Middle Grade Monday: Operatic by Kyo Maclear

Image: House of Anansi

Operatic by Kyo Maclear. 160 p. Groundwood/ House of Anansi, April, 2019. 9781554989720. (Review of finished copy courtesy of publisher. Received at SLJ Day of Dialog)

Happy third Monday of summer vacay, TMS readers! Have you read anything great lately? Put some titles in the comments or send them in a Schoology message.

Middle Grade Monday features Operatic by Kyo Maclear. Eighth grader Charlotte, Charlie, Noguchi, one of only three Asians in her class, wants to fly under the radar and is a keen observer of the pecking order in her middle school. It is spring of her final year of middle school, the due date for her music project is looming and she hasn't yet picked a song that defines her. She's also worried about a missing classmate, Luka, a transfer student with a gorgeous voice who wears his hair long and has a unique fashion sense which made him a target. As this spare story flashes back to the fall and forward to spring, Charlie reflects on all the music history she learned and realizes that opera, specifically, Maria Callas, speaks to her most. This is an unusual choice for a contemporary eighth grader and Charlie needs to figure out if she wants to play it safe and stifle who she is or take a lesson from Luka and be true to herself despite the often cruel opinions of her peers. 

The art in this unusual graphic novel is just gorgeous with its swirling colors and dreamy panels. It's also beautifully designed. Graphic novel fans will learn a bit about music and music loving students will learn to love graphic novels with Operatic.