Reel Life

March 15, 2025
Filmmaking and friendship collide as three tweens navigate complex relationship dynamics. In this stand-alone work, 11-year-old friends Kyle, Luna, and Galen bond over their love of all things film. But as they work on their latest cinematic feat, Kyle pulls away from the trio, acting standoffish and angry. Luna explains that he's upset over his parents' divorce and custody battle, stressors that feel alien to Galen--until his father drops a bombshell that rips their family apart. Galen's dad tells him that he's leaving his mother for Jasmine, a brown-skinned 26-year-old in Oakland with green hair. Now that he's split between two homes, Galen begins to understand where Kyle's feelings came from. Luna suggests that they film a documentary about their parents, but as big emotions about the shifting landscapes of friend and family relationships loom, the group must figure out how to change with them. Drawing on childhood experiences, Lynch's evocative graphic novel debut sagely captures the angst and unease of early adolescence. Galen's journey is fraught but accessibly portrayed, acknowledging the difficulties that parental separation and recoupling can bring. Cinematic full-color illustrations center the action throughout the tidy panels, keeping the pages turning with Lynch's stylized art. Fans of Raina Telgemeier, Victoria Jamieson, and Shannon Hale will find much to love. Kyle and Galen present white; Luna is cued Latine. Reel-y relatable and compelling.(Graphic fiction. 8-12)

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May 1, 2025

Gr 4-8-Galen, 11, and his friends are working diligently on a stop-motion film when Kyle storms out in tears, feeling raw from his parents' divorce. Galen reflects briefly and returns to his happy home with his super-cool parents. To his surprise, he's met with a harsh reality-his own parents are on the verge of separation, and Galen must navigate the uncertainties of his changing family dynamic. His parents, separately, overshare with Galen, and his father soon introduces his significantly younger girlfriend who, though cool, is also impulsive and reckless. Galen's mom also starts dating a man with a teen daughter, who is reacting to her own family divorce with acrimony and anger. Woven throughout this maturing, multi-layered understanding of family dynamics are Galen's crew's attempts to create a film capturing the experience. The process is fraught and fractured at times, but ultimately a chance for catharsis and closure. The cartooning is affable, colorful, and wavy, leaning on central California's calm visual atmosphere of beaches, low-profile houses, and gentle rolling hills to provide a comforting backdrop for a deeply felt story. VERDICT A thoughtful drama with richly drawn characters, and a meaningful exercise in empathy for young readers.-Emilia Packard

Copyright 2025 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

May 1, 2025
Grades 4-7 Galen and his friends Luna and Kyle are aspiring filmmakers. But Kyle's parents' divorce is causing him to act out in hurtful ways. At first, Galen doesn't understand Kyle's behavior, but he's about to get a better understanding: Galen's parents are also splitting up. His dad moves out into an apartment with his new girlfriend, Jasmine, and Galen doesn't know how to feel about it. He should hate her, right? Even though she's into old movies and generally pretty likable all around? As he tries to adjust to his new normal, he and Luna start to film a documentary full of interviews with insiders, exploring his parents' separation and the complex emotions involved in it. Lynch's bold, colorful art nicely captures the emotions of the characters, particularly as Galen and Luna work on editing their documentary. This thoughtful and accessible comic excellently explores the complicated feelings that are part of divorce and shines light on both the highs and lows of the experience.

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