June Staff Picks!

Betty's Pick

Someday Perfect by Kat Schneider

Ahh imagine it’s summer in the early aughts and you’re at a sleepaway summer camp. Your friends are there, and there’s a beautiful lake and a lovely forest to traipse about in. There’s even a cute boy that you have been thinking about since last summer, and you are shooting glances at him from across the hall and jumping in the lake together. Sounds nostalgic and dreamy doesn’t it? This is where we find ourselves in Someday Perfect by Kat Schneider.

Now imagine that your dad is a leader at the camp. Oh, and it’s a conservative Christian sleepaway camp. And, you have to wear skirts that are below knee length and act “appropriately” and serve food to everyone. AND you have to eat last, which means sometimes portions are meager. Oh, right, you’re also a teenager and figuring out what you believe, and your hormones are raging and your sense of self is fragile. This is all decidedly less dreamy, and makes me grateful to be an independent adult.

These two poles of experience – a sparkly teen crush at summer camp and uncomfortable gender expectations and teenage anxiety–are playing tug of war in this young adult graphic novel. Kat, the author and illustrator, strikes a balance between these two forces through her  main character, Meg, who is neither chugging the religious Kool Aid nor completely turning her back on her faith. I found Meg’s apotheosis–no spoilers!--to be believable, impactful, and–thankfully after the meager portions–feminist.

The quality of the artwork made reading Meg’s story even more enjoyable and nuanced. There are a handful of full page magical realist spreads that I poured over and underpinned Meg’s emotional and philosophical journey. One of them even includes my #1 teenage crush, Aragorn/Viggo Mortensen as an Easter Egg! Other strengths of the visuals were the well-paced paneling and the “realness” of the character design. The characters weren’t overly stylized or glamorized, but it felt like Kat had a loving and sympathetic eye towards them.

I moved this May release to the top of my TBR on the recommendation of my friend, J Marshall Smith. He made the point that this book, though technically YA, would appeal to many adults especially those who grew up in the 90’s and 2000’s. I agree, and I also think people who grappled with their familial religion or household gender roles will find a lot to chew on here. Finally, I do think many teens, and even tweens would enjoy Someday Perfect. While it’s not the fluffy romance with sweetly religious flavor that the marketing material/book jacket would suggest, it is absolutely quintessentially YA. Meg asks and begins to answer the key YA question:  “Who am I and what am I going to do about it?” f