Saturday, September 22, 2018

Mouse's Corner, The Sunday Edition: Smile by Raina Telgemeier


I am linking up to the Sunday Post hosted by the wonderful Kim of Caffeinated Book Reviewer, where participants recap our week, talk about what we are reading, share any new books that have come our way, and whatever else we want to talk about. I am also linking to Stacking the Shelves hosted by the great Team Tynga's Reviews and Marlene of Reading Reality a meme in which participants share what new books came their way recently.



Happy Sunday! Sundays here have become Mouse's Just Dance days. Just Dance is an interactive game in which Mouse dances to songs in the game and earns points. Sometimes her dad and I join in. It is a good work out!

Mouse is almost a month and a half into the second grade, can you believe it? We are finally settling into our routine for the school year, balancing school and extracurricular activities. Both Girl Scouts and rehearsals for The Nutcracker kicked off earlier this month. There were also princess birthday parties for Mouse's friends, and, all on her own, Mouse started her very own vlog series. So far she has had a prince week, a dragon week, and a Halloween edition. (I am afraid her vlog is not available for the general public--it is strictly an offline affair.)


New to the Shelves: 

Mouse's Book Fair purchases:

Battle of the Bands and Scarlet's Big Break (Major Eights) 
by Melody Reed, illustrated by Émilie Pépin

Barbie You Can Be a Soccer Player
Barbie Dreamhouse Adventures: The Great Cake Race

Half Birthday Gift (picked out by herself):

The Bad Guys by Aaron Blabey

What Mouse is Reading: Mouse and her dad did quite a bit of reading together this past summer. Right now they are reading On Stranger Tides by Tim Powers.  I am a little sad she has not asked me to read her more of War and Peace or Les Miserables in the last couple months. Oh well.

On her own, Mouse is currently reading January Joker (Calendar Mysteries) by Ron Roy. She seems to like mysteries.

Mouse's first read for the school year was Raina Telgemeier's graphic memoir, Smile, which she checked out of her classroom library. I had heard of it, but hadn't read it before. Mouse really took to it and enjoyed reading it. I thought it was quite ambitious of her given it's length. One night I took the opportunity to read it for myself and enjoyed it. I can see why Mouse took to it. Raina, like her, is a Girl Scout, and even though Raina is in sixth grade at the beginning of the novel, she is very relateable. 


Smile (Smile #1) by Raina Telgemeier  
Scholastic, 2009
Nonfiction (Graphic Novel); 224 pgs
Raina just wants to be a normal sixth grader. But one night after Girl Scouts she trips and falls, severely injuring her two front teeth, and what follows is a long and frustrating journey with on-again, off-again braces, surgery, embarrassing headgear, and even a retainer with fake teeth attached. And on top of all that, there’s still more to deal with: a major earthquake, boy confusion, and friends who turn out to be not so friendly. This coming-of-age true story is sure to resonate with anyone who has ever been in middle school, and especially those who have ever had a bit of their own dental drama. [Goodreads Summary]


I think the opening picture of the Raina and her family going into the dentist's office is a great opening to the story, especially given the context. See how Raina hangs behind? It's clear she doesn't want to be there. The panels that follow say a lot in few words. "Smile!!" And then the camera goes off. The awkwardness of the moment is captured so well.

From page 56:

 These few panels resonate with me. Raina does not like that she has to wear not only braces, but headgear as well. Her mom tries to comfort her by telling her it is something other kids go through too, but do not talk about it. Raina makes a good point in the last two panels on the page. "Well, Maybe someone should start talking about it!!" And silently adds, "Maybe it would make us feel less like freaks." This could apply to so many different experiences and aspects of life . . .

Raina was younger during the Loma Prieta Earthquake of 1989, and a lot closer to the epicenter than I was. Reading about her experience brought back memories just the same. In fact, a lot of the little details throughout the novel reminded me of my own growing up years. I never had to wear braces, but Mouse likely will. She may not remember this book when the time comes, but it might be one to have on hand and revisit.

I admit to being a little concerned about the section about Raina and her friends hitting puberty, but in the end felt it was age appropriate. I am glad I read the book myself so that I was able to help her with any questions she had.

Mouse gave this book five stars, and I have to say I liked it quite a bit too. The artwork was engaging and Raina Telgemeier's story is one I think will appeal to all ages.


Some of Mouse's other recent reads (and re-reads):
The Princess in Black Takes a Vacation (The Princess in Black #4) by Shannon Hale & Dean Hale, illustrated by LeUyen Pham
The Bad Guys by Aaron Blabey
Junie B. Jones and Some Sneaky Peeky Spying (Junie B. Jones #4) by Barbara Park, illustrated by Denise Brunkus
Dear Girl, by Dear Girl, by Amy Krouse Rosenthal and Paris Rosenthal, illustrated by Holly Hatam
Pinkalicious: Mother's Day Surprise by Victoria Kann

Flashlight Friday at school


© 2018, Musings of a Bookish Kitty. All Rights Reserved. If you're reading this on a site other than Musings of a Bookish Kitty or Wendy's feed, be aware that this post has been stolen and is used without permission.

40 comments:

  1. Just Dance is popular here too. :) When my niece comes to visit we HAVE to get that game out lol. Glad school is going well. And the Raina Telgemeier book looks cute.

    Have a great weekend Wendy!!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Greg - My husband is pretty good at it, which kind of surprised me. LOL My daughter loves it. Thanks for visiting, Greg. I hope you have a great weekend too!

      Delete
  2. Oh man, I love Just Dance! Mouse has taste :) I also use it for work outs, but my leg has had a procedure done on it roughly two weeks ago, and now I'm waiting for the stitches to be out before I can go back to dancing :)

    Wow, Smile looks really good. I've heard about it, now you're making me want to read it.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Evelina - She loves her dancing and music. :-) I hope your leg is healing well! I do recommend Smile. It is good. Thank you for visiting!

      Delete
  3. I like that you are doing a post about Mouse and her reading and activities on Sundays. She sounds like quite the girl!

    Smile sounds like a really good book. Our three kids all wore braces and since we moved during that time it created problems for their dental work. It all worked out in the end.

    Hope you have a good week.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Jan - I thought I would give it a try. I am hoping to do it once a month, but we'll see. I'm not the greatest at keeping a schedule. Smile is good! My daughter will need braces in the future if what the dentist says is true and so I imagine we may revisit this book again at some point. Thanks for visiting, and I hope you have a great week too.

      Delete
  4. I really enjoyed Smile. I've read all but one of Raina's graphic novels now---need to get to that last one!

    Nicole @ Feed Your Fiction Addiction

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Nicole - My daughter has another of Raina's graphic novels and is looking forward to reading it. Thanks for stopping by!

      Delete
  5. My kids were pretty obsessed with Just Dance for a while. Now they complain because they want a new one... when they don't use the old one. It is a good workout though!

    Have a great week!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Shannon - Haha! I can see that happening in our house eventually. Thank you for visiting!

      Delete
  6. Aww, Mouse seems really cute and I can figure out how you guys are always getting entertained :)

    her book choices seems pretty good.

    Have a lovely week and happy reading!
    My wrap-up: https://flippingthruthepages.com/2018/09/weekly-wrap-up-2/

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Sim - She does keep us entertained. :-) Thank you for stopping by!

      Delete
  7. Replies
    1. Ashley - My daughter loves them as much as I did growing up. :-) Thanks for stopping by!

      Delete
  8. Just Dance sounds like fun and how fun about the vlog too. My kids had Dance Central when they were younger and I'd dance along to and I swear I'd be sore the following day, it is a workout lol. I hope you and Mouse have a great week and happy reading :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Naida - It is a lot of fun. :-) I am not sure where my daughter got the idea to vlog as neither my husband nor I do it. She seems to love it. I worry about her internet future. LOL I hope you have a great week too! Thanks for visiting!

      Delete
  9. Wow, it sounds like Mouse is quite a reader!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Kathy - She's definitely gained more interest in it with the incentives at school her teacher offers her. Thanks for stopping by!

      Delete
  10. There was a time that Just Dance or Guitar Hero was on constant rotation at my house. When we moved the Playstation to the basement, we quit using it like we once did. I do kind of regret that decision. Mouse is a very busy girl and it sounds like she has great taste in books. I love that you read it so that you could talk about the book with her. I did that from time to time with my girls.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Carole - My husband has Guitar Hero, but Mouse hasn't yet taken a real interest in that game. We are pretty busy, and I think Mouse would do more if we let her. LOL Thank you for visiting!

      Delete
  11. New follower here :)

    I love Mouse's picks! I need to read Smile - I keep hearing good things about it, and about Raina Telgemeier's other books too.

    Here's my weekly wrap-up: { The Sunday Post }: September 23, 2018

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Jillian - When she first brought Smile home, I thought the author sounded familiar and then realized I had one of the author's other books on my wish list. She has another of Raina's graphic novels to read and is looking forward to it. Thanks for stopping by!

      Delete
  12. My eldest daughter and I love Raina Telgemeier's books and I'm glad Mouse enjoyed Smile, too. :) I hope she'll have a new ook out soon.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Melody - I am just glad to see her interested in books! LOL Thank you for visiting!

      Delete
  13. Wow! Glad that Mouse has lots of great books to read! Hope you have a nice week!

    Here’s my Sunday Post!

    Ronyell @ Rabbit Ears Book Blog

    ReplyDelete
  14. The Tornado really enjoys graphic novels too! He's a fairly reluctant reader but he gets excited about those! I haven't seen Smile but I'll have to look for it.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Katherine - Mouse gets excited about graphic novels too. She is a bit of a reluctant reader too and so anything she shows an interest in, I try to encourage. Thanks for visiting!

      Delete
  15. I love Mouse has her own Vlog and I respect the fact that you have it private, for obvious reasons. Have an amazing week.

    Gayathri @ Elgee Writes

    ReplyDelete
  16. I'm awful at Just Dance (and equivalents) and I have great fun trying!

    My little dude has his own little vlog but - like your mouse - it isn't online either. We keep the videos on our home server so family can watch them though. :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Nicci - I am not very good at those types of games either, but, yes, they are fun. :-) That is so cute that your son has his own vlog too! They are fun to watch, aren't they? The things they say and come up with. :-) Thanks for visiting!

      Delete
  17. You're reading War and Peace and Les Miserables to a second grader? I can't even get my third grader to listen to me read kids books. Well, her mom is reading Harry Potter with her, and she's enjoying that. And she reads on her own, so at least we have that. :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Rachel - I'm not actually reading the entire novels to her--just bits and pieces when she asks. She was really into the parts of Les Miserables featuring a young Cosette and would ask me to read more to her every night for a while there. She is interested in War and Peace because there are Princes and Princesses--but I am not sure how much she actually understands of what I read to her. My daughter is slowly transitioning to chapter books right now, but she still prefers picture books. As long as she is reading--or is willing to let me read to her--I am happy. :-) Thanks for stopping by!

      Delete
  18. Raina's books are SO popular with the kids. And that's the thing about graphic novels...they have lots of pages, but fewer words and they are perfect for transitioning into novels of greater length. Mouse may like graphic novels, period :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Donna Marie - I am just glad to see her excited about reading something. :-) Raina's books are good though. She has another one of her books coming up, and I recently ordered Drama for myself. Thanks for visiting!

      Delete
  19. I too have seen Smile around quite a bit, but I had no clue what it was about. I was also not aware it was a Graphic Novel. Thanks for the info! The Bad Guys looks like a fun read. Happy birthday to Mouse! 🎂

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. La La - The Bad Guys was fun--another graphic novel. My daughter seems to really like them. Takes after her dad. Haha. It was actually her half birthday, not her full birthday this month. My mom makes a deal of her half birthday since it's my actual birthday. And then my half birthday falls on Mouse's birthday in March (it also was my grandfather's birthday, which is why it is such a big deal for my mom). I hope that makes sense. :-) Thank you for stopping by!

      Delete

Thank you for taking the time to visit Musings of a Bookish Kitty. Don't be shy! I would love to hear from you. Due to a recent increase in spam, I will be moderating all comments for the foreseeable future. Please be patient with me as it may take a few hours before I am able to approve your comment.