Twelfth Grade Night
by Molly Horton Booth, Stephanie Kate Strohm, Jamie GreenPublished by: Disney-Hyperion on October 11, 2022
Genres: Young Adult, Graphic Novel, Romance, LGBTQ
Pages: 160
Format: Hardcover
Source: Publisher
Rating:
The course of true love never did run smooth . . . and neither does high school in this new graphic novel series for fans of Heartstopper and The Prince and the Dressmaker.
Vi came to Arden High for a fresh start and a chance to wear beanies and button-ups instead of uniform skirts. And though doing it without her twin feels like being split in half, Vi finds her stride when she stumbles (literally!) into broody and beautiful poet-slash-influencer, Orsino. Soon Vi gets roped into helping plan the school’s Twelfth Grade Night dance, and she can’t stop dreaming about slow dancing with Orsino under the fairy lights in the gym.
The problem? All Vi’s new friends assume she’s not even into guys. And before Vi can ask Orsino to the dance, he recruits Vi to help woo his crush, Olivia. Who has a crush of her own . . . on Vi.
Star-crossed love abounds in this hilarious and romantic story of self-discovery, mistaken identities, and the magic that happens when we open our hearts to something new.
Content Tags:
Perfect for readers who want:
- Graphic novels
- Coming of age in a high school setting
- Blossoming love
- Questioning/developing identities
- LGBTQ+ romance
- A diverse, accepting cast of characters
Many thanks to Disney-Hyperion and Rockstar Book Tours for a copy in exchange for an honest, unbiased review.
I don’t actually quite know what it is about the cover of Twelfth Grade Night that I love so much, but I do. It’s so charming and cute that I decided I definitely wanted to read it before I even knew what it was about. You might be surprised, since this isn’t exactly the typical type of book I read, but you know what? Life is about trying new things. Plus, the kids in my library absolutely love graphic novels (and honestly, so do I), so I’m always on the lookout for something new to offer them!
Twelfth Grade Night is a charming coming of age graphic novel with relatable, diverse characters; a super cute unsure/budding romance; adorable illustrations; and a friend group that I would love to be a part of.
Twelfth Grade Night is a very slice-of-life, coming-of-age sort of story that struck me as being very relatable. Vi is just starting high school in a new school and trying to navigate the shift in social structure, her developing feelings for her classmates, and life without her brother. It’s a lot all at once, and they’re not exactly easy things to handle to start with. I can see this one being a huge hit for younger YA readers, who will likely be able to relate to Vi’s struggles.
Twelfth Grade Night is set in a contemporary world that’s not quite like one you’ve seen . . . one that’s slightly magical, and where you never quite know what you’ll encounter when you step into school.
I mean, okay, that’s slightly like real life, to be fair. What I mean is that there are unique creatures like fairies in this school, and magic is definitely a thing. There’s a teensy bit of tension between the fairies and humans, which I suspect might come into play more in future books in this series? It was definitely hinted at here, though.
Not gonna lie, but the atmosphere in this school is so freaking wholesome. Sure, there’s bullying and crushes and teasing and awkwardness, just like you would expect from any high school. However, this school is so diverse, and everyone is basically accepting of everyone else.
Despite the magic, this setting is a noticeably contemporary one, where characters regularly use their cell phones and even have social media, with mentions of Instagram. I suppose that eventually it’ll probably date this book, but until then, it’s kind of nice seeing characters grappling with real-world problems in an easily recognizable/relatable setting.
Vi is such a relatable character and easy to love. She’s facing the daunting task of starting high school in a new district, without her twin, and while she’s trying to figure out who she is and who she wants to be.
In many ways, Vi feels like she’s drowning. Her twin brother has always been there as a life boat, especially after their father passed away two years ago. The prospect of suddenly starting a school without him is daunting, but a change Vi feels she needs, escaping from the oppressive uniforms of her previous boarding school for an opportunity to be herself.
On top of all of that, Vi is attempting to navigate the often confusing, slightly awkward world of crushes as she realizes she likes someone at school . . . but also that her crush likes someone else. Yikes. But also, been there, done that! The way this is done in the story is so wholesome and adorable, and it’s hard not to root for Vi!
The cast of this book is so freaking much fun, with a bunch of unique, diverse characters that are sure to steal your heart, just like they steal the show.
There are LGBTQ+ characters (and crushes!), Black characters, and even plus-size characters, and no one has any issues with that or questions their identities, which was kind of nice and wholesome. Plus, this squad is just ridiculously fun, with big personalities, lots of quips, and plenty of sarcasm. They aren’t without their faults, of course, and one of my favorite things is that they’re able to admit when they’re wrong and make a mistake, which was really nice to see.
About Molly Horton Booth
Molly Horton Booth (they/she) is a writer, editor, and author of Young Adult fiction. Their next book is the graphic novel TWELFTH GRADE NIGHT, coming October 11th, 2022, book 1 in the ARDEN HIGH series co-written by the amazing Stephanie Kate Strohm and illustrated by the incredible Jamie Green. Book 2 in the series, KING CHEER, will be published Fall 2023. Molly is currently a copywriter for Wayfair.com, where she describes bookcases in exquisite detail.Â
Molly grew up homeschooled, earned their BA in English from Marlboro College, and earned their MA in English from UMass Boston. She lives in Baltimore, MD where she spends a lot of time with her partner, family, and friends, and the rest doting on her pets. ​​
​Literary agent: Alexander Slater at Sanford J. Greenburger Associates.
About Stephanie Kate Strohm
STEPHANIE KATE STROHM is the author of It’s Not Me, It’s You; The Date to Save; The Taming of the Drew; Prince in Disguise; Love a la Mode; That’s Not What I Heard; Restless Hearts (Katy Keene #1) and Once Upon a Tide: A Mermaid’s Tale. After graduating with a joint major in theater and history from Middlebury College, she acted her way around the country, performing in more than 25 states.
She currently lives in Los Angeles with her husband, her son, and a dog named Lorelei Lee.
About Jamie Green
Jamie Green is a maker and professional curious person living in Greenville (funny, right?), South Carolina. They graduated in 2020 from Ringling College of Art and Design with a BFA in Illustration. In 2019, they was recognized by the Society of Illustrators as the Zankel Scholar. Much like her hobbies, their work can be described as the feeling of being bundled up around a campfire or hiking through the autumn woods. It is a goal of theirs to both intrigue and educate, combining nature and whimsy and creating a space for curiosity (as well as a bit of magic). Jamie strives to create picture books, illustrated educational books, magazine covers, interactive materials, and chapter book covers/interiors.
1 winner will receive a finished copy of TWELFTH GRADE NIGHT, US Only.
Ends November 5th, midnight EST.
Week One
| 10/1/2022 | Kait Plus Books | Excerpt/IG Post |
Week Two
| 10/2/2022 | A Dream Within A Dream | Excerpt/IG Post |
| 10/3/2022 | travelersguidetobooks | IG Review |
| 10/4/2022 | The Caffeinated Reader | Review/IG Post |
| 10/5/2022 | Unconventional Quirky Bibliophile | Review/IG Post |
| 10/6/2022 | A Backwards Story | Review/IG Post |
| 10/7/2022 | Just Another Teen Reading Books | Review/IG Post |
| 10/8/2022 | See Sadie Read | Review/IG Post |
Week Three
| 10/9/2022 | Satisfaction for Insatiable Readers | Review/IG Post |
| 10/10/2022 | @booksrn_rashi | IG Review |
| 10/11/2022 | Wanderingwitchreads | TikTok Review/IG Post |
| 10/12/2022 | MandaTheBiblio | Review/IG Post |
| 10/13/2022 | booksaremagictoo | Review/IG Post |
| 10/14/2022 | Novel Novice | IG Spotlight |
| 10/15/2022 | Nonbinary Knight Reads | Review/IG Post |
Week Four
| 10/16/2022 | The Book View | Review/IG Post |
| 10/17/2022 | Ya Books Central | Excerpt/IG Post |
| 10/18/2022 | onemused | IG Spotlight |
| 10/19/2022 | Nerdophiles | Review |
| 10/20/2022 | A Blue Box Full of Books | IG Review |
| 10/21/2022 | A Bookish Dream | Review/IG Post |
| 10/22/2022 | @jacleomik33 | IG Review |
Week Five
| 10/23/2022 | Celia’s Reads | Review/IG Post |
| 10/24/2022 | Ohyouread | IG Review |
| 10/25/2022 | @thebookishfoxwitch | IG Review |
| 10/26/2022 | One More Exclamation | Review/IG Post |
| 10/27/2022 | Eli to the nth | Review/IG Post |
| 10/28/2022 | The Bookwyrm’s Den | Review |
| 10/29/2022 | PopTheButterfly Reads | Review/IG Post |
Week Six
| 10/30/2022 | The Momma Spot | Review/IG Post |
| 10/31/2022 | Brandi Danielle Davis | IG Review |
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I have this on my pile!