I think they love that yes, it’s a graphic novel, but more importantly, deals with more serious and applicable themes. The most popular book in my classroom library is Hey, Kiddo. Flash forward to 2023, I once again have been incorporating more graphic novels into my reading because my middle school students love them. Krosoczka’s graphic memoir, Hey, Kiddo, following his childhood being raised by his grandparents and being the child of a parent with addiction. I was a on a graphic novel reading kick back in 2018 and one of the ones I LOVED (& still do) is Jarrett J. Now, in his follow-up to the National Book Award finalist Hey, Kiddo, Jarrett brings readers back to Camp Sunshine so we can meet the campers and fellow counselors who changed the course of his life.

but he also learned about the freedom a safe space can bring.

He learned about the captivity of illness, for sure. Not only was he subject to some of the usual rituals that come with being a camp counselor (wilderness challenges, spooky campfire stories, an extremely stinky mascot costume), but he also got a chance to meet some extraordinary kids facing extraordinary circumstances. Going into, Jarrett was worried: Wouldn’t it be depressing, to be around kids facing such a serious struggle? Wouldn’t it be grim?īut instead of the shadow of death, Jarrett found something else at Camp Sunshine: the hope and determination that gets people through the most troubled of times. Krosoczka was in high school, he was part of a program that sent students to be counselors at a camp for seriously ill kids and their families. Summary (from the publisher):The extraordinary–and extraordinarily powerful–follow-up to HEY, KIDDO.

Fangirl graphic novel