Copyright Date:
2023
Edition Date:
2023
Release Date:
10/24/23
Pages:
85 pages
ISBN:
1-603-09530-6
ISBN 13:
978-1-603-09530-3
Dewey:
Fic
Dimensions:
26 cm.
Language:
English
Reviews:
Kirkus Reviews
High school besties Nathalie and Marie are back in a new collection that reveals the origins of their yearslong friendship and the eponymous game of hypotheticals they like to play.The major story arc is a joking wish on a lamp that catapults the girls into a fairy tale. Our heroes are no damsels in distress, however, and their predicament provides a rich setup for exploring the powers of naming and identity. Bookending the primary adventure is a series of episodic one-shots that capture the reality and cringe comedy of being a teen, including scholastic struggles, crushes, and gym class. Readers new to the series are cleverly oriented through several pages of opening character sheets. Yet those unfamiliar with the first collection may struggle to keep up with the repartee and frenzied movement between panels. Interludes, such as letters and an activity book, help measure the pacing without dampening the joy. A poignant two-page spread alluding to the Covid-19 pandemic, juxtaposed with Nathalie's and Marie's opposite approaches to lockdown, creates one of several beautiful moments. The teens' sincere friendship (with a side of good-natured ribbing) is grounded in mutual respect and love. Except for a villain, adults are out of frame or obscured by word bubbles. Most characters appear white; Marie reads Black and has a white grandfather.A zany, surreal compilation that reframes and celebrates female friendship. (Graphic fiction. 13-17)
Teen girls rewrite the universe every day… but now they’re going even further! Reunite with Nathalie and Marie — and their new friend/crush Jane Doe — for their wildest, most hilarious games of imagination yet, including an extended fantasy epic!
Marie and Nathalie are the queens of make-believe. They’ve run through every scenario that is possible, somewhat plausible, or frankly unbelievable: secret-agent ninjas launching a surprise-attack on an ice-cream stand, super-heroes hell-bent on making country music disappear, even lost astronauts condemned to spend millions of light-years in another dimension. The name of the game? “What If We Were…”
But all of this was a mere prelude to “What If We Were… For Real!” This new version is just like the classic game, minus the mental gymnastics of thinking up fantasy scenarios. Because now Marie and Nathalie’s wildest fantasies are coming true… for real!
Let’s hope that years of practice have readied the girls for this new challenge, because they’re headed back in time on a magical quest to a new realm, where they must defeat their physics teacher, a master of black magic and sinister kidnappings!
Good luck, girls!