KYLE’S LITTLE SISTER
By: BonHyung Jeong
Published: June 22, 2021
Publisher: JY
Fiction/Graphic Novel
Grace is tired of being known as Kyle’s little sister. She has entered middle school and is now in the same building as her older brother Kyle. Grace is quiet and likes video games. Kyle is a popular athlete and everyone at school knows and likes Kyle. Grace has two best friends, Jay and Amy and they love to get together on the weekends and play games. But, one weekend, a misunderstanding and disagreement send the three friends into a fight that leaves them alone and hurt.
Grace meets Cam one day while eating lunch by herself after many days away from her two best friends. But, Cam has an ulterior motive for befriending Grace. Cam is popular and Grace ignores some of Cam’s mean behaviors to feel included in a group. When the reason behind Cam’s sudden friendship comes to light, Grace realizes she still has friends, she just needs to remember how to be one.
This story is full of middle-school angst, something I hear about often from the kids at school. I felt like the situations the author created in the story were very realistic and offered good life lessons for kids to learn from. I know our daughter entered middle school in the shadow of her two popular older brothers. She is often compared to them, but she is very much her own person and has her own interests. She even had a similar situation happened to her that happened to Grace in the story and I remember how hurt she felt by the betrayal.
This is the author’s debut graphic novel and I liked her style of graphics and defining who was who in the story. Her illustrations had an anime feel which is very popular among graphic novel readers. Middle school can be a tough time in a kid’s life and Jeong has made this story of friendship and sibling rivalry relatable for boys and girls. It can be hard for kids to find their place in the middle school social scene and this novel shares the struggles, the missed opportunities, and the friendships that are worth fighting for.
Check out this fun book trailer:
BonHyung Jeong (Bon) studied Cartooning at the School of Visual Arts in New York, and KYLE’S LITTLE SISTER is her debut graphic novel, made possible with the help of numerous people. She hopes to make connections with others through relatable stories. Currently living in Korea, she’s always busy playing console games – exactly like someone in the book!
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Thanks to the publisher for sending a copy of this book for the purpose of this review. This review is my honest opinion. If you choose to make a purchase through the above links, I may receive as small commission without you having to pay a cent more for your purchase.
Posted Under Bonhyung Jeong, Book Review, Children's books, fiction, graphic novel, middle-grade