Tegan and Sara

April 3, 2023
Twin musicians Tegan and Sara Quin (High School, for adults) collaborate with Walden (Clementine) to deliver a fictionalized contemporary accounting of their 1990s junior high school years in this jam-packed graphic novel. Following a move to Calgary, 12-year-old Tegan and Sara begin their first year of junior high. Things get off to a rocky start, however, when the siblings realize that, for the first time, they’ll be in separate classes. Headstrong Sara and soft-spoken Tegan are initially agitated at their classmates’ inability to tell them apart and experience anxiety over their separation, but as the year unfurls, they encounter differing social, physical, and emotional firsts. Even as they embark on opposite personal paths, the pair’s discovery of their mother’s boyfriend’s old guitar soon brings them closer together than ever before. Humorous asides to the reader from Tegan and Sara—rendered in blue and red, respectively—are interspersed throughout; Walden winningly depicts densely detailed drawings via frameless, amorphous panels with a purple tone that mixes the twins’ individual hues. While some slang and musical references feel forced, the emotions and character interactions are timelessly resonant. Ages 10–14.

April 15, 2023
Grades 5-8 Popular twin-sister musicians Tegan and Sara share a fictionalized tale of their early adolescence in this first book of a planned duology. Readers follow the girls as they move, get stuck in separate classes, agonize over new friends and getting their periods, and discover their love of creating music. First crushes, lying to parents, and fearing growing apart provide tension and are topics that remain relatable no matter when you grew up. The authors convert their early '90s experiences to modern day deftly, with real photos and info about the differences at the end. For instance, Nirvana remains a musical influence, but it's now because Mom's boyfriend Bruce is a fan rather than the band simply being popular with kids. The expressive sketchiness of the art underlines the informal and personal nature of the story while allowing readers to tell the twins apart at a glance by usually having Tegan drawn blue while Sara is red. Fans of the duo's work will love this and so will anyone who understands how awkward and important junior high can be.

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Starred review from May 1, 2023

Gr 5-8-Indie pop stars Tegan and Sara Quin team up with graphic novelist Walden to create a heartfelt, visually stunning coming-of-age story for tweens and teens. Twins Tegan and Sara have always been close, but after a move and a transition to middle school, they must contend with new friends, bullies, puberty, secrets, and worst of all-drifting apart. The story is largely based on their lives, but is set in present day (Tegan and Sara were actually teens in the 1990s). Walden's art, paired with the authors' lyrical words, create an emotionally resonant reading experience that is sure to mesh with adolescents' big feelings. Walden uses different color schemes to highlight each twin, accentuating their points of view and their growing distance. Although the twins experience some anxiety and emotional turmoil through friend drama, new romantic feelings, and beginning to question their sexuality, this is largely a very wholesome, comforting read that celebrates the power of shared creativity to bring people back together. Supplemental material contains photos and notebook pages of Tegan and Sara with their first musical efforts. VERDICT A first purchase for middle school libraries and highly recommended for fans of Svetlana Chmakova and Molly Knox Ostertag.-Catherine Cote

Copyright 2023 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

April 1, 2023
The high and lows of preteens navigating school and life, inspired by the Quin sibling pop duo's actual childhoods. Identical twin sisters Tegan and Sara have moved and are entering a new junior high in Calgary where they'll be in different classes, making everything even more intimidating. They navigate a slew of awkward, messy moments--making new friends and keeping faraway ones, getting their first bras and first periods, crushing on cute classmates, trying to be cool but still appreciating dorky parents, and living separate lives while trying to remain close to each other. Eventually they find their stepfather's guitar in the garage, and making music together not only mends some rifts in their relationship, but begins a meaningful, far-reaching creative journey. The setting has been updated for modern audiences and includes cellphones and Taylor Swift references. The narrative switches between depictions of the characters going through real life (drawn in purple tones) and interludes in which the twins, color-coded with light blue for Tegan and pale maroon for Sara, share their innermost thoughts, feelings, and reflections with readers. The story is sweet, focusing on the all-important relationships of tween life. Walden's illustrations are, as usual, wonderfully expressive. They transition smoothly from busier scenes to quieter ones along the story's emotional beats. The White twins' circle of friends includes queer kids and people of color. Tugs at the heartstrings like a well-tuned guitar. (authors' note) (Graphic fiction. 9-13)

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