I just finished reading The Plain Janes by Cecil Castellucci (illustrated by Jim Rugg) and really enjoyed it. Like many graphic novels, it was a quick read--but as someone who often finds this graphic format difficult to enjoy or be engaged, I thought this was really a great story and there was a pared down use of the boxes, dialogue balloons and text boxes that didn't overwhelm me.
The story is about Jane who moves to a small town from the big city after she is injured in an act of random violence. Her mother is nearly paralyzed with fear in response to what happened and Jane is trying to deal with her own fears, while still trying to live out her teen years...but motivated to find more meaning and "real-ness" in her experience than she had before.
She meets a "non-clique" group of girls, whose names all happen to be a variation of Jane (Jayne, Polly Jane, etc.) and inspires them to create the girl gang P.L.A.I.N. ( People Loving Art In Neighborhoods) and they undertake secret "art attacks" designed to make people think and to introduce their own definition of "beauty" into the world.
All the while, Jane corresponds to a fellow victim of the city bomb incident, who lies comotose in the hospital...and whose sketchbook originally inspired her with its cover words: "Art Saves."
Try it out...even if it is your first graphic novel read.
