9 /10 1 Votes
Publisher Scholastic/Graphix | 4.1/5 Goodreads Language English Originally published 1 September 2012 ISBN 9780545326995 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Genre Graphic novel, coming-of-age, children's book Similar Raina Telgemeier books, Other books | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Drama is a graphic novel written by Raina Telgemeier. The story focuses on Callie, a middle schooler and theater-lover who works in her school's drama production crew. Drama is a coming-of-age story that explores themes of friendship, teamwork, and creative fulfillment.
Contents
Summary
Drama follows Callie Marin, a seventh-grader at Eucalyptus Middle School. At the beginning of the novel, Callie is the set designer for her school's production of Moon over Mississippi. Callie and her crew try to make the play a success by working through budget problems and interpersonal conflicts within the crew. Callie also deals with personal tween or teen hardships, including confusing school crushes and balancing new and old friendships.
Reception and awards
Drama has received largely positive reviews by book critics. Publishers Weekly said Drama is "another dead-on look at the confusing world of middle school, sweetly capturing all the drama swirling around the school production." Booklist Review said "Telgemeier is prodigiously talented at telling cheerful stories with realistic portrayals of middle-school characters." Ada Calhoun of the NY Times Book Review said that as a former tech director, she "can testify to the authenticity of Telgemeier’s backstage world, where friendship and romance flourish in the intimate monotony of snack runs, flat-painting and cue-calling."
Drama has been named a Stonewall Honor Book in Children's and Young Adult Literature.
Drama has been nominated for a Harvey Award.
Controversy
Drama has been challenged by some parents and critics for being "sexually explicit" and for having "subject matter too advanced for elementary students." In 2014, Drama made the American Library Association list of top 10 banned books due to a ban in Chapel Hill Elementary School in Mount Pleasant, Texas. Its use has also been restricted in Seele Elementary School in New Braunfels, Texas. Responding to criticism, Telgemeier has said she is "grateful Scholastic has been willing to stand behind me on Drama."
Common Sense Media, an independent nonprofit that rates and reviews media by age-appropriateness, has marked Drama as appropriate for readers over 10 years of age. Common Sense Media acknowledges that "some readers may be uncomfortable with the graphic novel's depiction of homosexual crushes between young teens" but that "the author treats the subject with discretion."