Tegan and Sara

It's Tegan and Sara's first year in junior high. A lot is going on: friend drama, feelings for girls, and a growing emotional distance between the sisters. Things are so different and confusing; will they ever be close again? Adroitly captures the melodrama of the tween years and provides a ray of hope for reconnection. The backmatter inspired me to check out their album "Hey, I'm Just Like You." The pacing feels hectic and yes, I had a hard time telling Tegan from Sara. But it will click with the intended audience.… (more)

I'm not a real follower of Tegan and Sara's music, but I do like the four songs and two short NPR concerts of theirs that have made their way into my iTunes. I am definitely a fan of Tillie Walden though and grabbed this book from the library to admire her art.

Junior High is a fairy typical bit of middle-school fiction, hitting Judy Blume topics like friendship drama, bullying, menstruation and bras. Less typically, the twin sisters here -- based on the authors -- also have LGBTQIA+ issues and start pursuing a music career. It's a bit long and meandering, but was never bored thanks to the sisters' relationship. I'll probably check out the sequel coming out later this year.

Comics about twins can be frustrating when it comes to telling the two apart, but Walden offers up a couple cues to help differentiate. Sara is associated with a color I called scarlet or salmon to pick up on her S initial, and her name is nearly an anagram for "ears" which is good since her ears are almost always visible. Tegan has a teal color associated with her and her ears are usually ouT of sighT (weak, I know).

Side note: I'm listening to Tegan and Sara music on Spotify while writing this, and it's nice. I'm still not a super fan, but I can see why people would be.… (more)