Skip!: A Graphic Novel - Sarah Burgess

Thanks to Sarah Burgess, her team and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC. The fact that I could read this book as an ARC does not influence my review. The author asked for my honest opinion, so that's what I'm providing here.

Skip! follows Jay, a shy kid who struggles with making friends. One day, encouraged by their mother to join some club, they meet Beah's and her Double Dutch team, Skip. Beah and Jay become the best of friends, but their friendship gets very intense very soon. How will Jay deal with this friendship while also trying to find out how to be their own person?

Skip! is a short and sweet middle grade graphic novel about finding a place to belong and people to be yourself around. I loved how Jay was non-binary, but the novel doesn't try to focus on that aspect too much, it's just a part of the character. The story is more about first love and trying to navigate that relationship while not wanting to lose that person as a friend. I also really liked how Beah wasn't made out to be perfect. She can be very bossy and intense. She goes as far as trying to make sure Jay doesn't become friends with her brother, even though it's clear they want to be. She almost manipulates them at some point. Still, she doesn't do it because she's a bad person, she just made some mistakes and I think it's very impressive how Burgess manages to show that in this story. The last thing I enjoyed in Skip! is how the raps Jay comes up with are written into the story. I really liked seeing what they came up with, even when there's no one but Jay themselves around to hear it.

I don't think I would pick this book up in a store, but that's just because of personal preferences and I still think this is really worth a read!

Date read: November 4 - November 7, 2023

A page from the book, via Amazon