Dear Jackie
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- $10.99
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- $10.99
Publisher Description
A middle schooler’s plan to fit in with her new friends by writing herself a fake love letter backfires spectacularly in this funny and all-too-relatable graphic novel perfect for fans of Raina Telgemeier and the Berrybrook Middle School series.
Jackie and Milo have been best friends since they were born. Whether they’re reading comic books in their tree house hideout, playing video games, or spying on their neighbors using walkie talkies and code names, it’s always been the two of them versus the world. But in middle school, things are changing. Milo joins the soccer team and starts hanging out with a new crew. Jackie gets taken under the wing of Adelle, who wants to give her a total makeover and find her a crush. Suddenly, it seems like there are certain acceptable ways to be a girl or a boy, and Jackie starts to feel like everything about her is wrong.
In an effort to get Adelle and her new friends off her back, Jackie sends herself an anonymous love letter. But her plan backfires, and soon Jackie’s secret admirer is all anybody at school can talk about. Now she’s wondering: Dear Jackie, how are you going to get out of this?
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Though childhood best friends Jackie and Milo—who were born on the same day at the same hospital—are dreading entering middle school, they're comforted by the fact that they'll have each other. Once the school year begins, however, Jackie struggles to maintain their dynamic as Milo opts to bond with his new soccer teammates. On top of feeling lonely, Jackie endures cruel critiques from her peers about her appearance: Milo's teammates disparage her for dressing "like a dude," while female classmates encourage Jackie to change up her style so "at least people would know you're a girl." She resolves to give herself a makeover for picture day, but when students ridicule her visible body hair—and Milo joins in the jeering—things begin to go downhill for the once-close besties. Slice-of-life vignettes by the Bagleys (Duel) portray Jackie's grappling with issues surrounding puberty, body image, and shifting relationships; glimpses into Milo's own challenges navigating toxic male environments deepens the graphic novel's authentic presentation of kids in social transition. Characters are depicted with varying skin tones. Ages 8–12.