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…