Emmie & Friends by Terri Libenson - Tween Nook

Helloooooo everybody! 

Back at it again with a another Tween review. 

Or 3 rolled into 1.... 

I’m going to start off this review with two words: graphic novels. 

Now, if you’re like me; when you hear the words “graphic novel”, you might think of comic books or comic strips; the “funnies” in the Sunday morning paper.   Up until I started working in the library, I didn’t count graphic novels as being books. I thought, well, that they were ONLY graphic novels. That the lack of words in them and the plethora of pictures made them less like books. That’s so not the case! I also found comic books to be a little too busy with all of the pictures and thus, made me feel nauseous :/ 

Do you know someone who isn’t into reading or maybe they’re reluctant? Have them try a graphic novel! The story is told through pictures, and not as many words. The imagery might be better than a book because of the visual detail that’s shown right then and there. 

Link to cover art on Amazon

In 2017, Terri Libenson released the graphic novel, Invisible Emmie. Emmie is a middle schooler who feels as if no one notices her. She keeps to herself and draws a lot in class. She’s not the best at paying attention in class; you could say that she’s flying under the radar. Emmie has one friend, a girl named Bri.  Since Bri is so smart, she’s placed into honors classes, so Emmie doesn’t get to see her outside of lunch. 

The lunch table. Queue where our scene is about to happen!

Emmie and Bri decide to write letters to their crushes. One little note is the catalyst for embarrassment for Emmie. 

While the story focuses on Emmie and what’s going on during that day, the reader also learns about a girl named Katie. Libenson uses two different ways to tell their stories. Emmie’s story is told differently from Katie’s- Katie’s was in true comic form; while Emmie’s story involved sentences and some pictures. 


Positively Izzy is the 2nd book in the Emmie & Friends series.  Positively Izzy flips the way the characters are presented.  Meaning: the comic featuring Brianna is first and then the more wordy story with the little drawings about Izzy is second. (Yes, this Brianna is the same Bri from the first book).

Link to cover art on Amazon

This one was showing the contrast between Brianna and this Izzy girl.  It's not until the end of the story do you learn who Izzy is.  

NOW.  I haven't been in high school in a little over 10 years, let alone middle school in waaaay over 10 years. 

I thought that Libenson's books were realistic and therefore, relatable.  They were also presented in a way that would keep any young reader interested.  The messages held in both books were important too.

For anyone wondering, Emmie was definitely my favorite character. 

Definitely giving these two graphic novels 5 coffee beans out of 5!

- Jillian

11 Birthdays by Wendy Mass- Tween Nook

Welcome everyone to our new Tween Nook tag!

Today's first official review for the Tween Nook is 11 Birthdays by Wendy Mass.

This was a really cute book. 

The premise of the book was that Amanda was waking up everyday and re-living her birthday.  In the beginning, she was repeating the same actions and she was getting the same outcomes. Until the fifth day, there was a change - Amanda noticed that Leo had acted differently then he had in the days before!  Thus, their communication started and they were able to mend their relationship. I’m not entirely sure that this is the word I’m looking for, but I would say that there is a sense of “whimsy” in this book for sure. It's up to you, if you want to call this book a fantasy. But it adds an element that would pull in any dream driven tween. 

After 11 days, there is no change and Amanda and Leo are still re-living their birthdays.  Through some simple investigation, Amanda and Leo are able to speak with the woman who happened to have united them on the day of their birth. (Imagine living the same day over and over again and not having anything change?! Ugh. Talk about uncomfortable and not a whole lot of fun). 

That’s where the whimsy comes in! This woman, Angela has been around for a looooong time.  There is family history between Leo and Amanda’s family. Something that has to be explained to them by Angela. 

Leo and Amanda fought over an understandable reason: Leo made fun of his friendship with Amanda. When you’re almost 11, it might not always be the coolest to be best friends with a girl (but who knows now in 2019! This book might be a little dated?). 

That’s pretty relatable. As is leaving your lunch at home and not having enough lunch money. Feeling let down by your friends and feeling that you’re letting friends down too. I also thought it was important that no matter how hard she tried, Amanda’s mom still lost her job. Some things can’t be controlled and sadly, that’s one of them. 

For my first tween book review, I would give this book 4 coffee beans out of 5! I don’t have anything to go off of but I thought that it was well written and the whimsy of the song was adorable. 

- Jillian