A new graphic novel by the husband and wife team of Kiara Brinkman and Sean Chiki. Rhiannon, the main character of this story, was named after a Fleetwood Mac song by her mom, who was killed in a car accident before this story begins. Rhi lives with her aunt in a trailer park in California in the late 1980s, and every summer her friend Kit comes to stay with his family and he and Rhi hang out. In the summer when this book takes place, a new teen, Elizabeth, comes to spend the summer as well, and changes everything.
Elizabeth is everything Rhi is not; confident, courageous, brave...introducing her into the mix of friends and family in this little trailer park setting sets many different things in motion, and all three teens try to navigate them as best they can.
I liked this book! I really enjoyed all the music references, much of it taken from late 80s alternative and punk rock, which is an era I know a lot about and enjoy. Aside from the Crass reference, I thought all the songs and bands mentioned were well placed and added to the story, at least for an older pup like me! But I also liked the reality of the book - they way Brinkman and Chiki handled the real world, for many teens, with angst and uncertainty but also with bravery and courage. Some heavy issues arise in the book, but again, I appreciated the honesty of the story, even when the dialogue and action seemed a little choppy.
I still don't have enough graphic novel experience under my collar to make a lot of comparisons between books, so forgive me for this one: Rhiannon reminds me of a more young adult version of a Raina Telgemeier book, perhaps, but not as graphic in its issues as many older teen graphic novels are. I thought it hit the right middle for middle grade readers, and even early high school, perhaps. I believe Rhiannon is the second book by this duo, the first being Lucy in The Sky, which I would certainly read as well, based on my liking of Rhiannon. 4 paws!
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