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Be Prepared
Be Prepared | Vera Brosgol
55 posts | 79 read | 31 to read
All Vera wants to do is fit in--but that's not easy for a Russian girl in the suburbs. Her friends live in fancy houses and their parents can afford to send them to the best summer camps. Vera's single mother can't afford that sort of luxury, but there's one summer camp in her price range--Russian summer camp.Vera is sure she's found the one place she can fit in, but camp is far from what she imagined. And nothing could prepare her for all the "cool girl" drama, endless Russian history lessons, and outhouses straight out of nightmares!
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Karisimo
Be Prepared | Vera Brosgol
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Today is my son's first day as camp counselor, so for all the kids heading off to camp, let's share our favorite books about the experience for #middlegrademonday!

Be Prepared is a graphic memoir. Her family can't afford regular summer camp, but then she learns of Russian camp where everyone will be like her. She gets to go, but it isn't what she expected. Still, she learns and grows in important ways. Great coming of age memoir!

Play~Share~Tag

dabbe Will do; thanks for the tag! 😘 6mo
24 likes1 stack add2 comments
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Robotswithpersonality
Be Prepared | Vera Brosgol
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Pickpick

Be Prepared solidified my suspicion that I'm very lucky to have never gone to a summer camp as a child.
Anya's ghost goes from awkward teen stuff to legitimately creepy to lessons learned in an admirably fluid manner. Both are a window into being a first generation Russian immigrant kid in America and/or the outsider. The illustration is expressive, though I can't help but be spoiled and wish for full colour rather than single tone wash of tint.

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Kenyazero
Be Prepared | Vera Brosgol
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Vera shares about her summer camp in a style that flows as smoothly as fiction. She opens up about feeling Other because of her Russian family and customs, and because her family was low-income and couldn't do things quite the same way as her more wealthy friends. The sleepover scene was heartbreaking. It was fun watching her learn and grow at camp. #Comic #GraphicMemoir #Memoir #Nonfiction #Camp

14 likes2 stack adds
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Kenyazero
Be Prepared | Vera Brosgol
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I adore pop culture references in comics and graphic novels! #comic #Reference

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Kenyazero
Be Prepared | Vera Brosgol
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We went to the Arc to find used baby blankets for one of our dogs, and somehow left with so many books (and only two of them were my fault)! #BookHaul #UsedBooks

slategreyskies Oh, Adrienne Rich!! 😍 2y
15 likes1 comment
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LiteraryinPA
Be Prepared | Vera Brosgol
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Pickpick

I guess the author and I must be the same age because I got ALL of her references about her childhood! The book overall is about a girl who feels out of step with her peers going to Russian summer camp and not loving it (but surviving!). In the beginning she describes another girl‘s birthday party (Pizza Hut, Carvel cake) and this panel made me chuckle. The art and emotions portrayed are top notch and I definitely recommend this graphic novel.

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Erin.Elizabeth10
Be Prepared | Vera Brosgol
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Pickpick

I took this young adult graphic novel camping with me this weekend, and it was the perfect read for it!! So funny, relatable, heartfelt, emotional, entertaining, and beautifully drawn! I loved it!!

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thegirlwiththelibrarybag
Be Prepared | Vera Brosgol
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Pickpick

Expectation does not meet reality for Vera when she sets off to her first Summer Camp…

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chlolovesbooks
Be Prepared | Vera Brosgol
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⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 5/5

11 likes1 stack add
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Johanna414
Be Prepared | Vera Brosgol
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This is going to be a very different school year for me, as the library is largely closed and I am spending most of my time in a 7th grade special ed classroom. The plus side is that they are awesome kids and were very excited when I brought them each a stack of books to choose from for free reading this week. My buddy here was so excited to finish this book today - he loved it! #schoollibraries #librariansoflitsy #teachersoflitsy

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megnews
Be Prepared | Vera Brosgol
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I‘m really bummed. My daughter and I had a trip from Ohio to Louisiana and Alabama planned for next week to tour three universities she‘s interested in. Had to cancel because of the health crisis. My one consolation is more reading time for #MiddleGradeMarch.
Tagged book, set at summer camp, was a great graphic novel about finding the place you fit in.

TheBookHippie I‘m sad for all the missed stuff going on in students lives. 5y
Butterfinger I was going to take my daughter to ETSU. She had been planning it since Christmas. We can't go prom dress shopping so I decided to go to the Great Dismal Swamp. No people, only gators and Venus Fly Traps in their natural habitat. 5y
megnews @Butterfinger we‘d been planning since Christmas too. And she‘s picked her prom dress out online though honestly I don‘t know if there‘ll be a prom. 5y
See All 14 Comments
BookNAround My daughter just got accepted to the MA in Architecture program at U of WA yesterday. I‘d originally said I‘d take her to visit if she got in but obviously that isn‘t happening now. No idea how she‘ll choose a program. I did hear that undergrad colleges might extend the May 1 decision date so you might get some trips in eventually. 5y
Butterfinger @megnews I keep thinking about the book we read. I sort of wish we hadn't read it, but we just didn't know it was around the corner. 5y
megnews @Butterfinger I know. I keep thinking about it too. 5y
sblbooks I'm sure your daughter is disappointed. I hope you can reschedule. 5y
Chrissyreadit @Butterfinger @megnews I‘m still glad we read it. It‘s because of acquired knowledge most people know what to do here today. All these precautions will significantly limit transmission- also this seems to be most dangerous for the same demographic that‘s always vulnerable. (Hoping this comment feels hopeful) 5y
Chrissyreadit @Butterfinger @megnews @BookNAround we all have daughters the same age??? I‘m not used to people going so far away to College. Everyone in NY seems to go to an in state college or University. I‘m in WV now and am amazed at all the traveling. 5y
BookNAround @Chrissyreadit My daughter is actually 21 and a senior in college so her decision is about grad school. My youngest son is 18 on Sunday so he‘s the high school senior (but he‘s going far from home for college—going to OH from NC—so your comment still stands). (edited) 5y
LibrarianRyan 😁👍🏻❤️ 5y
megnews @Chrissyreadit I don‘t know how I missed your comment. I guess we do have daughters the same age. I stayed local for school and my eldest stayed in state. My middle girl has always been an adventurer. She wants to go South for school. Hopefully we can squeeze the visits in early fall. 5y
Chrissyreadit @BookNAround I just saw this! I‘ve noticed I‘m not always notified when I‘m tagged. I‘m fascinated by how people choose college. It‘s so overwhelming to me! My two grads (niece and daughter) are staying local for a free associates, then applying to more specialized programs as transfers. 5y
Chrissyreadit @megnews I hope you can work out a visit too! I‘m amazed at all the different ways people choose their college. 5y
48 likes14 comments
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booklover3258
Be Prepared | Vera Brosgol
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Pickpick

My review of this book can be found on my Youtube Vlog at:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FABJ67N9sXo

Enjoy!

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Brooke_H
Be Prepared | Vera Brosgol
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Pickpick

A graphic memoir... Vera is a 9-year-old Russian immigrant who desperately wants to fit in with the American kids in her suburban neighborhood. When she discovers there is a summer camp for Russian kids, she thinks she's finally found her people. Surprise!—Russian summer camp also kind of sucks, and Vera has to use all her ingenuity and bravery to make it through.

This is a standard fish-out-of-water story, but Brosgol writes with poignancy. ❤️

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Andrea313
Be Prepared | Vera Brosgol
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Who else has worn out purses and bags from years of carrying heavy books around *just in case*? #readerproblems #itme

kspenmoll Me!!! 5y
12 likes1 comment
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Schlinkles
Be Prepared | Vera Brosgol
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EadieB
Be Prepared | Vera Brosgol
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Oblomov26 Truth 5y
71 likes1 stack add1 comment
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Shley9225
Be Prepared | Vera Brosgol
Pickpick

Read this because the art style was SO CUTE 😍. The story was also very cute, and as this was a graphic novel, a very short read. I finished it in one sitting. While I‘ve always loved going to camp, I was still able to empathize with Vera‘s struggles throughout the story and rooted for her to make good decisions in the end.

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EliNeedsMoreShelves
Be Prepared | Vera Brosgol
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Pickpick

As someone who had both awful and amazing summer camp experiences, I could definitely relate to Vera - her excitement, her disappointment, her eventual resetting of expectations. Love the artwork!

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Brie
Be Prepared | Vera Brosgol
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Fantastic art once again, in shades of green, yellow, and brown. This comic brought back memories of mine from Girl Scout camp, both good and bad. Young Vera thinks summer camp will be a blast, but the older girls are mean to her, there‘s no candy allowed, and she has to use latrines! As the four weeks of camp go by, Vera learns a lot about herself and friendship.

30 likes1 stack add
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JacintaMCarter
Be Prepared | Vera Brosgol
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#2019Book44
As someone who hated the two days of summer camp I managed to suffer through, I found a kindred spirit in the author/illustrator of this graphic novel. If camp and attempting to make new friends have never really been your favorite things, then definitely check out this book.

53 likes1 stack add
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saresmoore
Be Prepared | Vera Brosgol
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Life is good.

britt_brooke Perfect! 💚 6y
BarbaraBB Fab pic! 6y
Cathythoughts Love this 👍🏻♥️ 6y
See All 12 Comments
Branwen She looks so comfy! 📚 💗 6y
valeriegeary ❤️❤️❤️ 6y
Moray_Reads What a perfect reading chair 6y
saresmoore @Moray_Reads It is fabulous! I curl up in it every morning and it is the best part of my day. 6y
kspenmoll So cozy! 6y
batsy ❤️❤️ 6y
LeahBergen What a gorgeous photo. She‘s getting bigger! 😩 6y
saresmoore @LeahBergen I just had to get her a bigger size of Saltwater sandals. She‘s growing and maturing so much. 🥺 And don‘t even get me started on her sister, Miss Tween. 🙄 The next six years of my life are going to be an adventure! 6y
Suet624 Adorable. You are blessed. 💕💕 6y
105 likes12 comments
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Jgotham
Be Prepared | Vera Brosgol
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Got this graphic novel from the library. It‘s a true story about a camp for Russian-American girls that the author attended. Except it‘s not like she planned as she deals with Mean-girls, and the general “outside stuff” camping entails. Sounds like a good children‘s graphic novel about fitting in and acceptance when all you feel like is an outsider.

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alisiakae
Be Prepared | Vera Brosgol
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Just the two of us tonight, so it‘s a #bookanddinner Meatless Monday kind of night! Tagged Maya‘s book, which she is reading for the 50th or so time. 😂😂

On the plate: sweet potato, black bean and goat cheese quesadilla with salad. (Can you call it a salad if it‘s only lettuce and dressing?) 🧐

PacingTheCage I say yes! 6y
LeahBergen It‘s a salad to me. 😆 6y
CoffeeNBooks That quesadilla sounds amazing! I'm going to have to make that! 6y
See All 8 Comments
cathysaid I consider a Bloody Mary a salad because...celery. Definitions can be so narrowly applied. 💁‍♀️ 6y
Lcsmcat My mother called that a “honeymoon salad.” (Lettuce alone. Say it out loud.) 6y
aprilpohren Yum!!! 6y
alisiakae @PacingTheCage @LeahBergen Glad others agree! @CoffeeNBooks It‘s my favorite type of quesadilla! I cook the sweet potato first, and sometimes add in kale. @cathysaid 😂😂 @Lcsmcat I love that! 😂😂😂 6y
121 likes1 stack add8 comments
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ErikaB
Be Prepared | Vera Brosgol
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Part three of my #18in2018. (I‘m done now, I promise.)

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AlizaApp
Be Prepared | Vera Brosgol
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Pickpick

I loved camp, so I did not fully identify with this protagonist. But so charming!

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Nitpickyabouttrains
Be Prepared | Vera Brosgol
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Pickpick

Super cute graphic novel about a girl who feels like she doesn‘t belong because of her family background, so she goes to a summer camp where everyone should be the same as her. Of course she discovers this is not enough to fit in. But she does have some adventures.

14 likes1 stack add
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LouBeth
Be Prepared | Vera Brosgol
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"If you're bitten by a wild animal, please go see a doctor and not a kid." #LifeLessons ?

50 likes1 stack add
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GatheringBooks
Be Prepared | Vera Brosgol
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Pickpick

#NoFemmeber Day 13: #SheWill be prepared for Russian camp! Being the youngest girl in her tweener camp, Vera used her skills as an artist to gain friends, as can be seen in the image above. However, her attempts backfired, as she found herself changing into someone she didn‘t really like all that much. Named by Mariko Tamaki during the Singapore Writers Festival as one of the best MG novels this year. My review: https://wp.me/pDlzr-iYK

Cinfhen Thanks for sharing...I need to find a GN & a MS book for next year‘s reading challenges #Booked2019 6y
Billypar Looks great- certainly no manual for preparing a pre-teen to gain social acceptance, unfortunately ☺️ 6y
GatheringBooks @Cinfhen i will definitely recommend this one. pretty awesome read. 6y
GatheringBooks @Billypar very true. perhaps we should write one! 🧚🏼‍♀️😂😭💕📚 6y
Billypar Ha- if I were drawing from my experiences in my teen years, it would be full of 'what not to do' examples 😂 6y
73 likes5 comments
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JillPill
Be Prepared | Vera Brosgol
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Pickpick

This was a really cute book all about fitting in and how hard that can be

#BePrepared #Vera

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hwestfall
Be Prepared | Vera Brosgol
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Pickpick

This is an adorable middle grade graphic novel. The illustrations were amazing and I think everyone would be able to relate to the main character, Vera. I will be passing this along to my kids.

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biblio_ginger
Be Prepared | Vera Brosgol
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Grand Rapids Michigan haul!!! Went on an awesome day trip with two of my lovely sisters! They both got piercings like the pros they are and I felt blessed and excited to be with them! Plus look at all my loot! We went to #vaultofmidnight #booksandmortar and you know we did some thrift shopping! 😎 I've been wanting this Chipmunks album since I was a kid!

JoScho That pin!!! ❤️❤️❤️ 6y
biblio_ginger @JoScho isn't she cute! 😄 It's made by Oh Hello Stationary! 6y
18 likes2 comments
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GirlNamedJesse
Be Prepared | Vera Brosgol
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Pickpick

Fantastic fictionalized memoir of an awful summer at Russian summer camp for the middle grade crowd. As someone who hated camp, I relate strongly with Vera! This was like stepping into a time capsule. ⛺️

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GirlNamedJesse
Be Prepared | Vera Brosgol
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Home with a sick kid = time to finally start this one. I loved her first graphic novel, and her picture book. I‘m excited to see how this one measures up.

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alisiakae
Be Prepared | Vera Brosgol
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Maya has been at Green River Preserve, a sleepaway camp in the NC mountains since July 22! This photo popped up on their FB post last night, and it gave me ALL.THE.FEELS. ✨💞

They had just returned from a 3-day backcountry camping trip, I am not surprised that one of the first things she did after arriving back at the cabins was to grab the graphic novel I recently mailed to her in a care package! 💚📚⛺️

She comes home on Friday. 😃

scripturient Awwww! 😍😍😍 6y
Kalalalatja Amazing 😍 6y
tammysue Lovely! 💜 6y
tracey38 Love it! 6y
LeahBergen 💕💕💕 6y
124 likes5 comments
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Bookgoil
Be Prepared | Vera Brosgol
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Books finished today for #24in48 include 8 graphic novels and one short story novel collection. I also finished my current audiobook - The Girl Who Saved Christmas and read over 11 hours!! About to start another novel but probably won‘t last the hour. Happy reading everyone and see you in the morning!

kgriffith And now I have the song from The Lion King in my head 😂 6y
27 likes1 comment
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Runawaylibrarian
Be Prepared | Vera Brosgol
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If you‘ve ever been to sleepaway camp, you can relate to at least some of the experiences here. Brosgol does an excellent job of highlighting the good, the bad and the ugly. Loved this one, and kids are going to love it, too.

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cuethelibrarian
Be Prepared | Vera Brosgol
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Pickpick

Adored this book 💚 Loved how the story was about the author‘s own experiences at summer camp. Definitely one of the best summer reads!

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Purplerosiepage
Be Prepared | Vera Brosgol
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Pickpick

Loved this charming graphic novel. Mostly appropriate for all ages.

10 likes1 stack add
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libraryvixen
Be Prepared | Vera Brosgol
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I read this book solely on cover and a spurt of some of my favorite graphic novelists having this ARC in their pictures.
I knew nothing except it was about camp. What I got was a little bit of my adolescent self: raised by immigrant parents, not fitting in socially or economically with my peers and the longing to be like everyone else.
This GN was charming and heartfelt. Vera's journey was a pleasure to follow!

cuethelibrarian 💚 My feelings EXACTLY! 6y
2 likes1 comment
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ambam1987
Be Prepared | Vera Brosgol
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Pickpick

Loved this graphic novel- it‘s the perfect summer camp read.

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balletbookworm
Be Prepared | Vera Brosgol
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Very sweet autobiographical graphic novel about an immigrant girl who wants nothing more than to go to sleep-away summer camp like her more privileged friends. And when she finds a way go, which is Russian camp partially subsidized by the Orthodox Church, it turns out that camp is perhaps not all that it‘s purported to be. Loved the art style and minimal color palette.

34 likes4 stack adds
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forevermint
Be Prepared | Vera Brosgol
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Pickpick

Went hiking over the weekend and brought this graphic novel with me ^^ it was a fun read about a little girl named Vera who just wanted to go to camp like the other kids because she felt left out. She goes to Russian camp with her little brother where they learn about their culture and the history of their people. Vera not only learns more about her heritage but also how to make friends and enjoy herself despite the new and scary environment.

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lowellette
Be Prepared | Vera Brosgol
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Pickpick

Loved this one! My 8YO son has read this 3x in the past 48 hrs as well. Funny and heartbreaking with charming illustrations.

7 likes1 stack add
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BookMama789
Be Prepared | Vera Brosgol
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Reading Be Prepared by Vera Brosgol in preparation for camping this weekend with 12 Girl Scouts!

12 likes1 stack add
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Onceuponatime
Be Prepared | Vera Brosgol
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It‘s a graphic novel kind of day. Today‘s reads, all 👍🏼!

LiteraryinPA I love both of the ones by Victoria Jamieson!! 7y
36 likes1 comment
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JenHiga
Be Prepared | Vera Brosgol
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Lovely new books! #bookhaul #bookmail #graphicnovel Can‘t wait to get started on these!

Bookspirit 👋 Welcome to Litsy and Congrats on becoming a Litten 👏☺ 6y
Wife Welcome to Litsy!🌹 6y
7 likes2 comments
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ErikaB
Be Prepared | Vera Brosgol
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I always have a hard time deciding what to choose for #freecomicbookday but I'm pretty happy with my pick! I'm very excited to read these snippets from some great looking graphic novels, especially "Be Prepared". I actually had time to browse the shop (Paper Escape in Dixon, Illinois) this year and I found the discount boxes in the back and...

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TracyReadsBooks
Be Prepared | Vera Brosgol
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Pickpick

Had a chance to sneak this one in while daughter was doing stage crew stuff. Brosgol—author of Anya‘s Ghost & Leave Me Alone!—tackles summer camp in her latest. Vera is desperate to go, like everyone else in her neighborhood, but when she finally does, it‘s not the idyllic vacation she thought it would be. There are mean older girls, outhouses & bugs. Lots & lots of bugs. It takes time but Vera gets over her fears & even makes some friends.

21 likes1 stack add
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LaceyDoesLit
Be Prepared | Vera Brosgol
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Check out my latest #graphicnovelreview at LaceyDoesLit.com! #graphicnovel #reading #reader #arc #bookish #advancecopy #