Review: Speak Up! by Rebecca Burgess

Speak Up!
by Rebecca Burgess

My Rating: 4 stars

Genre: Contemporary Fiction/ Graphic Novel
Age Category: Middle Grade

Blurb:
For fans of Click and Brave, this touching coming-of-age middle grade graphic novel debut follows an autistic girl who finds friendship where she least expects it and learns to express her true self in a world where everyone defines her by her differences.

Twelve-year-old Mia is just trying to navigate a world that doesn’t understand her true autistic self. While she wishes she could stand up to her bullies, she’s always been able to express her feelings through singing and songwriting, even more so with her best friend, Charlie, who is nonbinary, putting together the best beats for her.

Together, they’ve taken the internet by storm; little do Mia’s classmates know that she’s the viral singer Elle-Q! But while the chance to perform live for a local talent show has Charlie excited, Mia isn’t so sure.

She’ll have to decide whether she’ll let her worries about what other people think get in the way of not only her friendship with Charlie, but also showing everyone, including the bullies, who she is and what she has to say.

My Review

I saw someone recommend this book online and had added it to my wishlist, when it got discounted I picked up a copy and read it shortly afterwards. Speak Up follows Mia who is autistic, under the name Elle Q she makes music with her best friend Charlie. Charlie wants to participate in the talent show as Elle Q, but Mia isn’t sure she wants that. Besides that the book also addresses bullying, Mia get bullied due to being autistic and she struggles to speak her mind when she gets bullied. Mia’s mother wants her to act more typical, but Mia is happy with who she is and struggles to explain that to her mom. Then there is a new friend Mia makes as well. It might sound like there is a lot going on, but it didn’t feel that way while reading. It all gets intertwined in a way that makes sense and I enjoyed reading about Mia and the other characters.

I really liked this graphic novel. I don’t read a lot of graphic novels, but maybe I should read more of them as I like the combination of art and story. The art was well very done and looked good, I liked the style. I liked how all the characters had their own vibe and the colors looked good. I liked how the art really added something to the story. There are some scenes like Mia’s meltdown or how Mia disappeared in her daydreams and music persona that were really well drawn.

The story and characters were both great too. I liked Mia and could relate to her due to being autistic myself. I liked the positive tone of the book, Mia was happy with who she was and that was awesome to see. The book has a very neurodivergent affirming tone and even despite being bullied Mia never feels bad about being autistic. That was wonderful to see. I liked seeing how all the plot lines got resolved. It has very much a happy ending for everyone and it gets neatly wrapped up with a powerful uplifting scene at the end. It just made me feel good and happy.

I really liked reading this book. It had so many wonderful elements. From seeing how Mia is authentically herself and how she deals with her struggles to her friendship with Charlie. I also thought Mia’s relationship with her mom was well written, her mom obviously means well even though she goes about it wrongly and I liked how she understands Mia better at the end. Mia and Charlie are such good friends and I liked reading about them and how supportive they are of each other. I also appreciated the plot line surrounding one of Mia’s bullies who just goes along with her friends, but doesn’t really want to be mean to Mia. I liked how that part got resolved.

To summarize: I really like this graphic novel with an autistic main character. I liked the artwork and how it added to the story, it looked good and I enjoyed looking at the art. The story and characters are great too. There are multiple things going on, but it all blends together nicely. I liked reading about Mia and thought she felt relatable and realistic. I also really appreciated the positive and affirming tone of the book with how Mia is authentically herself and is happy with who she is despite her struggles. I liked seeing Mia interact with her friends Charlie and how supportive they are of each other. I liked how happy and uplifting the ending was and how it ends things on a high note.

Links:
– Goodreads
– Bookbub
– Amazon
– B&N
– Kobo

You can also read my review on Goodreads and Bookbub.