Be Prepared
A Graphic Novel
First Second
Available: 04/24/18
6.4 x 8.72 · 256 pages
Ages 10-14 years
9781626724440
CDN $40.99
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A sharp, funny, and deeply relatable graphic memoir from acclaimed creator Vera Brosgol, Be Prepared is a coming-of-age story about fitting in, standing out, and surviving the chaos of expectations.
All Vera wants is to fit in with her friends - but that's not so easy when for a Russian girl in the suburbs. Her friends live in fancy houses and their parents can afford to send them to the best summer camps. So when she finally gets invited to a summer camp with other Russian kids, she expects to find belonging at last.
Instead, she finds herself dropped into an unfamiliar world of rigid rules, awkward social dynamics, and outdoor survival challenges that are far from the cozy summer she imagined.
From mosquito-filled forests to competitive camp traditions and constant uncertainty about where she belongs, Vera quickly realizes that "fitting in" might be harder - and stranger - than she ever expected.
With humor, honesty, and striking visual storytelling, Be Prepared explores:
- anxiety, awkwardness, and growing up
- friendship, exclusion, and self-acceptance
- the gap between expectation and reality
Beautifully drawn, brutally funny, brilliantly honest. Vera is such a good cartoonist I almost can't stand it." - Raina Telgemeier, author of Smile
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Vera Brosgol was born in Moscow, Russia, in 1984 and moved to the United States when she was five. Her three graphic novels, Anya's Ghost, Be Prepared, and Plain Jane and the Mermaid, were published by First Second. She wrote and illustrated several picture books including The Little Guys and Memory Jars, and her debut Leave Me Alone! was a 2017 Caldecott Honor Book. She's also worked on storyboards for several animated films, including Coraline, Kubo and the Two Strings, and Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio. She lives in Portland, Oregon, with her dog Omar. Vera Brosgol was born in Moscow, Russia, in 1984 and moved to the United States when she was five. Her three graphic novels, Anya's Ghost, Be Prepared, and Plain Jane and the Mermaid, were published by First Second. She wrote and illustrated several picture books including The Little Guys and Memory Jars, and her debut Leave Me Alone! was a 2017 Caldecott Honor Book. She's also worked on storyboards for several animated films, including Coraline, Kubo and the Two Strings, and Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio. She lives in Portland, Oregon, with her dog Omar.
