The Isobel Journal

September 29, 2014
Harrop, a teenage blogger from northern England, presents a stream-of-consciousness journal/scrapbook. In pages filled with her own drawings (both sketches and collages with photos and postcards) and ephemera (such as a ticket from a miniature railway), she muses on friendships and boys ("I've invented a phrase which I hope all teen girls will latch on to: boy high. Noun: OMG we texted all day, I'm on a total boy-high!"), thinks about role models ("I wish I had half the sass of Debbie Harry"), and offers tips on daily life ("When riding your bike in a skirt, my top tip is to wear old exercise shorts underneath to confuse passersby"). Younger YA readers will probably find this to be a fascinating, sweetly funny, and relatively unscary introduction to teenage life; older readers may lose patience with Harrop's manic pixie girl persona and wonder why she has little to say about the world beyond cute animals and boys. Her one attempt at bigger issues is the headline: "Feminism: Why Not?" and a drawing of hairy legs. Ages 14âup.

July 1, 2014

Gr 7 Up-Blogger and Tumblr fan Isobel Harrop, 18, shares her thoughts and insights on the highlights of her life. Through a scrapbook-type journal-much like the one teens may have by the side of their beds-full of drawings, taped-in pictures, and ticket stubs, Isobel tells readers about her desire to make beautiful things, and her difficulty fitting in with the arty kids. She shares her feelings on love, wanting to put forget-me-nots inside her crush's head; and breakups, hating boys who make fun of things she likes. The slightly moody, artistic, confused young adult narrator embodies most teen readers. Reminiscent of Tavi Gevenson's "Rookie Yearbooks" (Drawn & Quarterly) and Jessica Anthony's Chopsticks (Penguin, 2012), this creative mixed-media work by a UK teen will devoured quickly-and will inspire readers to created their own illustrated notebooks. For those who are ready to move past Rachel Renee Russell's "Dork Diaries" (S. & S.) -Sarah Knutson, American Canyon Middle School, CA

Copyright 2014 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

June 1, 2014
Glimpses of the life of the titular Isobel, who sees herself as "just a girl from where nothing really happens," presented as a charmingly idiosyncratic scrapbook.Divided into three sections-Me; Friends, Otters, College &Art; and Love-the journal is immediately immersive, placing readers directly into Isobel's world. It assumes those readers are sympathetically thumbing through its pages, nodding and saying, "oh, me, too!" The narrative is very loosely structured around Harrop's life-as-inner-monologue, filled with references to Beyonce, friends, British pop stars, thrift shopping and tea. Readers meet family members (but only as a point of reference), and though Harrop sketches her friends, imbuing each miniportrait with real personality and a rather Sendak-ian verve, they don't play roles in any anecdotes or stories. Indeed, the entire concept of story is beside the point here, as Harrop's work reads like a Tumblr re-organized by hashtag rather than by date. Although most illustrations are by hand and Harrop includes pages scanned in from her actual diary, the overall conceit is of an online commonplace book brought into print. Some readers may wonder about the point of such an exercise. These readers are not the intended audience, who will see themselves, their interests and their remix approach to life reflected in the many pages of impossibly cute animal drawings and Lauren Child-like collages of sketches and photographs.A trifle-but a sustaining one. (Graphic memoir. 12-16)

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October 15, 2014
Grades 9-12 My name is Isobel . . . I love drawing things I see. Harrop's art journal is part autobiography, part sketchbook. It's a bit meandering and not too thick on content, but her loose, cartoonish drawings have a youthful charm. The book is helpfully divided into three sections, which together form a breezy portrait of a teen girl discovering the world around her and learning to appreciate the things that make her unique. The first focuses on Isobel and her life; the second offers random drawings of people, cute animals, and school; and the third looks at love. Harrop's art is combined with wandering observations, some lighthearted When I'm Queen, you will be able to wear tights as pants! some sadder, especially as she tracks the highs and lows of a relationship. But even when things are bad, Harrop offers bits of hope: It's just important to surround yourself with good people. Give this one to teen readers just getting into autobiographical comics or girls who love to journal, whether in drawings or words.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2014, American Library Association.)