Amelia Rules! True Things (Adults Don’t Want Kids to Know) by Jimmy Gownley

Gownley, J. (2010). Amelia rules!: True things (adults don’t want kids to know). New York,

     NY: Atheneum Books for Young Readers.

Amelia Rules! True Things (Adults Don’t Want Kids to Know) by Jimmy Gownley is a graphic novel about an eleven year old girl’s life. Amelia Rules! is a series and this particular edition focuses on Amelia’s 11th birthday, her plummeting school career, her heart-breaking crush, and her aunt’s new adventure. Amelia starts her 11th year with a magical birthday complete with a special performance by her rockstar aunt Tanner who performs a song for and about Amelia. However, some things take a turn for the worse as Amelia continues to struggle with her parents’ recent divorce, bickering friends, and her crush who is just not that into her. In the end, Amelia learns some things about herself and grows up a little along the way.

I am still new to the graphic novel genre and my first impression of graphic novels, including this one, is one of apprehension. I tend to not expect a lot from graphic novels, but so far I have been pleasantly surprised. This graphic novel had a great underlying message about growing up and experiencing the ups and downs of adolescent life. Amelia, the main character, has to deal with her parents going through a divorce. Since many children have to experience divorce they could easily relate to Amelia and her frustrations. Further, most children have an adolescence full of ups and downs where they must make mistakes and learn to succeed and fail just like Amelia. This book is certainly relatable to middle school aged children.

I found that I really enjoyed the illustrations in this graphic novel. They are simple, but expressive. I especially like the use of various types of thought and speech bubbles. The shape, color, and texture of the bubbles change depending upon what the character is thinking or speaking. I think they add a lot to the overall meaning of the text.

This book could easily be used for a literature circle especially because it is a series and deals with relevant themes for middle school students. Students could read and discuss several of the books in the series. Additionally, Amelia Rules! True Things (Adults Don’t Want Kids to Know) would be a good mentor text for students to use to create their own graphic novel.

(Image from https://www.juniorlibraryguild.com/books/view.dT/9781416986119)