Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy: a Graphic Novel

Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy: a Graphic Novel
Rey Terciero & Bre Indigo
Little Brown, 2019 256 pages
Grades 5-8
Graphic Novel

The four March sister live with their mother in contemporary New York City. Dad is overseas with the military and Mom works double shifts to make ends meet. The sisters must all pitch-in to take care of the house-and each other. Oldest, Meg, is obsessed with fashion and hates being poor. She socializes with high society and longs to be part of that world. Jo is the opposite of Meg, caring nothing for physical appearances or social status. She is highly political, ethical, and loves to write in her journal. Beth is the sensitive sister. When Jo's new friend, Laurie's Grandfather gives her a guitar, her whole world blooms as she finds making music and song writing the best way to express herself. Youngest, Amy, is sassy and impetuous. She loves video games, art, and having fun. The story traces a pivotal year in the life of the family as Beth becomes deathly ill, Dad gets injured in action, Meg falls in love, Jo discovers who she really is, and all of the girls grow and mature in unexpected ways. The year takes many twists and turns, but the family remains close and the March sisters rely on each other for support and help at all times.

More of a story inspired by the classic Little Women than a straight modernization, Terciero and Indigo take some key plot points, characterization, and the enviable relationship between the March sisters and package it to a new audience. Although events from the original are included in a modern way within this retelling, the outcome is often different, which is fine, yet making this a whole separate product. The main difference is that the story takes places within the framework of one year, so we never see what happens after the girls grow up. Instead, the story ends at the Women's march, which all the sisters participate in, making this book one of feminism instead of matrimony. The authors/artists present the family as blended, which will resonate with many of today's readers, and the entire cast is diverse. Gender is also explored and acceptance demonstrated for being true to yourself. The art is great and will attract readers, as will the attractive cover and fully-colored interior. Emails to Dad end every chapter, helping to flesh out the plot and fill in the blanks where comic speech bubbles are not up to the job. With the movie of the classic story freshly out to critical acclaim, there will be a built in readership for this graphic novel. As a great fan of the original, I shied away from this new title. One of my young readers loved it so much and insisted that I buy it for the library and read it myself. I have done both and am so glad that I did! (Thank you, Lucy!) Not quite your grandmother's Little Women, but one that will be enjoyed by today's readers and lovers of graphic novels.