Be Prepared

A sharp, funny, and deeply relatable graphic memoir from acclaimed creator Vera Brosgol, Be Prepared is a coming-of-age story about fitting in, standing out, and surviving the chaos of expectations.

All Vera wants is to fit in with her friends—but that’s not so easy when for a Russian girl in the suburbs. Her friends live in fancy houses and their parents can afford to send them to the best summer camps. So when she finally gets invited to a summer camp with other Russian kids, she expects to find belonging at last.

Instead, she finds herself dropped into an unfamiliar world of rigid rules, awkward social dynamics, and outdoor survival challenges that are far from the cozy summer she imagined.

From mosquito-filled forests to competitive camp traditions and constant uncertainty about where she belongs, Vera quickly realizes that “fitting in” might be harder—and stranger—than she ever expected.

With humor, honesty, and striking visual storytelling, Be Prepared explores:

- anxiety, awkwardness, and growing up
- friendship, exclusion, and self-acceptance
- the gap between expectation and reality

"Beautifully drawn, brutally funny, brilliantly honest. Vera is such a good cartoonist I almost can’t stand it.” —Raina Telgemeier, author of Smile