Review Detail

MY LAST SUMMER WITH CASS is a graphic novel with themes about friendship and art. Cass and Megan have been friends since they were little, and their parents would vacation with them each summer. It was on one such vacation when they drew all over the walls that their parents realized they should enroll them in art classes (thanks to a kind landlord).

As the years go by, things begin to change. The biggest change is when Cass's parents get divorced and they stop coming to the family vacations. Cass moves with her mother to NYC, and Megan convinces her parents to let her stay with Cass while they vacation on the east coast. Megan is introduced to Cass's magical world with artists and city life. They begin to work on an art project together that is planned to be in a show. However, when push comes to shove, Megan is not ready to defend herself and her art, steering their friendship astray.

What I loved: The art here is great, and the characters really come to life through the book. I appreciated that the images do most of the storytelling and this suits with the theme of the power of art perfectly. Teenagers will find that the themes of independence vs. social pressures really resonating. Megan is dealing with what her parents and others around her expect against what she feels and wants. Her character shows a lot of growth in the book, and I appreciated the ending resolution.

What left me wanting more: The story is really quite simple, and I would have liked to see more of the turmoil and challenges that led to the main conflict - as well as what happened afterwards. We skip some of the fall-out as we go to the third part which is years in the future, but I feel like more of this would have been important to get a deeper dive on how this critical moment has shaped her future and changed her.

Final verdict: Overall, MY LAST SUMMER WITH CASS was an intriguing graphic novel about art and friendship that will resonate with young readers.