Customer Reviews

Chiggers

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(12)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Hope Larson's comic book CHIGGERS is a wonderful tale of a transitional year in the life of her protagonist, when the longstanding tradition of summer camp starts to change from pure frivolity to a place where oncoming adulthood is beginning to seep through the cracks. The realization that friends are not perfect, the first blush of love, and the discovery that different, though not always openly accepted, is good. Adolescence is treated delicately, though it is seen by the younger children as something like an infection, the central metaphor of the story being the tiny bugs (chiggers) that burrow under one's skin. How does one deal? Do you cower in shame, or do you openly deal with what ails you? Do you quietly accept, or stand up for what you feel?

Hope Larson is an amazing visual storyteller. Her soft drawings are often wispy like ocean waves, pulling the reader in their current. The panels are full of side notes, pointing out details that might otherwise be missed or giving further explanation to pieces of the overall narrative. In this way, Larson not only creates within her young readers an excitement of discovering all that the world has to offer, but also in the comic book form as a medium for said discovery. It opens up the reading experience to be about more than just the people who are at a book's center, but the naturalistic world they inhabit.

I don't have a lot of experience with graphic novels. Serious graphic novels, like Persepolis and other books in that ilk, are interesting for their blend of literary merit and use of art to capture a sense of action, mood, or place.

Chiggers, by Hope Larson, falls in that category, with a young adult focus.

Abby goes to summer camp, again. Her older friend is too busy for her (now an employee of the camp), her bunkmates talk behind everyone's backs, and the new girl, Shasta, is full of... stories? Hit by lightning? Has a long-distance internet boyfriend? Has "problems" getting oxygen to her cells?

Abby finds herself torn between wanting to fit in, having adventures, avoiding nerds, meeting boy nerds, and more. She is a "tween," sensing that she has the spirit of the child, but the social needs of the teen.

Hope Larson's sketches are wonderfully suited for the text. She is a master at the "dramatic pause" with the correct sketch. Highlights include:

- Two girls salivating over a mental image of rocker Ricky Vee without his shirt (p. 14).

- Egyptian Rat Screw card game instructions (p. 16)! I know this game as "Egyptian Rat Killer," adding the rule that you can slap on the play of any 10 card. No jewelry wearing allowed. Play it once, and you'll know what I mean.

- Chigger description (p. 24). However, they really don't burrow under your skin. The intense itching is your allergic reaction to their saliva.

- The reaction of Shasta to the idea of a home without a computer (p. 43).

- Instructions for making a friendship bracelet (p. 57).

- Discussion of chicken parts sandwiches and jell-o from horse hooves (p.65).

- Total bliss then profound sadness in the shower (p. 96-98).

- The notion that a piece of lightning is still in Shasta, like a splinter, waiting to come out (p. 153).

There's an age where kids will find this book "too juvenile." I think the 10-14 year olds will find it of particular interest. And I sense that more girls than boys will find it interesting.

By the way, as someone who once had over one hundred chigger bites below the belt, I guarantee you that it would make camp very, very uncomfortable.

Who knows? You may use the "chiggers defense" someday!

I haven't read a lot of graphic novels, probably because I'm older than the generation that reads them, but I love a good camp story (although I hated camp and got homesick and left after 2 days!). Chiggers is just that, a classic camp story. Abby is a somewhat innocent, somewhat shy return camper who comes back for the season and finds many of her fellow campmates have changed and matured, and she feels left out. Then an unusual camper arrives, Shasta. Shasta has a somewhat mysterious past and is a little unconventional. Abby is assigned to help her get settled, and they become friends. This causes predictable problems, like the other girls associating her with Shasta and making fun of them both. Throw in a little camp romance and scary stories and you have all the makings of a camp tale!

Maybe it's because I haven't read enough graphic novels, but at times I found it hard to tell the characters apart using the pictures. Two of the campers looked a great deal alike to me, and I kept having to go back and figure out who was who. I also found myself wanting a little more depth of story than this format allows. But in general, I really enjoyed this read. I liked the things you CAN do in a graphic novel you can't do as easily in regular books, like break out and give illustrated instructions for making a friendship bracelet or include small details in pictures that advance the story if you notice them.

There was a good deal of character depth to Abby for a short book---I felt I understood her and she was very realistically drawn---literally and figuratively.

I'm going to give this book to an avid 10 year old reader I know who hasn't really read graphic novels either, and I think she will be pleasantly surprised by it!

Hope Larson's basic story -- teens at summer camp and the friendships and struggles they have -- is a pretty familiar one. What made it stand out for me, though, was the particular methods that she used to tell it. She's got a great gift for character voices, making Abby, Shasta, and the rest all really sound like teenagers. Little moments, like Abby's glee about chicken burgers and eating things at are breaded just sounds perfect. I also really appreciated that she's not afraid to make her characters a little geeky, something atypical in books about teenage girls. The fact that Abby's into fantasy and role-playing games, or that Shasta has a boyfriend that she knows through instant-messaging, really stands out as something different and interesting. Best of all, though, is the bits of the magical and unexplained that Larson weaves throughout Chiggers.

I love that Larson never explains the stranger moments of the book, from the sparks of electricity flowing out of Shasta's hair one night, to the dramatic conclusion of the book and its unreal happenings. A dream, a natural phenomenon, or something entirely different? It's not entirely clear, and Larson wisely doesn't delve too deeply into it. All you really need to know is that it happened, and move onwards.

The way Larson draws the book is great as well. There's something about the way her characters have deep eyes and heavy locks of hair that makes it unmistakably Larson's creation. She's got such a handle on expressions that her characters can bring so much to the story without actually needing their dialogue. From Abby's awe-filled smile as she finds out that Shasta knows her boyfriend through IMs, to Shasta's almost tranquil expression as her hair floats up into the air, it's a beautiful creation. The art sells the story 100%, and it's this grace and careful construction of each page that makes it such a beautiful thing to own.

Chiggers in the end shares the one most important thing with Larson's other books (Gray Horses & Salamander Dream), and that's her sense of style in telling a story. Summer camp stories may be a dime a dozen, but the way that Larson brings Chiggers to life is what makes it stand out from the rest of the pack. Hitting stores in June, it's a perfectly timed release to for readers of all ages heading into their own summer.

CHIGGERS is a very enjoyable, quick read.

Abby can't wait to go back to summer camp to hang out with her older friend, Rose. But this year Rose comes back to camp as a cabin assistant and doesn't seem to have any time for Abby. Then Shasta arrives. She is very different and Abby thinks she is kind of cool. Then comes the problem -- none of the other girls like her. They think she is weird and fake.

Abby then needs to decide how to balance her two groups of friends, maybe a new boyfriend, and how to feel okay when Rose seems to not be with her.

Growing up is hard to do! I enjoyed this book very much and it was fun to read a graphic novel. I believe that many kids and young adults will like to read this type of medium. I would like to read more. My only complaint is that sometimes I mixed up the characters, but that may be because I'm not a picture reader -- but if I read more I may get better at it! Thank you, Hope Larson!

Reviewed by: Marta Morrison

Chiggers was an absolute delight to read. It brought me back to years of summer camp, the friendships forged, renewed, and sometimes broken. Abby is a 'tweener who has gone to the same camp for a few years now. She has 2 close friends there: Rose, probably 2-3 years older, and Beth, about to start high school that year. Abby feels unsure and uncertain, typical of 'tweeners faced with things that turn out to be different than what they're used to. Rose is now cabin assistant (what we New Englanders call camp counselor) and doesn't spend much time with her anymore because of her "responsibilities". Beth, on the other hand, has a new boyfriend and several ear piercings. Two new girls, Zoe and Shasta, join their dorm, and Zoe and Beth hit it off well that Abby feels left out and doesn't get some of the things they talk about. Shasta is the designated outsider because she arrived late, is on meds for a hinted-at illness, and was struck by lightning and was in the hospital for a while--although no one believed her. As a result, Abby finds herself with Shasta more than she'd like to because they're the "uncool", smart (nerdy) ones, while Beth and Zoe seem to be more and more cool as the days went by. Then there's Teal, Rose's cousin, who seems to be smart and cool at the same time. Reading Chiggers, you will be reminded of how it used to be going to the same summer camp each year and finding out that everyone is suddenly different, and that you yourself have changed. If you have been a camper, you will be able to identify with any one of the characters in this book.

Summer camp is very clique-ish just like high school: you have the cheerleading group, the nerds/geeks, the average ones, the musically inclined (they either are members of the school band, chorus, or dance troupe), and the 'tweeners who will either gravitate to the (older) group they want to soon identify with or the (younger) group they will soon leave behind. In Abby, Hope Larson touches on the unseen emotional and personal turmoil most campers go through as they interact with other campers, try to belong, act the height of cool-ness, hold on to friendships, make new friends, and feel the wounds others unknowingly inflict. Hope Larson does all these through her stunning art that I personally absolutely loved! She also thoughtfully included the instructions on how to make a friendship bracelet and how to play Egyptian rat screw. (When I was one of the camp staff, I remember teaching this to my campers and having fun beating them--til they grew up, became counselors, too and gave me a run for my money!).

I read a lot of graphic novels, and Chiggers is one of the best teen graphic novels I've read so far that I passed it on to my daughter to read (who loved it as well). Abby brought me all those years back to summer camp so that I identified with her and with the conflict she was going through, and I'm sure you will, too.

It is so nice to see a graphic novel centred around a girl protagonist. Chiggers captures the tone of summer and camp perfectly. As a 27 year old I loved this book and imagine my 14 year-old-self would have also really relished the touching and humourous story along with the beguiling art style.

While I am not (nor have never been) a teenage girl, I found Chiggers to be a sincere, character driven story about life at camp. For about five summers in a row, I went to sleepaway camp and this story perfectly captures that yearning for acceptance, friendship and romance that only a summer away from home can supply.

The art (in gorgeous black and white) is detailed and expressive. The characters are rich enough in backstory that they feel real, yet open enough to insert yourself into any of the characters.

Lets face it, girls can be downright cruel and it's no different in this book. The language is no different than what I tween would hear any day of the week (whether from television or school). I do recommend picking it up, especially if your daughter is an aspiring artist or about to spend a summer at camp. Even if you aren't a tween, chances are you were at one point.

Hope Larson is one of the best female graphic novel artists (and writers) out there today. There is subtlety in these pages and you are doing yourself a great disservice not giving it a look.

This is no "comic book."

Abby was looking forward to going to the same camp she goes to every summer, but this year things have changed. Her friend Rose is busy as a cabin assistant and her friend Beth is pierced and seems way more grown up than Abby. Abby does befriend a new girl, Shasta, but the other campers think Shasta is odd. Shasta can't do a lot of camp activities and says it is because she was struck by lightening. By the time camp ends Abby will learn a lot about friendship and that she too is growing up.

Written and illustrated by Hope Larson, "Chiggers" is a graphic novel for young adults. The story line is a simple one - a young girl goes to camp and is struggling with the fact that she and her friends are growing up. Larson does a pretty good job with that story line and readers will emphasize with the conflicted Abby as she befriends but isn't quite sure what to make of Shasta. Unfortunately, Shasta remains as much a mystery to the readers as she is to Abby. Perhaps this was deliberate on Larson's part, but I found all the unanswered questions about Shasta to be extremely frustrating.

The illustrations in the book are a mixed bag. Larson is very talented (she's an Eisner winner) and her drawings sometimes contain clever little subtle things like lightning bolts on Shasta's legs. However, while some characters like Shasta stand out, many of the characters looked alike and I sometimes had a hard time figuring out who was who. I wish there were drawings of each character at the front of the book so I could refer to it while reading it.

"Chiggers" is a good book for younger readers who like graphic novels with simple plots.

I have a dyslexic 12 year old daughter who can read but is not as fluent as most 12 year olds. Being a visual thinker, graphic novels provide a form of reading that is not too taxing on her. With all graphic novels one has to be quite careful and I did not find anything that would be inappropriate that all kids in the 9 to 15 year old age group are not exposed to. We are a non-television household and even with that there was nothing I found out of line.
My daughter read this book just after returning for a week at camp and it was very relevant. It took her about an hour and a half and unusual for her she read it straight through. She loved it and I would have to agree it was well done and provide a good source of reading material the young preteen to teen age group. It has been reread a couple of times in the few weeks since the book arrived.