Background
''Smile'' was initially published as a webcomic on ''Girlamatic'', an online magazine website. One strip of Telgemeier’s comic was published online each week. Telgemeier created this comic to tell the story of her adolescence, though she did not initially write these strips for ''Girlamatic'' with children in mind as her intended audience. ''Smile'' was published as a graphic novel with eight chapters by the Graphix imprint of Scholastic Inc. in 2010. Stephanie Yue did the color for the novel version of ''Smile''.Summary
Character list
* Raina - A young teenager who has an accident that leaves her with dental trauma. Raina is the character based on author Raina Telgemeier’s teen self. * Dr. Dragoni - Raina’s orthodontist. * Mom - Raina’s mother. * Amara - Raina’s younger sister who is rude and whiny and no one likes her. * Will - Raina and Amara’s younger brother. * Kelli - The friend that was with Raina when she injured her teeth. * Dad - Raina’s father. * Dr. Golden - Raina’s dentist. * Melissa - One of Raina’s friends from middle school. * Nicole - One of Raina’s friends from middle school. * Karin - One of Raina’s friends from middle school. * Emily - One of Raina’s friends from middle school. * Kaylah - One of Raina’s friends from middle school. * Jenny - One of Raina’s friends from middle school. * Sammy - The boy in Raina’s band class that Raina has a crush on as she begins seventh grade. * Sean - The boy in Raina’s art class that Raina has a crush on for most of middle school. * Theresa - The first new friend that Raina makes in high school.Genre and style
''Smile'' is a graphic novel based on Telgemeier's experience. This novel is recommended for children who are in fourth grade or above. This graphic novel has a cartoon-like style that is typical of and unique to author Raina Telgemeier. Professor Michelle Ann Abate notes that, as can be seen in the text of many graphic novels, ''Smile'' utilizes nonstandard capitalization and mixed-case lettering.Abate, Michelle Ann. “Reading Capital: Graphic Novels, Typography, and Literacy.” ''The English Journal'', vol. 108, no. 1, Sept. 2018, pp. 66–72. JSTOR,Analysis
The use of ''Smile'' in pedagogical settings has been debated.Pedagogical advantages of using ''Smile''
Scholars hold that graphic novels, and ''Smile'' in particular, can pique the interests of students who do not enjoy reading traditional literature.Bradley, Jess. "Why Comics are Awesome for Reluctant Readers!" ''The School Librarian'', vol. 69, no. 2, 2021, pp. 12-13. ProQuest Central.Friese, Elizabeth E. G. "Visual Narratives." ''Knowledge Quest'', vol. 41, no. 3, 2013, pp. 24-29. ProQuest Central.Wilkinson, Caryn. "Graphic Novels: A Scaffolding Strategy for Young Writers." ''The Reading Teacher'', vol. 69, no. 4, 2016, pp. 401, doi:10.1002/trtr.1433. Writer Jess Bradley cites ''Smile'' as a graphic novel that contributed to the increasing popularity of graphic novels around 2010 and a book that continues to attract a large number of readers. A study conducted by Professor William Boerman-Cornell in 2016 upholds the pedagogical value of ''Smile'', as it includes this novel in a list of recommended graphic fiction for middle grade readers. Educational researcher Elizabeth Friese holds that ''Smile'' is a graphic novel that provides children with an example of a nontraditional way to share one's life story. Additionally, Friese notes that Telgemeier’s inner voice comes through sharply in this novel in a way that may help students understand their own experiences of consciousness. Professor Laura Jiménez and her colleagues argue that graphic novels like ''Smile'' help children learn to integrate source types and engage in the process of meaning-making while reading texts of all forms. Elementary school teacher Caryn Wilkinson provides an example of a way that ''Smile'' can be used as a scaffolding text in classroom settings. After engaging with one section of Telgemeier’s text, Wilkinson's students were able to make detailed observations about the text when they were not looking at the page and demonstrate their understanding of the scene in a more coherent way than Wilkinson had seen them explain scenes from traditional pedagogical literature.Pedagogical disadvantages of using ''Smile''
While scholars considering the way literature is taught may believe that graphic novels like ''Smile'' provide unique opportunities for children who do not love to read to explore a new type of storytelling, Professor Michelle Ann Abate holds that graphic novels like ''Smile'' often include typographic features such as irregular capitalization that are more difficult for children who struggle with literacy to process. Additionally, Professors Wendy Smith-D’Arezzo and Janine Holc note that ''Smile'' fails to represent people with marginalized identities in roles that are central to the plot of the novel.Smith-D'Arezzo, Wendy, and Janine Holc. "Reframing Disability through Graphic Novels for Girls: Alternative Bodies in Cece Bell's El Deafo." ''Girlhood Studies'', vol. 9, no. 1, 2016, pp. 72-87. ProQuest Central. They criticize ''Smile'' for centering a white, middle-class family that interacts mostly with people who share their background.Reception
The book received positive reviews.'' The New York Times'' described it as "a story to comfort readers traversing the years between childhood and adulthood," and named it an "Editors' Choice." ''Awards
''Smile'' won the 2010 ''Boston Globe'' - Horn Book Honor for Nonfiction. In 2011, the novel won the Eisner Award for Best Publication for Teens. It was also one of Young Adult Library Services Association's 2011 Top Ten Great Graphic Novels for Teens and a 2011 Association for Library Service to Children Notable Children's Book for Middle Readers. In 2013, it won the Intermediate Young Reader's Choice Award from Washington and the 2013 Rebecca Caudill Young Reader's Book Award from Illinois. ''Smile'' also won the 2014 Nevada Young Reader Award.“Children's and Young Adult Literature: Nevada Young Reader Award.” ''UNLV University Libraries'', University of Nevada Las Vegas, 2014, guides.library.unlv.edu/c.php?g=403811&p=2864262.References
External links
* Hogan, John