Smile is an autobiographical graphic novel by Raina Telgemeier, following her middle-school years after a fall badly injures her two front teeth and begins a long, frustrating period of braces, surgery, headgear and dental embarrassment. What starts as a story about teeth becomes a sharp and relatable coming-of-age memoir about friendship, self-consciousness, changing social circles, family, boys and the wish to feel normal at an age when every small difference can feel enormous. Telgemeier tells the story through clear, expressive comic panels that make Raina’s anxiety, humor and resilience easy to follow, while also showing how growing up often means learning which friendships are real and how to live with a face, a body and a voice that are still changing. The book speaks to readers interested in graphic novels, memoirs, middle-school stories and honest accounts of growing up, leaving open the question of when a smile becomes something a person can truly own again.
Author: Raina Telgemeier
Publisher: Scholastic / Graphix
Year of publication: 2010
Number of pages: 224
Original language: English
Age range: 8–12