By Rashad Doucet
New York: Little, Brown and Company. 2024. Comics. 221 pages.
When Dale was young his grandmother introduced him to comics and he fell in love with them and with making art. After his grandmother died, Dale has felt like nobody really understands him and his love for art and video gaming. For Dale, creating comics is more than just a fun way to pass time for him, it's his passion. He is constantly being lectured about how art will get him nowhere in life and he should focus on school and subjects that will help him down a profitable career path. When Dale's teacher gives the class an assignment to research different careers and give a report on a career choice, Dale decides to find a career that would combine his love of art and video games. When he stands up to give his report he doesn't quite meet all of the teacher's requirements. His report falls short, but he is given another chance to show through experience that art can be profitable. Dale comes up with the perfect idea. He decides to start an afterschool art club where creative students like himself can make their art and sell it. His teacher approves his idea, but he must be able to show that the club can be financially successful by the end of the semester or the program goes away and he fails the assignment.
This is a great book for any reader who likes to see a character go above and beyond to prove to the adults in their life that they can do the impossible. Dale show initiative in getting other students to join his club, finding a teacher to oversee them and coming up with a way to make money. He also learns to stand up for himself and make his voice heard. The art in the book is colorful and fun and will appeal to readers who like graphic novels and manga.
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