Read this when
Smile
Your 'friends' shouldn't be the ones making you afraid to smile. 😬 Raina lost two front teeth and a bad friend group, and only one of those was a real loss.
Who it's for
Raina's years of dental misery are drawn with enough humor and honesty that a self-conscious reader feels less alone: the headgear, the fake teeth, the dread before a school photo.
Feelings it meets
What it is
Smile is Raina Telgemeier's autobiographical graphic novel, colored by Stephanie Yue and published by Scholastic's Graphix imprint. In sixth grade, Raina trips and falls after a Girl Scouts meeting and severely injures her two front teeth, beginning a long stretch of braces, surgery, headgear and a retainer with fake teeth.
Where to find it
In print (Scholastic/Graphix) and widely held by school and public libraries; also on Libby/Hoopla at many libraries. Check your library for an audio edition.
Before you start
Heads up: Teasing and close-up dental surgery.
Age: Ages 9+
When I stand before thee at the day's end thou shalt see my scars and know that I had my wounds and also my healing.Rabindranath Tagore, Stray Birds, no. 290
