Review: School for Extraterrestrial Girls by Whitley & Noguchi

I received a complimentary digital copy of this book in exchange for a honest review.

Papercutz  has been producing some really interesting graphic novels aimed at young readers but enjoyable for all.

I discovered the company when Jeremy Whitley sent me a copy of his latest creative work with them. The joy of getting an advanced copy of a book is you go in with no preconceptions. As a long time fan of Jeremy's I knew some of his narrative hallmarks would be in the story: representation, stellar female leads and humor.  What really surprised me was the exploration of anxiety and control through the lead Tara Smith's household.

Anxiety and stress are the hallmarks of a lot of young children's lives. Jeremy nails the balance of Tara's desire to be a good daughter and the emotional toll her parents strict rules are having on her. 

All it takes is one misstep to through Tara's entire world upside down and reveal the lies at the center of her world.  The current state of the world really had me tuned into the emotions Tara was feeling in this first arc. Even when she  does everything right she can't escape the pressure.

The minute Tara's truth is revealed the story moves forward quickly as Tara is placed in a new school to help her with her powers and her identity.

Once in school there was an expectation on my part that I knew where the story was going. However the creators really surprised me. Tara doesn't easily adapt to her circumstances and in fact she causes pain to those around her trying to offer help.

I really loved the supporting cast of this book and I'm really interested to see where the story goes.

Noguchi's art style fits the atmosphere of the story. Tara's emotions are easily readable in every panel and the representation of her true form has a smooth beauty to it. This is a nice book for young readers who like aliens and adventure as well as a nice family read.