Middle Grade Monday: Twins by Varian Johnson

Image: Scholastic Inc.

Twins by Varian Johnson. Illustrated by Shannon Wright. Twins #1. 252 p. Graphix/ Scholastic Inc., October, 2020. 9781338236132. (Review of finished purchased copy.)

It's a rainy Monday! I hope you had a fantastic weekend! I got to rake my leaves and finish a few books. Middle Grade Monday features a graphic novel called Twins by Varian Johnson and illustrated by Shannon Wright. This is Mr. Johnson's first graphic novel. You may have read some of his other middle grade fiction like, The Great Greene Heist or The Parker Inheritance. Come to think of it, he has also written a few YA titles, which are old enough to feature on #tbt so stay tuned.

Twins, Francine and Maureen do everything together. They share a room and have shared a classroom all through elementary school. Now that they are entering middle school, Francine is pulling away. Maureen expects things to go on as usual and is hurt, first when she discovers that they don't have the same schedules, then when she learns that Francine has something to do after school each day and isn't including her. Francine has even shortened her name and wants to be called, "Fran" now!

So what happens when to two decide to run for class president? Read this delightfully relatable, gorgeously illustrated graphic novel to find out. I know this wouldn't sit on my shelf were we not in a pandemic and my library closed. 

Both girls are immediately likable, relatable and endearing. Their family is blended, consisting of an older half-brother, and happily supportive. The girls' parents are attentive and involved. The tween dialogue and middle school drama are spot-on. Some of the sisters' fights are so eerily familiar even to this old reviewer! But so is the evident bond between to the two.

The art is vibrant and engaging, with subtle bits of visual humor sprinkled about, such as a store named "Temporarily 22." This smile disappears however, once the girls are ignored in the store by a white salesperson. Luckily for them, the white customer the saleslady rebuffed the girls for called her out on her behavior before stomping out of the store, causing other customers to do the same. It was a subtle example of white allyship in action. This was followed by Mama Bear storming into the store to give the clerk a piece of her mind after Maureen's friend tearfully recounts the experience. The panels are dynamic and the bright palette is quite pleasing. The student body is diverse in many respects from race to body types. 

I hadn't realized when I bought the book that it was a series starter. This pleases me. I look forward to visiting with Francine and Maureen soon. This book belongs in all library collections! Fans of friendship graphic novels like Real Friends and Smile and Sunny as well as the kids of Berrybrook Middle School, will just gobble Twins up and ask for more.

Visit Varian Johnson's website and Shannon Wrights website for more information about each and their body of work.