  | Enemies (Berrybrook Middle School) Author: Chmakova, Svetlana | |
| Price: $19.09 | ||
Summary:
Felicity is sure she's going to do something big. Exactly what is still a mystery, but she'll figure it out. Her sister, Letty, teases Felicity that she never finishes stuff, but that's just because Letty is so perfect. Still, life is good with plenty of friends--drawing with the art club and playing games with her buddies keep her busy. But when she decides to join a contest to show Letty that she can get things done, Felicity begins to wonder if friends becoming enemies is easier than she thought. In graphic novel format.
| Accelerated Reader Information: Interest Level: MG Reading Level: 2.60 Points: 2.0 Quiz: 518400 |
Reviews:
Kirkus Reviews (09/15/22)
Booklist (+) (09/15/22)
Full Text Reviews:
Booklist - 09/15/2022 *Starred Review* Chmakova’s popular Berrybrook Middle School series continues with this story about Felicity, a talented artist who’s determined to finally finish a project. Felicity’s sister, Letty, pushes her buttons when she points out that Felicity leaves projects unfinished. Determined to prove her sister wrong, Felicity joins an entrepreneur club to enter a pitch contest and win a hefty prize. She recruits her BFF Tess to be her partner, but Felicity feels an intense pressure to succeed, and Tess is harboring some jealousies about boys—a combination that Felicity worries will put their friendship on the line. For all the apparent cartoonishness, there’s a lot of realism here. Chmakova truly excels at depicting middle-grade friendship struggles with nuance and depth: her characters are expressive and multifaceted, friendships have meaningful backstories and context, and long-simmering feelings erupt in believable ways. Body language and facial expressions are clearly communicated in the cute anime-inspired artwork, and her character designs incorporate a realistic and inclusive array of body shapes and sizes, disabilities, and gender presentations—Felicity and her family are Black, the school librarian is nonbinary, and the bookstore owner who gives Felicity the best advice about collaboration uses a wheelchair. While there’s a solid message about tolerating conflict, the emotionally grounded story and engaging characters are pitch perfect for middle-grade comics fans, who will eat this right up. - Copyright 2022 Booklist.
