Swing

September 15, 2024
A contemporary graphic novel about swing dancing, cyberbullying, and stepping into one's own. Eighth grade has just started, and Marcus McCalister is poised to be a star on his school soccer team, but his heart isn't in it. He distances himself from the team, and tension builds. Meanwhile, Marcus is paired for swing dancing in gym class with Izzy Briggs, whom his classmates perceive as a fashion- and theater-obsessed, purple-haired "weirdo," leaving him worried about how others will see him. The two don't cooperate or listen to each other, so their teacher offers them a deal: If they perform at the school talent show, he'll change their failing grade, and they won't have to repeat gym. Izzy agrees--as long as Marcus lets her lead--and as the two work together, a friendship blossoms. Marcus grows more self-assured and comes to better understand Izzy, who's enduring bullying at school and an overbearing, academics-obsessed mother at home. When the bully discovers what they're up to, he sets his sights on them both. Marcus struggles with being targeted, but ultimately learns to be a confident and supportive friend. Though the bullying could have been portrayed with more nuance and the toxicity interrogated more deeply, the quickly moving plot feels fresh. Straightforward cartooning, with bold black outlines and solid-colored backgrounds, keeps the focus on the plucky protagonists and their dramatic interactions. Both Marcus and Izzy present white. A friendship-focused coming-of-age story that successfully challenges gender stereotypes.(Graphic fiction. 8-13)

COPYRIGHT(2024) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

September 1, 2024

Gr 5 Up-Meeker combines character, plotting, and setting in the art and dialogue to make her debut a satisfying whole. Bespectacled Marcus faces the school year unhappy, with expectations that he will remain engaged in soccer. Plus, he is far from thrilled when last year's school outcast Izzy is paired with him for an English assignment and as a PE partner in a dance unit where they are learning swing. Izzy eschews caring about her social status, and she doesn't trust Marcus since he is obligated to partner with her and refuses to be much help with carrying the load. Meanwhile, Max, a teammate and (soon to be former) friend, turns his bullying on Marcus. Marcus is a terrible dancer when he, being male, leads; when Izzy demands they switch roles, he improves-enough that they place second in the school talent show. Meeker's compelling and unusual ways to show motion and her capacity for honest facial expressions seem limitless. The adults are stereotypical but in ways young teens will read as accurate. A tidy and happy ending may be less believable, but readers will be rooting for Marcus and Izzy. Main teen characters are depicted as white, while the supporting cast is more diverse. VERDICT Friendships, classroom dynamics, and extracurricular interests get complicated for many, and eighth graders will delight in finding mirrors for their increasingly self-aware lives.-Francisca Goldsmith

Copyright 2024 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

October 18, 2024
Grades 4-7 Eighth-graders Izzy and Marcus are both coping with heavy expectations from their families and judgment from supposed friends when they get paired to swing dance together in gym class. A botched performance leads to an unlikely friendship as the two realize what they have in common. But Marcus' desire to fit in and keep playing soccer to avoid disappointing either his parents or old friend Ted leads to him betraying Izzy's trust. Can the pair salvage their friendship and their gym-class grades? Will either of them be able to stand up to their parents and defend their developing independence? All the questions will be answered on the evening of the school's talent show. Meeker and Davidson's art adds great dynamism to the book. Expressions of anxiety, embarrassment, and delight all play out marvelously to really sell a relatable middle-school experience, and the scenes of swing dancing demonstrate the duo's growing capability and confidence while also making it look very fun. Overall, a charming story about two awkward kids growing up.

COPYRIGHT(2024) Booklist, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

March 1, 2025
Marcus McCalister begins eighth grade ambivalent about trying out for soccer despite pressure from those around him in this lively graphic novel. Unlike his varsity-soccer superstar brother, Marcus finds himself yearning for something more. Tough-minded Izzy Briggs, with her purple hair and punk-like fashion sensibility, wants to design costumes for the theater club's stage plays. The two end up together in gym class, where they must cooperate on an extra-credit assignment: performing a swing dance routine in a talent show. This amusing story of boy-meets-girl-in-unusual-circumstances unfolds through strategically composed panels containing details that build aspects of character and tension in a rapidly paced tale. Comical facial expressions and body language accompanied by natural-sounding dialogue advance the plot, ratcheting up the tension between an unlikely duo with dramatic flair and humor. Jerry Dear

(Copyright 2025 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)