Oh my gosh! Such middle grade angst about boys and makeup and how you look and what everyone in school is saying about you and…and…and…why is it so hard to talk to a guy that you think but are not sure you like? It was fine between you and him until you started thinking *that*.
12-year-old Abby is the oldest sibling in her family. In her Indonesian culture, that means she has certain responsibilities like acting more mature and constantly looking out for the safety and well-being of her four younger brothers and sisters. This is a heavy lift for a 12-year-old, since she’s obsessed about everything else at the same time. Her body, her friends, her siblings, what she likes, it’s all changing. Abby is worried about what her friends Julia and Monica will think about her weirdo younger brothers and sisters when they finally come to her house to hang out, but then they all get chickenpox, and Abby is stuck at home with her worst (totally wrong) suspicions.
I’ve almost forgotten what it was like to be 12 and how hard it was to figure out what the right thing was to do in school and family relationships, and how awkward you felt while trying. My generation did not have comics like this to help us realize everyone goes through this. Abby keeps doing the things that drive away the people and things that she likes the most – but why is doing the right thing by apologizing or explaining how you feel so hard? Page 154 explains any pre-teen’s dilemma in a comical shot-to-the-heart way. The puberty-fueled, anxiety-ridden assumptions and confusion Abby goes through while she’s quarantined will be familiar to anyone who has been a tween.
The story is kind of like the old game “telephone” – misunderstandings and assumptions galore! Finally, Abby and her friends straighten things out through caring enough to tell each other how they felt and what they assumed, and they all apologize. Friendship wins again! Could it be that the thing that is driving Abby crazy – her family and friends – is also the thing that gets her through this?
Chickenpox is a funny and heartfelt story of how hard it seems sometimes to survive puberty. The pages are sharp and colorful and the action flows in a manga-like fashion that echoes Abby’s favorite thing. You don’t need a BA in manga, though, to know Abby’s shojo-like expressions. She even shoots her younger sister an akanbe, to which her sister responds, “Real mature.” The frames where Abby finally decides to scratch her chicken pox bumps are hilarious. Information on the stages of the chickenpox virus are scattered through the comic. There are no adult themes. It’s a suitable title for any middle grade library and 7–14-year-olds.
Chickenpox
By Remy Lai
Henry Holt Holt Books for Young Readers, 2025
ISBN: 9781250863294
NFNT Age Recommendation: Middle Grade (7-11), Tween (10-13)
