Paul Has a Summer Job [Paperback]

Michel Rabagliati (Author), Michel Rabagliati (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 1, 2002

Rabagliati`s strip "Paul: Apprentice Typographer" was one of the highlights of 1999`s Drawn & Quarterly anthology, and his first comic book Paul in the Country won the 2000 Harvey award for Best New Talent. This, his first graphic novel, is eagerly anticipated by comix connoisseurs who enjoy a sweet, unsentimental story about being a teenager and Rabagliati’s crisp retro-modern 1950s drawing style. This book continues the story of Paul, a Quebecois teenager in the 1970s, as he experiences the first conflicts of responsibility with his desire to be free. Paul is outraged that he is forced to stop his high school art training. But he’s been asked to put art aside because his other grades are so terribly low. Defiant, he quits school and anticipates a summer of leisure. But instead Paul follows the path of so many Quebecois teenagers: he lands a job as a counselor at one of the many summer camps in the mountains outside the city. There he finds himself guiding a motley band of kids, misfits and troublemakers, much like himself.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Adult/High School-In 1979, Paul, 18, lands an unexpected job at a camp for underprivileged children. Accustomed neither to roughing it nor to youngsters, he knows that he is unprepared but falls to with a will and an open heart. Over the course of the summer on a Quebec lake, he learns about his own strengths, discovers the unaffected charms of 9- to 14-year-olds, and falls in love with a co-counselor. Subplots involve overcoming physical and emotional fears and the reality of shepherding a blind child through camp experiences. The ending brings the protagonist back to the site of the camp 20 years later. Paul and his fellow teens act responsibly with the children but are prone to partying between sessions; they are able to cope with emergencies, and they experience the death of one counselor's parent. The story unfolds with quirky black-ink drawings and natural-sounding dialogue. The images bounce with physical energy and depict the brightness and darkness of the teen's moods. Endnotes offer readers in the U.S. helpful information for interpreting Quebecois swearing and references to pop idols of the place and time. Anyone who has gone to camp, or taken on a job with the knowledge that it seems unworkable, will recognize Paul's plight and the sense of achievement he gets to taste.
Francisca Goldsmith, Berkeley Public Library, CA
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

Gr. 9-12. It's the summer of 1979, and Paul, a recent high-school dropout and an apprentice at a local print shop, is broke, unhappy and living with his parents in Canada. A phone call from a friend who is running a summer camp for underprivileged kids allows Paul to escape into a job as a replacement counselor. Paul is apprehensive at first as he's not great with kids and doesn't know the first thing about braving the wilderness, but after a rocky start, he bonds with his fellow counselors, the kids begin to grow on him, and he falls in love with his partner, Annie.

Rabagliati's simple black-and-white line drawings and classic comics format are well-suited to this slacker-goes-to-summer camp tale, which has plenty teens can relate to--whether it's Paul's dissatisfaction with the authority figures at his school or a first love. The final act will ring true for older readers nostalgic about their own first overnight camp. The book was originally published in French, and this English translation includes a glossary of terms and places. Some explicit sexual content will limit this to mature teens. Carlos Orellana
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

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Product Details

• Paperback: 160 pages
• Publisher: Drawn and Quarterly; First Edition edition (August 1, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1896597548
• ISBN-13: 978-1896597546
• Product Dimensions: 9.9 x 7.6 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.9 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,126,438 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars a wonderful graphic novel (ie comic) for a wide age range, June 3, 2003

By 

Bob Cronin (Belmont, MA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Paul Has a Summer Job (Paperback)

The character of Paul has appeared in a comic book and an anthology by the quality comics publisher from Canada, Drawn and Quarterly. Michel Rabagliati's full-length graphic novel, translated from the French, is funny, poignant, and a joy to read. This is an example of the exciting potential of comics- many types of readers will enjoy it on it's own merits.

Paul, our hero, has dropped out of high school and is working a routine and boring day job at a print shop. When his charasmatic pal Gus calls with an offer of counsleor work at a summer camp, Paul jumps at the opportunity. Both Paul and the reader will be very glad he took this opportunity. With a deceptively simple, almost retro-50's style, Rabagliati sketches and fleshes out the dozen or so characters Paul meets in this story. The camp and the characters are effectively developed to the point where the reader is deeply touched by their struggles, laughs at their jokes, and is just as regretful and sad as Paul when the summer finally ends.

The story resonates with major turning points for Paul, the kinds of moments we all experience, sometimes treasure, and remember for the rest of our lives. One gets the sense that these are personal moments of the author, special and shared with complete trust. We experience his first love, the growing confidence of Paul as he matures, and the rewards he gains working closely with a group of underpriveledged kids, particularly a charming blind girl named Marie. His return to the spot years later, when he shares some of these gems with his own infant daughter, is quite touching and feels real.

I'm very grateful that Rabagliati shared these feelings and experiences with me and his other readers, even if they are fictional. I look forward to more Paul books.

0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars good read, lots of heart, for adults, July 17, 2008

By 

Paul A. Spangler - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Paul Has a Summer Job (Paperback)

The author throws in some adult stuff but I really enjoyed the rest of this book.

0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A pleasant winter read, November 15, 2005

By 

G. Powell (Seattle, WA USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Paul Has a Summer Job (Paperback)

A novel/autobiography about that first summer job as a camp councilor. As a former camp councilor I can totally relate to how difficult it is to take care of a pack of kids. It's like herding cats. However one does learn to adapt and make camp enjoyable for both the kids and the adults. This book captures that whole process.

There is adult material in this book, older teens and young adults recommended.