With so much great all-ages content out there and more arriving every week, whether you’re a parent, teacher, librarian, or young reader, sifting through it all can be a daunting task. Of course, tastes and reading lists are subjective and even change over time. With an ever-growing collection of newly released and classic books, Multiversity’s Bookshelf Basics is designed not only to give you a place to start, it’s somewhere you can return to as your tastes and interests change. In today’s installment, we look at “All Summer Long” by Hope Larson, a coming of age graphic novel about friendship, music, boredom, adventures in babysitting and the long, winding journey of one girl slowly becoming “more of herself.”
Written and Illustrated by Hope LarsonCover by Hope LarsonThirteen-year-old Bina has a long summer ahead of her. She and her best friend, Austin, usually do everything together, but he’s off to soccer camp for a month, and he’s been acting kind of weird lately anyway. So it’s up to Bina to see how much fun she can have on her own. At first it’s a lot of guitar playing, boredom, and bad TV, but things look up when she finds an unlikely companion in Austin’s older sister, who enjoys music just as much as Bina. But then Austin comes home from camp, and he’s acting even weirder than when he left. How Bina and Austin rise above their growing pains and reestablish their friendship and respect for their differences makes for a touching and funny coming-of-age story.
Okay, Let’s Start with the Basics
Hope Larson is probably best known for her 2012 Eisner Award winning adaptation of Madeleine L’Engle’s “A Wrinkle in Time,” which she wrote and illustrated. She also writes for such varied series as DC’s “Batgirl” and Boom! Studios “Goldie Vance” (soon to be a live-action motion picture written and directed by Rashida Jones). As if that weren’t enough, she’s also the writer and co-creator of the middle grade graphic novels “Compass South” and “Knife’s Edge,” illustrated by Rebecca Mock. Bottom line: when it comes to creating complex, strong young female protagonists, Hope Larson is a rock star.
What’s It All About?
Speaking of rock stars, “All Summer Long” unequivocally centers on the lanky, somewhat awkward, soon-to-be-eighth-grader Bina, an aspiring rock guitarist and unabashed music head. For the past five years, she and her best friend Austin (also her next door neighbor) have spent their summers compiling a “Combined Summer Fun Index,” scoring points for such things as video games beaten, cats petted and $idewalk change collected. This summer, however, Austin will be away at soccer camp for a month – an eternity, it seems, in Bina’s endless unstructured days between 7th and 8th grades.
Forced to entertain herself while Austin is gone, Bina listens to music, plays her guitar, binges on British TV and unexpectedly befriends Austin’s older sister Charlie, who may have an ulterior motive in further cultivating their sudden friendship. Meanwhile, one of Bina’s older brother’s and his husband adopt a baby and the other one drops by unexpectedly between guiding trips in the Mohave and Yosemite. Eventually, Austin returns and he and Bina are forced to redefine the new normal of their lifelong friendship.
What Makes It Essential?
Nothing that happens in “All Summer Long” is particularly momentous and that’s what makes it so great. Larson introduces the central problem on page two and the narrative never strays. Rather than crazy plot twists, big reveals or cliffhangers, the story is built around a series of wonderfully conceived small moments: getting locked out of the house, chasing after a runaway cat, playing mini golf, going to see a great new band. Every panel and page drives the story forward in understated but compelling ways. Taken in aggregate, these slice-of-life vignettes become a thoughtful meditation on the simple daily events that make us who we are and who we strive to be.
Visually, with a palette of orange, black, and white, Larson’s duotone style lends a hint of nostalgia to the work. The characters’ faces and body language consistently take precedent, with a smattering of key details thrown in to firmly establish the setting. The pace is brisk and efficient, despite the lack of overt dramatic tension, occasionally slowing down to wistfully bask in lazy So Cal sun.
Continued belowIn terms of the characters, like all of Larson’s protagonists, Bina is an exceptionally well rounded, realistic and nuanced, with fully relatable flaws and authentic imperfections. As we watch her change and grow, her journey feels genuine, but never, ever trite. The supporting cast is also great. There are no cardboard cut-outs here. Everyone has their moments, goals and motivations. It’s not an ensemble piece, but everyone plays their part with intention and precision.
How Can You Read It?
“All Summer Long” is available in trade paperback wherever books are sold. There is also a hardcover version, as well as Kindle and Nook editions through major online retailers.
In Conclusion
This isn’t an after school special with a neat and tidy message, but there are plenty of subtle life lessons on the way to an ending that satisfies. In fact, the book concludes as the next school year begins, hearkening back to the very first page when Bina and Austin headed home for the summer. Clearly, Bina is not who she was when school ended way back in the spring. It might not be hugely obvious to her new teachers or fellow classmates, but this is a newly strong, confident young woman who is more herself than she’s ever been before.
