Wait, What?

This is a fantastic little graphic novel about sex, puberty, relationships, and growing up in general for teens. It's super diverse and inclusive, with an entire section dedicated to queerness and gender identity as well as loads of casual references throughout the book. I also appreciate that it offers some insight into being aro and/or ace and how not everyone is going to want to have sex, pursue romantic relationships, etc., so kids shouldn't feel "weird" if they aren't interested in those things. I'll definitely be recommending this one to teens!

Thank you so much to the publisher for providing me with this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

This book is a great educational guide to puberty and sex. I would 100% recommend it! It's inclusive of different body types, genders and sexuality. It tackles big topics like consent and deciding whether or not to have sex in age appropriate ways.

The illustrations were great, especially the characters discussing their thoughts and feelings throughout the different topics. There was a good level of humour; the book felt fun and engaging, not cringey like some sex ed books can be.

It also has a handy guide at the back with further resources for kids as well as parents/educators.

This is an excellent book for teens and learning about the changes happening both in themselves and among peers. This book addresses changes in the body, emotions, social interactions, and many other issues that teens experience, have questions about, but may not be certain where to turn for the answers. Now they do. Written as both an informational book and as a graphic novel featuring a group of teenage friends and the occasional older sibling, this book is both informative and highly relatable. The book gives warning when certain topics or images that teens might not be ready for are about to come up, and give the option to skip to a safe page u til they are ready to go back to that topic. I highly recommend for a teen nonfiction library for an up to date book that is informative and engaging about the changes in adolescents.

I will soon be adding a nonfiction section to our teen graphic novels collection and this is already one of the books I can not wait to have in that collection! "Wait, What?" is relatable, especially because of the diverse 'cast' who are teaching you throughout the book. Everything in this book is important for teens and again, I can not wait to be able to put it in their hands!

"Wait, What?: A Comic Book Guide to Relationships, Bodies, and Growing Up" is the book I wish we all had when we were in middle school. And if you have a middle school human in your life, you should get them this book.

One of the favorite parts of the book are the discussions around consent and relationships. Consent treated not just as a topic in order to reduce sexual assault, but woven in to how we relate to each other in relationships. At the most basic level it is that you need someones consent to be in a relationship and everyone has the right to not be in a relationship. It makes you imagine how much dating would suck less if we all learned how to talk to each other about our expectations for relationships when we were 12 instead of in therapy in our 30s or 40s.

Full review at my blog.