Frazzled: Everyday Disasters and Impending Doom

Abbie Wu, a beleaguered middle child who is daunted to enter middle school, knows that “nothing good ever happens in the Middles,” as evidenced by the Middle Ages and the middle seat of the car. Yet her best friends are jumping right into middle school life and even having fun in their various electives, leaving Abbie feeling like a “sad reject pastry” in desperate need of a “thing” of her own. As the injustices of the middle school cafeteria mount, Abbie discovers a talent for social—or at least lunchroom—leadership. Could community organizing be her “thing”? Vivat’s funny, quick-moving debut skips along even faster thanks to the endearing doodles that appear throughout, punctuating Abbie’s travails with chibi-esque emotional outbursts featuring flailing limbs, speed lines, and exaggerated typography. Though this is, at heart, a straightforward story of social adjustment, Abbie and her supporting cast show real depth as they learn that passions can change, “not everything has to work out,” and no matter how confident some people may seem, “the truth is, no one really knows for sure.” Ages 8–12. Agent: Steven Malk, Writers House. (Sept.)