The New Girl: A Graphic Novel (the New Girl #1) - by Cassandra Calin (Hardcover)

About the Book

"Lia and her family are waiting to board a flight across the Atlantic, leaving behind family, friends, and Romania -- the only home Lia has ever known. But Lia's heartache is overshadowed by the discomfort of her first period. As if things weren't difficult enough! Now Lia is thrust into a world where everything is different: her home, her language, and even her body. With so many changes happening at once, Lia struggles with schoolwork, has trouble communicating with classmates, and has no idea how to manage her unpleasant periods. Will she ever feel like herself again?"--

Book Synopsis

This funny, feel-good middle-grade graphic novel about change and acceptance will be a hit with fans of Guts by Raina Telgemeier, Pizza Face by Rex Ogle and Dave Valeza, and Parachute Kids by Betty C. Tang.

Goodbye, old life...

Lia and her family are waiting to board a flight across the Atlantic, leaving behind family, friends, and Romania -- the only home Lia has ever known. But Lia's heartache is overshadowed by the discomfort of her first period. As if things weren't difficult enough! Now Lia is thrust into a world where everything is different: her home, her language, and even her body. With so many changes happening at once, Lia struggles with schoolwork, has trouble communicating with classmates, and has no idea how to manage her unpleasant periods. Will she ever feel like herself again?

Inspired by the author's own immigration experience, The New Girl is a comically charming story about change and acceptance.

Review Quotes

A New York Times Bestseller

A USA Today Bestseller

A Publishers Weekly Bestseller

An Indie Bestseller

A School Library Journal Best Book of 2024

A Doug Wright Award Nominee for Best Kids' Book

★ "An enchanting, adorable, immersive story... Calin masterfully weaves variation throughout the panels to show full experiences with incredible details in scenery, facial expressions, and color that flow easily. The book is engrossing and spectacular, and Calin perfectly portrays the awe, excitement, awkwardness, and confusion of middle school... A must-purchase for any and all tweens and teens who are ravenous for lighthearted, absorbing, and authentic coming-of-age realistic graphic fiction." -- School Library Journal, starred review

★ "Calin crafts an empathetic tale of belonging in this graphic novel debut... Vibrant and accessible visually appealing art infuses a comedic and feel-good vibe that deftly juxtaposes emotional and thought-provoking plot beats surrounding immigration and period education. Softly rendered, cherubic-faced characters with varying skin tones populate this dynamic examination of a girl in transition." -- Publishers Weekly, starred review

"The popularity of middle-grade coming-of-age graphic novels is indisputable and The New Girl will be a welcome addition... This will fly off the shelves." -- School Library Journal

"Creative panel work adds depth to the eye-catching visual narrative, which features trendy fashions and uses tropes reminiscent of manga... The middle-school friendship drama rings true, with flawed, endearing characters." -- TheHorn Book Magazine

"Calin's illustrations flow effectively and provide humor; her text bubbles also creatively visualize, through color coding for different languages and scribbles to represent French words Lia can't understand, the process of acquiring a new language... Fans of Raina Telgemeier, Victoria Jamieson, and Svetlana Chmakova will rejoice. Funny, awkward, and exuberant." -- Kirkus Reviews

Praise for The New Girl: First Crush:

"This lively sequel... gently explores being true to oneself while feeling the strong pull of first romantic love. Honesty in friendships is another strong theme... Calin's vibrant, emotive illustrations add humor and depth to the dialogue, and cleverly color-coded speech bubbles indicate different languages. Insightful, quirky, and hopeful." -- Kirkus Reviews

About the Author

Cassandra Calin is a cartoonist and humorist best known for her semi-autobiographical webcomic series, Cassandra Comics, in which she talks about her life with curly hair, high expectations, and other daily problems. Originally from Romania, Cassandra immigrated to Canada when she was a child and later earned her BA in graphic design from L'Université du Québec à Montréal (UQAM). The New Girl is her long-form graphic novel debut. Learn more about Cassandra and her comics at cassandracalin.com.