I loved this charming graphic novel memoir about Ramsey's transition for high school to art school. I think many students can relate to the challenges and benefits of living away from home and the changes that occur as a result. ( )

3.5

Kind of reminds me of Lucy Knisley's work. ( )

Mixed-media graphic memoir about difficult life transitions. ( )

Ramsey is off to art school to pursue her dreams - of being an artist, but also of getting out of her small town life. She so wanted to see what the world could offer outside of the friends she had known since she was born and the town where she knew everyone. At first, Ramsey is so unsure of herself; she doesn't feel like she fits in with the "city" kids, and she is lost in a college which is bigger than her hometown. But then she starts to make some friends, learn the ropes, and come into her own as she finds her identity away from her familiar life. Little fish is Ramsey's memoir of her freshman year of college; she tells her story through comics and lists, something she is obsessed with creating. The book represents the transition from high school to college, from small town to big city, from being comfortable to having to create a whole new identity. Ramsey's story is one everybody can relate to, whether they go to college or not; it is a story about going out on your own and finding your way. ( )

Little Fish: A Memoir from a Different Kind of Year by Ramsey Beyer is a hybrid memoir, zine, and graphic novel format account of her first year at art school in Baltimore. Originally from Paw Paw, Michigan, Ramsey felt like a little fish in a big sea.

Ramsey Beyer's memoir reminds me of two of my other favorite graphic novel format memoirs: Doodlebug by Karen Romano Young and Smile by Raina Tegemeier.

The memoir covers all the bases of the big move to college: the excitement mixed with apprehension moving into a dorm (one very similar to what I stayed in during my first year), and to those roommates and first friends. For anyone who has made a huge move in life or is contemplating one, I recommend this book with enthusiasm. ( )