Telegemeier, Raina. Smile. Graphix, 2010. Tr. $10.99 ISBN 978-0-545-13206-0.
What’s it about?
Smile is a graphic novel memoir that tells the story of Raina, who knocks out her two front teeth when she is eleven and undergoes years of dental surgery, braces, head-gear and an embarrassing retainer with fake teeth attached.
Find out more:
Eleven-year-old Raina trips and knocks out her two front teeth after a Girl Scout meeting, and her smile is never quite the same, as she undergoes years of dental surgery, braces, head-gear and even an embarrassing retainer that has fake teeth attached. After the initial treatment, when the dentist is able to pull the impacted tooth back down and put back the one that fell out, Raina’s teeth still don’t look quite right. They are much shorter than her other teeth because the bone has been damaged as well. Smile shows the impact the seemingly endless dental trauma has on her self-esteem and the teasing she endures because of it.
Smile is a great book to hand pre-teens and young teens, particularly girls, because these are awkward years, with lots of physical changes, teasing, and battles with personal appearance. Raina eventually finds a new group of friends that don’t hassle her about her appearance, and when the novel closes, she seems more comfortable in her own skin. The colorful, lively artwork has many comic moments, and the tone is never overly serious. Telegemeier does a good job of keeping things in perspective—after Raina weathers a major earthquake, she comments “I guess in the grand scheme of things losing a couple of teeth isn’t the end of the world.”
Genre: Non-fiction; Humor; Graphic Novel Memoir
Reading level: 3rd grade
Interest level: Grades 5-9
Read-alikes:
Steinberger’s Japan Ai: A Tall Girl’s Adventures in Japan
Hicks’ War at Ellsmere
Awards:
Appears on Kirkus’ “Best Young Adult Books” list (2010)
On YALSA’s 2011 list “Top Ten Great Graphic Novels for Teens”
Subjects: Dental injuries, Middle school, High School, Fitting in, Appearance, Relationships, Earthquakes, Self-esteem
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