Squished
by Megan Wagner Lloyd and Michelle Mee Nutter
Scholastic Graphix, 2023. 250 pages.
Review written July 12, 2023, from a library book.
Hooray! Big family representation in a graphic novel!
I’m third from a family of thirteen children, and I’ve noticed that there’s not a whole lot of big family representation in children’s books, so I was delighted to learn that the creators of the charming graphic novel Allergic have taken this on.
Avery’s the second in a family of seven kids. (So that’s just over half as big as my family — but let’s not get crazy. It’s a big family.) She’s 11 years old, and all her younger siblings look to her. And she’s desperate for her own room and a place to paint — and sleep — without being disturbed by little kids.
So when her older brother gets his own room, and the toddler comes into the room she already shared with a sister — well, it’s simply not fair.
This book mostly shows the light side of big families. But it does show how an older sister ends up doing lots of caretaking, like it or not. And the embarrassment of a huge family showing up to “support” her at school events. I enjoyed the way all the kids were invested in getting the baby to crawl. All of that is for sure realistic, and fun to see in this book.
And yes, older siblings really do need their own room!
meganwagnerlloyd.com
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