In the Middle

9/27/2017

It was the shoes. It was definitely the shoes. But I'm getting ahead of myself. Hold on to your footwear. I'll come back to this later.

Let's talk about All's Faire in Middle School, Victoria Jamieson's latest graphic novel. Florida Renaissance Faire, an annual festival celebrating that the customs, costumes, and crafts from 1600 England is the setting. Every autumn for eight weeks visitors are transported to the time of knights, dragons, feasts and jousts.This is eleven-year-old Imogene's world. Imogene, affectionately known as Impy, and her family thrive on being a part of this larger-than-life drama. Each year her mother manages “The Shoppe” and her father becomes evil knight Sir Hugo. She will finally become a cast member and serve as Hugo’s squire. While most of the work involves cleaning up after the horse, it has its engaging moments. During off season dad sells pool supplies. while Impy and her brother are homeschooled.
Things are about to change. This year Imogene decides on a new challenge: attend middle school. Leaving the familiar world of faire and family, she ventures off on the quest for education in public school.

From day one, Impy is constantly aware that middle school has transported her into an entirely new enviornment. Unlike the familiarity of the festival community, the halls of middle school are fraught with terrors at every turn. She must navigate the complex maze of classrooms, negotiate seating in the cafeteria, and meet the demands of a regimented assignment schedule. She is immediately the subject of curiosity. Some express honest interest while others resort to ridicule. For Imply trying to fit in, trying to discover who she is, trying to keep up with the demands of teachers becomes very...well, trying.
She makes two fatale mistakes: one with her younger brother and one with a classmate. From her perspective, it appears that each one is impossible to completely recover from.
This book is honest, so painfully honest. No one is perfect: not Imogene, not the kids at school, not her family. They all make mistakes and struggle to learn, live, and forgive. The characters are spot on and Jamieson imbues each with a distinctive personality.
It is impossible for me to express how much I adore this book. Both the images and text work together to create storytelling magic. Copies of the book should be given as a gift to every youngster about to enter middle school. Not only will tweens learn about the Middle Ages and life in middle school, but they will also gain important insights into self acceptance.

Shoes, Shame, and Middle School Pain

Now, back to those shoes. Impy gets ready for her first big day at school with the purchase of a custom pair of boots from the Faire's Tannery. To her dismay, she discovers that her boots are not considered de rigueur with classmates. In order to be part of the crowd, she needs a pair of brand name shoes., the ones that "everyone" is wearing. After some difficult moments and serious negotiating with her mother, she finally gets a pair of the stylish footwear. The shoes are not her size, and are actually knock-offs. Imogene endures more humiliation when students pointedly remark on what they see as defects. From that point on, middle school experience only gets worse.

I read this passage and wondered aloud, "How did she know?" In middle school a certain style of shoe was considered a very important part of a girl's wardrobe. It took months of pleading, but my mom finally relented and purchased a sale pair for me. I was thrilled! The first time I wore them to school I learned that they were not made by the same manufacturer and were the "wrong" color. I was stuck. After all that manuevering, I had to wear the hideous shoes for a very long time. Those purple shoes were my badge of shame: Shame that I didn't have the correct shoes. Shame that I didn't fit in. Shame that I coerced my mom into making that purchase. Shame that I had to wear those squared-off flats that looked like boxes for a very long time.
Oh, Victoria, how did you know? How did you caputre my middle school experience with such painful precision?

Illuminated Manuscript

I have always been fascinated by illuminated manuscripts and was delighted to note that Jamieson chooses to begin each chapter with an introduction featuring some gorgeous illumination. Why not encourage young readers to try this intricate art? Instead of illuminating an entire page, why not try illuminating a letter? Here is my attempt to illuminate the first letter of my last name. It's not nearly as intricate and the gold pigment ink is missing. But I had fun with a fine point black sharpie and a fistful of colored pencils.