Book: Squished (2023)
Author: Megan Wagner Lloyd
Illustrator: Michelle Mee Nutter
Genre: MG, Contemporary/Graphic Novel
Publisher: Graphix
Opening lines from the book …
Welcome to beautiful Hickory Valley, Maryland, home to my family, the Lees. This is me, Avery Annie Lee. And I’m in my own, totally amazing room. Just kidding, this is my real room. And what life is like as one of seven kids.
WHAT I LIKED ABOUT THIS BOOK…
1) I love the big family dynamics. As someone who comes from a big family myself, this is SO true to life.
2) The little moments between the older brother, Theo, and Avery are great. Theo is so moody, wanting to be alone with his books. Avery remembers when they used to do everything together. AND he gets his own room while she has to share with the little kids! Lots of nice tension and then moments where they have each other’s back.
3) There’s a scene where Avery and her next oldest sister, Pearl, team up to get their little brother to sleep. Loved it!
4) There’s a chapter that deals with Avery’s friend where Avery sees the friend pulling away. That was very poignant. I liked how realistic it was, and yet it didn’t necessarily cause a rift in the friendship. It was like a natural progression.
5) The big news (slight spoiler) is that Mom has a job interview all the way across the country in Oregon. Poor Avery doesn’t want to move. I love how this book deals with that. And I especially love how the book deals with the end result. The final image is very satisfying.
FINAL THOUGHTS
I really enjoyed this graphic novel! I love stories about big families. I love how it shows the ups and downs of living in such a household. Highly recommend this book!
YOUR TURN…
Have you read this book? What are your thoughts? I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments!
Note: I’m posting this for Greg Pattridge’s Marvelous Middle-Grade Monday…
Of Maria Antonia 
This book sounds very entertaining (I am from a large family too so definitely can relate!!). Thanks for sharing!
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Oh wow, seven kids. Sounds like there are some amusing moments too. Happy MMGM to you.
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A very eye opening read for someone from a small family. I was only one of four kids, but many aunts and uncles had 7-9 children. I’m looking forward to spending time with this family. Thanks for featuring on MMGM.
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I’m so glad you enjoyed this graphic novel, Maria! I read it a couple months ago and loved it—I’m glad to hear the large-family representation is true to life, and I recall loving that final spread too. I highly recommend Allergic by the same author-illustrator duo—it has a similar feel and similarly high quality! Thanks so much for the thoughtful review!
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I enjoy reading books about big families too, but it’s because I always wish I had been in one. Thanks for sharing this one with us.
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This sounds like a fun read. Love the big family component. 🙂 Thanks for sharing this!
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I just picked up a copy of this from the library. I hope to get to it this week. Thanks for spurring me on with your good review. I also like stories with big families.
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This looks like a good one!
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