Norah's role in her family has always been to be the "good" kid. She always tries to keep everyone around her happy and everything running smoothly. One of the things that is (sort of) in Norah's control is her hair. She decides that she would like to dye her hair - going blonde should be just the right thing! When the bleach doesn't work evenly, her mom helps her dye it a fun color.

Norah's dad gets a promotion which sounds like great news- but it turns out it means her mom will have to get a new job when the boss doesn't want one spouse supervising the other. While her mom and sister move away, Norah and her dad are left behind. And even though Norah tries to take care of everything- she just ends up in a big ole mess- including ruining her hair when she tries to bleach it again when her roots begin to show.

I enjoyed this story and feel like a lot of my students will identify with Norah. Life is messy and complex and this story clearly shows that (as was revealed when I tried to type a succinct summary that made sense!).

This was a phenomenal middle-grade contemporary graphic novel!
It touched on some heavy but important topics like mandated reporting, latch-key kids, kids having to "grow up" to quickly, and lots of different life skills. Touching on all of these subjects while keeping the main part of the storyline about Norah's hair journey was such an interesting way to go about this novel and to tie in themes like self-suffciency, family, and friendship. The subject matter makes this a great book for kids in late elementary school and middle school.
The cartoony illustration style is great and one that kids in the ages mentioned will enjoy. It is similar to other popular graphic novels titles such as Frizzy and Allergic.

Norah's family moves regularly for their parents jobs. They have settled in to Cheney, WA, where Norah is starting middle school and wants to start out new. So why not start new with a new haircut! But when it all goes wrong, Norah's self esteem drops and finding her new groove in a new school with a new teacher seems daunting. Then there is a disruption in her home life and Norah has a lot more to juggle at the age of 12 then most 12 year olds. Will she find her voice and make it through this challenging time.

Overall, this was a very cute graphic novel. I was a sixth grade science teacher for 7 years and the author captures life as a middle schooler I feel rather honestly. They are still kids, but want to be treated like adults. The artwork is good and I think the story is one many students can relate too. I like that Norah shares her fears with her family and communicates with them, even though it takes her awhile to do it.

Thank you Netgalley and HarperAlley for this ARC. I think it will be a nice addition to our library collection.

Knots is a coming-of-age graphic novel that follows Norah, a responsible young girl struggling with family issues. When her mother and sister relocate for a job opportunity, Norah stays behind with her dad. Feeling pressure to be the "good daughter" and maintain normalcy, Norah's life unravels as she makes some bad decisions. Through her challenges, Norah learns valuable lessons about resilience, self-acceptance, and navigating complex family dynamics.

While the story explores relatable themes of family expectations and self-discovery, some aspects fell short. I found it difficult to connect with certain parental choices and felt a particular school scene regarding a student's situation was unrealistic. While schools are required to report suspected abuse, the portrayal lacked the discretion typically shown in handling such sensitive matters.

Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for an arc in exchange for an honest review.

Good, not great. There was nothing wrong with it, but it didn't ~sing~. I will most likely still purchase this for the library.