For Vera, Russian camp seems like the perfect opportunity to finally fit in, but the bugs, nature, and tentmates are more than she bargained for!
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[STARRED REVIEW]
Brosgol has worked on acclaimed animated films, but she was once a lonely nine-year-old aching for friendship. Here, she relates the story of her monthlong experience at Russian summer camp, where she coped with the horrors of outhouses, feral wildlife, and bug bites, as well as with mean older cabinmates and alienation from her fellow campers. The author/illustrator reprises her cartoony character art and her detailed yet subtle background work. The book eschews the plot-driven and suspenseful storytelling of Brosgol’s Anya’s Ghost in lieu of a slice-of-life narrative in which problems aren’t always neatly resolved. This lends a hard realism to the memoir, in spite of the adorable art style, as young Vera earns small victories and an understanding of herself rather than soaring triumph. The text is simple and accessible, but the relaxed pacing, characters who go often unpunished for cruel behavior, and the brief inclusion of an ill-fated romance set this title apart from more gentle middle grade works. VERDICT A gorgeous, emotional memoir worthy of any graphic novel collection.—Matisse Mozer, Los Angeles Public Library, CA
[STARRED REVIEW]
This book is a true story. And also made up.” Brosgol’s (Anya’s Ghost, rev. 7/11;
Leave Me Alone, rev. 9/16) fictionalized graphic memoir captures the ups and
downs (let’s be honest—mostly downs) of a stint at a Russian Orthodox summer
camp. Feeling like an outsider at school, Russian American preteen Vera is
initially thrilled to attend camp with other Russian kids. Once there, however, she
struggles to adjust to the strict rules, lack of modern electricity and plumbing, and
drama involving her significantly older bunkmates. The story’s visual narrative,
exposition, and dialogue are in balance as inky illustrations fill smartly placed
panels. The tone is accessible, vulnerable, and hilariously kid-centric (there are
plenty of potty references). Angle brackets in the speech bubbles indicate dialogue
spoken in Russian, and untranslated words and signs build atmosphere. A monochromatic
palette using shades of army green reinforces the natural setting, and
a cliffhanger ending leaves the door open for a sequel. Gaps between fiction and
reality are clarified in an author’s note, which also includes primary documents:
real-life photographs and a letter written by Vera to her mom (“Love, and homesick
and crying, Vera. P.S. My stomach hurts every night. It does right now, too”).
The story, both culturally specific and universal, is a welcome addition to the
growing canon of comics tales by talented women cartoonists (Raina Telgemeier,
Tillie Walden, Zeina Abirached, Cece Bell, and many others) based on their own
lives. elisa gall