Starting a new school can be hard enough, but starting a new school while remaining true to yourself is even more 
challenging. Erika tries to start her new school with excitement, but losing touch with old friends who live far away, loving nerdy things, and crushing on a new classmate leaves Erika susceptible to her anxiety, which manifests as a dark alter-ego that makes her question everything about herself…
Please Be My Star is a graphic novel loosely inspired by The Phantom of the Opera about Erika, an awkward teen who recently started a new high school and immediately began crushing on Christian, a nice and cute guy in her theater class. She draws pictures of him and, due to an old friend’s comment about her drawing people she barely knows and her own anxiety, feels like she’s a creep for doing such things.
When her theater class offers the chance for her to write a one-act play for classmates to perform, she jumps at the chance to write one, envisioning Christian in the lead role. At the same time, she befriends Julie, another theater classmate who happens to be friends with Christian. Thanks to Julie, Erika is able to form tenuous connections with Christian and their other friends Miguel and Morgan. They all agree to help with Erika’s play, much to Erika’s excitement.
As she spends more time with Christian and the others, Erika feels like they are becoming real friends, but her doubts about herself and her frustration with getting the play ready keep her second-guessing not only herself but her friends as well. On top of it all, she has a shrine to Christian using items of his that she’s either borrowed or found from his visits to her house to work on the play. The shrine is a secret she has to keep at all costs or she fears everyone will think of her as a weirdo and creep.
Elliott’s art is beautiful and suits the story perfectly. The manga-inspired style gives the characters a range of expressions and helps convey how fully realized Elliott’s characters are from the cute and caring Christian to the mean and emotional Paola. Even characters with less panel time are given special care. The art helps convey the mood shifts from sweet and hopeful to dark and fearful as Erika’s doubts and anxieties manifest. The range in Elliott’s art is incredible.
The publisher’s age rating for Please Be My Star is ages 14-18 and that range seems pretty accurate. Erika and the others are high schoolers navigating relationships and anxieties and fears. While there are many cute and funny moments in the story and the ending is hopeful, there is also a darker tone throughout as Erika worries about being a creep and always being lonely.
Please Be My Star ends up being a very raw but sweet story about being the weird kid in high school and learning to open up and take a chance on new friends despite past heartaches. This book is for anyone who has ever been a weird kid, who has been afraid to embrace their own weirdness, or who has ever taken the time to appreciate a fellow weird kid. Various pop culture references sprinkled throughout are fun to catch. Teens and adults alike can enjoy this one.
Please Be My Star
By Victoria Grace Elliott
Scholastic Graphix, 2024
ISBN: 9781338840407
Publisher Age Rating: 14-18
NFNT Age Recommendation: Teen, Older Teen (16-18), Adult
Series ISBNs and Order
Related media:Â
NFNT Age Recommendation: Adult (18+), Older Teen (16-18), Teen (13-16)
