Page by Paige: 01/23/14

Page by Paige by Laura Lee Gulledge is included in 2012'a YALSA top ten. Paige Turner, daughter of a pair of writers, is coming to terms with their move to New York City. She's lived her entire life in a small town and now she's floundering in a ginormous metropolis: new school and no friends.

To overcome the feelings of being a fish out of water, Paige gets herself a sketch book. Each month she follows her one of her grandmother's rules for being an artist. These rules are of the pep-talk variety, and not specifically artistic techniques. As Paige goes through the list, she makes a core set of friends, gains some self confidence and finds her place in NYC.

Artistically the graphic novel is solid. We see Paige through her artwork and through her experimentation. It's a bit like traveling through her id (see the "Journey to the Center of Candace" episode of Phineas and Ferb).

But that's not a unique thing in this type of graphic novel (kid with an artistic bent moves towns). A more credible example is Doodlebug by Karen Romano Young. Paige irks me in two ways: her complete self absorption and her amazing art skills for someone so new at drawing.

Recommended by Burnt Weiners

Four stars

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