Inbetweens

In 1999, two artists eager to pursue careers in animation must reckon with the reality of the dreams they once idealized in this bighearted graphic novel by former animator Hicks (Hockey Girl Loves Drama Boy). Though they sometimes feel like opposites, tween twins Ash and Sloane have always shared a love of drawing. When both girls are accepted into a summer program at Ormdale College, a prestigious Canadian animation school, gregarious Ash finds herself looking forward to meeting new kids who also like creating, while reserved Sloane worries that taking art more seriously could turn drawing into a hardship rather than a joy. Upon arriving at Ormdale, the pair struggle to navigate self-doubt, misogynistic mentors who discount the work of female students, and finding their own artistic vision. As differences in their attitudes threaten the sanctity of the twins’ relationship, they must rely on new friends to rediscover their devotion to their craft—and each other. Warm and expressive illustrations render this passionate ode to hand-drawn animation, named for the transitional images between key frames “at neither the end nor the beginning of the action.” It’s at once a love letter to creativity and the bonds of sisterhood as well as a clear-eyed glimpse into the highs and lows of being a working artist and a woman in a male-dominated field. Ash and Sloane have pale skin. Ages 10–14. Agent: Bernadette Baker-Baughman, Victoria Sanders Literary. (Mar.)