Saturday Morning Cartoons- Lola and Grace

Most of the time, I can read books from the perspective of tweens, and I certainly am not a snob about writing styles or content. My own preference as a tween was realistic fiction with a bit of romance, but, man, I did not personally like these two books! Maybe I was just tired (read them first thing on spring break) and crabby, because even though the girls were approaching romance and friendship in a fairly modern way, a lot of their actions just seemed... off. I was also unreasonably annoyed by the hair in the faces of so many characters, the lying to the parents, and the kissing in public. And the bare midriffs. So, yeah, we can chalk my reaction up to me being old. 

As the pharmacist who gave me my first pneumonia vaccine said, I'm "old, but not OLD old."

BéKa and Maya (Illustrator). The Love Report #2
February 13, 2024 by Hippo Park
Copy provided by the publisher

Lola and Grace are back after their adventures in The Love Report, and Grace is trying to figure out how to go back and forth between her divorced parents and stay organized. Their friend Darius rents the building where the kids had been working on their art, and Adele in particular is glad to have a space to paint murals. Sean is saying mean things to Felicity, and thinks that he can blackmail her into going out with him by telling her that all of the negative things being said about her will stop if she does. This is not an effective strategy, and just makes Felicity even more angry. Grace is interested in her new neighbor, Abe, who also plays guitar. When Adele is offered a chance to go to Sardinia to paint, she wants to take her friends with her. At first, they try to lie to their parents about who will be chaperoning, but once they are honest, they are allowed to go. In Sardinia, the local boys  bother the girls, and Lola does not feel confident about her body, since she is skinny and not as developed as her friends. Charlie has decided to stay home, and her self involved parents leave her locked out of the house. She calls Lola and Grace, and they arrange for her to get help from Abe. The two both like anime, and develop a romance. Back in Sardinia, the girls gain some self confidence and are able to stand up to the local boys, and have a good trip. 

This is a French import, and while there is a lot of good information about body positivity, relationships, and sexual harassment, a lot of it seems slightly odd, due to cultural differences. My students don't seem to mind; they ADORE this series, as well as Tessier's Chloe books, which come across the same way. 

The Love Report books are more like manga than graphic novels, and are bound to be very popular with readers of Chmakova's Berrybrook Middle School or Hale's Best Friends. The artwork is particularly gorgeous. 

BéKa and Maya (Illustrator). The Love Report #3

April 15, 2025 by Hippo Park

Copy provided by the publisher

Abe is worried that he is "ugly, but nice" because of his acne, even though he fights with his mother when she suggests taking him to a dermatologist. He is enjoying hanging out with Charlie, but things get complicated when Grace asks Charlie to find out who Abe's girlfriend is. Instead of simply replying that the two of them are, in fact, dating, Charlie agrees to find out the information. New student Gabriel is very anxious, and often talking to a figment of his imagination which makes him an easy target for the ever evil Sean. Sean also has a revealing selfie of a girl in their class, and is using it to get information about classmates. He also starts an "ugliest couple" contest. When Adele and Felicity kiss in public, this sends ripples through the school, and Collette approaches the two and says she would rather hang out with them than her usual popular crowd, since they are so "trendy". When Adele gets her period for the first time and has horrible cramps, the male gym teacher makes a joke about it, but Felicity stands up to him, and the two go to the school nurse, who is more sympathetic. When Sean posts the winner of the "ugliest couple" contest, Grace finds out that Abe is seeing Charlie. Lola is interested in Gabriel, but the two are both shy and awkward. When Lola and Grace find out that Sean has pictures of Collette, they manage to get his phone and delete them so she no longer has to do his dirty work and spy on others... but she sends him another one with a text that she is still willing to do his bidding. 

Tweens love drama, and this has both friend and romantic relationship drama. Like earlier books in the series, it addresses many social situations like public kisses, period positivity, and a cautionary tale about revealing selfies, but in a French way that is just slightly different from how those issues would be addressed in the US. The manga style artwork is very pretty. Readers who like the graphic novel drama  of Raina Telgemaier but aren't quite ready for books like Oseman's Heartstopper will swoon over these titles.