EMIKO SUPERSTAR

A charming tale of a shy babysitter looking to break out of her shell. Teenaged Emiko finds herself at a crossroads in defining her own identity. Her friends, once geeks, now concentrate solely on finance, leaving Emiko to discern who she wants to be without the comfort of a group. When she learns about a performance-art group called “The Freak Show,” she feels immediately drawn to and intrigued by this counter-culture assemblage. Finding her confidence, she auditions a piece and is accepted—although she has stolen the material for her piece, and is consequently riddled with shame. Emiko is easy to relate to—slightly plump in Rolston’s panels, shy and socially aloof, letting thoughts carry the bulk of the story. This female protagonist will fit nicely among the ranks of Minx’s other cast of characters including Dixie, Lily and the Janes. A nice story of fitting in, what it means to find yourself and the lengths one will go to achieve that goal. Nothing earth-shatteringly new here, but an inviting tale nonetheless. (Graphic fiction. YA)