poignant and relatable story about making friends, letting go, and opening up” —Terri Libenson, creator of the Emmie & Friends series

★ “The story stays true to this child’s experience, and the art… gives equal attention to the high points of Katie’s life while skillfully depicting her lows.” —Booklist, starred review

“A poignant account of journeying through life while navigating mental health and friendships.” —Kirkus Reviews

“A thoughtful, compassionate portrayal of OCD, particularly in its visual representation of Katie’s anxieties.” —The Bulletin

From the Publisher

2022-03-02
Rising sixth grader Katie is different from other kids, what with her freckles, being home-schooled, and the worries constantly buzzing in her head.
Katie is excited to start the summer at her first sleep-away camp with Kacey, her best friend from her home-school co-op. However, as she gets closer to Delaney, a cool, self-assured girl at Camp Aldridge, Kacey becomes distant and resentful. Traversing the beginning of middle school and her evolving relationships and mental health just makes the buzzing in Katie’s head get louder and more persistent. Ormsbee captures the nuances of friendships and the feelings of loneliness a person can experience from being singled out as different. Stereotypes surrounding home schooling are also addressed. The graphic novel unfolds over the course of a year, and the representation is informed by the author’s and illustrator’s own childhood journeys of coping with obsessive-compulsive disorder. OCD is explored in accurate detail throughout Katie’s arc, and the illustrations enhance the depiction, with bees flying around her head whose buzzing increases and decreases in intensity to match the franticness of her thoughts. The varied panels and dynamic, colorful art maintain visual interest. Katie and other main characters read as White; the supporting cast is racially diverse.
A poignant account of journeying through life while navigating mental health and friendships. (author's note, artist's note) (Graphic fiction. 8-12)

Kirkus Reviews

03/21/2022
Rising sixth grader Katie can sometimes feel like a “weirdo homeschooled kid,” except when with best friend Kacey, with whom she attends a homeschool co-op and shares a love of Annie. But when the pals leave for sleepaway camp, Katie experiences increasingly anxious thoughts and a heightened “buzzing feeling in my brain,” conveyed visually as a large bee that compels her to complete tasks: “You gotta make your worries stop. Move that zipper.” Ormsbee (Candidly Cline) juggles competing plot threads that contribute to Katie’s intrusive concerns: new friendships that awaken misgivings and joy in Katie and jealousy in Kacey, fears about a potential tongue surgery, and an awareness of her adolescent appearance, including pimples and a new haircut. In thick, angular brushstrokes, Brooks (the Sanity & Tallulah series) renders the white protagonists with simplified features and a warm palette. Tracing Katie’s earnest tack to navigating friendships old and new, her growing interest in the theater, and a burgeoning understanding of her obsessive compulsive disorder—detailed respectfully throughout—the creators lend flashback-level realism to a story of one child’s world growing larger with age and experience. Secondary characters are racially diverse; back matter discusses Ormsbee’s and Brooks’s experiences growing up with OCD. Ages 8–12. Author’s agent: Beth Phelan, Gallt & Zacker Literary. Illustrator’s agent: Sara Crowe, Pippin Properties. (May)

Publishers Weekly

06/01/2022
Gr 3–6—Katie, who struggles with anxiety and obsessive-compulsive tendencies, heads to summer camp with her best friend Kacey. While Katie branches out and begins meeting new friends, both at camp and afterwards at her homeschool co-op, Kacey has a hard time coping with the changes in their relationship, and the two grow apart. Meanwhile, Katie continues to struggle with severe anxiety and OCD until eventually she is able to get help. This tweenage story of growing up is based on Ormsbee's own preteen and teen years struggling with similar issues. Katie's character is relatable, and young readers will connect with the symbolism of a buzzing bee to represent her anxiety. The struggles Katie faces with her friend Kacey will be familiar to many readers as well. Unfortunately, there are a few too many plot lines woven throughout the story, and they all feel a bit stunted. Brooks's artwork shines throughout and helps the story come to life. Her realistic, full-color scenes pair well with the story of early teenage struggles, and fans of other slice-of-life graphic novels will be drawn to this title. VERDICT Although it has too many subplots, this colorful graphic novel has a lot to grab the attention of many young readers. Fans of Raina Telgemeier and Kayla Miller are sure to enjoy it. Recommended for most collections.—Ellen Conlin

School Library Journal

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