Telgemeier. Raina. Smile. Art also by Raina Telgemeier. Color by Stephanie Yue. New York, NY: GRAPHIX, 2010. ISBN:
Author / Illustrator Websites: http://goraina.com/
Media: Pen, ink and colored ink
Use of Simile: (p. 29) “made me look like a six-year old.” “make you look like a baby.”
Use of Onomatopoeia: (p. 6) “Wham!” (p. 35) “Hisssss.”
Use of Alliteration: (p. 72) “cracked and crumbling.”
Use of Allusion: (p. 103) “All I want for Christmas is my two front teeth,” alludes to the Christmas song entitled, “My Two Front Teeth.”
Special Notations: Graphic Novel, 2010 Copyright, Personal Top Ten
Annotation: An eleven-year-old girl takes a bad fall and loses her two front teeth. Smile is the story of this girl has she undergoes multiple surgeries and therapies to regain her smile at the age of fourteen.
Personal Reaction: Graphic artist Raina Telgemeier has created a biographical comic novel about her tween years. Telgemeier’s graphic versions of the Ann M. Martin’s series, The Babysitters Club, have been popular and Smile is further proof of Telgemeier’s talent. Smile is a welcome entry in the graphic novel field because the plot isn’t action or joke centered. The plot focuses on Raina’s tween years and specifically shares the story of how a freakish fall led to multiple oral surgeries, braces (twice), retainers with fake teeth attached and a great deal of physical and emotional pain. Telgemeier’s colorful and energetic drawings tell her own coming of age story and her heightened awareness of how physical appearances are perceived by others. While a lot of the story focuses on Raina’s many trips to the dentist and her sometimes painful interactions with peers, there are also some memorable moments unrelated to teeth. Raina tells of the 1989 earthquake in San Francisco during which she shares an unprecedented and lengthy hug with her sister. Raina also recalls an involuntary trip to see the movie, A Little Mermaid, which spurs her interest in cartoons. Tweens ages 10 to 13 years old may relate to Raina’s very authentic feeling encounters with boys during her tween years. Not only does Raina have a crush on a boy at one point in the story, but also a younger boy develops a crush on Raina with some awkward consequences. Smile is a fun package for a genuinely good story about growing up.
