Timid

by | May 10, 2024

The story of a kid trying to figure out a new life and school after their family moves far away is a classic story in children’s literature and Jonathan Todd’s Timid shows why young readers still need these kinds of stories.

Cecil’s family is moving from Florida to a Massachusetts town near Boston. There’s no palm trees in New England and his sister Leah will be away at college, but at least their new house has space for him to have his own art studio and his family already has a church to go to (with a cute girl who Cecil sees at services every week).

School is its own separate challenge. Cecil struggles with his shyness and finds it hard to come out of his shell. His fellow students start to notice his drawing skills and he slowly finds his place… or so he thinks. He loves sharing his artwork with his classmates but it sure seems like he’s being taken advantage of. When someone takes his work and uses part of it in a not very nice portrayal of the principal, Cecil finds his voice and learns there’s no perfect way to be anything, you just have to be yourself.

Cecil’s identity as a demure, artistic Black boy is the strongest aspect of Timid and one that guides the graphic novel’s story. He doesn’t feel like he fits in with the Black kids at his school. He doesn’t want to be seen as trying to be white by hanging out with just the white kids either. The book doesn’t shy away from the reality of being Black in a majority white school and the microaggressions Cecil deals with. When he starts at the new school, someone asks him if he’s there as part of the program that buses kids in from Boston proper and later in the book, a white student touches his hair while teasing him about it. There’s points where Cecil overanalyzes his every move in an attempt to not fall into unwanted stereotypes and how this being on guard affects him.

Cecil’s story in Timid is based on Todd’s own life and his storytelling is very earnest. While it’s not an actual memoir, you can feel that it’s been very influenced by personal experiences Todd himself faced. Younger readers will appreciate that the story is told in a very straightforward, relatable way. Almost all of the problems Cecil comes up against are solved fairly quickly and easily but without shorting the emotions surrounding them. They happen, there’s a resolution, and life keeps going, even if the problems are still lingering in the background at times.

Todd’s art style is very comic-inspired, with even a tinge of newspaper comics style to it. The bold lines throughout really make the panels jump off the page. It’s refreshing to see a middle grade graphic novel with a different art style than the ones that dominate the shelves. Readers interested in creating their own comics will likely appreciate Todd sharing his own childhood artwork that mirrors the comic that Cecil draws to enter the neighborhood comic shop’s content.

Timid will appeal to a variety of readers: those who enjoy the fish out of water story, those who can’t get enough of graphic novel memoirs, and those looking for stories to inspire their own confidence, as well as the teachers and librarians who recommend them. It would be best enjoyed by younger middle grade readers, especially those looking for stories about inspiring artists, the desire to fit in while still remaining yourself, and conquering their own shyness.

Timid
By Jonathan Todd
Scholastic GRAPHIX, 2024
ISBN: 9781338305708

Publisher Age Rating: 8-12

NFNT Age Recommendation: Middle Grade (7-11), Tween (10-13)
Creator Representation:  Black,
Character Representation: Black, Protestant ,