Other Boys

Debut graphic novelist Alexander explores his childhood as a sensitive boy starting middle school in this melancholy queer coming-of-age memoir. Following the death of Damian’s mother, he lives with his brother and maternal grandmother in a small apartment, and is the new kid at a school where “it seemed everyone was like the perfect families you see on old TV shows.” To fend off the bullying he’s come to expect, the aspiring artist stops speaking on the first day of seventh grade (“I would give them nothing they could use against me”). As Damian copes with the subsequent isolation, the story intersperses contextualizing moments from his past—damaging gender stereotypes, uncomplimentary commentary on his preference for dolls and dollhouses over action figures. Stylized art, with blocky designs and sometimes-wonky proportions, has a handmade feel. A rapid, platitudinal conclusion undercuts the real pain described throughout, but Damian’s lows (undergoing bullying, mourning his mother’s murder) and highs (getting a cat, realizing his sexual orientation) prompt deep empathy. Ages 10–14. (Sept.)■