CHARACTER COUNTS: Star Scouts

Star Scouts
By Mike Lawrence
First Second, 2017. Graphic Novel. 185 p.
Avani has moved to a new town and is having a hard time fitting in with her new Flower Scouts group. All they want to talk about is boys and makeup, and they make fun of Avani because she used to compete in rodeos. Then one night Avani is mistakenly transported to another planet where she meets Mabel, a friendly alien, and her friends, the Star Scouts. Although the other Star Scouts look very different from Avani, she soon fits right in. Her main problem now is how to convince her father to let her go across the universe to attend Camp Andromeda.

This is a delightful science fiction twist on the old "new girl at a new school" theme. Lawrence's story and illustrations are full of action and humor. Avani gets to do so many fun things as a Star Scout, readers will be wishing they could be Star Scouts as well. This is a "Character Counts" title because of Lawrence's clear message about accepting those who are different from ourselves (in this case, very different).

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