Crush (Akward #3)

Chmakova, Svetlana. Crush (Akward #3)
October 30th 2018 by JY/ Yen Press
E ARC from Netgalley

Jorge struggles with his role in the school. He is an athlete, but doesn't much care for the way the other members of his team act. He has a huge crush on Jazmine, and asks her to the big athletic ball, but struggles with how to talk to her on a daily basis. There's lots of boy/girl drama at school, with people breaking up and getting back together, and Jorge doesn't want to be part of that. He enjoys working with the newspaper on the sports beat, and has a good friend in Liv, who helps him understand a bit about Jazmine. There are lots of current social topics discussed in this book. Coach Rashad delivers perhaps the first "body autonomy" speech in middle grade literature-- students are warned that no one is allowed to touch them without their permission, and that a teacher should be contacted if someone does. Of course, some of the boys think this is funny, but they are swiftly put in their place. There is also some cyber bullying, when Garrett doesn't log out of Jorge's account before getting involved in group chat and says mean things about Jazmine. The dance goes well, and Jorge and Jazmine continue their tenuous romance.
Strengths: This is definitely a much higher quality graphic novel series than many. The stories are substantial, the characters well developed, and the drawing very pleasant. The understanding of middle school social interactions and volatile romance is good. Jorge is a quiet, athletic character who struggles socially, and we don't have too many characters like that in middle grade literature.
Weaknesses: This is a bit on the preachy side on several topics, but students won't care.
What I really think: Definitely purchasing, and with any luck someone will lose the copy when it gets too worn out. Hope that a replacement will be available. Graphic novels frequently fall apart or are lost by students, and often can't be replaced!