Graphic Novel Review: Be Prepared

Be Prepared by Vera Brosgol, April 24, 2018. 256 pages. Published by First Second. Source: Publisher.

A gripping and hilarious middle-grade summer camp memoir from the author of Anya's Ghost.

All Vera wants to do is fit in—but that’s not easy for a Russian girl in the suburbs. Her friends live in fancy houses and their parents can afford to send them to the best summer camps. Vera’s single mother can’t afford that sort of luxury, but there's one summer camp in her price range—Russian summer camp.

Vera is sure she's found the one place she can fit in, but camp is far from what she imagined. And nothing could prepare her for all the "cool girl" drama, endless Russian history lessons, and outhouses straight out of nightmares!

Perfect for fans of Raina Telgemeier, Cece Bell, and Victoria Jamieson, Vera Brosgol's Be Prepared is a funny and relatable middle-grade graphic novel about navigating your own culture, struggling to belong, and the value of true friendship.

Funny story- even though the main character and author shared the same first name, I did not realize at first that the story was part true-story and part made-up. I don't know how I missed that detail.

• While there were some aspects of Be Prepared that I didn't like, it was overall a pretty funny and enjoyable read. In some ways, the story was even relatable to a minor degree (very minor). So, let's see what did and did not work for this one!! Y'all ready?

• Let's start with what I enjoyed most: The parts where Vera shared small snippets about Russian Orthodox services was really nice as you could see the similarities between it and the Roman Catholic Church (even though they've been in a schism for ages now). though I did spend most of the book hoping the author would shed a little more light on her faith and, you know, maybe get to that point where they wanted to learn more about what they lacked understanding on in regards to it. I know, not the book for the outlook, but I'm always hoping that books that touch on faith will do more than skim over things. 

• While I felt the attitudes of the older girls were maybe exaggerated, she really did not help things with the way she acted in order to "fit in" with them. I know that it's supposed to make you feel more empathy for Vera, but, I'm just like "run!" as that's not how true friendship works. So yeah, hopefully, any young readers tagging along for Vera's summer misadventures will see that friendship is more than what you can get from someone (or keep from being taken advantage of). 

• If you can suspend your annoyance over things not being one-hundred percent accurate, then you will most likely enjoy this graphic novel. I especially think anyone finding themselves in a new place will understand some of what Vera felt during the story. I alternately cringed and laughed at some of what happened during the story. 

• As to the artwork: It wasn't bad, but not necessarily my favorite style. Though I did really enjoy the panels that were just Vera and her many facial expressions; that is where her art shines. In capturing the moment. 

Final Verdict: Be Prepared-  It won't be for everyone, though it does have some very funny points and some panels that do a great job of capturing the mood of the character.


Be Prepared earns

 A copy of this book was received for review consideration. All thoughts are my own.