Welcome to Litsy!

#12Booksof2024

My favorite book in January was Dan Santat‘s graphic novel memoir about a trip he took to Europe in middle school. It‘s a wonderful story about all sorts of “firsts,” including first love, as well as the joys, embarrassments, fun, and adventure that comes with being a teenager. A delightful read beginning to end.

@Andrew65

To start off nonfiction November, let's share memoirs for #middlegrademonday !

The tagged is about the author's trip to Europe in his middle school years and captures all the insecurities of that age so well. Graphic memoirs like this one are becoming quite the trend!

Play~Share~Tag

What a beautiful way to remember your teenage years…the angst, the self-consciousness, the adventure, friends…! All of this with spot-on illustrations.
I liked the author‘s note in the end comparing childhood in the 80s to now.
P.S : I used to love Fanta too! 🧡

#ReadAway2024

Finished this for my #QUABC 40-Book Challenge prompt: “A National Book Award winner.” It was the 2023 Winner for Young People & it was delightful. I think everyone can relate to the trauma/drama of middle school & Sanat captures it in all its glory in his illustrations & text. Set mainly on a life-changing school trip to Europe, I enjoyed reading it while listening to the Spotify “mix tape” playlist he includes the QR code for.💙

#ItTakesAllKinds

I have this #GraphicNovel checked out from the library to fill a “National Book Award Winner” prompt for my #OUABC 40 Book Challenge. It won the 2023 National Book Award for Young People's Literature. 🥇📚

Sweet and charming middle grade graphic memoir. Santat writes about a life-changing trip to Europe in 1989, just before starting high school. He really manages to capture what being thirteen was like in all its awkward glory.

Heart warming, filled with great illustrations and an innocent first crush before high school. Really good read that I recommend highly.

Santat‘s National Book Award winning graphic novel about a school trip to Europe when he was in middle school is marvelous in every way—from the delightful art to the heartfelt, poignant detailing of all the awkwardness that comes with being thirteen—and definitely deserving of all the accolades it‘s received. A wonderful story about finding yourself, exploring the world, and discovering your place in it. A fantastic book.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ A near perfect encapsulation of the joy, awkwardness, naivete, isolation, curiosity, insecurity, friendships, and trials of teen years. The author recounts a life-changing class trip to Europe. His experience really spoke to my inner child; introverted, self-doubting, finding it easier to be alone than potentially end up with my foot in my mouth, and occasionally finding someone who doesn't care about all that. #firstsecondbooks

Such a fabulous graphic novel. What I loved was its a really good long length. You can‘t really just sit and get it done in one sitting, you can spend some time with it. A coming of age type story centered around a class trip to Europe. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

What a relatable book! A stunning tribute to the power of travel.

⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐5 ⭐Looking through my years of reading Dan Santat‘s books, I realize that every single one of them I have rated five stars. This does not break that streak. This book was fantastic. It was a love story. It was an adventure story. It was a story about finding yourself. And Dan does that all through an autobiography in graphic format about going to Europe for the first time while in middle school. There is so much heart and love in this

What an absolutely,charming graphic novel. Brought back memories of middle school and study abroad, even though I was in college, instead of starting high school. Lots of fun!