A sweet graphic novel about the joys and challenges of big family life, and learning to adapt to life changes. My fourth grader loved it.

Representation: Asian main and side characters
Trigger warnings: Disappearance of children, depression, bullying
Score: Seven points out of ten.
This review can also be found on The StoryGraph.

This was a massive step up from Allergic, made by the same authors, but I still had some bones to pick with this book. Nonetheless, I enjoyed it. Let's start with the positives: I appreciated the art and colour palette of this novel since it was easy to look at and looked realistic, and I liked the main character, Avery, at times since she wants some space and she's an artist. Now, the downsides of this novel. There are a lot of them that could've been improved to make it better. Avery had six siblings, including five younger siblings and one older one, Theo. They were primarily in the background. They didn't have many characteristics between them. I sympathised with Theo since he was in an irritable mood most of the time, and it might be a mental illness; I don't know since the book didn't explore this plot point deeply enough.

Half of the book was essentially filler, which could have been cut out during the editing process since it focuses on the other side characters and minor plot points like the fair and Avery's art that weren't that important to the story. There were still significant plot points the story has yet to go into. Avery Lee was sometimes hard to read since she was so frustrated that her mother will move in the future because of her new job. She even hoped that she would fail the job interview, which I didn't like, and she sometimes shouted at her family when she was frustrated or stressed, which was understandable. Towards the second half of the book, two younger siblings try to run back to their old home from Oregon, but they don't go that far and instead take refuge at some character's house whose name I forgot, but I'm surprised that no one even noticed except Avery. I had one last question: how are Avery's parents coping with seven children to look after? That plot point was not explored other than her parents saying that they were part of a big family and liked the support network, and they tried to replicate that, but I couldn't relate. In the end, Avery got used to her new home and place. That was the end of the book, which was a mixed bag. ( )

Eleven-year-old Avery Lee is the second-oldest of the seven Lee kids. Artistic Avery dreams of having quiet and her own space, but only the oldest, Theo (13), gets his own room, and toddler Max (2) gets moved into the room Avery already shares with Pearl (8). Avery tries to earn enough money to convert their basement into another bedroom, but in the meantime, her mom is interviewing for a job in Oregon, across the country from their home in Maryland. Theo, who's being bullied at school - one of his bullies is the older brother of one of Avery's best friends - is game for the move, but for Avery, it's way too much change, and it means she'll miss the end-of-summer fair and the art show.

Ultimately, it's not up to the kids: the parents decide to move, and Avery will, after all, get her own room. Throughout, readers will empathize with Avery, even as they see that a crowded house isn't all bad: Avery has lots of sweet moments with her siblings too.

Notes/Quotes

Framed photo of the family (every last Lee!) with caption boxes and arrows to identify everyone's names and ages. (15)

"I don't want everything to change! I like quiet and my own space! And in this family, everything's, like...full of chaos! All the time! I try so hard to be okay with it...but it's hard for me." (189)

"So if we're ever at this creek again, it will be different and we'll be different, too. Everything's always changing."
"Whether we want it to or not." (Cam and Avery, 196) ( )

Avery is the second oldest of seven children in her large Korean-American family. She's not old enough to get her own room like big brother Theo but she's old enough to help care for the younger kids. Avery just wants to go to the big fair with her best friends, work on an entry for the art contest, and earn enough money to remodel a room of her own in the basement. Lloyd and Nutter capture a family chaos that is loving and lively. ( )

Pretty cute graphic novel about Avery, the second oldest of seven... navigating the ending of elementary school, friendships, wanting her own room, and the possibility of moving.

I think if I had a large family, I would find this book immensely relatable. As it is, I know my readers will love it.

I appreciated the love of family that overarched through the whole book. Sure it wasn't always sunshine and roses but unlike many stories, this one had a comraderie that prevailed. It was a tribute to a functional family unit. It's a rarity these days. ( )