 | Real Riley Mayes Author: Elliott, Rachel | |
| Price: $10.65 | ||
Summary:
Fifth grade is just not Riley's vibe. Everyone else is squaded up-except Riley. Her best friend moved away. All she wants to do is draw, and her grades show it. One thing that makes her happy is her favorite comedian, Joy Powers. Riley loves to watch her old shows and has memorized her best jokes. So when the class is assigned to write letters to people they admire, of course Riley's picking Joy Powers! Her classmate, Cate, offers to help Riley with the letter, and a new kid, Aaron, actually seems to get her weird sense of humor. But when mean girl Whitney spreads a rumor about her, things begin to click into place for Riley. Her curiosity about Aaron's two dads and her celebrity crush on Joy Powers suddenly make more sense. In graphic novel format.
| Accelerated Reader Information: Interest Level: MG Reading Level: 2.70 Points: 1.0 Quiz: 518855 |
Reviews:
Booklist (05/15/22)
Full Text Reviews:
School Library Journal - 05/01/2022 Gr 4–8—In this delightful story, fifth grader Riley Mayes is trying to find her place. Her friend has moved away, and she is bouncing around from group to group trying to find friends who understand her. Her teacher certainly doesn't; Riley's class interruptions and constant doodling land her in trouble on a regular basis. When the class is assigned to write a letter to a well-known person, Riley chooses to write to Joy Powers, a comedian she admires, but she gets stuck on what to write and how to say it. In the meantime, the new kid in her class, Aaron, seems okay, and classmate Cate begins to befriend Riley. Things are looking up until the other kids start harassing Riley and calling her "lesbian." Would that be so bad? How does a person know they're gay? Riley is filled with questions. Though confused, she has a tremendous support team in her parents, her older brother Danny, and her newfound friends. Through many ups and downs, Riley begins to find her footing and, most importantly, recognize that she has plenty of people to go to. This realistic and heartwarming story, filled with humor and angst, has a little something for everyone to enjoy. Readers will readily empathize with Riley. VERDICT The simple and endearing artwork with soft colors will fly off library shelves and be a hit for readers who enjoy Raina Telgemeier's books and Jennifer Holm's "Sunny" series.—Esther Keller - Copyright 2022 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission.
Booklist - 05/15/2022 No one gets Riley Mayes. She’s got a goofy sense of humor, is more “dude-ish'' than girly, would rather draw than do almost anything else, and she’s a huge fan of comedian Joy Powers. When her mother challenges her to find someone who does understand her, Riley connects with Cate, a girl just as imaginative as she is, and Aaron, the new kid, who thinks her jokes are funny. But there are some things that Riley doesn’t get, like why Cate wants to stay friends with mean girl Whitney, who calls Riley a “lesbo”; how Aaron’s two dads knew they were in love; and why, when people talk about having crushes, it sounds just like how she feels for Joy Powers. There is a lot going on in this story—finding real friends, first crushes, discovering gender identity—and all of it is handled tenderly and with respect for each of the main characters. Riley sounds like an exuberant fifth grader and the cartoon artwork portrays her and her friends that way, too. A fun, funny story that rings true. - Copyright 2022 Booklist.
