Starred Review for Kirkus Reviews (Mon Feb 06 00:00:00 CST 2023)

Jaime's best friend, Maya, is acting strangely—as a matter of fact, so are all of Jaime's circle of friends. With this the last day of seventh grade before summer, Jaime needs to get to the bottom of what appears to be a coup to kick her out of their friendship circle. Maya has been nominated by the newest, most attention-seeking and controlling member of the group, Celia, to break the bad news to Jaime that she's indeed been voted out of the group. From the time Jaime and Maya see each other on the morning bus throughout the tension-filled day that feels like a roller-coaster ride, both dread the confrontation. But while being ostracized, Jaime is invited to a new friend group, and Maya finds herself ambivalent about being led by the nose by the popular Celia, who holds all of the strings of power within their circle. When Jaime reaches an emotional breaking point, her French teacher, Madame Zukosky, sympathetically shares her own experiences, even confessing to having ghosted a friend long ago. Libenson writes in alternating chapters from the first-person perspectives of Jaime and Maya, mixing prose with sketches and comics panels, punctuating both with humorous dialogue readers will find familiar and sometimes painful. Jaime has brown skin and Maya, white, but cultural background plays no part in the story.A delightful tale that navigates the precarious ebb and flow of friendship dynamics. (Graphic/fiction hybrid. 8-12)

ALA Booklist (Mon Apr 01 00:00:00 CDT 2019)

It's the last day of seventh grade, and Jaime just wants everything to go well. Her best friend since kindergarten, Maya, has been hot and cold lately, spending more and more time with charismatic Celia and gossipy Grace, but all they seem to want to do is put on makeup and talk about, ugh, boys. Meanwhile, Maya is frustrated that Jaime can't see that they've all changed and matured, while Jamie's still kinda, well, babyish. I mean, she's still in a training bra and not even into kissing boys! She's basically stuck in fifth grade. Told skillfully in alternating dual narratives from both girls' points of view ime in handwriting font and funny illustrations, Maya in traditional graphic-novel format is story is simultaneously incredibly original and utterly universal. The emotional roller-coaster of navigating friendships as they change shape, particularly in middle school, is portrayed with admirable sincerity, gentle humor, heartbreaking pain, and of course plenty of texts and emojis. Libenson weaves a beautiful, accessible, layered story yet again.

Horn Book (Thu Aug 01 00:00:00 CDT 2019)

Libenson continues to explore middle school's "huge bowl of drama soup." This third installment spans the last day of seventh grade for a group of friends. Popular Celia convinces Maya to text friend-since-kindergarten Jaime and dump her from the group for being too immature. Libenson presents characters willing to face and question their motives. Jaime's point of view is told via text and small interspersed drawings; Maya's is in a comics-style format.

Kirkus Reviews (Fri Oct 04 00:00:00 CDT 2024)

Jaime's best friend, Maya, is acting strangely—as a matter of fact, so are all of Jaime's circle of friends. With this the last day of seventh grade before summer, Jaime needs to get to the bottom of what appears to be a coup to kick her out of their friendship circle. Maya has been nominated by the newest, most attention-seeking and controlling member of the group, Celia, to break the bad news to Jaime that she's indeed been voted out of the group. From the time Jaime and Maya see each other on the morning bus throughout the tension-filled day that feels like a roller-coaster ride, both dread the confrontation. But while being ostracized, Jaime is invited to a new friend group, and Maya finds herself ambivalent about being led by the nose by the popular Celia, who holds all of the strings of power within their circle. When Jaime reaches an emotional breaking point, her French teacher, Madame Zukosky, sympathetically shares her own experiences, even confessing to having ghosted a friend long ago. Libenson writes in alternating chapters from the first-person perspectives of Jaime and Maya, mixing prose with sketches and comics panels, punctuating both with humorous dialogue readers will find familiar and sometimes painful. Jaime has brown skin and Maya, white, but cultural background plays no part in the story.A delightful tale that navigates the precarious ebb and flow of friendship dynamics. (Graphic/fiction hybrid. 8-12)