Serendipity - by Gabbie Benda (Paperback)

About the Book

"A girl becomes convinced she's cursed after an accident at the town carnival involving a fortune-telling machine"--Provided by publisher.

Book Synopsis

Serendipity is the luckiest kid in the world. But what happens when the luckiest kid in the world becomes extraordinarily unlucky, in this debut graphic novel.

Serendipity is your classic overachiever. She's class president, lead in the school play, and star of the basketball team. She's also incredibly lucky, like, wins everything all the time lucky, even random radio raffles.

Which is how she finds herself with free tickets to the town carnival where an accident curses her with bad luck FOREVER.

And just like that Serendipity's luck really does seem to run out. Missed shots, fumbled lines, and a slip in the polls. Can it get any worse? Oh yes it can. Permanent bad hair days.

Serendipity becomes convinced the curse is real. She's definitely not disorganized or spread too thin. Nope, it's all the curse. And she'll have to find a way to reverse it soon.

Hilariously charming and illustrated in sugar pink hues, this graphic novel is a treat for kids who love middle school dramas and adorable, if impulsive characters. It's a perfect story for overstressed overachievers looking for a warm reminder that stepping back doesn't mean stepping down. In fact, sharing the spotlight with good friends is perhaps the luckiest thing of all.

Review Quotes

Owning one's choices is a journey every tween takes, and Benda's story will prove relatable to many middle grade graphic novel readers. Full-page spreads featuring bright colors and a variety of panel sizes bring Dippy's world to life and make for immersive reading. Hand this to fans of series like Terri Libenson's "Emmie & Friends," Svetlana Chmakova's "Awkward," and Shannon Hale and LeUyen Pham's "Real Friends."
--School Library Journal

Benda's debut brings the world of middle school to life with all its comedic highs and weighty lows. Her use of foreshortening effectively depicts overwhelming moments, while her dramatic employment of light and shadow enhances the fraught scenes between the best friends. . . . A humorous story that will help tweens gain self-awareness and set healthy boundaries.
--Kirkus Reviews

Bold, rounded lines render winking details (in Serendipity's journal: "super-awesome crowdsourced ways to fix bad luck"), adding visual humor to the low-stakes conflict. It's a lighthearted tale that both celebrates young overachievers and suggests that everyone could use a break.
--Publishers Weekly

The realistic color scheme and familiar comic-book layout help ground the curse firmly in reality, and the characters' faces, though cartoonish, convey the range of middle school emotions, from petty jealousies to childlike joy. Told entirely in speech bubbles, the overexaggerated fonts capture the stress of trying to do it all when nothing's going right. . . . A sweet reminder to readers that they can create their own luck.
--Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books

An absolute gem of a debut.
--Shelf Awareness

Soft pencil outlines rounded shapes filled with an expressive pastel palette; dramatic compositions amp the emotion for this fizzy comedy. Featuring a diverse, relatable cast, this is an upbeat tale about learning to trade perfection for self-awareness--and discovering that good friends always outweigh good fortune.
--Booklist

About the Author

Gabbie Benda earned a degree in Communication Arts from VCUarts with a focus on children's illustration and comics. After over a decade as a camp counselor and art teacher, Gabbie is well versed in the art of making kids of all ages smile. SERENDIPITY is her debut. She lives in Richmond, Virginia.