How It All Ends: A Graphic Novel

by Emma Hunsinger, Emma Hunsinger (Illustrator)

Overview

Nominated for the 2025 Will Eisner Award for Best Publication for Kids

Kirkus Reviews Best Book

School Library Journal Best Book

The Horn Book Fanfare

Common Sense Media Best Book

New York Public Library Best Book

NPR Books We Love

 ALA Notable Book

“Hilarious, inventive, smart, and silly.” —Alice Oseman, bestselling author of Heartstopper

A funny, vulnerable, and disarming debut graphic novel from Emma Hunsinger, the creator of the popular “How to Draw a Horse,” for fans of Roller Girl, Heartstopper, and New Kid.

Thirteen-year-old Tara lives inside the nonstop adventure of her imagination. It’s far more entertaining than dull, everyday life. But when she’s bumped from seventh grade directly to high school, she gets a dramatic jolt to reality.

Tara isn't ready to watch the racy shows the high school kids like, or to listen to the angsty music, or to stop playing make-believe with her younger brother. She’s not ready to change for PE in front of everyone, or for the chaos of the hallways, or for the anarchy of an English class that’s overrun with fourteen-year-old boys.

But then there’s Libby.

Tara doesn’t know whether she’s ready for Libby. She can’t even explain who Libby is to her because she doesn’t know yet. She just knows that everything’s more fun when she and her new classmate are together. But what will happen next? How will it all end?

“Imaginative and hysterical, and with the sort of rare, clear-seeing honesty that will make any reader feel less alone in the world. I loved it.” —Eliot Schrefer, two-time National Book Award finalist and New York Times bestselling author

“A fantastic story about making new friends and surviving school.” —Dan Santat, National Book Award winner for A First Time for Everything

“A hilarious, surreal, and deeply sincere story.” —Sarah Sax, author of Picture Day

“I've never felt so healed by a book. I can't wait to give it to everyone I know.” —Adib Khorram, award-winning author of Darius the Great Is Not Okay

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780063158153
Publisher:	HarperCollins
Publication date:	08/06/2024
Pages:	304
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x (d)
Age Range:	8 - 12 Years

About the Author

Emma Hunsinger is the creator of the autobiographical comic “How to Draw a Horse,” which was nominated for an Eisner Award and included in the prestigious annual “Cartoon Takeover” print edition of the New Yorker. Emma Hunsinger graduated with an MFA from the Center for Cartoon Studies. She lives with her family in Vermont.

Emma Hunsinger is the creator of the autobiographical comic “How to Draw a Horse,” which was nominated for an Eisner Award and included in the prestigious annual “Cartoon Takeover” print edition of the New Yorker. Emma Hunsinger graduated with an MFA from the Center for Cartoon Studies. She lives with her family in Vermont.

Editorial Reviews

A whirlwind dive into the chaotic imagination of a tween experiencing her first crush. The protagonist, Tara, doesn't quite understand her romantic feelings for another girl, but the force and warmth of them explodes from the page. Hunsinger is a master of capturing feelings and desires that the protagonist doesn't themselves recognize or understand. How It All Ends is hilarious, inventive, smart and silly, and perfectly captures the overwhelming confusion, anxiety, and joy of a young gay crush.” — Alice Oseman, bestselling author of Heartstopper

“Emma Hunsinger’s art is earnest, playful, and achingly perceptive. Pretty sure I’d die for Tara, and I’m head over heels for this book.” — Becky Albertalli, New York Times–bestselling author of Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda

“Hunsinger’s distinctive style. . . is reminiscent of doodles in the margins of student notebooks and perfectly suits the subject matter. . . . Tara’s voice rings true, and readers will find much to relate to in her various social and emotional struggles. Frequent moments of humor create a lighthearted tone despite Tara’s overall angst. . . . A slice of life that’s as imaginative as its protagonist.” — Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

“Thirteen-year-old Tara Gimmel believes that she can do anything. But when she’s. . . promoted straight to high school, Tara is faced with a new, terrifying reality she doesn’t feel prepared for. . . . Her constant internal monologue. . . often results in hilarious—and embarrassing—scenarios. . . . Hunsinger explores what it’s like to be an especially inexperienced fish out of water in this vibrant, comedic character sketch.” — Publishers Weekly (starred review)

“This funny, brilliant, debut had me laughing out loud. How It All Ends is one of the best graphic novels I’ve read this year.”" — Johnnie Christmas, award-winning author of Swim Team

“Emma Hunsinger’s storytelling feels like it’s full of inside jokes that you, the reader, are somehow magically a part of. Through expressive character design and clever use of color, How It All Ends hilariously yet tenderly captures the specific kind of melodrama that takes place inside the head of a teenager who maybe isn’t the coolest. I had so much fun reading this.” — Tyler Feder, acclaimed author of Dancing at the Pity Party

“Imaginative and hysterical, and with the sort of rare clear-seeing honesty that will make any reader feel less alone in the world. I loved it.” — Eliot Schrefer, two-time National Book Award Finalist and New York Times–bestselling author

“Emma Hunsinger’s sharp wit and eclectic humor shines in this fantastic story about making new friends and surviving school. I simply adore her work as a writer and an artist.” — Dan Santat, National Book Award winner of A First Time for Everything

“How It All Ends felt like Emma Hunsinger's inner child asking my own inner child, 'Hey, you want to sit together?' I've never felt so healed by a book. I can't wait to give it to everyone I know.” — Adib Khorram, award-winning author of Darius the Great Is Not Okay

“Emma Hunsinger is a master at revealing human emotion through comedy and absurdism. How It All Ends is a hilarious, surreal, and deeply sincere story about finding yourself in a situation that you don't feel ready to face and making your way through it anyway.” — Sarah Sax, author of Picture Day

“How It All Ends brilliantly captures the exquisite terror of growing up in a touching story that celebrates sisterhood, first crushes, and the beauty and struggle of finding the you that you want to be. Straight, gay, metalhead, pop fanatic, or just really into corn, readers of all stripes will fall in love with Tara, Isla, Libby, and Jessup. Ironically, you won't ever want How It All Ends to end.” — Alex London, bestselling author of Proxy and The Princess Protection Program

“Thirteen-year-old Tara isn't too excited about her first day of school after being approved to skip the eighth grade. . . . Tara has a hard time going with the social flow of high school—until she befriends Libby in her chaotic English class. As Tara and Libby get closer, Tara starts having feelings she doesn't understand, making her even more confused. . . . In this exploration of maturity levels, close friendships, and first loves, Hunsinger uses color and illustration to portray the disquieted adolescent mind as Tara learns about herself through the coming-of-age challenge of high school.” — Booklist

“This graphic novel is refreshing. . . .The illustrations are purposefully unruly, sometimes frantic in pages filled to the edges with Tara’s internal running monologue, sometimes joyfully bright and open. . . .Vibrant colors, free-form pages that only occasionally hint at paneling, and emphatic — Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books

“This story perfectly captures the sweetness of a first crush during the confusing and overwhelming early teenage years. Tara grapples with her identity and learns to walk the fine line between trying to impress others and being true to herself. . . . Beautiful, heartfelt. . . . A must-have.” — School Library Journal (starred review)

“Detailed vignette-style illustrations blend Tara’s lived experience with elaborate scenes from her mind. . . . Funny and honest, this book is a poignant and relatable look at coming of age and the daunting transition to high school.” — Horn Book (starred review)

“This book simply gets the weirdness tweens and teens can feel when shoved into a new situation; the strange and hilarious mundanity of high school; and the inner strength it takes to be who you are in the face of all that chaos. . . . Hunsinger’s unique illustrations truly shine: Rarely do text and images work in as perfect harmony to tell a story. . . . How It All Ends is a sensational debut, one to put Hunsinger on the must-read list of every kid who picks up the book.” — BookPage (starred review)

From the Publisher

★ 2024-05-17
An anxious, academically gifted student jumps from seventh grade to freshman year of high school.

Thirteen-year-old Tara, who loves to daydream about having adventures, is selected for an accelerated program in which she’ll skip a grade. Instead of attending the eighth grade dance and going on the class trip to Six Flags, she must instead navigate the intimidating new world of high school. Despite some guidance from her older sister, Isla, Tara can’t help but imagine nightmare scenarios, like being publicly humiliated or getting lost in a never-ending hallway. In reality, high school has its pros (pizza in the cafeteria every day) and cons (a group of rowdy boys in English class). When Tara is partnered with classmate Libby for a project, she finds a new favorite part of school in her new crush. Debut author/illustrator Hunsinger’s distinctive style, with its loosely drawn, thin black outlines, is reminiscent of doodles in the margins of student notebooks and perfectly suits the subject matter. The absence of panels reflects the chaos of this major life transition, and the limited color palette differentiates between teal-tinted reality and red-and-pink fantasy, with pops of yellow throughout. Tara’s voice rings true, and readers will find much to relate to in her various social and emotional struggles. Frequent moments of humor create a lighthearted tone despite Tara’s overall angst. Tara reads white; there’s racial diversity among the supporting cast.

A slice of life that’s as imaginative as its protagonist. (Graphic fiction. 10-14)

Kirkus Reviews