Scan barcode
A review by mrskatiefitz
The Popularity Papers: Book Four: The Rocky Road Trip of Lydia Goldblatt & Julie Graham-Chang by Amy Ignatow
4.0
Though I have yet to get my hands on the third book in this series, I skipped ahead to Book Four anyway. It was just too irresistible! In this one, best friends Lydia and Julie set out on a road trip with Julie’s dads to visit various landmarks and family members, including Julie’s grandparents and Lydia’s father and his new family. Like the previous books, this one is presented in a notebook format, with the girls each scribbling messages, drawing pictures, and taping notes into the book for posterity. This format works exceptionally well with the road trip setting, and basically serves as a scrapbook of the trip. I love Julie’s illustrations of the scenery in different parts of the country, as well as the occasional postcards from Lydia’s sister Melody, who is spending the summer building houses in Guatemala, and Roland, the girls’ friend from school.
This book has the same light-hearted tone as the others in the series, but it also tackles some serious family conflicts. Julie’s conflict involves her grandparents’ refusal to allow Daddy and Papa Dad to stay in their home because of their sexual orientation. Lydia’s struggle comes from her father’s refusal to connect with her and his obvious preference for his new family. The girls see their families with new understanding and have to figure out how to relate to the people who disappoint and hurt them.
Rocky Road Trip truly is the perfect road trip book, with just the right mix of landmark visits, character conflicts, and scenes from the road. The bright and expressive illustrations will easily engage avid readers of graphic novels and other illustrated works, and the girls’ friendship and family dramas will keep tween girls turning the pages, anxious to find out how things turn out.
This book has the same light-hearted tone as the others in the series, but it also tackles some serious family conflicts. Julie’s conflict involves her grandparents’ refusal to allow Daddy and Papa Dad to stay in their home because of their sexual orientation. Lydia’s struggle comes from her father’s refusal to connect with her and his obvious preference for his new family. The girls see their families with new understanding and have to figure out how to relate to the people who disappoint and hurt them.
Rocky Road Trip truly is the perfect road trip book, with just the right mix of landmark visits, character conflicts, and scenes from the road. The bright and expressive illustrations will easily engage avid readers of graphic novels and other illustrated works, and the girls’ friendship and family dramas will keep tween girls turning the pages, anxious to find out how things turn out.