The story was not bad and I’m sure it could appeal to teen readers but the art style and the flow really stressed me out. The characters (especially Beah) are so hyperactive ALL THE TIME (yelling, jumping,…) that it really didn’t help my anxiety. There’s nothing dramatic happening but the way it was drawn with a constant movement and the non stop talking was just too much for me.

Also, like other readers said Beah was not really likeable. And I got confused by their relationship: it was so intense I kept wondering if it was friendship or if it was hitting something more.
Thanks NetGalley for the ARC!

The title and cover of this book are great. It was a quick read about friendships and your love for something. One of the characters loves to skip rope. Her friends aren’t really good at it, but they have fun doing it together. That is where you bring in an ex-friend who wants to compete. Choices need to be made about friendships, communication and decisions on what to do. The story shows that there are many possibilities and one needs to look at all sides to the situations at hand.

None of these characters are likeable.
They’re all mean and rude and bully each other.
I was expecting something cute and silly and just got annoying. It’s unfortunate.

This is an interesting one to review. I thought it was a sweet story and enjoyed it overall. There is great representation and I loved the double-dutch aspect. That felt so nostalgic. However, I found the art style pretty to look at while struggling to actually read the words as the font and style clashed a bit when it came to readability. I had a hard time reading it even though I liked it a lot. This does make me wonder if it would be easier to read a physical copy instead of the digital ARC. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC!

A fun double Dutch MG graphic novel.
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Jay is a shy kid, not one to join anything, but when they meet Beah they’re in awe of her. Beah is loud and energetic and fun and a killer double Dutch jump rope champ. Beah asks Jay to be a part of their jump rope squad to hold the rope, which is fine with Jay, until a mean girl threatens them and their new relationship with Beah.
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Skip is a mostly charming graphic novel that deals with stepping outside your comfort zone, new friendships and first love. The artwork was a little chaotic and messy for me personally, which distracted from the story a bit. The relationship between Jay and Beah was also a little toxic and not written well, in my opinion.

CW: bullying, toxic friendship/relationship

This book was a cute enough story that some middle grade readers might enjoy. I did have a few minor issues with it though. The first one being the difference in font and how that made it a little difficult to read particularly in digital form. I understand the purpose for the font size changes, however I feel it could have been done in a way that didn't take away from the readability.

I also had an issue with the overall friendship and how some things were just brushed over like it was all better at the end without any thing really seeming to change.

I do see how children in the target age group might enjoy this and I did appreciate the diversity, but overall this is not likely to be one that I recommend.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing a copy of this book for my to review******

3 stars. Skip! Is a graphic novel that explores the struggle of discovering yourself while also discovering how to be a friend. I loved the art style!! The characters felt so alive and in action the whole time. It felt punchy and quick. I appreciated the NB rep and the history of Double Dutch. I do wish Beah had a moment of private reflection because I think it would have added to the self accountability needed in friendships. I would have also loved to see Beah support Jay doing something they wanted ie: like an open mic. However, this story was sweet and fun.

Skip is a cute graphic novel about Jay making friends with a double dutch team and learning their world. The story deals with finding out where you fit in, testing friendships and rivalries.

First off,I wanted to love this story but I just kinda liked it. The art was a little too messy for me, which made it hard to follow sometimes. But it is cute and colorful. I could see kids enjoying it.
I loved the non-binary representation in the form of our main character Jay. They were trying to figure out where they belonged by meeting new people and trying new things. I liked that about them.
Honestly though I don't feel like the conflict between Jay and bestie Beah was handled enough. There was some really toxic and unfair behavior from Beah that I wanted to see discussed more but it was kinda glossed over. Also I feel like we could have spent a little more time with the other friends and how everyone felt about Beah's behavior. I also felt like the double dutch barely factored into the ending. I assumed we would get a little more of that.
I would say this is a quick story, with some surface lessons about friendship and being yourself, that a middle grader can enjoy. But don't look too it to be deep or polished.

Thanks to Netgally for this free arc.

"Skip!" by Sarah Burgess is a fast-paced graphic novel that explores friendships, hobbies, and identities through a fluid drawing style that compliments the story. The story follows Jay, a nonbinary teen, as they try to find their place in school and their community. Jay befriends Beah and her Double Dutch team and discovers that their talent for rhyming and writing makes them an excellent part of the team. The group navigates a series of challenges both outside and inside of their friend group in this short slice-of-life story. I really enjoyed this story which I was able to read in one sitting; the art style is gorgeous and playful, which feels just right for this story.

Thanks Netgalley for the copy!

I’m afraid I thought this graphic novel was messy in terms of not explaining whats really going on, it just felt pretty confusing tbh….

This graphic novel had such an adorable art style, I loved it!
It is also all about friendship and learning to set boundaries in those and learning to accept yourself as you are and figure out what you like. I really liked how that was done here.
The characters are a bit overenthusiastic in everything though.
I also really liked that the MC was nonbinary and it wasn’t a point of conflict.
So, a very cute, queer graphic novel about friendship and boundaries that is worth a read.

Loved, loved this book, first and foremost for its non-binary main character and how normalized it is within the story, how it is not the main focus of the story, yet it is perfectly explained that this person is a non-binary one. There really should be more books like this one out there. First, it shows the readers that everyone can be a part of a good story, and second and most important, it makes it more relatable for those who have a non-binary person in their life and it makes every non-binary person reading it feel seen, acknowledged and accepted. Loved this book for this!
The artwork is absolutely perfect for this story. It is quirky, and it looks different from most other graphic novels, but it sets the mood so, so well! The artist has done a magnificently great job there.
Also, the storyline was solid. It shows all sorts of friendship drama, and it feels real.

I have always been a fan of double dutch competitions. This book took me back. And then a wonderful story of friendship was the icing on the cake. Took me a little time to get use to the illustrations. I ended up liking it, in how it it portrayed the character's feeling more.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

I enjoyed the art style and it's always nice to read about non-binary characters where their gender is not the central focus of the story. This was a nice, brief story about friendship, teamwork, and creativity. However, I didn't feel like it brought anything new and exciting to the middle grade graphic novel genre, and it all wrapped up so quickly that I didn't get very invested in the characters. I'd recommend it to kids 8-12 who are looking for a quick and easy read or have a real interest in double dutch!

Thank you NetGalley for the review copy!

2.5 ⭐
This is a hard one to review. I liked the idea and message about finding something you like while being yourself but too many things didn't work for me.
I never got the feeling that they all learned from what their group is going through and how they could do better in the future by communicating more.

The storyline was fun and did a good job of capturing the drama and friendships of high schoolers. The artwork and design was cute but did get a little chaotic at times which made it difficult for me to focus on and read. Overall it was a fun read

Very fast paced story about friendship and double dutch. I did not really like the art style, but at the same time it never felt like a problem. Everything was easy to understand and, at least for me, there were no moments where I had to think really hard about what was happening in the plot. It was a nice short story, but probably not something that I will keep thinkin about for a while.

Skip! is a heartwarming coming of age story about friendship, identity, and self expression. Jay is an incredibly relatable protagonist for teenagers, and I can’t wait to recommend this book to my students. I’ll be getting a physical copy for my classroom library as soon as possible!

The story was cute and showed different aspects of school life really well. The art style and the handwritten font for dialogues were great too. It will make quite a good reading for students, give them some more and interesting things to learn, reminisce, and compare from their school days.

A lovely graphic novel about friendship. Jay is a quiet young person who doesn’t have friends. They live at the edge of things and that’s where they think they will stay. But one day Jay meets Beah practicing Double Dutch skipping and suddenly Jay is valued and included and they become one of the team.

But in the midst of this friendship Jay finds that they still need to find their own identity and voice. It is a lovely story with great artwork and colour. It is also a vibrant story and the first time that I have read a story with double dutch skipping in it.

Copy provided via Netgalley in exchange for an unbiased review.