10/06/2014
Comics creator Prince (Will You Still Love Me If I Wet the Bed?) makes her YA debut with a candid graphic memoir about growing up resisting all forms of girliness. Early on, Liz's family supports her wardrobe choices (blazers and baseball caps) and her interest in Little League; her schoolmates are merely puzzled. When she arrives at middle school, though, the pressure starts to build. Girlfriends whose sexuality is beginning to develop leave her behind or use her as a prop, and boys bully her relentlessly: "Loser dykes spotted in the wild!" Liz resists becoming a sexual being, and Prince's artwork resists sexuality, too; the cast is a series of endearing, childlike figures (even when they're smoking). A running visual expresses Liz's attempts to negotiate predetermined gender roles by marking out a figure that resists the standard bathroom-door symbols for "male" and "female." Prince's most important revelation—that in dressing like a boy, "I subscribed to the idea that there was only one form of femininity and that it was inferior to being a man"—gives readers space to question their own acquiescence to gender stereotypes. Ages 14–up. (Sept.)

"Spectacular; a book to make anyone think seriously about society's preordained gender roles."—starred, Kirkus Reviews

08/01/2014
Gr 9 Up—Prince knew from an early age that she was not a typical girl. The only pictures of her in a dress were from when she was a baby and could not protest. She hates dresses and all things "girly." Fortunately, she had supportive parents who did not force her into traditional gender roles and who let her wear the kinds of clothing she wanted. Most of Prince's friends were boys, and her fantasies and playtime were devoted to being a hero, not a princess. Her wardrobe choices made her the target of ridicule and bullying in Boston and in Santa Fe, where her family moved when she was in early elementary school. In their first neighborhood, most of her friends were boys, but she found some girlfriends after the family moved. It was the first time she found girls with similar interests in comics and Ghostbusters, and it was also when she realized that she did not want to be a boy but, rather, wanted the freedom that came with being one. Meeting a good friend of her mother's, who encouraged her talent and interest in comics, and transferring to a very small, highly experimental high school helped her become comfortable with her choice as a tomboy. Although Prince has created a work that will affirm the choices of tomboys, the black-and-white illustrations show little variation among characters, and the text is sometimes difficult to read. The chronology is also confusing, as Prince often jumps from childhood to adolescence in the space of one frame and then jumps back to childhood again. Purchase where graphic novel memoirs are in demand.—Suanne B. Roush, formerly at Osceola High School, Seminole, FL

This graphic novel memoir makes a successful transition to audio because of its talented ensemble cast. It opens in Boston in 1986. Four-year-old Liz Prince is mid-temper-tantrum because she’s been asked to wear a dress. Her fit is more evocative and dramatic because of the concern expressed by her loving parents. Excellent timing and a sense of connection among cast members continue through vignettes that skip from age 2 to adolescence. All scenes are so specific in detail and emotions that they convey honestly, uniquely, and sometimes painfully Prince’s experiences with gender stereotyping. Both the duress and the triumph of standing up to prejudice and cultural mores are illuminated as Prince attempts to understand herself and the world at the same time. The narrator links all the scenes with an expansive range of humor, hurt, and revelatory statements. S.W. © AudioFile 2016, Portland, Maine

★ 2014-07-16
Prince explores what it means to be a tomboy in a magnificently evocative graphic memoir. From the age of 2, Liz knows she hates dresses. As a child, she wears boys clothes and plays with boys. However, as she enters her teen years, things change. Still wishing to dress like a boy and disdainful of all things girly—including the inevitable biology of puberty—she stays true to herself and her identity, but not without struggling to fit into a teenage society that neatly compartmentalizes how boys and girls should act. Liz's troubles are magnified as she navigates the ways of the heart, falling for boys who often pass her over for girls who are more feminine. As she stumbles and bumbles her way to friends who will accept her, she pulls readers along that oh-so-tough and bumpy road of adolescence. Simple, line-based art provides a perfect complement to her keen narration, giving this an indie, intimate feel and leaving readers feeling like they really know her. Liz's story, captured with wry humor and a deft, visceral eye, is a must-read for fans who fell for Raina Telgemeier's work in middle school.Spectacular; a book to make anyone think seriously about society's preordained gender roles (Graphic memoir. 14 & up)