Operatic
Description
Charlotte “Charlie” Noguchi has a music-class assignment to find the one song that perfectly expresses who she is as a person—the problem is, Charlie doesn’t really know who she is yet. A poignant coming-of-age story from the internationally celebrated author Kyo Maclear, arrestingly illustrated by Byron Eggenschwhiler, Operatic is ultimately a story of loneliness, identity, sexuality, and the power of self-expression through music.
Awards
- Short-listed, Red Maple Award 2020
- Nominated, Black-Eyed Susan Book Award — Graphic Novels, Grades 6-9 2020
- Short-listed, Joe Shuster Award — The Dragon Award 2020
- Commended, The List, Toronto Public Library 2020
- Commended, Quill & Quire Books of the Year for Kids 2019
- Short-listed, Cybils Award for Elementary/ Middle Grade Graphic Novels 2019
Reviews
Packed with music references and evocative illustrations, Operatic is a graphic novel that students will easily relate to and identify with.
- Vancouver Writers Fest
Brimming with raw emotion, music references, and gorgeous art, this memorable and relatable graphic novel will linger with readers.
- School Library Journal
Opera is an unusual but pitch-perfect match for that swell of overwhelming feeling, and Maclear.
- Booklist
Maclear and Eggenschwiler cleverly weave together story, visual art, and music. . . . Clever and contemplative, with music history readers might find unexpectedly fun.
- Kirkus Reviews
Operatic offers a deft look at adolescence, rich but subtle, accessible but beautifully complex. . . . Maclear has created a setting and a cast of characters that feel extraordinarily fresh, alive, and, above all, very real. . . . Eggenschwiler’s visual metaphors create their own network of social, emotional, and sensory connections. . . . This book will delight not only young people and graphic-novel aficionados but anyone who believes that art — especially opera — is a powerful force in the world.
- Quill and Quire