Review of Drama by Raina Telgemeier

Drama by Raina Telgemeier is a graphic novel that perfectly captures the drama of middle school. Callie is a seventh grader who loves the theater. As part of the tech crew, she helps with stage design for the school’s musical, Moon Over Mississippi. Callie has grand ideas for the show’s props, though the theater budget is nearly nonexistent. As the rehearsals continue and opening day looms near, there is drama between the actors and it looks like the tickets aren’t selling at all. At the same time, Callie’s crushes on two different boys cause her a great deal of angst. Can Callie and the crew pull everything together in time for opening night?

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Cover image of Drama by Raina Telgemeier; Telgemeier, R. (2012). [Cover image of Drama.] Retrieved from https://goraina.com/drama

Evaluation

One of the strengths of Drama is the character development, especially of Callie. Callie is, in many ways, a typical seventh-grade girl. She goes to classes, deals with unreciprocated crushes and friendship drama, and has found her niche as part of the stage crew in school’s theater productions. At the very beginning of the novel, Callie is convinced that the school’s musical, Moon Over Mississippi, needs an elaborate set, including a gazebo, giant magnolia tree, and two cannons. She convinces the theater teacher that the cannon is essential, saying “Let me try, please?” and then thinking, “I know I can make this work…” (Telgemeier, 2012, p. 27). For the rest of the novel, the reader sees Callie’s enthusiasm as she often takes on more than she can easily handle. Callie is persistent and refuses to give up on her design vision, and in the end, the cannon actually works and is a highlight of the show. In addition to the work on the set, Callie is also incredibly aware of the boys at school. Her long-term crush, Greg, kisses her but then almost immediately dismisses her. When she meets the Mendocino brothers, she is drawn to Jesse, but there is more drama as the two text and talk. Callie is incredibly likeable and her experiences are very relatable, especially for middle school students.

Raina Telgemeier’s art serves to define and develop the characters. The characters’ expressions are incredibly evocative, and we can see them blush, raise their eyebrows in confusion, and gape open-mouthed in awe. As a graphic novel, Drama relies on the art to make the characters truly come to life. Callie is incredibly devoted to the set design, and she is particularly excited about creating a working cannon for the musical. As opening day draws near, the images show Callie thinking and struggling with ideas, while the bags under her eyes get deeper and darker until we find her never going to bed but falling asleep in the garage, completely devoted to her work (Telgemeier, 2012, pp. 155-156). Likewise, the supporting characters are also more fully developed through the art. One of the twins, Justin, is absolutely full of life and is a outgoing, vibrant kid. When Callie first meets Justin, the art shows him dancing and singing, his mouth spread wide in a huge grin (Telgemeier, 2012, p. 32). Later, in the bookstore, when the clerk directs him to the manga section, Justin clasps his hands in joy, and rushes off. Through the art, we are able to really see Justin’s exuberance and love of life.

The illustrations in Drama also serve to extend the plot. There is plenty of dialogue in the novel, but there are times when the words are sparse and the illustrations convey most of the message. At one point, Callie is sitting on her bed, thinking about texting Jesse about a “date” to the bookstore. She types, “ Hey…do u want 2 go 2 the bookstore w/me again sometime?” (Telgemeier, 2012, p. 120). There are very few words on the two-page spread, but the illustrations show Callie scrunching up her face as she decides to send the text, and then lying in bed, checking her phone obsessively to see if Jesse has responded (he doesn’t and she is devastated). The illustrations show Callie’s anxiety better than a wordy description could. At another point in the novel, Callie and Jesse are at a bookstore, and she pulls out her favorite book on stage design. As she and Jesse examine the book, they literally enter the pages of the book and find themselves on stage at the New Amsterdam Theatre in New York (Telgemeier, 2012, pp. 51-53). In these pages, we see clearly how devoted Callie is to stage design. Throughout the novel, the illustrations extend the plot.

Response

Drama really resonated with me on multiple levels. Although I wasn’t a theater kid, I certainly remember the feelings of first crushes and wondering if someone liked you back. As a mom of a seventh-grader who isn’t into girls yet, other parts of the novel scream “middle school” to me. For example, I see my son’s love of manga mirrored in Justin’s, especially in the scene where Justin is holed away in the corner of a bookstore devouring a stack of manga books. That is exactly where I would find my 12-year-old in the bookstore. I also really appreciated the portrayal of the gay and bisexual characters in the novel; Justin is just who he is and it’s not a big deal that he’s gay. Callie is surprised at first, as she hasn’t ever known anyone gay, but Justin is so straightforward about it that it is just not an issue for them. I wish that our society were more understanding and accepting of LGBTQ members. Drama addresses middle-school issues, including sexual identity, in a thoughtful, age-appropriate way. Students who identify as LGBTQ should be able to see themselves in literature, and students who are straight will benefit from reading books with diverse characters. Overall, I found the illustrations stunning, the story compelling, and the content important.

Conclusion

Drama is a fast-paced, entertaining graphic novel that follows the adventures of Callie as she helps to literally set the stage for the middle school musical. Raina Telgemeier fully develops the characters, making them relatable and personable. The art in the novel is exquisite; the illustrations define and develop the characters, adding depth to their personalities. The art also extends the plot, adding to the story through the pictures. Overall, I really enjoyed Drama and highly recommend it to students aged 10 and up. This graphic novel is perfect for fans of Be Prepared by Vera Brosgol and All’s Faire in Middle School by Victoria Jamieson. 4 stars.

Citations

Brosgol, V. (2017). Be prepared. New York, NY: First Second.

Jamieson, V. (2017). All’s faire in middle school. New York, NY: Dial Books.

Telgemeier, R. (2012). [Cover image of Drama.] Retrieved from https://goraina.com/drama

Telgemeier, R. (2012). Drama. New York, NY: Graphix.