Book Description Review “In both its story and its buoyant artwork—the groovy coloring was done by Ronda Pattinson—Copeland gets so many things right. She gets the nuances of hippie-chic ‘70s teenage fashion. She gets the daffy chatter of cousins after Thanksgiving dinner has been eaten. (‘Eat it! Eat the weird pie!’) She gets the ordinary heartbreak when, again and again, Cindy’s father reflexively nourishes the ambitions of her brothers, looking past her as if she is invisible. (‘You know, John, I think you’d be an excellent politician!’ ) And she gets the way that Cindy’s immediate problems, like a friend scorning her in the hall, can feel as vivid and epoch-defining as Watergate or the passage of the Equal Rights Amendment . . . Cub offers a road map for the . . . Cindys of today, proposing to the awkward and the ambitious that they are not, in fact, hostage to the merciless social sorting that can happen within the confines of middle school . . . Look outward, this delightful book advises. A great big world is waiting.” —The New York Times Book Review “This charming, intelligent, funny book is a sharp look into the middle school ecosystem, its shifting allegiances, its hormonally charged confusions. It follows seventh-grader Cindy as she navigates cliques and crushes and takes on a role as a cub reporter under the wing of an ambitious young woman journalist. Copeland nails the cringy pre-teen humiliations, and the book also serves as a primer on lede-writing and journalistic ethics, as well as showing a person coming into her own and learning how to be the author of her own story.” —Boston Globe “Copeland’s first graphic novel for kids successfully integrates the right balance of coming-of-age issues into those arising from her early-’70s setting; many of the latter are eerily similar to those that the country is still experiencing. This tale of middle-grade angst and self-consciousness is laced with humor and nostalgia.” —Kirkus Reviews, starred review “Deftly juggling Cindy’s school days, internship, and home life, Copeland crafts a multilayered, year-in-the-life story within a complex historical context.” —Publishers Weekly, starred review “Raina Telgemeier fans will lap this up, particularly though who need a shot of courage or reassurance heading into the maelstrom of middle school.” — Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books “Engaging and interesting . . . this [book] made me ridiculously happy.” —YA Books Central Read more About the Author Cynthia L. Copeland is the New York Times bestselling author of more than 25 books, including Really Important Stuff My Dog Has Taught Me and The Diaper Diaries. Her books have sold more than a million copies in eight languages, and have been featured on Good Morning America, selected for Oprah’s “O List” in O: The Oprah Magazine, and recommended by Ann Landers. Ms. Copeland lives in New Hampshire with her family. Read more Customers Review: I love this take on the coming of age genre. While Cindy has to deal with all the friendship drama common to 12-year-olds of every generation, her internship as a cub reporter allows us a glimpse into the news stories of the time, and a sense of the larger political drama of the time. Copeland’s juxtaposition of common social stresses with the historic rise of feminism, Watergate, and Vietnam make a compelling read.It’s hard to believe I’m old enough for my childhood to be historical fiction, but that made it extra enjoyable for me. Since it is set in the not-too-distant past, it can allow young readers to feel what it was like to be female in the 1970s, and see how far we’ve come. My 11-year-old is partial to graphic novels, so I am always on the lookout for them, particularly of the social issue variety. The illustrations are bright, expressive, and enhance the fast-paced story. Get your copy online at IndieBound, Amazon, or Barnes & Noble, or find it at your local bookstore or library. Thanks to Algonquin Young Readers for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.
Cub, a graphic novel memoir, is a refreshing look at what it was like to grow up as a female in the school year of 1972 as we get to watch a young middle-grader navigate through friendships, boys, job/future opportunities, bullies, and more.Thoughts:There is so much to love about this graphic novel. Admittingly, I went into it rather skeptically. I’m not a big fan of the 70s decade, although it did give us Star Wars, and I question my ability to properly evaluate graphic novels. But only a page or two in and I was hooked by the drawings, humor, and main character.Middle school life is tough. Cub starts out showing us what Cindy’s life is like at both home and school, but mostly school or otherwise known as the “Wild Kingdom,” introducing us to the bullies (and ways to avoid them), her best friend Katie, and then also her favorite teacher, Mrs. Schulz who teaches English. It is this teacher who gives Cindy the idea that she could one day become a writer and hooks her up with a local female newspaper reporter.Soon, the big day arrives for her first assignment with the Leslie, the female newspaper writer, and off they go to The Board of Education’s Finance Subcommittee meeting. (Boy, that sounds like fun.) Cindy takes notes even though she has no idea what any of it means and feels a little down. But Leslie is great and gives her encouragement by providing a story about how Bob Woodward of the Washington Post started out.As year progresses, Leslie and Cindy continue to go on more and more varying assignments and you can see Cindy’s enjoyment and confidence continue to grow as well. But at the same time, Cub also shows what happens in between the assignments as Cindy works through changing friendships and even boys! She makes mistakes, learns new things about herself and others and continues to evolve.I was impressed by how Cub covers so many topics so very well, including:- Difference between what stories female reporters were assigned to versus what male reporters were assigned to. 1970 current events including the Vietnam war, ERA Amendment, Nixon Watergate and presidential election.- Difference in how fathers discussed future jobs with their sons as compared to their daughters. Cindy’s growing interest and encouragement in a variety of subjects that gave her growing confidence.- How friendships grew and changed in the middle grade years.If I ever get a chance to go back and relive a period of my life, it won’t be middle school and I would wager that this is true for most of us. It is that period of your life when you begin to start growing up emotionally, mentally, physically, and intellectually and it is tough. Cub encompasses many of these middle school moments so well in this graphic novel bringing everything to a satisfying conclusion.Rating: 5 starsThanks to Algonquin Young Readers for the advanced reader copy and for the opportunity to provide an honest review.
Cub is perfect for fans of Raina Raina Telgemeier’s books because it’s very similar to her books in style (and some of the themes). I especially loved that Copeland included empowering messages about young girls without hitting us over the head with them. She shows the ways that she was treated unequally without having a graphic novel that constantly decries those injustices. For instance, there was the fact that her father had high expectations of her brothers but not really of her—but then he was very supportive when she took initiative and started accomplishing things on her own. The reporter that Cindy worked with was very blatantly the only woman in the news office and she wasn’t getting great assignments (at least at first)—but the book showed her taking action about that (and getting what she wanted). Cindy has a boyfriend who’s sort of insensitive to her, but we see that in the subtle way he cuts her off when she talks or how he complains when she takes time for things that are important to her—we didn’t need for her to give big speeches about how wrong he was. The situation was all given to the reader in a very subtle way, but in a way where I think kids will still come away with all the right messages (and won’t feel like they’re being preached to).This is a very honest story, where we see some of Cindy’s failures too—many kids will be able to relate to the way Cindy caves to pressure to say something she doesn’t mean about the boy she likes or the way she fails to befriend the slightly strange girl in class until someone else does. Fractured friendships (and changing ones) are also featured—I loved seeing Cindy find her friend group in the midst of loneliness.The graphic novel format is perfect for this story because it gives us such a fun sense of the time period (70s clothes and hair are featured prominently in fun ways) and makes the autobiographical nature of the story more accessible to middle schoolers. I also love that the author sneaks some writing lessons in (showing us examples of early articles marked up by her mentor). Some kids will skim right past those, but I suspect others will be curious as to what makes a good lede and how you shouldn’t include inconsequential details in an article.Cub is an incredibly inspiring autobiography masquerading as a simple story of surviving middle school. Middle graders will enjoy its themes without feeling like they’re being hit over the head with moral lessons. I HIGHLY recommend this book to middle grade readers, teachers and librarians.***Disclosure: I received this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. No other compensation was given and all opinions are my own.*** |
8 reviews