Just Jaime

June 1, 2019

Gr 4-7-On the last day of seventh grade, Jaime and her best friend Maya are determined to talk about why things have grown awkward between them. Fans of Invisible Emmie and Positively Izzy will recognize this chatty pair. Jaime doesn't understand why Maya has been distant, and Maya wishes that Jaime would try harder to fit in with the crowd. Celia, the cool girl who wears makeup and kissed someone at summer camp, persuades Maya to shut Jaime out of their group. Maya is charmed by Celia's attention and goes along with the plan, to everyone's eventual regret. Jaime's side of the story is told in short chapters with doodled spot illustrations. Maya's perspective is rendered in full comics panels. In the end, Jaime stays true to herself-with the support of caring adults as well as old and new friends-and Maya returns, asking for forgiveness. This is a realistic, hopeful look at the "drama soup" of middle school. VERDICT A strong purchase for middle grade graphic novel collections, especially where Emmie and Izzy are circulating well.-Jennifer Costa, Cambridge Public Library, MA

Copyright 2019 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

April 15, 2019
Grades 3-6 It's the last day of seventh grade, and Jaime just wants everything to go well. Her best friend since kindergarten, Maya, has been hot and cold lately, spending more and more time with charismatic Celia and gossipy Grace, but all they seem to want to do is put on makeup and talk about, ugh, boys. Meanwhile, Maya is frustrated that Jaime can't see that they've all changed and matured, while Jamie's still kinda, well, babyish. I mean, she's still in a training bra and not even into kissing boys! She's basically stuck in fifth grade. Told skillfully in alternating dual narratives from both girls' points of view?Jaime in handwriting font and funny illustrations, Maya in traditional graphic-novel format?this story is simultaneously incredibly original and utterly universal. The emotional roller-coaster of navigating friendships as they change shape, particularly in middle school, is portrayed with admirable sincerity, gentle humor, heartbreaking pain, and of course plenty of texts and emojis. Libenson weaves a beautiful, accessible, layered story yet again.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2019, American Library Association.)

March 1, 2019
Jaime's best friend, Maya, is acting strangely--as a matter of fact, so are all of Jaime's circle of friends. With this the last day of seventh grade before summer, Jaime needs to get to the bottom of what appears to be a coup to kick her out of their friendship circle. Maya has been nominated by the newest, most attention-seeking and controlling member of the group, Celia, to break the bad news to Jaime that she's indeed been voted out of the group. From the time Jaime and Maya see each other on the morning bus throughout the tension-filled day that feels like a roller-coaster ride, both dread the confrontation. But while being ostracized, Jaime is invited to a new friend group, and Maya finds herself ambivalent about being led by the nose by the popular Celia, who holds all of the strings of power within their circle. When Jaime reaches an emotional breaking point, her French teacher, Madame Zukosky, sympathetically shares her own experiences, even confessing to having ghosted a friend long ago. Libenson writes in alternating chapters from the first-person perspectives of Jaime and Maya, mixing prose with sketches and comics panels, punctuating both with humorous dialogue readers will find familiar and sometimes painful. Jaime has brown skin and Maya, white, but cultural background plays no part in the story.A delightful tale that navigates the precarious ebb and flow of friendship dynamics. (Graphic/fiction hybrid. 8-12)

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July 1, 2019
Libenson (Invisible Emmie, rev. 5/17; Positively Izzy, rev. 5/18) continues to explore the huge bowl of drama soup that is middle school. The entirety of the book (save an epilogue that takes readers three months into the future) spans the last day of seventh grade for one four-person friend group. Jaime and Maya have been friends since kindergarten, but the group dumps Jaime for being too immature, a decision orchestrated by popular Celia, who convinces Maya to text Jaime the news. Jaime struggles with the rejection, feeling like the Frankenstein of feelings, while Maya wrestles with her conflicting loyalties. Advice from a teacher ( Don't let them get the best of you ) makes an impact, and Jaime sets out to make new friends. Libenson presents characters capable of self-awareness, willing to face and question their motives; Maya, for instance, comes to understand that she fell under the spell of petty Celia and musters up the courage to apologize and attempt to repair her friendship with Jaime. As with the previous books, the story is told from two points of view?here, Jaime's, rendered via text and small interspersed drawings; and Maya's, told in a comics-style format with larger cartoon-panel illustrations. Fans will connect the dots and recognize characters from the previous books, even some grown-ups who themselves learn a lesson or two. julie danielson

(Copyright 2019 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)

July 1, 2019
Libenson continues to explore middle school's "huge bowl of drama soup." This third installment spans the last day of seventh grade for a group of friends. Popular Celia convinces Maya to text friend-since-kindergarten Jaime and dump her from the group for being too immature. Libenson presents characters willing to face and question their motives. Jaime's point of view is told via text and small interspersed drawings; Maya's is in a comics-style format.

(Copyright 2019 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)