The Plain Janes by Cecil Castellucci
Blurb for the back cover:
"a lighthearted read that didn’t take up much time"
In a world where terrorist attacks run rampant, there is only one place where you are safe: Suburbia. After a coffee shop explosion nearly takes our their daughter, Jane’s parents relocate in order to offer her a safer life. This of course means changing high schools six weeks after the school year has already started. Lost and socially isolated, Jane tries to find peers who she can relate to in the endless sea of drones. She shuns the popular girls and forces her way it to the eclectic, loner group where everybody shares some variation of the same name (Jane, Jayne, etc..). Things do not go easy. Jane will have to win over her new friends in the only way she knows how, artistic vandalism. While at the same time her heart is torn between a random guy in a coma and a guy in her school that could be described as “totally dreamy”.
I normally don’t read graphic novels. Much less graphic novels about girls trying to be an individual in high school. But this book came recommended. The dialog is nothing special or complicated. If anything I would say it’s like how high school students talk, without the cussing.
One thing that I don’t get to talk about with other books is the art. Aside from Abarat none of the books I read have a strong emphasis on pictures or art. This book, illustrated by Jim Rugg , offers realistically drawn characters (no manga here) that never feels cartoon-like. It’s colored in with various shades of gray so don’t expect any color here.
This book was a lighthearted read that didn’t take up much time and left no real strong impression, but was still enjoyable.
