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The Real Riley Mayes



written and illustrated by
Rachel Elliott

Edition
Hardcover edition
Publisher
HarperCollins
Imprint
Balzer + Bray
ISBN
9780062995759
POTENTIALLY SENSITIVE AREAS
Discrimination: Sexuality
$22.84   $19.03
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In this debut graphic novel from Rachel Elliott, fifth grade gets a lot more complicated for aspiring comics artist Riley Mayes, with lots of friend drama and a growing realization that she like likes girls.

Fifth grade is just not Riley’s vibe.

Everyone else is squaded up—except Riley. Her best friend moved away. All she wants to do is draw, and her grades show it.

One thing that makes her happy is her favorite comedian, Joy Powers. Riley loves to watch her old shows and has memorized her best jokes. So when the class is assigned to write letters to people they admire, of course Riley’s picking Joy Powers!

Things start to look up when a classmate, Cate, offers to help Riley with the letter, and a new kid, Aaron, actually seems to get her weird sense of humor. But when mean girl Whitney spreads a rumor about her, things begin to click into place for Riley. Her curiosity about Aaron’s two dads and her celebrity crush on Joy Powers suddenly make more sense.

Full of humor and heart, this is a story about friendship, identity, and embracing all the parts of yourself that make you special.

Full-color illustrations were created in brush pens and markers.

POTENTIALLY SENSITIVE AREAS
Discrimination: Sexuality

Details

Format

Print

Page Count

224

Trim Size

8" x 5 1/2"

Dewey

F

AR

2.7: points 1

Genre

Fic

Scholastic Reading Counts

0

JLG Release

Mar 2023

Book Genres

Graphic Novels

Topics

Sexual minorities. Identity. Self-realization. Middle school students. School children. Friendship. LGBTQ. Art and creativity. Celebrity crushes.

Standard MARC Records

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Cover Art

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Praise & Reviews

School Library Journal

School Library Journal

Library Journal

Gr 4-8-In this delightful story, fifth grader Riley Mayes is trying to find her place. Her friend has moved away, and she is bouncing around from group to group trying to find friends who understand her. Her teacher certainly doesn't; Riley's class interruptions and constant doodling land her in trouble on a regular basis. When the class is assigned to write a letter to a well-known person, Riley chooses to write to Joy Powers, a comedian she admires, but she gets stuck on what to write and how to say it. In the meantime, the new kid in her class, Aaron, seems okay, and classmate Cate begins to befriend Riley. Things are looking up until the other kids start harassing Riley and calling her "lesbian." Would that be so bad? How does a person know they're gay? Riley is filled with questions. Though confused, she has a tremendous support team in her parents, her older brother Danny, and her newfound friends. Through many ups and downs, Riley begins to find her footing and, most importantly, recognize that she has plenty of people to go to. This realistic and heartwarming story, filled with humor and angst, has a little something for everyone to enjoy. Readers will readily empathize with Riley. VERDICT The simple and endearing artwork with soft colors will fly off library shelves and be a hit for readers who enjoy Raina Telgemeier's books and Jennifer Holm's "Sunny" series.-Esther Keller?(c) Copyright 2011. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Praise & Reviews

School Library Journal

School Library Journal

Library Journal

Gr 4-8-In this delightful story, fifth grader Riley Mayes is trying to find her place. Her friend has moved away, and she is bouncing around from group to group trying to find friends who understand her. Her teacher certainly doesn't; Riley's class interruptions and constant doodling land her in trouble on a regular basis. When the class is assigned to write a letter to a well-known person, Riley chooses to write to Joy Powers, a comedian she admires, but she gets stuck on what to write and how to say it. In the meantime, the new kid in her class, Aaron, seems okay, and classmate Cate begins to befriend Riley. Things are looking up until the other kids start harassing Riley and calling her "lesbian." Would that be so bad? How does a person know they're gay? Riley is filled with questions. Though confused, she has a tremendous support team in her parents, her older brother Danny, and her newfound friends. Through many ups and downs, Riley begins to find her footing and, most importantly, recognize that she has plenty of people to go to. This realistic and heartwarming story, filled with humor and angst, has a little something for everyone to enjoy. Readers will readily empathize with Riley. VERDICT The simple and endearing artwork with soft colors will fly off library shelves and be a hit for readers who enjoy Raina Telgemeier's books and Jennifer Holm's "Sunny" series.-Esther Keller?(c) Copyright 2011. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Grades 5-8
Graphic Novels Middle Plus
For Grades 5-8

Book-length narratives presented in comic book style, graphic novels foster both visual and verbal comprehension skills while exposing readers to interesting dialogue and satire, as well as affirming diversity.

JLG's selection of these unique books, some of them only published in softcover, are ideal for attracting reluctant readers and introducing them to literature they might not encounter otherwise. You may find that the 12 books in this category will turn your reluctant readers into eager readers.

14 books per Year
$293.02 per Year
Interests
Diversity,ESL,Fiction,Graphic Novels,Reluctant Readers,Transitional Readers,Funny/Humorous
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Grades 5-8
Graphic Novels Middle Plus
14 books per Year
$293.02 per Year

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