On Guard!
I have never met author and illustrator Cassidy Wasserman, but she made this comic book for me. 
Allow me to explain:
On Guard! tells the story of Grace—a girl who is transitioning into the 7th grade after a falling out with her best friend of many years. To add an extra special dollop of misery to things, her parents are going through a rough divorce as well. Her relationship with her mother is difficult, and she’s having trouble finding a place where she can simply relax. Home and school are fraught with stressors. But, one day, she notices her school’s fencing club practicing in the gym and there’s just something about them. They’re so self-assured, confident. She’s hesitant, but with some gentle encouragement from her dad, and insatiable curiosity, Grace decides to join the fencing club.
Fencing is not a cure-all for Grace’s issues at home or at school, but learning a new skill gives her confidence and the club offers new social connections. As Grace builds up aspects of a new identity and chapter in her life, her relationship with her mother continues to pull and become strained.
After much conflict and fighting, Grace offers an olive branch to her mother: she invites her to come see her fence – to see Grace do the thing that she loves most in the world right now. It’s a rocky start to what is implied to be a slightly better relationship between mother and daughter.
The narrative contains all the hits of a Disney movie or after school special, but the tone is decidedly uneasy. Grace’s relationship with her mother is never loving or secure, and the book even ends on an ambiguous note about how this develops.
The illustrations are simple and straightforward, nothing dramatic. The story is full of uncomfortable truths, but also heart and hope.
Back to that explanation I promised:
I started fencing when I was 15 years old and, at the time of writing this, that was 23 years ago—so long ago that I would even spell the title “En Garde!” Is it were up to me (and it obviously isn’t). I still fence weekly; I never really took a break from it. I cannot describe the impact of learning how to fence at that age—not too far off from when the fictional Grace started. Like all sports (or, in my case, martial arts), fencing taught me many important philosophical life lessons – how to continue on when it seems like you’re losing ground, how to be brave enough to try things that seem scary to you, how to win with grace, and how to lose without shame.
Grace’s complicated relationship with her mother echoes the one I have with mine as well. Author Cassidy Wasserman includes a few pages of explanation and where the fictional parts of this story meet with her truth, plus some facts about the sport of fencing itself. There was a lot for me to connect with in this story, and that is perhaps forcing me to lend more weight to the narrative than is actually being presented…
…but isn’t that what stories are about?
On Guard! is heartwarming and gently discusses serious topics that adolescents might be facing in their day-to-day lives. I can confidently say it is appropriate for young readers; the publisher recommends an age range from 8 to 12.
I think On Guard! could be a useful addition to a library’s collection.
On Guard!
By Cassidy Wasserman
Random House Graphic, 2025
ISBN: 9780593649985
Company Age Rating: 8-12
NFNT Age Recommendation: Middle Grade (7-11), Tween (10-13)
