The Plain Janes

Castellucci, Cecil. The Plain Janes. Illustrated by Jim Rugg. Minx, 2007. Paperback $9.99, ISBN 13 978-1-4012-1115-8

What’s it about?

Jane transfers to a new school in the suburbs and meets a group of girls at the misfit table—all also named Jane. Together, they form the group P.L.A.I.N. (People Loving Art in Neighborhoods) and breathe life into their stuffy town by creating random artwork around the neighborhood.  

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When Jane survives a bomb attack in Metro City, her parents decide the city is too dangerous and move to the stultifying suburbs. Jane makes herself over, decides that that popular crowd is not where she belongs anymore, and plants herself at the loser table, where she meets three girls, also named Jane. They aren’t exactly welcoming. After the Janes warm up to her, an idea stirs in Main Jane and together with the Janes, she forms a group called P.L.A.I.N. (People Loving Art in Neighborhoods). The “art attacks” are seen as threatening to authority figures, and participating may even land teens in a juvenile detention facility. These ridiculous threats inspire classmates to become involved in the art attacks and this ends up uniting classmates, formerly fixated in rigid cliques.

The artwork of this graphic novel reminds me a bit of the art of Clowes’ Ghost World.  The books have some similarities, but the subversion of Main Jane, however, is not mean-spirited like Enid’s.  The message of Plain Janes is the power of art, the power of expressing oneself, and the power of communication.  The community was a stifling place for creativity, but Jane’s influence helped breathe life into her classmates.  This is a novel about having the bravery to stand up for ones beliefs, and to be a non-conformist, even if it is uncomfortable, even if others feel threatened.

Genre: Contemporary Realistic Fiction, Friendship Fiction

Subjects: Survivors, Art, High school, Misfits, Conformity, Friendship, Moving

Reading level/ Interest level: Grades 7-12

Read-alikes:

Gulledge’s Page by Paige

For adults and older teens: Clowes’ Ghost World

Series information:

Janes in Love

Page by Paige

Gulledge, Laura Lee. Page by Paige. Amulet Books, 2011.  Paperback $9.95, ISBN-13  978-0-8109-9722-6

What’s it about?

Paige is a reserved young artist who has recently moved to New York City. With the help of a group of new friends, she begins to show people her artwork—and, page by page, the real Paige.

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Paige moves from Virginia to New York City, an overwhelming change for the sensitive young artist. She feels distant from her parents, who don’t really know the real Paige. She is terrified to show anyone her sketchbook, because her artwork reveals who she really is. At her new school, she meets an artsy, quirky group of friends who like her and accept her, including her first boyfriend, Gabe, a sensitive writer. She eventually overcomes her shyness enough to show her sketchbook to Gabe, completely exposing herself. She becomes more courageous, and begins to post her artwork online and share her art with the world in anonymous installments of art (including pasting beautiful hand-drawn paper trees to plain brick walls) by the “Agents of Whimsy” (with the help of her friends).   

This is an excellent graphic novel, and a great choice to hand young creative tweens and teens.  At first, I was a little skeptical about the extremely dramatic reactions to her parents, but the angst Paige feels about something as mundane as having to clean her room for company masks some deeper identity and self-esteem issues. While Paige may have it far easier than many of today’s tweens and teens, I think kids can relate to feeling like people don’t really know the person they really are.  The strongest part of this book is the amazing artwork, full of expression and interesting metaphors. Gulledge uses washes for many panels, which give this book a softer, more realistic look than the pen and ink panels. She does this for emphasis, and it’s an effective technique. I look forward to seeing more from this artist. 

Genre: Contemporary Realistic Fiction

Subjects: Art, Artists, Self-Esteem, Self-Perception, Teenagers, Friendship

Reading level/ Interest level: Grades 6-12

Read-alikes:

Castellucci’s The Plain Janes