Improve is a graphic memoir that takes the reader on a journey through the author’s experience with anxiety, and how improv classes helped them. While this is a book marketed to teens, as an adult dealing with anxiety, there’s a lot that an older audience can gain from this read, too. The artwork is fantastic and captures emotion wonderfully, which is important considering the subject matter. Most importantly, though, Graudins outlines numerous exercises for readers to do without requiring formalized classes, which is a fantastic way to break down barriers to access: not every teen has access to a local or school theatre, and this book puts those exercises directly in their hands and tells them that they can do it, too.

Thank you to First Second and NetGalley for providing a copy for review.

Frizzy is a stunning middle-grade graphic novel that tackles loving who you are, intergenerational trauma, and bullying, among so many other things. You can feel the emotion in the dialogue and the artwork, and the effect is incredibly moving. It’s so powerful that it made me cry on multiple occasions through reading it – quite a feat for a graphic novel! Marlene is an instantly likeable character that you can’t help but root for, and her story is not unique – this is something lots of girls can undoubtedly relate to, and I’m glad that her story is being told. I do hope Ortega and Bousamra collaborate again, because if Frizzy is any indication, they are a team to be reckoned with!

Thank you to First Second and NetGalley for providing a copy for review.