Smile

Telgemeier, R. (2010). Smile. Scholastic. 224 pages. ISBN 9780545132060

Primary genre: realistic fiction

Other elements: family, friendship, coming of age, humor

Intended reader age: 8 and up

Synopsis:

Raina was already dreading the braces to fix her overbite but after tripping, falling, and knocking out her front teeth after a Girl Scouts meeting, Raina suddenly has a lot more to worry about. She spends the next few years undergoing multiple dental surgeries and strategies including: root canal surgery, a retainer with fake teeth attached, braces, and headgear. On top of these dental adventures Raina faces the every day challenges of friendship, crushes, family dynamics, and puberty.

Review:

I did not really think about the time frame of this book until the author mentioned going to see The Little Mermaid in movie theaters. Although I did have a slight moment when Raina was asking her mother if she could get pierced ears for her 12^th birthday (she also mentioned Mickey Mouse Club here). I thought it was strange that a mother in what I thought was this day and age had that mentality, but it was explained in a way that I accepted it (the mother got an infection when she pierced her own ears when she was younger). But, the technology and media references are not what drive this story. So even though there are those decade defining mentions at times, they do not detract from the story.

This is a story based on the author’s real life experiences, the teeth knockout mishap apparently really happened to her. I don’t know how to exactly describe what I experience, empathize is the best term I can come up with. But, when that poor kid knocked out her front teeth, man did I feel for her. I got my braces later in life, so I was right there with her when it came to those overly self-conscious and aware feelings. Although I did not loose teeth the way she did, I did have to have two of my teeth removed before everything could be straightened properly, so my experience did go beyond the normal time frame as well.

Although the story is all told in a graphic novel way I don’t feel that this was necessarily created with younger tweens in mind. The pictures and minimal text to open the material to those younger readers, but the story is still about the problems that tweens and young teens face. The main problem that Raina faces at school deals with her growing sense of self and the conflicts that creates between her and her friends. These are not issues that many elementary school kids face. The author did write a second novel, following the same structure of graphic novel format, although this one is about a new character and is set in middle school again.