photo courtesy of K. Reyes 1/2021
Bibliographic Information:
- Title: Heartstopper
- Author: Alice Oseman
- ISBN: 978-1-33861744-3 (hardcover)
- Publisher: Graphix an imprint of Scholastic
- Copyright Date: 2020
Genre [Format of the Title]:
- Graphic Novel, LGBTQ+, Realistic Fiction, Romance [Book]
Awards or Honors:
- YALSA Commended, 2021, Great Graphic Novels for Teens;
- YALSA Commended, 2021, Quick Picks for Reluctant Young Readers (TeachingBooks.net, 2021)
Reading Level/Interest Level:
- Grade 7-12; high interest level for reluctant readers.
Plot Summary:
Charlie Spring attends Truham Grammar School for Boys where he meets Nick, your stereotypical rugby player. Charlie is already out and is in a toxic relationship with another boy, Ben, who is manipulative and wants to keep his relationship with Charlie a secret. Nick convinces Charlie to join the rugby team and they become fast friends.
Charlie Spring attends Truham Grammar School for Boys where he meets Nick, your stereotypical rugby player. Charlie is already out and is in a toxic relationship with another boy, Ben, who is manipulative and wants to keep his relationship with Charlie a secret. Nick convinces Charlie to join the rugby team and they become fast friends.
Author Background:
Alice Oseman was born in 1994 in Kent, England and attended a single-sex grammar school in a conservative town. She writes YA novels and began writing Heartstoppers initially as a backstory for one of her YA characters in her debut YA novel, Solitaire (Oseman, 2020). She wrote her first YA novel when she was seventeen and published it a few years later at the age of nineteen. The authenticity of her novel, Heartstopper, comes from her own personal experience as a queer person who grew up in a community and around people similar to those in Heartstopper (Z, S., Booth, J., Olsen, A., & Blum, M., 2019). Her second novel, Radio Silence, has more diverse characters and she wrote this while attending her last year studying English Literature at the University of Durham (Sproull, 2016).
Alice Oseman was born in 1994 in Kent, England and attended a single-sex grammar school in a conservative town. She writes YA novels and began writing Heartstoppers initially as a backstory for one of her YA characters in her debut YA novel, Solitaire (Oseman, 2020). She wrote her first YA novel when she was seventeen and published it a few years later at the age of nineteen. The authenticity of her novel, Heartstopper, comes from her own personal experience as a queer person who grew up in a community and around people similar to those in Heartstopper (Z, S., Booth, J., Olsen, A., & Blum, M., 2019). Her second novel, Radio Silence, has more diverse characters and she wrote this while attending her last year studying English Literature at the University of Durham (Sproull, 2016).
Click photo to access Alice Oseman's website. Screenshot courtesy of K. Reyes 4/2021.
Creative Use for a Library Program:
I would love to partner with our Art Club and art teacher for a couple of weeks of graphic story creation. Possibly (when COVID restrictions are over), have this coincide with our local Comic Con that draws such artists as Telgemeier and Kibusihi. I can see students reading this and creating their own Graphic Novel with an underlying social issue/cause.
I would love to partner with our Art Club and art teacher for a couple of weeks of graphic story creation. Possibly (when COVID restrictions are over), have this coincide with our local Comic Con that draws such artists as Telgemeier and Kibusihi. I can see students reading this and creating their own Graphic Novel with an underlying social issue/cause.
Critical Evaluation:
In under 300 pages of mostly graphics, this book captures the secret attraction that develops between Nick and Charlie and the turmoil that Nick experiences as all these emotions are new to him. Reading the book and looking at the art feels like reading someone’s diary, a feeling of illicit reading! Every panel tells a multi-layered emotional story. Charlie’s character is also multi-dimensional, captured within him is the angst, joy, and general confusion that comes with any teenager in love. There are only two colors (not counting the white background) used in this graphic novel: black and mint green. This simplified coloration forces the reader to focus on the story as the drawings convey in one panel what could take a paragraph or two to write, plus, it gives us a bit more interpretive power over the narrative as the minimalist colors provide just the basics of suggestive message. The rest we have to glean by reading the characters’ faces (or lack thereof) in each panel.
In under 300 pages of mostly graphics, this book captures the secret attraction that develops between Nick and Charlie and the turmoil that Nick experiences as all these emotions are new to him. Reading the book and looking at the art feels like reading someone’s diary, a feeling of illicit reading! Every panel tells a multi-layered emotional story. Charlie’s character is also multi-dimensional, captured within him is the angst, joy, and general confusion that comes with any teenager in love. There are only two colors (not counting the white background) used in this graphic novel: black and mint green. This simplified coloration forces the reader to focus on the story as the drawings convey in one panel what could take a paragraph or two to write, plus, it gives us a bit more interpretive power over the narrative as the minimalist colors provide just the basics of suggestive message. The rest we have to glean by reading the characters’ faces (or lack thereof) in each panel.
Speed-Round Book Talk:
So you’re falling in love with the boy who asked you to play Rugby with his team. But you have to get rid of other toxic relationships first and then, you have to figure out how much you really want this new relationship because you know that this nice boy doesn’t really know much about himself...yet. Read and find out what Charlie does and whether Nick figures out himself in time.
So you’re falling in love with the boy who asked you to play Rugby with his team. But you have to get rid of other toxic relationships first and then, you have to figure out how much you really want this new relationship because you know that this nice boy doesn’t really know much about himself...yet. Read and find out what Charlie does and whether Nick figures out himself in time.
Potential Challenge Issues and Defense Preparation:
First the trigger warning: there is sexual assault in the beginning and an almost rape scene early in the story and then again around page 79. Also, panels with profanity in large text. But Oseman depicts a realistic look at school relationships, bullying, homophobia and on a brief note, interracial relationships. Libraries need to provide books like these so that students can see themselves represented in the books they read. It also creates a more welcoming scene for the LGBTQ+ students who are largely invisible and should be recognized.
First the trigger warning: there is sexual assault in the beginning and an almost rape scene early in the story and then again around page 79. Also, panels with profanity in large text. But Oseman depicts a realistic look at school relationships, bullying, homophobia and on a brief note, interracial relationships. Libraries need to provide books like these so that students can see themselves represented in the books they read. It also creates a more welcoming scene for the LGBTQ+ students who are largely invisible and should be recognized.
Reason for Inclusion:
I loved the graphics and the depth in the simplicity of Oseman’s art. There are so many students like Nick who may be questioning themselves and Charlie who knows exactly who he is and isn’t willing to compromise, and Ben who is just a jerk and hasn’t quite transcended to kind human being. This story belongs to so many students and is worth reading.
I loved the graphics and the depth in the simplicity of Oseman’s art. There are so many students like Nick who may be questioning themselves and Charlie who knows exactly who he is and isn’t willing to compromise, and Ben who is just a jerk and hasn’t quite transcended to kind human being. This story belongs to so many students and is worth reading.
- A bit long (24min:41sec) but very interesting. Listen to Alice Oseman discuss how this book eventually got published.
REFERENCES
Oseman, A. (2021). About. Alice Oseman Author. https://www.aliceoseman.com/about.
Oseman, A. (2020). Heartstopper. Graphix, an imprint of Scholastic.
Oseman, A. (2019 January 17). How my webcomic got published [Video file]. YouTube. https://youtu.be/QWASZy4Rr64
Sproull, P. (2016, February 22). Alice Oseman: Romance is not the centre of my world. The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/childrens-books-site/2016/feb/22/alice-oseman-radio-silence-solitaire-teen-ya-books.
TeachingBooks.net. (2021). Heartstopper, Vol. 1. TeachingBooks. https://www.teachingbooks.net/tb.cgi?tid=74361#Award.
Z, S., Booth, J., Olsen, A., & Blum, M. (2019, September 5). Author Alice Oseman Discusses Her Graphic Novel 'Heartstopper' as Scholastic Announces US Release. GeekDad. https://geekdad.com/2019/09/author-alice-oseman-discusses-her-graphic-novel-heartstopper-as-scholastic-announces-us-release/.
Oseman, A. (2020). Heartstopper. Graphix, an imprint of Scholastic.
Oseman, A. (2019 January 17). How my webcomic got published [Video file]. YouTube. https://youtu.be/QWASZy4Rr64
Sproull, P. (2016, February 22). Alice Oseman: Romance is not the centre of my world. The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/childrens-books-site/2016/feb/22/alice-oseman-radio-silence-solitaire-teen-ya-books.
TeachingBooks.net. (2021). Heartstopper, Vol. 1. TeachingBooks. https://www.teachingbooks.net/tb.cgi?tid=74361#Award.
Z, S., Booth, J., Olsen, A., & Blum, M. (2019, September 5). Author Alice Oseman Discusses Her Graphic Novel 'Heartstopper' as Scholastic Announces US Release. GeekDad. https://geekdad.com/2019/09/author-alice-oseman-discusses-her-graphic-novel-heartstopper-as-scholastic-announces-us-release/.
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