Scan barcode
A review by maryhannawilson
Freestyle: A Graphic Novel by Gale Galligan
5.0
Cory is part of a dance crew that is getting ready for their final competition before they graduate 8th grade and go to separate high schools. There is a lot of pressure to make this final dance a fantastic one and their crew captain is becoming intense. There is quite a bit of conflict developing in the group that is made worse when Cory is grounded for his grades and he can't make practice times anymore.
In an effort to help him improve his grades, his parents hire Sunna, a fellow student, to tutor him. While Sunna seems like a boring academic student, Cory soon learns that she is an expert at the yo-yo and he begs her to teach him. Now Cory has to balance his new friendship with his former group of friends as well as his two new hobbies. With the pressure to achieve good grades coming from home as well as the performance pressure coming from his friends, can Cory find a way to balance it all?
This was a popular graphic novel with all of the students in my graphic novel class. While the common themes of friendship and life balance are present in this middle-grade story, the unique addition of yo-yo and dancing as hobbies made it feel fresh and unique.
The illustrations are creative, lively, and well done. There are so many interesting layouts throughout the book and the variety provided great discussion for our class.
Overall, this was a fun story with a group of diverse characters. I highly recommend this one for the tween years.
In an effort to help him improve his grades, his parents hire Sunna, a fellow student, to tutor him. While Sunna seems like a boring academic student, Cory soon learns that she is an expert at the yo-yo and he begs her to teach him. Now Cory has to balance his new friendship with his former group of friends as well as his two new hobbies. With the pressure to achieve good grades coming from home as well as the performance pressure coming from his friends, can Cory find a way to balance it all?
This was a popular graphic novel with all of the students in my graphic novel class. While the common themes of friendship and life balance are present in this middle-grade story, the unique addition of yo-yo and dancing as hobbies made it feel fresh and unique.
The illustrations are creative, lively, and well done. There are so many interesting layouts throughout the book and the variety provided great discussion for our class.
Overall, this was a fun story with a group of diverse characters. I highly recommend this one for the tween years.