Tegan and Sara: Junior High

Tegan and Sara: Junior High is the first graphic novel in a proposed duology by Canadian music icons Tegan and Sara. This fictionalized autobiography is based on the twins’ childhood experiences, but it is set in present day.

The book, itself, is split into 18 chapters which cover an entire year of Tegan and Sara’s life. Each chapter covers a different theme or moment that was important to them or helped shape who they have become.

Beginning on the first day of grade seven, Sara and Tegan arrive at a new junior high school, anxious about what the new year will bring. Not only do they not know anyone at their new school, but they are in different classes, too. Shy and awkward at first, the twins slowly start to come out of their shells as they meet new friends and find new interests.

But as we all know, growing up is hard, as Tegan and Sara soon learn. After befriending the popular Noa, Tegan must contend with her mean-girl best friend who is jealous of their relationship. Sara, on the other hand, is also having a hard time with Tegan’s new relationship. After sharing everything their entire lives, she is finding it hard to grow up without her sister and best friend by her side.

And let us not forget about first crushes! One of the most beautifully written scenes centers around Tegan and Sara’s performing their first song at a birthday party. The lyrics, written about Sara’s crush on a girl named Roshini, perfectly capture the fear and exhilaration of first love.

Not surprisingly, the twins do come full circle and are able to overcome all the drama of grade seven. The book ends with Tegan and Sara entering their teens with all their friends by their side as they come to understand that growing up does not have to mean growing apart.

Brimming with crisp prose and age-appropriate dialogue, Tegan and Sara: Junior High is a fresh new entry in the middle grade graphic novel genre. Its main strength is the reality in which it portrays many major milestones in an adolescent’s life, from puberty and buying your first bra, to first crushes, and coming out. Not to mention the stunning illustrations by Tillie Walden, herself a twin. My favourite part of the book by far is the scene in which Sara and Tegan find their stepfather’s guitar in the garage and their lives are transformed as they leap into a world full of colour and light. Readers can literally see their musical transformation which adds so much joy to this already stellar graphic novel.

Overall, Tegan and Sara: Junior High is a very relatable and beautifully written story.