Tomboy

October 6, 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 revelationâthat 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"âgives readers space to question their own acquiescence to gender stereotypes. Ages 14âup.

Starred review from August 1, 2014
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)

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August 1, 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

Copyright 2014 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

September 15, 2014

Boys in skirts, girls in shirts and ties: we associate such gender nonconformity with same-sex attraction. But young Liz didn't even conform to that assumption. Refusing anything traditionally feminine, dressing like a boy, liking sports and Battle Beasts toys and lizards, she hit puberty by falling in love with guys like her girlier classmates did. Done in simple, clean-line sketchbook-style black-and-white drawings, the memoir follows Liz through a childhood and adolescence of speed bumps: teasing, bullying, ostracism, relationships gone sour, and self-doubt. But maturing with parental acceptance, Liz does find adult and peer supporters and eventually a tribe of friends who accept her on her own terms. Prince (Will You Still Love Me If I Wet the Bed?) skillfully and sometimes humorously uses iconic images to illustrate gender stereotypes, employing Cathy cartoons, Superman images, and bathroom signs showing a skirted figure. She also counsels via an imaginary time machine a girl in a magazine. VERDICT A real slash and burn of gender stereotypes, this title delivers a unique message for both teens and adults about finding your own way despite cultural conventions. Fans of Jeffrey Brown's autobiographical comics will also enjoy it. Occasional F-bombs.--M.C.

Copyright 2014 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

August 1, 2014
Grades 8-11 Is there any grade-school struggle more defining than the desire to fit in? In her first full-length graphic novel, award-winning comics artist Prince tells the story of her lifelong battle with gender stereotypes through the lens of her tomboy childhood, marked by a preference for male role models, slouchy oversize clothes, and some serious bullying. As a kid, Prince chafed at femininity Given the chance, I'd much rather wield a sword than wear a tiara but her offbeat choices made it hard for her to find friends or a boyfriend. She starts to believe that her disinterest in being girly is what makes her unlikable, and soon she feels embarrassed by being a girl altogether. Luckily, she eventually finds a group of people who appreciate her differences and don't expect her to act a particular way just because she is a girl. Prince's tongue-in-cheek black-and-white line drawings, in a charming style reminiscent of Jeffrey Brown's autobiographical comics, pack a punch in this empowering memoir that should have ample appeal for any kid who feels like an outsider.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2014, American Library Association.)

January 1, 2015
"When you don't look or act like what everyone has been told is the norm, you get proverbially barfed on a lot." In an often funny, sometimes painful, and sharply observed graphic memoir, comics artist and self-described tomboy Prince views her formative years through the lens of gender -- or rather, society's rigid rules for gender conformity. Chronicling the evolution of her thoughts about her own identity -- "Maybe I am a boy..." -- Prince examines deeply ingrained cultural assumptions about the sexes. The narrative takes a satisfying shape, and Prince's honest voice and self-deprecating humor help make young Liz a sympathetic and relatable character. The simply rendered black-and-white panel drawings have an unpretentious quality, in keeping with the narrative tone. Prince's childhood and adolescent trials and tribulations will resonate with readers in general, but it's all compounded by her unwavering gender nonconformity. She's frequently humiliated and even bullied in elementary and middle school, but she comes through the tumult of puberty to find a community of like- and open-minded "misfits" and "dweebs" in high school (including a boyfriend) who share her interests in comics, punk music, and zines. More importantly, she discovers that tomboy and girl don't have to be mutually exclusive. kitty flynn

(Copyright 2015 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)