Freestyle: A Graphic Novel

by Gale Galligan

Overview

Notes From Your Bookseller

What’s cooler than yo-yo-ing? Not much, but an eighth grader who is a secret yo-yo master just might be. This fun graphic novel from Gale Galligan about friendship and self-discovery is perfect for fans of New Kid and The Baby-Sitter’s Club.

From New York Times bestselling author Gale Galligan, a fun, high-energy graphic novel about friendship, family, and the last hurrahs of middle school.

Cory's dance crew is getting ready for a major competition. It's the last one before they graduate eighth grade and go their separate ways to high schools all over New York City, so they have to make it count! The group starts to have problems as their crew captain gets increasingly intense about nailing the routine, and things go from bad to worse when Cory's parents ground him for not taking his grades seriously. He gets stuck with a new tutor, Sunna, who he dismisses as a boring nerd… until he catches her secretly practicing cool yo-yo tricks. Cory wants to learn the art of yo-yo, and as his friendship with Sunna grows, he ends up missing practice and bailing on his crew -- and they are not happy about it. With mounting pressure coming from all sides, how is Cory supposed to balance the expectations of his parents, school, dance, and his new friend?

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781338045826
Publisher:	Scholastic, Inc.
Publication date:	10/18/2022
Sold by:	Scholastic, Inc.
Format:	eBook
Pages:	272
File size:	140 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.
Age Range:	8 - 12 Years

About the Author

Gale Galligan is the creator of the New York Times bestselling Baby-sitters Club graphic novel adaptations of Dawn and the Impossible Three, Kristy's Big Day, Boy-Crazy Stacey, and Logan Likes Mary Anne! by Ann M. Martin. They are also the creator of Freestyle, an original graphic novel that they both wrote and illustrated. When they aren't making comics, Gale enjoys knitting, drumming, and spending time with their family and adorable pet rabbits in Pearl River, New York. Gale is a founding member of the Comics Advocacy Group, a 501(c)3 nonprofit that is dedicated to making careers in comics more accessible and sustainable. Visit them online at galesaur.com.

Editorial Reviews

★ 08/29/2022

In an uplifting tale from Galligan (the Baby-Sitters Club graphic novel series), the Eight Bitz dance crew seeks to make the most of their eighth grade year before splitting up for different N.Y.C. high schools. Tan-skinned Cory and his crew, portrayed with varying skin tones and body types, plan to win an epic annual dance competition, Bronx Kids Battle. Brown-skinned captain Tess Reyes, who sports a backward cap and braid, requires a strict practice regiment, and her austere routines, which leave no room for improv, put her at odds with the freewheeling crew. When Cory’s grades slip and his parents hire hijabi classmate Sunna Ahmad to tutor him, extra study sessions cut into his practice time. But after Sunna shows him her superb yo-yo throwing skills, the pair become fast friends, and Cory is caught between established relationships and newfound joys that could split up the Eight Bitz for good. Galligan’s timing—both comedic and emotional—is impeccable, and dynamic paneling paired with vibrant technicolor hues artfully complement the flow and energy of the Eight Bitz’s routines and Sunna’s yo-yo prowess. Supporting characters’ individual troubles are empathetically captured alongside Cory and Sunna’s emotional hurdles, and the cast is given space to experience and navigate big feelings via open and vulnerable communication, making for a thoughtfully rendered portrayal of friendship, growth, and joyful self-expression. Ages 8–12. Agent: Judy Hansen, Hansen Literary. (Oct.)

Publishers Weekly

Praise for Freestyle:

Barnes & Noble Best Book of the Year

Washington Post Best Book of the Year

Publishers Weekly Best Book of the Year

Kirkus Reviews Best Book of the Year

American Library Association Best Graphic Novel for Children

American Booksellers Association Indie Next Pick

Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection

YALSA Great Graphic Novel for Teens

Recipient of four starred reviews

★ "The cartooning instincts on display are superb, always making room for setting, emotion, movement, and color for great visual variety... This inviting, heartfelt story will get readers into the groove of self-expression and lasting friendships." — Kirkus Reviews, starred review

★ "Galligan's timing — both comedic and emotional — is impeccable, and dynamic paneling paired with vibrant technicolor hues artfully complement the flow and energy of the Eight Bitz’s routines and Sunna’s yo-yo prowess… A thoughtfully rendered portrayal of friendship, growth, and joyful self-expression." — Publishers Weekly, starred review

★ "A visually kinetic, emotionally complex story of finding a sense of self while navigating relationships and expectations. Fun and full of heart." — School Library Journal, starred review

★ "Galligan's crisp, bouncy, cartoonlike style captures the story’s constant motion, making for a fast-paced visual experience with yo-yo strings or b-boying limbs constantly busting out of panels." — The Horn Book, starred review

"Fans of Galligan's Baby-sitters Club comics will find similar themes of friendship and community in this engaging story, beautifully colored in candy hues by Czap." — Booklist

"Kids who like graphic novels will enjoy this story of friends working through challenges." — Kid Reporter Shaan Glazer, TIME for Kids

"Brilliant... Readers will build visual literacy skills and encounter well-developed diverse characters. They will also get swept up in Galligan's amazing storytelling, achieved through expert use of the format. A must-purchase." — School Library Connection

From the Publisher

★ 10/01/2022

Gr 5 Up—Galligan, already a cartooning sensation thanks to their emotionally nuanced, endlessly entertaining work on Ann M. Martin's "Baby-Sitters Club" graphic adaptations, brings that same gleeful energy to their first original graphic novel. A commitment to representing the joys and ultra-specific struggles of adolescence shines through in this story about break-dancing, bad grades, and yo-yo masters. The main story is that of Cory, a so-so student who's part of a high-achieving dance team. When it becomes clear that his grades are tanking, his dance dreams are put on hold, and he's paired up with Sunna, a quiet, overlooked classmate, for tutoring. Initially resistant, he discovers that she has her own avocation—the yo-yo—and begins to take an interest in her passion too. As the story moves through family expectations, middle-school social negotiations, and questions of doing your best versus doing what you love, Galligan's manga-influenced visual language for characters' emotions and a brightly colored urban universe mean each moment resonates without dragging the story down. It doesn't hurt that in dancing and yo-yo, someone is always on the move. Galligan's diverse cast includes Cory, coded as Filipino, and Sunna, who wears a hijab, and depicts a mixed-gender friend group free from romantic entanglements, which is a breath of fresh air. VERDICT A visually kinetic, emotionally complex story of finding a sense of self while navigating relationships and expectations. Fun and full of heart.—Emilia Packard

School Library Journal

★ 2022-07-27
Two kinds of performance arts are better than one in this feel-good comedy.

The eighth grade dance crew known as Eight Bitz are stuck between styles. Their captain, Tess Reyes, runs a strict routine with an eye toward the upcoming Bronx Battle tournament. Cory Tan, a skilled improviser, wants to play fast and loose for maximum style. High school looms over the dancers. Cory’s parents recruit his classmate Sunna Ahmad to tutor him in hopes of his getting into an elite school. Sunna becomes a friend and confidante once Cory discovers her secret talent, and he learns yo-yo throwing tricks from her. The cartooning instincts on display are superb, always making room for setting, emotion, movement, and color for great visual variety. Welcoming urban community spaces are highlighted throughout, including parks and public transit. Middle school emotional turmoil is expressed more than once in the form of written and deleted texts. At the same time, mutual appreciation between friends and love from family form positive, affirming bonds. While the story focuses most on Cory and Sunna, everyone gets moments to shine. The cast is cued as broadly diverse through names, physical appearance, and other contextual clues.

This inviting, heartfelt story will get readers into the groove of self-expression and lasting friendships. (bonus comics) (Graphic fiction. 10-13)

Kirkus Reviews