REVIEW: Sisters by Raina Telgemeier

Sisters by Raina Telgemeier (Smile Book 2)

Published 2014

Raina can't wait to be a big sister. But once Amara is born, things aren't quite how she expected them to be. Amara is cute, but she's also a cranky, grouchy baby, and mostly prefers to play by herself. Their relationship doesn't improve much over the years. But when a baby brother enters the picture, and later, when something doesn't seem right between their parents, they realize they must figure out how to get along. They are sisters, after all. -Goodreads

My Review

I chose this book because of its popularity amongst my students. I have a few students that have read this book, Drama, Smile, and Ghosts. I was also intrigued when I learned this book is about her life.

I gave this book FIVE STARS! I am usually not one to choose a graphic novel. I struggle reading these kinds of books because I don't like stopping to look at the pictures. I never know if I should read the entire page and then look at the pictures, go box by box, or pictures first. However, I did find a good pace to my reading and found a balance between the words and the pictures.

Do I think this book could have been written as a novel? I'm not sure. There would have to be a lot of details and description added. I liked seeing the pictures that showed the feelings and frustrations of all of the characters at once. This is a family full of very different and strong personalities and I loved their facial expressions that showed their differences. In a graphic novel, you can see it easily. In a novel, it would take some describing to show how each character was reacting. I thnk you get a great overall picture of the family and struggles that you wouldn't get in a novel.

This was one of my favorite parts. I identified immediately because of the tantrum-throwing toddler. She illustrated it so well.

Recommendation

I recommend reading Smile first. After that, I think that this book would be perfect for those that have younger siblings, have been on "fun" family trips, and enjoy a little humor.