I enjoyed Fox Point’s Own Gemma Hopper: (A Graphic Novel) more than I thought, yet, not as much as I had hoped. The idea of “only having value is when you play baseball (but not actually, of course),” was the point, but not fleshed out enough to make you believe it. Plus, the father’s “apology” to Gemma at the end is only because now he has “two baseball players in the family” so now he’ll “step up” and “help my daughter. Who, by the way, should be the “mother” to my three sons and not a kid herself.” And, “Oh her feelings on losing her mother? Yeah, we’ll just ignore that.” The rating of four is because I liked how the illustrations are simple (in lack of colors and details, without being simplistic in any negative manner), allowing the text to move the story along, yet are supportive and allowing the reader to see what is needed to bring you into the story.
Brie Spangler’s coming of age graphic novel didn’t strike out for me, but we almost hit our limit of balls. Gemma is a seventh grader, the only girl in a family of four siblings (the youngest twins) and her older brother is “baseball’s next great thing.” And of course, Gemma feels that everyone is putting pressure on her, and not helping her. Which is partly true. Gemma also puts pressure on herself and is a bit selfish. Or she is a normal teenager! She is going to have issues with bullies, her best friend, her siblings, and of course, her mother leaving (abandoning) them to “find herself.”
The ending has some good points, though I am not sure Gemma’s brother will “step up” and help at home, he does seem to realize that she is not just “his kid sister” to “use for his gain” and can “gain” when the two of them work together. And Gemma is starting to get “into her own” by standing up, taking responsibility and saying, “Hey. What about me?” Again, the idea of the father putting so much stereotypical pressure and responsibility on Gemma was a bit funky and the way she gets a chance to show off her own talents was a little odd and rushed. Kids aged 10 to 14 will appreciate this coming of age story that happens to have baseball and girls.
Despite not having a homerun here, Spangler is the author of a title I enjoyed (Unbound: The Life and Art of Judith Scott) so I plan on finding their first book, Beast, and checking out new goodies.