(2) 4-6 Illustrated by LeUyen Pham & Hilary Sycamore. In Hale's third graphic memoir (Real Friends, rev. 5/17; Best Friends, rev. 11/19), thirteen-year-old Shannon is now in eighth grade in 1987 Salt Lake City. She has made new best friends who share common interests (drama, glee, creative writing) and yet she doesn't always "feel good" due to her undiagnosed anxiety and mild OCD. She makes a list in her journal--"I would feel fulfilled if I could be: 1. beautiful 2. famous 3. successful 4. liked by boys 5. a good person"--and those items then serve as chapter subjects, featured on the openers as magazine cover titles. But this self-imposed pressure to be "perfect" overwhelms her, leading to fallouts with friends, failed classes, and fights with her parents. Despite the title, this third book is less about Shannon's friendships and more about how she perceives herself--a relatable exploration for many young teens. Hale frankly but sensitively depicts her disappointments, embarrassments, and achievements. Pham's digitally colored ink illustrations skillfully reflect the character's roller-coaster emotions, switching color palettes between reality (bright), fanciful daydreams (pastel), flashbacks (monochrome), and depressed introspection (subdued). Varied panel sizes further emphasize Shannon's feelings, particularly in a heart-wrenching series of large grayscale panels when she is at her lowest ("I hate myself"). While the hopeful ending feels a bit rushed, Shannon's choice to love herself and the realization that she's enough just the way she is help her--and readers--move forward.

Reviewer: Cynthia K. Ritter | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2021

(2) 4-6 Illustrated by LeUyen Pham & Hilary Sycamore. In this follow-up to her graphic memoir Real Friends, Hale covers the ups and downs of her sixth-grade year in 1980s Salt Lake City: maintaining her place in the popular group, determining whether she "likes" or "like likes" a boy, figuring out what her so-called friends think she's too old to do. She also begins to explore her burgeoning hope of becoming a writer. Pham's panel illustrations deftly convey the intensity of emotions and delineate between Shannon's lush, dreamy, imaginative world and her sometimes-stark real one.

Reviewer: Grace McKinney | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2019