Author Jessixa Bagley and illustrator Aaron Bagley combine their talents once again (Duel) in Dear Jackie, a delightful graphic novel love letter to kids living through oh-so-common middle-school growing pains.
Jackie and Milo--best friends and next-door neighbors--have been inseparable since they were born. Now it's their last summer before middle school, and Milo expresses both of their concerns by worrying aloud that "it's like our childhood is disappearing." Still, they start school with cautious optimism, convinced that nothing could ever come between them. Until Milo's friends make fun of Jackie and Milo laughs along; then, something breaks between them. After a lifetime of comfort in her own skin, Jackie begins to doubt herself. Determined to prove that she's just fine the way she is, Jackie hatches a plan: a love letter, a locker, and a little white lie. "Dear Jackie," she writes. "I like you. --Your secret admirer." What could go wrong?
Both author and illustrator clearly aim to make readers cringe and smile in equal measure in this absorbing graphic novel. The text is quippy yet believable with dialogue that is palpably (often excruciatingly) true to life. The illustrations feature diverse characters (Jackie and her family cue as Black, Milo as East Asian, and new friend Kenji uses a wheelchair); they are thickly lined and exaggerated with hilariously demonstrative body language and facial expressions. Dear Jackie offers a fresh, loving perspective on middle school drama--pimples and all. --Mariel Fechik, librarian, writer, music reviewer