comics/graphic novels
Skim
Words by Mariko Tamaki
Drawings by Jillian Tamaki
It's 1994, and Wiccan (practicing) Goth (sort of) Kimberly Keiko Cameron's private girls school is in a bit of uproar. The popular kids are all freaking out and forming spirit clubs because Katie Matthew's boyfriend (who may have been gay) killed himself. To Kimberly, better known as Skim, and Lisa, her best friend, it just seems like more drama. The kind of craziness that never happens to people like Skim, standing on the outside looking in… that is… until everything changes. Ms. Archer appears. And Skim's heart starts hurting. And even Lisa starts to act funny. And suddenly Skim has a crush, a crisis, and a little chaos of her very own. Dra-ma.
Depression, love, sexual identity, crushes, manipulative peers--teen life in all its dramatic complexities is explored in this touching, pitch perfect, literary graphic masterpiece. Cousins Mariko and Jillian Tamaki collaborate brilliantly in this poignant glimpse into the heartache of being sixteen.
Reviews of Skim
Skim is an unusually strong graphic novel--rich in visuals and observations, and rewarding of repeated readings.
- PW Comics Week
. . . avoids all the cliches of a coming-of-age story. . . .
- Valerie D'Orazio, Friends of Lulu
Original in every which way."