Smile

Raina is a normal 6^th grader, dealing with normal 6^th grade stuff, until she trips and falls, knocking out her two front teeth. She endures countless trips to the dentist to fix her teeth, then fix them again. She has to wear braces, headgear, and even a retainer with fake teeth. The friends she thought she had turn out to be more like frenemies, making fun of her teeth and braces. Raina has to learn how to deal with her teeth, her frenemies, boys, and then a crazy earthquake. She learns to surround herself with friends who truly love her, and when the braces come off, she learns to love her new smile.

Middle school is a tough time, and any intermediate or middle school aged reader will fall in love with this novel. Not only can they identify with everything that Raina goes through, but it’s written in an amazing graphic novel style. Raina writes the harsh truth of middle school. It’s awkward, people are mean, and you are your own worst critic. Any reader will immediately identify with the main character and feel the growing pains that she feels.

Chapter 7: Moving from Fiction to Informational Books

As entertaining and graphically appealing Smile is, it is in fact, an autobiography. Raina really did know out her two front teeth when she was in 6^th grade. She really did have to endure countless dentist appointments, and she really did have so-called friends that made fun of her. Young readers often cringe at the mention on biographies and autobiographies, let this novel break free of the boring stereotype.

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