Title: Doodlebug
Author: Karen Romana Young
Author Website: http://www.karenromanoyoung.com/
From the publisher website
Moving is tough. Being the new kid in school is even tougher. But the hardest thing of all about the move that Doreen “Dodo” Bussey’s family is making is that she suspects it might be because of her. She got into trouble at her last school.
On the drive to their new home, her mother gives Dodo a blank notebook, which she uses to chronicle the move, the first days in a new city, and the ups and downs of starting a new school and making new friends. In the process, she reinvents herself as the Doodlebug. Her little sister seems to adjust to everything so easily—why is it so hard for Dodo?
My Thoughts
I read this book pretty quickly. I liked the format. It was something different and new to me. It is not a simple book that read from top to bottom. There are doodles all over and they help to tell the story. I liked the storyline and how she stood up for who she was. I showed the pages to my wife who is a math teacher, very straight forward and linear and she did not like the format. I showed my son who is 6 and is starting to read and his comment was that it looked like it was hard to read. My daughter who is 4 and has a wonderful imagination loved looking at all the pages(no, she cannot read). I share these perspectives to showcase that the format is not for everyone. The storyline is great. It was just a good old fashion feel good story about moving and trying to find your place in life.
I am glad I came across this title. It was a nice break in the action. Many times I felt like stopping to doodle myself. Anyone who is interested in drawing and doodling check this book out because it is cool to see how she incorporated her art into storytelling.
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