Summary
Babymouse loves Valentines Day, but school is not a very romantic place. There are mean girls, gross boys, and locker problems. Babymouse hears there will be a school dance, and wonders who will ask her. The days pass and no one does. She tries asking people and still has no luck. Finally, Babymouse decides to go to the dance by herself. She gets a new dress and goes, but everyone came with a date and Babymouse doesn't get to dance. At the end of the dance, Georgie the giraffe invites her to dance. He tells her that she is the prettiest girl their and didn't ask her because he figured she already had a date. They dance and take the dance photograph together, and Babymouse leaves happy.
My Impressions
I loved this book! I am new to the graphic novel genre, but after this one I am hooked! The story is adorable and the character and her problems are relatable (I remember dealing with similar school dance issues in middle school and can sympathize). The illustrations were fun too, and really enhanced the text. I would recommend this one to any student looking for something fun to read. I also think that this series could be a way to open dialogue with reluctant parents because it actually required more sophistication than I expected (allusions to Gone with the Wind and Dirty Dancing were definitely a surprise). I was skeptical of graphic novels, but I am now more than willing to convince parents that they are not glorified comic books filled with obscenity. I am also going to do more of my own explorations into graphic novels because I liked this one so much.
Reviews
Horn Book Magazine reviewer KF praised the book and "Holms' valuable and never-too-early messages of self-respect and self-worth" (KF, 2007). The reviewer also notes that "the text and illustrations successfully differentiate between reality and daydreams, and there's a good amount of humor injected into both" (KF, 2007). There were no other reviews available of this book, but reviewers liked the series and character in general, noting that "Babymouse is a smart, spirited, and creative young rodent who spends most of her time daydreaming about a glamorous life filled with excitement and adventure," which is a character readers can really relate to and enjoy (Gorman, 2008).
Use in a library
Part of the fun of this book is how real Babymouse's problems are. The authors really captured middle school problems, at least as I remember them from back in the Dark Ages. I think it would be really fun to have a book club that reads this series and then have club members collaborate to make and present their own graphic novels. This would engage their creativity, while encouraging them to express themselves in new forms. It could also be good to have readers compare this series to other graphic novels series and talk about the similarities and differences they exhibit.
References
Gorman, M. (2008). Graphic novels rule! The latest and greatest for young kids. School Library Journal. Retrieved from http://www.libraryjournal.com/slj/reviewsgraphicnovels/858753-317/graphic_novels_rule_the_latest.html.csp.
Holm, J. & Holm, M. (2006). Babymouse: Heartbreaker. New York, NY: Random House Books for Young Readers.
K. F. (2007). Jennifer L. Holm and Matthew Holm: Babymouse: Heartbreaker. The Horn Book Magazine 83(1), p. 67. Retrieved from Literature Resource Center.
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