Be Prepared - by Vera Brosgol (Hardcover)

About the Book

All Vera wants to do is fit in--but that's not easy for a Russian girl in the suburbs. Her friends live in fancy houses and their parents can afford to send them to the best summer camps. Vera's single mother can't afford that sort of luxury, but there's one summer camp in her price range--Russian summer camp. Vera is sure she's found the one place she can fit in, but camp is far from what she imagined. And nothing could prepare her for all the "cool girl" drama, endless Russian history lessons, and outhouses straight out of nightmares!

Book Synopsis

A sharp, funny, and deeply relatable graphic memoir from acclaimed creator Vera Brosgol, Be Prepared is a coming-of-age story about fitting in, standing out, and surviving the chaos of expectations.

All Vera wants is to fit in with her friends--but that's not so easy when for a Russian girl in the suburbs. Her friends live in fancy houses and their parents can afford to send them to the best summer camps. So when she finally gets invited to a summer camp with other Russian kids, she expects to find belonging at last.

Instead, she finds herself dropped into an unfamiliar world of rigid rules, awkward social dynamics, and outdoor survival challenges that are far from the cozy summer she imagined.

From mosquito-filled forests to competitive camp traditions and constant uncertainty about where she belongs, Vera quickly realizes that "fitting in" might be harder--and stranger--than she ever expected.

With humor, honesty, and striking visual storytelling, Be Prepared explores:

- anxiety, awkwardness, and growing up
- friendship, exclusion, and self-acceptance
- the gap between expectation and reality

"Beautifully drawn, brutally funny, brilliantly honest. Vera is such a good cartoonist I almost can't stand it." --Raina Telgemeier, author of Smile

Review Quotes

A New York Times Book Review Notable Children's Book
A Boston Globe Best Children's Book
Best Graphic Novel of the Year, Parents Magazine

"Beautifully drawn, brutally funny, brilliantly honest. Vera is such a good cartoonist I almost can't stand it." --Raina Telgemeier, author of Smile

"Camp memories can be indelible and Brosgol's book is full of them, from a terrifyingly hilarious outhouse scene to desperate letters home." --New York Times

"Perfect for fans of Shannon Hale's Real Friends (2017), this will easily lodge a place in readers' hearts, even as it has them rolling in the aisles."--Booklist, starred

"The story, both culturally specific and universal, is a welcome addition to the growing canon of comics tales by talented women cartoonists (Raina Telgemeier, Tillie Walden, Zeina Abirached, Cece Bell, and many others) based on their own lives."--Horn Book, starred

"The dialogue rings true, the pace is seamless, and the panel artwork, in woodsy browns and greens, conveys feelings with clean, assured lines. By turns sardonic, adorable, and noble, Vera is a beguiling hero who learns how to recognize who's really on her side."--Publishers Weekly, starred

"A gorgeous, emotional memoir worthy of any graphic novel collection."--School Library Journal, starred

"While the culturally specific references will particularly resonate with kids of Russian heritage, the larger story will strike chords with any kid who has ever struggled to find a place to belong."--Kirkus

"There's no real villainy here, just the quotidian slings and arrows carelessly shot by kids more concerned with fun than empathy. That makes Vera a character with appeal to every tween who's ever felt disappointed by peers--or by a fulfilled wish that didn't live up to its bright, shiny promise."--The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books

About the Author

Vera Brosgol was born in Moscow, Russia, in 1984 and moved to the United States when she was five. Her first graphic novel Anya's Ghost was published in 2011 by First Second and won Eisner, Cybils, and Harvey awards. Her picture book Leave Me Alone! was a 2017 Caldecott Honor book. She was a storyboard artist at Laika for ten years, working on animated films including Coraline and Kubo and the Two Strings. She lives in Portland, Oregon, and actually really likes camping now.