Awkward, Svetlana Chmakova
Realistic fiction/Graphic novel
On Penelope’s very first day at her new school, she just wants to blend in and maybe make a friend. Instead, she trips in the hallway and spills all her stuff, and when a boy stops to help her, the school bullies — you can always spot ’em — start calling her his nerd girlfriend. She gets flustered and pushes the boy away, and even though she feels bad, she can’t find a way to say she’s sorry.
Pretty quickly Penelope joins the art club and makes friends there. Unfortunately, though, it turns out that the art club and science club are archenemies, competing against each other for one table at the school’s annual club fair. And Jaime, the boy she pushed? Yeah. He’s in the science club.
He’s ALSO her new science tutor, assigned by her teacher. And she keeps running into him in the hallway, and the library, and on field trips…and she STILL can’t figure out how to apologize. It’s just too awkward.
But maybe she can figure out how to be his friend. And maybe if they work together, they can find a way for BOTH of their clubs to be successful. This graphic novel is funny, awkward (of course), and perfect for fans of Smile and Roller Girl.