Friends with Boys: 04/08/13

Friends with Boys by Faith Erin Hicks is a YA novel about the adjustment period of attending public school after years of homeschooling. Maggie McKay is going to high school, following in the foot steps of her brothers.

For the most part, Friends with Boys is a roman à clef in graphic novel format. As Hicks explains in her blog, she was home-schooled and has three brothers. While the author is from British Columbia, the book is set in Nova Scotia.

The going to high school part of the book is pretty standard. There are the usual problems of making friends, as well as the competition and sibling strife. While it's nicely done, it's not as remarkable as the events in Brain Camp by Susan Kim and illustrated by Faith Erin Hicks.

There is a side story, though, about a ghost in the graveyard which serves as a short cut to the high school. She appears at the beginning of the book and at the end but there is no "meloncholy mystery" as the blurb would have one believe. Instead, it's just filler. I really had hoped to see more emphasis on the ghost plot and less on the brothers / sister relationship.

Three stars

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