This book just so fun and joyful. I really loved how rounded and organically shaped the art was, particularly the characters. I also adored the soft, nearly pastel pallet used throughout the book.

Thanks to Sarah Burgess, her team and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC. The fact that I could read this book as an ARC does not influence my review. The author asked for my honest opinion, so that's what I'm providing here.

Skip! follows Jay, a shy kid who struggles with making friends. One day, encouraged by their mother to join some club, they meet Beah's and her Double Dutch team, Skip. Beah and Jay become the best of friends, but their friendship gets very intense very soon. How will Jay deal with this friendship while also trying to find out how to be their own person?

Skip! is a short and sweet middle grade graphic novel about finding a place to belong and people to be yourself around. I loved how Jay was non-binary, but the novel doesn't try to focus on that aspect too much, it's just a part of the character. The story is more about first love and trying to navigate that relationship while not wanting to lose that person as a friend. I also really liked how Beah wasn't made out to be perfect. She can be very bossy and intense. She goes as far as trying to make sure Jay doesn't become friends with her brother, even though it's clear they want to be. She almost manipulates them at some point. Still, she doesn't do it because she's a bad person, she just made some mistakes and I think it's very impressive how Burgess manages to show that in this story. The last thing I enjoyed in Skip! is how the raps Jay comes up with are written into the story. I really liked seeing what they came up with, even when there's no one but Jay themselves around to hear it.

I don't think I would pick this book up in a store, but that's just because of personal preferences and I still think this is really worth a read!

Jay, like many artistically inclined teenagers, is pretty socially isolated, spending most of their free time at home writing poetry. That is until, at their mother’s suggestion, they search for an after-school club where they could fit in. They try dance to no success before bumping into Double Dutch expert Beah who invites them to her team Skip. Friendship ensues from there along with the obligatory YA intergroup and interpersonal drama.

Sarah Burgess’s debut published graphic novel has a lot of light-hearted fun to offer through its love for Double-Dutch and the organic cast dynamics manifesting through it. The stakes are relatively low clique rivalry fare that’ll primarily appeal and be relatable to the book’s young target audience while the game aspects will rouse the attention of a wider range of readers due to the engaging presentation. It’s common for sports-themed stories to be so caught up in their character drama that the sport is relegated to a backdrop, but I can sense here just as much effort is put into representing the game itself.

While I’m neutral towards Double Dutch, these pages grabbed my full attention which I would attribute to the freeform composition drawing you into the action with the ropes feeling like a separate entity controlling the scene. Moments like when the colors are outside of their lines accentuate the game’s high intensity from the player’s POV.

Of course, even with great choreography, a story needs a good cast to stand on its legs which I think Skip! does succeed in. Jay develops into a more socially outgoing person over the book’s course but retains their introverted tendencies so their change never feels sudden. Beah is the enthusiastic friend who’s happy to invite other people to her hobby but can get too passionate about it which does become a point of conflict between her and Jay later during the book. Although adults don’t have a major presence, the few ones that are shown are genuinely sympathetic, especially Jay’s mom. Similar to many parents, she doesn’t get all of her kid’s motions, but her intentions are always in the right place. Furthermore, she goes out of her way to support Jay’s creative pursuits while encouraging them to venture outside of their comfort zone and giving them personal space where needed.

Overall, Skip! did not skip a beat in crafting an engaging plot with animated choreography. I would highly recommend it to middle-grade and YA readers looking for a light entertaining read that’ll elicit some smiles and excitement.

Skip! chronicles the artistic Jay as they navigate the ups and downs of building new friendships and finding their voice through creative expression.
These characters felt lived in, including being immature and sulky and sometimes selfish, in the very real way that most teenagers can be. I found this book to be a bit predictable, but maybe that’s because I’ve been there, after school, in that fight with a new friend.
I enjoyed reading Jay’s journey and if there is a sequel in the works I will read it too!

Thank you to NetGalley for this advance copy.

I loved this sweet story of friendship and finding your place--even if you're not 100% sure what that is yet! Joy is a wonderful character, and they're rendered in a really fun way. Their facial expressions are so relatable as someone who has anxiety and sometimes feels like a nobody, too. This would be an absolutely great Middle Grade graphic novel to have in your back pocket for Readers Advisory in a library for readers who enjoy sporty stories with heart or friendship stories with a fun twist, or to recommend to a kid in your life who needs to know they can be seen even if they don't fit into easy-to-define boxes.

Another friendship story! Kids today are so lucky to have such great representations of true friendship, kindness, and diverse identities.

The bullying part of the storyline was never fully resolved and that was somewhat a breath of fresh air. Standing up to bullies is important, but so is realizing that much of the time there are no easy answers.

The art was not really my thing. It felt faint, cluttered, and sometimes hard to follow.

Overall, I would recommend this book to graphic novel readers looking for more realistic fiction.

A warm and uplifting story told through utterly vibrant artwork, heartfelt lyrics and a dynamic cast of characters and their relationships. Definitely one to read and enjoy over and over.

An extremely cute teen comic about -- well, it's not really about double dutch, actually, it's about finding your voice, and learning not to overpower people. I love that we had a nonbinary lead and that wasn't a big deal, and the beginning crushes you can see, and the strong friendships. The way the characters hurt each other when they were upset felt very real as well. I feel like it didn't entirely end at the right place -- it resolved the central conflict, but it felt like there was no denoument to it -- but it is still well-paced and charming and takes its time with the story it wants to tell.

"Skip!" is a funny coming-of-age graphic novel about Jay, a nonbinary teen who is adopted into a double Dutch team. With beautiful, sketchy artwork and heartwarming themes of friendship, finding where you belong, and standing up for yourself, this book is perfect for teens and adults alike.

The story was truly amazing, but I also particularly enjoyed the art. The color palettes used were exceptionally beautiful, and the expressive gestures and stylization really enhanced the novel.

"Is it weird that I don’t have a category?
But you do have a category! You’re Jay! Category… Jay!"

"Skip!" tells the story of Jay, a very shy kid who struggles with the outside world and school every day.
Things change, however, when they meet the effervescent Beah, who is passionate about double dutch and doesn't let anyone step on her toes.

Although I found the graphic novel particularly enjoyable to read, I think the relationships between the characters developed too quickly. Furthermore, I found the protagonists of the story two-dimensional: I would have liked more insight into their personalities and a story that took its own pace to unravel.

I did appreciate, however, that double dutch was the sport that formed the backdrop to the story: not being English, I was unfamiliar with it and it was interesting to delve into it. I also loved the drawing style and the colour palette chosen.

Thank you #Netgalley for provinding the ARC of #Skip for an honest review.

A coming of age story about Jay, who feels like they don’t fit in anywhere, finding true friends. I wish there was more development with Jay feeling at home with the art club and still being friends with Bea, but overall a positive story.

As much as I was captivated by the cover at first, the art style of the interior was less convincing. In addition, the enlarged portrayal of emotions was a bit disturbing after a while. But for the message it has to say, I would still recommend the book, because it is about the importance of friendships and supporting each other. To top it all off, it includes skipping rope and slam poetry, which are interesting on their own, and together they make a rather exciting combination. And our protagonist Jay, along with the reader, can't quite decide whether he's a boy or a girl. There are themes typical of high school students, such as verbal abuse and rivalries, but what stuck with me was that the most important thing is the time spent with friends.

I like the coming of age story, self-discovery thing, and also the Double Dutch sport which is unique, rarely brought up. However, I found the flow of the story to be not as enjoyable as expected. However, overall, the graphic novel has a great message. Thank you NetGalley for the ARC in exchange of a review.

Lovely graphic novel for upper key stage two and early secondary age.

Jay doesn’t have that many friends and finds it hard to talk to people. He is a shy person who doesn’t quite know where his talents lie.

His mum is worried that he doesn’t have friends so when he find a group to hang out with after school and to go to a sleepover with, she is over the moon.

The friendship between Jay and Beau is lovely sowing the intricacies of navigating a friendship whilst also being true to yourself.

First of all, thank you Netgalley for provinding this eARC for an honest review. #Skip #NetGalley

Sadly, this graphic novel didn't really work for me even if I liked it and it was sooo easy and quickly to read (note that i know nothing about double dutch and English is not my mothertongue). In this book, we can find Jay, a nonbinary(?) kid who doesn't really fit in much, but makes friends who are interested in double dutch.

While the art was gorgeous (it doesn't follow the classic format, panels just flow into each other), I had some problems with the characters, they are flat, soooo focused in their interests. Moreover, I didn't like how much Jay (was/were?) obsessed with Beah and neither I like the development of the friendship, it felt like it was going too fast.

On the other hand, I must admit that I knew nothing about double dutch and thanks to this book I search a bit about it but I didn't think it was going to be the main character.

I don't like when books put lyrics in the story without giving a rhythm or similar sounding song so I can understand what it would sound like. It takes me out of the story so I just skip the songs altogether. The songs were probably lovely when the author thought of them, but I can't imagine what it sounds like so I end up hating it. But even ignoring that, the lyrics were kinda bad. The graphics were nice enough.

I loved this book so much! It was a joy to read from start to finish, even through the hard parts. The art was playful and energetic in a way that will allow younger audiences to be drawn in a FEEL what the characters are expressing. Plus, the writing is witty and funny. I think any young person will enjoy reading this book and seeing two different character chase their dreams and how supporting one another and taking your own paths are equally important.

I received a free ARC from Andrews McMeel Publishing via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Jay needs an afterschool hobby and a place to fit in. Jay meets and starts to fall for Beah who is obsessed with double-dutch and joins her team. Jay is better at poetry and making rhymes, but Jay’s skill at helping the beat of the ropes helps the team. Jay starts to realize they want more than just double-dutch and Beah gets upset by this. Jay needs a place to fit in, but also wants to keep their friends.

There were things I liked about this book and things I didn’t. I liked the ease of the LGBTQ+ inclusivity – but I had issues with the story flow through the artwork. The artwork didn’t move my eye through the panels well. I also wanted more focus on Jay finding their place and the ending didn’t quite nail it for me. Beah was a little sharp in personality and I felt it could have been tackled a bit more. The story was readable and unique, I wanted to keep reading.

Skip! by Sarah Burgess is a burst of vibrant, double-dutching energy. Jay, who struggles with fitting is an introverted nonbinary kid, They cross paths with Beah, the complete opposite – fierce, charming, and a total Double Dutch enthusiast. Suddenly, Jay's got a place where they truly belong, and some friends who they can feel comfortable with. But can they truly fit in?

This graphic novel is all about self-acceptance, and finding your unique voice in the world. And Sarah Burgess, the debut author-illustrator, has spun this tale in a way that's just mesmerizing. Her art style is like a beautiful dance on the pages, sprinkled with humor and some serious sports drama. So, if you're into heartwarming stories about friendship and self-discovery Skip! is your jam is a rainbow-colored journey that's worth every skip and jump.

This is a super cute graphic novel about friendship, identity and finding your voice. I really loved the enby representation and how everyone was accepting Jay as who they are without questioning their gender identity. The dialogues are simple and mostly easy to follow, only a couple of pages a little bit chaotic and it‘s more difficult to know which is the correct order to read. I really liked the bubbly and colorful artstyle even though it‘s slightly different than the cover image that first captured my attention. The story is quite short and very character oriented and I‘m sure everyone can relate to at least one of the characters.