What does the word popularity mean to you? Think about the girls at your school, what sports do they play? What do they have? What makes them different from you? Today I will be reviewing “The Tryout” by Christina Soontornvat and illustrated by Joanna Cacao a really good artist. Ms. Soontornvat has written this graphic novel based on her life story as a middle schooler. I have read a few of her books such as A Wish in the Dark and All Thirteen which I really enjoyed. I now present to you the awesome graphic novel “The Tryout”!
Christina Soontornvat is a typical Thai American tween from Texas who can’t live without her best friend Megan, an Iranian American talented gymnast. Fitting in their small Texas town isn’t easy because of racist comments they encounter by white supremacists. One day, they begin to admire the beauty and confidence of the teenagers on the football field and decide to tryout in order to fit in. This tryout will take place in front of the whole seventh grade which means its finally Christina’s time to shine. What will happen next? Will Christina finally be able to know who she wants to be? If your into books about coming of age, cultural background, and fitting in, this book is just for you.
Being a kid of immigrant parents isn’t as easy as you think and its quite difficult to fit in but the main key is to be yourself, because if everyone at school were rich, had nice clothes, nice shoes and the same personality, the world would be weird. At the end of the story, Christina finds out that theres more to her than tryouts.
Halloween is around the corner so I would like to wish everyone a happy halloween and that you get no cavities after all that candy!