Smile

Bibliography
Telgemeier, R. & Yue, S. (2010). Smile. New York, New York: Graphix. ISBN: 9780545132053

Plot Summary 
During her sixth grade year, Raina falls and knocks out her two front teeth. This sets forward a journey of dentistry and self-discovery. This story chronicles the next four and a half years of Raina’s life as she deals with her teeth, friends, and finding out who she really is.

Critical Analysis 
Everyone has a horror dentist story to share. Author Raina Telgemeier shares hers in the form a graphic novel.

Each panel of the comics has a corresponding background. Most if not all panels are colorful and only muted when the tone of the story calls for it. There are a couple of panels that seem a bit off, such as when Raina is going to her orthodontist appointment and wonders if the sixth-grade boy she likes was trying to ask her out on page 79. Raina and her mom both have an umbrella, but there is an odd shade of black, possibly to represent the shadow the umbrellas cast over them. It just looks odd, especially over Raina’s mother. Another panel shows Raina after she’s gotten her braces and she states “My whole HEAD hurts so much!” (pg 45). Her father is holding a mug of coffee and the aroma lines stretch above the mug and behind Raina. That seems odd.

The events in this book take place in the late 80s and early 90s, reflected by the cinematic release of The Little Mermaid. The reader is given a hint early on about the time period at the beginning of the book when Raina is recovering from knocking out her two front teeth and her sister is constantly loosing at Super Mario Brothers on the Nintendo. Younger readers may not catch this reference or that of the release of The Little Mermaid but the very end of the book clearly states that the sophomore dance Raina helps decorate will be on October 7, 1992.

The format of this novel isn’t the only thing to take notice of. The plot itself doesn’t only focus on the dental journey Raina must endure, but that of puberty itself. Raina transitions from the sixth grade to seventh, eighth and ninth grade throughout the course of this book. And in that time, she has to deal with acne, peer pressure, and boys. She has to learn that even though you may have been friends in elementary school or junior high, that doesn’t mean you have to stay friends. She may not get the guy, but she eventually finds a group she relates to and can be herself with.

Students of a middle grade and high school setting will enjoy the real-life experiences Raina Telgemeier shares in this memoir-graphic novel. There is something all readers will be able to relate to.

Review Excerpt(s) 
Dorothy Canfield Fisher Children's Book Award (2012)
Iowa Children's Choice Award (2012)
Boston Globe-Horn Book Award Nominee for Nonfiction (2010)
Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards for Best Publication for Teens (2011)
Rebecca Caudill Young Readers' Book Award (2013)
KIRKUS - "Irresistible, funny and touching."
NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW - "It hits home partly because there is nothing else out there like it."

Connections
Have an orthodontist come and speak to the class or do a Skype visit to explain how braces work.
Writing Prompt: What are things you need to have when you are sick? (Teacher example: chicken noodle soup, yellow Gatorade, and TV). Why do these things make you feel better?
Use this book to introduce the concept of graphic novels. Have students investigate the parts that make up a graphic novel - panels, colors, pictures, word bubbles, etc.
Use this book to introduce memoirs. This book is about an experience the author had that they shared with the world through a memoir.
Writing Prompt: Write about a time where something embarrassing happened.
Writing Prompt: Write about your own dentist visit gone wrong. If you haven’t had one, think about a time you went to the regular doctor and something may have gone wrong.
Students can use one of the writing prompts to create their own two page comic about their experience using the panels in the novel as a template.