Review Starlight
by Akira B.
Published by Little Brown Ink
In a story like Upstaged, Robin Easter’s debut graphic novel, there’s a complexity in its simplicity. This is a coming of age story about Ash, who’s in their last year of theater camp, trying to juggle the responsibilities of being the stage manager for the big musical Ella while also trying to confess to their best friend and crush, Ivy. This story offers nostalgic relatability for older readers in its homage to the theater camp experience of being comfortable in your identity while forging new relationships. It also gives a learning experience to younger readers about the nuances of relationships and how there’s always more to a person than surface level introductions.
Robin does a great job of showcasing the nuances of relationships in both the platonic and romantic aspects in a way that makes it easy for young readers to grasp. Just as easy as it is to make a friend by saying hello, it’s also easy to push everyone away by isolating and only focusing on the negatives.
The middle schoolers of this story, ones that are already thinking about their soiree into being high schoolers, are written very well too. As an older reader, it was funny to read through the reactions of a 13-15 year old kid and being frustrated by their decisions. While I know Ash wasn’t trying to be cruel and was just overwhelmed by emotions (something everyone has gone through), I still found myself going “child, just talk to them”. So it’s safe to say that Robin writes children very realistically.
The art style itself is very fun and colorful, giving a myriad of diverse designs to the kids so that young readers can see themselves in one or more characters in the story. However, the most unique artistic aspect of the story is how Ash recounts their time and experiences through their art. It becomes a very fun integration of what’s going on in Ash’s head while they deal with all the trouble they’re putting themselves through.
The biggest lesson to take away from this book is that there are people in your corner who are willing to help you. You just have to open up and let yourself be helped. Change is scary, but it’s less scary when you’re able to go through it with others.
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(*) - These illustrations were posted to this review with permission from the copyright owner. WildStar Press does not own the rights to these illustrations. Contact the copyright holder for more details.
We’ll see you in the next one.
Akira B.
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