In Robin Easter’s new graphic novel, Middle School Monsters, that feeling becomes wonderfully literal. Jamie is beginning seventh grade in a new town and wants nothing more than a normal year. That means hiding her hairy legs, keeping her emotions under control, and making sure no one discovers the werewolf she believes is lurking inside her.
Then Jamie meets Vee, the school’s so-called vampire.
Vee already has a reputation, much of it connected to what happened with her former best friend, Kennedy. Jamie is warned to stay away, but the more time she spends with Vee, the more she recognizes another person who understands what it feels like to be judged, misunderstood, and placed outside the group.
On this episode of Reading in the Middle, Robin joins me to talk about creating Jamie, Vee, and Kennedy; turning the emotions of middle school into a monster story; and showing the difference between changing yourself to fit in and finding people who accept you as you are.
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