All Summer Long by Hope Larson - ADVISABLE

All Summer Long by Hope Larson. 172 pages. GRAPHIC NOVEL. Farrar Straus Giroux, 2018. $22  

Language: G; Mature Content: G; Violence: G.  

BUYING ADVISORY: MS -ADVISABLE.  

KID APPEAL: HIGH. 

Bina is having a boring summer because her best friend Austin is away at soccer camp.  After exhausting herself for a week watching a British TV series, she befriends Austin’s sister, starts to realize her passion for music and relishes in becoming a new aunt.  When Austin returns home from soccer camp he has changed and Bina starts to realize that they like different things but can still be friends.  

This graphic novel is a look into one girl’s summer experience.  Nothing really spectacular happens, but Bina is a likable character and sometimes it’s the small life experiences that really define who we become.  I liked that Bina was true to herself.  The illustrations are orange, white and black which is a bit bland, but they depict the story well enough.  The front cover is appealing and the back cover makes it look like it’s going to have romance, but it doesn’t.  

C. Peterson