A-Okay by Jerad Greene

Middle school is a minefield that I can vividly recall hating every moment of. Jerad Greene's Jay is right in the middle of the epitome of all the middle school misery you can think of: acne, no friends in his lunch, sexuality, and trying to figure out who he is as a person. Middle school truly was a miserable time for me. I wanted to fit in. I wanted to be pretty. I was gawky with my glasses and braces on top of being incredibly shy. A-Okay is an incredibly relatable graphic novel with an asexual main character who hasn't quite figured out who he is yet.

While my acne didn't hit until high school, that was definitely one of my less confident times. On top of that, I also had incredibly sensitive skin and ended up trying all sorts of alternative and homeopathic remedies for my acne. Jay's struggle is realistic, especially as he goes to the dermatologist. His original dermatologist is compared to a Ken doll and seems very nonchalant about Jay's situation. For a teenager, acne isn't trivial and Greene talks about his experiences in the back of the book that were similar. Developmentally, middle school students are going through a number of physical changes along with struggling with coordination and have developed bodies that are more mature than their brains. They are also at a stage where they understand the concept of having influence. Power dynamics begin to come into play--which can become absolute torture. These are pretty universal experiences, which are well-written parts of the plot in A-Okay.

A-Okay is an excellent addition to any secondary library collection. Acne, social dynamics, and sexuality are all common experiences for teens of any age. Despite being aimed at middle-grade readers, all readers can glean insight and empathize with Jay and his friends as they navigate middle school. 

As a graphic novel, it functions well for the intended audience. The story progresses in a linear fashion. Jay's imaginings and flashbacks are colored differently than the rest of the panels, easily demarking that it isn't something that is happening now in the story. The artwork is detailed without being busy and is interspersed with both comedy and drama, making the story entertaining, relatable, and endearing.