• Home
  • Reviews
    • Books
    • Comics
  • Features
    • Curation by Cee
    • Holy, Mother Cover!
    • Sincerely, Cee | A letter from yours truly
    • The Three C’s: Candid Conversations with Cee
    • You’re Just My Type | Fonts galore!
  • About
    • FAQ
    • Review Policy
    • Giveaway Policy
  • Contact

The Novel Hermit

daydreaming about books

Comics

FROM PANEL TO PANEL • будь Гото (Be Prepared by Vera Brosgol)

May 22, 2018 Comment : 1

[quote]All Vera wants to do is fit in—but that’s not easy for a Russian girl in the suburbs. Her friends live in fancy houses and their parents can afford to send them to the best summer camps. Vera’s single mother can’t afford that sort of luxury, but there’s one summer camp in her price range—Russian summer camp.

Vera is sure she’s found the one place she can fit in, but camp is far from what she imagined. And nothing could prepare her for all the “cool girl” drama, endless Russian history lessons, and outhouses straight out of nightmares![/quote]

myreview

[note note_color=”#BFD1D1″ text_color=”#ffffff”]I received this book for free from First Second (Macmillan) for review consideration. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.[/note]

First sentence: “The Prince is holding a ball!!”

If you want to make friends, you gotta be willing to sacrifice yourself and prepare yourself. We’ve been that kid who had trouble making friends because they were different—racially, culturally, financially. We just wanted to fit in—no matter what needed to be done.

In Be Prepared, all Vera wants to do is fit in. She doesn’t want to be the weird Russian girl who can’t afford luxuries that the other girls at her school can afford. When she finds out there’s a Russian summer camp, Vera jumps on the chance to finally make friends with people who are like her. However, camp is not all that it’s cracked up to be.

LESSONS YOU LEARN ABOUT MAKING FRIENDS IN BE PREPARED

  • Meet different types of people.

There are lots of people who can be your friend. You just gotta meet them. For Vera, she has classmates who she wants to be friends with. They all go to the same school and share the same classes, why can’t she become friends with them? When she goes to Russian camp, she thought she found a place with people who can understand her and her experiences because y’know, they’re all Russian like her. These worlds are far different from what she expects them to be.

  • Bond over similar interests.

What do you do to get closer to others? You bond over common interests!

Vera sees these girls getting along with their dolls and whatnots, and she wants to be apart of that. She tries to become their friends by pretending to like things they like and have things that her family can’t actually afford. In her Russian camp, Vera assumes she’ll easily make friends there because everybody is like her—Russian—but she learns that no, being Russian because other campers are Russian isn’t a sure way to make friends. These girls that she interacts with are older than her and have different priorities. I like how everything that Vera attempts to do to make friends is what I, and everybody else, have experienced.

  • Don’t bribe potential friends.

You want these potential friends to like you, so you talk up what you don’t have or you give them things. Vera does this because she really wants these girls to like her. She starts giving them candy—even though it’s not allowed in camp—and she starts drawing pictures for them. When you’re trying to get friends, you do whatever you can, even if it means letting them take advantage of you. It’s what everybody will experience, and I love that Vera had Camp leader Natasha, who served as a wise advisor in what not to do to gain friends.

  • Don’t force it. 

Friendships start unexpectedly. Let it blossom naturally.

Vera realized that she can’t force these girls to like her and lets go of that goal, and just hang out and have fun, even if it’s on her own. She embraces who she is.

Who will love this graphic novel? Readers who gorgeous art (it’s frickin’ amazing!). People who want to read a relatable experience of a girl trying to make friends. People who want to see a girl trying to deal with her culture. People who want to see this wacky Camp experience.

Why you should read Be Prepared? We’ve all been that kid who had trouble making friends some time in our lives. Be Prepared explores how Vera tries to make friends and fit in with kids who aren’t like her—due to the differences in their social economic situations or cultural background.

[note note_color=”#f29d8e” text_color=”#ffffff”]Be Prepared by Vera Brosgol
February 13, 2018 • First Second (Macmillan)

Add to your TBR on Goodreads. Go buy Be Prepared from your local comic book store, or these online retailers: Amazon · Barnes & Noble · The Book Depository · Indigo. Or borrow it from your library.

Find Vera Brosgol here: Website · Twitter

[/note]

Share this:

  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Tumblr
  • Pinterest
  • Email

Previous:
CURRENTLY READING • Truly Devious, Scandal in Classic Hollywood, & All Summer Long
Next:
FROM PANEL TO PANEL • May 2018 Graphic Novel Releases To Look Out For

You might also enjoy

REVIEW • Don’t Mess With Family (Going Rogue (Wires and Nerve #2) by Marissa Meyer)
FROM PANEL TO PANEL • Take What’s Rightfully Mine (The Stone Heart: The Nameless City #2 by Faith Erin Hicks)
FROM PANEL TO PANEL • ’90s Action Movie Dream Team (Kill Them All by Kyle Starks)

Comments

  1. Tasya @ The Literary Huntress says

    May 25, 2018 at 10:06 am

    This one sounds really cool! I’ve been wanting to read more books set in summer camp, this one sounds perfect and fun!

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

About Me


I’m Cee. Lover of books + comics. Bookseller. Former teen witch.

The Novel Hermit is written by a daydreamer who loves books and want to share her love with everybody. You will find YA, comics, reviews, discussions, book cover love, and lots of adoration for books. What more can you ask for?

Subscribe to Blog via Email

If you want to read more of my reviews and book cover discussions, or you want a narwhal to appear in your dreams, subscribe by email here!

Follow Me

Twitter Facebookg Goodreads Instagram Pinterest E-mail RSS

Recent Posts

  • BOOKS IN HAND • What Customers Are Buying in February 2023
  • TOO MUCH TBR • March 2023
  • CURATION BY CEE • Galentine’s Day: Books with Female Friendships!
  • TOO MUCH TBR • February 2023
  • BOOKS IN HAND • What Customers Are Buying in January 2023

ARCHIVES

2023

  • – March (2)
    • BOOKS IN HAND • What Customers Are Buying in February 2023
    • TOO MUCH TBR • March 2023
  • + February (3)
  • + January (4)

2022

  • + December (5)
  • + November (3)
  • + October (6)
  • + September (4)
  • + August (4)
  • + July (5)
  • + June (9)
  • + May (8)
  • + April (4)
  • + March (3)
  • + February (2)
  • + January (5)

2021

  • + December (5)
  • + November (1)
  • + October (1)
  • + September (4)
  • + August (4)
  • + July (4)
  • + June (2)
  • + May (3)
  • + April (2)
  • + March (2)
  • + February (3)
  • + January (1)

2020

  • + December (4)
  • + November (1)
  • + October (6)
  • + September (2)
  • + August (3)
  • + May (1)
  • + April (2)
  • + March (4)
  • + February (2)
  • + January (3)

2019

  • + December (4)
  • + November (2)
  • + October (7)
  • + September (3)
  • + August (3)
  • + July (1)
  • + June (4)
  • + May (2)
  • + April (2)
  • + March (1)
  • + February (2)
  • + January (4)

2018

  • + December (3)
  • + November (3)
  • + October (2)
  • + September (3)
  • + August (2)
  • + July (3)
  • + June (2)
  • + May (6)
  • + April (11)
  • + March (9)
  • + February (7)
  • + January (7)

2017

  • + December (5)
  • + November (2)
  • + October (11)
  • + September (14)
  • + August (12)
  • + July (12)
  • + June (9)
  • + May (11)
  • + April (9)
  • + March (13)
  • + February (19)
  • + January (10)

2016

  • + December (9)
  • + November (11)
  • + October (12)
  • + September (15)
  • + August (8)
  • + July (16)
  • + June (15)
  • + May (16)
  • + April (17)
  • + March (18)
  • + February (19)
  • + January (15)

2015

  • + December (15)
  • + November (15)
  • + October (15)
  • + September (17)
  • + August (18)
  • + July (17)
  • + June (14)
  • + May (16)
  • + April (15)
  • + March (14)
  • + February (15)
  • + January (14)

2014

  • + December (14)
  • + November (14)
  • + October (13)
  • + September (11)
  • + August (14)
  • + July (14)
  • + June (14)
  • + May (17)
  • + April (9)
  • + March (18)
  • + February (19)
  • + January (21)

2013

  • + December (18)
  • + November (17)
  • + October (21)
  • + September (18)
  • + August (16)
  • + July (17)
  • + June (15)
  • + May (11)
  • + April (6)
  • + March (7)
  • + February (4)
  • + January (2)

2012

  • + December (2)

Disclaimer

All of the books I review either have been purchased by me, borrowed from the library, and sent to me by the publisher (the latter of which I will note).

All the words and opinions in this blog are my own. I am not paid to write reviews. Synopsis are taken from either the back of the book or from Goodreads.com.

Any use and/or duplication of my material without permission from me (the author and owner of The Novel Hermit blog) is strictly prohibited.

2023 The Novel Hermit. All Rights Reserved. Design by SkyandStars.co
Back Top

Copyright © 2023 · Yoon Theme on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in