Review Detail

“The New Girl: First Crush” by Cassandra Calin is a graphic novel that is the sequel to “The New Girl,” and it follows main character Lia’s relationships as she worries about her crush, her friends, her family, and her own personal feelings about growing up.

When Lia realizes she likes Julien and that he may actually like her, it is thrilling for her. She loves the feeling of liking him so much and having him like her back. He’s noticing her, spending time with her, and he seems to like who she is without her having to change for him. The problem is that there’s another girl who seems to by vying for his attention, and Lia doesn’t think this girl is particularly friendly or kind. She wants to trust Julien, but this other girl is making it difficult.

As she copes with the reality of her new relationship with Julien, some of her friendships begin to fall by the wayside, and she alienates one of the girls whom she really cares about, albeit unknowingly. When she discovers what has happened, she wants to fix it, but she knows she was in the wrong and doesn’t know quite how to make up for it.

The story is built around themes of friendship, worry, understanding (and the lack thereof), and anxiety about all of the travails of adolescence. Young readers will find connection with Lia, her friends, and the struggles they find themselves in the thick of as the story progresses.