The New Girl

Lia and her family move from Romania to Montreal and Lia is miserable. She does not want to leave her family and friends and all that is familiar. Worst of all, she is getting terrible stomach pains. Right before she boards the plane to Canada, Lia gets her first period, which continues to painfully haunt her at the worst times during her first year in a new country. Once school begins, Lia is placed in a class of all immigrants from around the world, who are also learning to speak French and adjust to this new environment. Lia’s little brother seems to be making friends and enjoying this new city, so why is Lia so homesick and unhappy? Gradually, she begins to make connections with some of the girls in her class and realizes that even though they are from different places, they have many things in common. Life gets even better as Lia joins the school magazine club, where she uses her drawing talents to illustrate. Here she meets a cute boy and a serious crush develops. Lia sees one of her new friends overly chummy with her crush. Could this be a betrayal? Misunderstandings, first loves, and and middle school friendships are all explored in this biographical graphic debut.

Calin leans into her childhood memories of immigrating from Romania to Canada and all of the feelings. The story feels nostalgic, drawing from a ‘90’s youth, yet cellphones and technology bring the story to contemporary times. Kids slightly younger than Lia will gobble this title up (and they have!) to gather information about middle school, periods, crushes, and teen sleepovers. Romance is definitely at the heart of the story, yet it remains in the innocent zone and is appropriate to older elementary who are curious about such things. Kids who have moved from other lands will find much to relate to in Lia’s adventures, while kids who have been in the same place their whole lives may understand their new classmates a bit better. I felt compelled to read this book, as it is currently the most requested graphic novel in my library and I had to buy extra copies. Lia’s struggles are universal and readers will groan, laugh, and feel all the feels right along with her. The full-color illustrations are expressive and the panels are easy to scan with a well thought out design. The sequel, First Crush, has been released earlier this year and every copy is out in my library system, proving that this is a hot series.