Drama

Callie is a middle school girl who is in love with drama and theatre. However, she hasn’t one talented bone in her body. She decides to become a part of the stage crew. However, she also has no clue how to build anything. When twin brothers, Jesse and Justin come along and join the stage crew, Callie becomes fast friends. Callie soon discovers that one of the twins is gay, is reading mixed signals from the other. Callie navigates the murky waters of middle school with humor and grace.

Drama will appeal to any YA reader who has ever had a love for drama and art, who’s ever had LGBT friends, and who’s ever been in middle school! Those are such rough years, I love to see how Raina puts her characters through all of the turmoil, secret crushes, and awkwardness.

Chapter 2: Adolescent Development

Havinghurst's Theory of Developmental Tasks that tie in almost perfectly with Raina Telgemeier's Drama. 

Adolescents need to learn how to get along with peers. 

Adolescents need to develop an easy relationship with the opposite sex. 

Adolescents must define their appropriate sex roles. 

These three tasks are quite evident in Callie's relationship with Jesse and Justin. It's quite refreshing to not have a girl fall in love with a boy, the end. Instead it's all about development and finding out who you truly are. 

Telgemeier, R. (2010). Smile. New York, NY: Scholastic.