The Premise
I could never imagine having a tragic accident that causes my front teeth to be knocked out. On top of that, having to get braces and a head gear right after. In Smile by Raina Telemeier, that exact event happens. Smile is a graphic novel book about a character named Raina. The story takes place in San Francisco, California. In the beginning, we learn that Raina is nervous about getting braces. As the chapter continues, Raina is dropped off after girl scouts and she races home but trips. She slams to the ground landing on her face. Her front teeth get knocked out and there is blood everywhere. She gets taken to the dentist and gets a cast. Later, she gets the cast removed and gets braces and a headgear.
Writing Style
Overall, the writing seemed very simple but fun. In the beginning, the author explained Raina's life before and after the accident very well. I was delighted because most books just go right in and I have no clue what's going on. Throughout the book, since it's a graphic novel, it had pictures describing the event. The author would have detailed drawings that were not hard to understand. The characters would have clear emotions. You can see a page from Smile as attachment one. It demonstrates Raina before and after the accident. Overall, I thing the writing blended really well with the pictures and they both illustrated the book in a positive way.Spoiler Alert
Throughout the whole book, the reader is wondering if Raina's teeth will ever get back to normal, or a least decent. Towards the end of Smile, we learn that Raina's teeth aren't perfect but nobody notices, nevertheless cares. Then, at the end, Raina discovers that it shouldn't matter how people viewed her life, it only mattered how she did. I thought this ending was very interesting because she struggled with this a little in the book. Overall, I thought the ending was very symbolic and teaches readers a cheesy lesson.Attachment one:
