74 pages • 2 hours read
Smile: A Graphic Novel
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Summary and Study Guide
Overview
Smile by Raina Telgemeier is an autobiographical graphic novel and the winner of the 2011 Eisner Award for Best Publication for Teens. It originated as a weekly webcomic in 2004 before Telgemeier expanded it into a book in 2010. Telgemeier is the writer and illustrator, while Stephanie Yue is the colorist. Smile is a coming-of-age tale, set in a San Francisco suburb from 1989 to 1992, in which Telgemeier struggles with preteen life after losing two front teeth in an accident.
Plot Summary
Smile follows the point of view of 11-year-old Raina Telgemeier, a sixth-grade student at Aptos Middle School (for this guide, “Raina” refers to the book’s protagonist, and “Telgemeier” refers to the author). Raina’s mother takes her to Dr. Dragoni’s orthodontist office, where Raina learns that she will need braces to correct an overbite. That night, Raina trips and falls face first while chasing her friends, breaking her two upper front teeth. Her mother takes her to Dr. Golden for emergency surgery to insert one tooth back into her mouth and pull down the other from her gums.
Raina finds the situation funny at first but becomes frustrated with strict recovery guidelines, invasive questions, and throwaway platitudes.
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By Raina Telgemeier
