Page by Paige - A Teens' Top Ten 2012 Nominee

May 21, 2012

Paige Turner doesn’t know exactly what’s wrong, what she wants, or how to feel less alone now that she’s living in New York City. But she thinks maybe, just maybe, if she draws about it, that it will help. So, she quits making excuses and buys a sketchbook. The result is Page by Paige, this incredibly introspective and brilliant graphic novel by Laura Lee Gulledge.

As Paige struggles through things like annoyance with her parents, loneliness for her old friends, nervousness at meeting new friends, uncertainty about who she really is and who she wants to be, she experiments with art as a form of expression and release. Each page shows Paige as she really is, as well as showing the paths she takes to gain confidence and find her place in her new home with her new friends. While reading this graphic novel, I felt compassion and empathy for what Paige was going through, inspired by the way she and her new friends brought art and their own unique spirits into the world, and delighted to recognize some of the same experiences and feelings I have had in my life, too.

Erin’s Bonus Features for Page by Paige

Genre: graphic novel; realistic fiction
Mood: whimsical
Song: "Hannah" – Freelance Whales
Readalikes: Smile by Raina Telgemeier; Dash and Lily’s Book of Dares by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan
Website: whoispaigeturner.blogspot.com

This blog is part of a series on YALSA’s Teens’ Top Ten 2012 nominees. Voting for TTT starts in August; more information can be found here.

~Erin D.
Parkville Branch