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Constellations

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Constellations

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Overview

A raw graphic novel debut about a queer teen living in the margins who is determined to find their way ahead.

Are you supposed to be a boy or a girl?

It's a question that follows Claire everywhere. Inescapable on the street, in school, and even at home. A black hole forever trying to pull them in. Claire knows what they’re supposed to be—and according to their Catholic family, that’s definitely not someone who’d kiss a girl at a party. When the news gets out, the questions get hard: Is Claire having a girlfriend the thing that feels wrong? Or is it being a girl?

The answer is easy: drink it all away.

When a downward spiral puts Claire on a collision course with court-ordered rehab, the unexpected happens: Claire is soon surrounded by a group of new friends and, with the help of a patient counselor, finds a space to unpack all the bad they've experienced. But as Claire’s release gets closer so does the question: Can Claire stay sober and true in a world seemingly never made for them?

Set in 1980s Troy, New York, Constellations is a portrait of a queer teen living in the margins but determined to find their way ahead. Done in watercolor and ink, debut author-artist Kate Glasheen has created a world where strong lines meet soft color, and raw emotions meet deep thought in this story of hope, humor, and survival.

A Booklist Editors’ Choice: Graphic Novel
A School Library Journal Best Book of the Year
A Booklist Top Ten First Novel for Youth

Product Details
About the Author

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780823450718
Publisher:	Holiday House
Publication date:	05/23/2023
Pages:	224
Sales rank:	644,904
Product dimensions:	7.10(w) x 9.10(h) x 1.00(d)
Age Range:	14 - 17 Years

About the Author

Kate Glasheen was born and raised in Troy, New York and lived there until their departure for Pratt Institute for a BFA in Fine Art. Kate has since been a creator, artist, and contributor for several critically acclaimed books, participated in exhibitions and collections across the globe, and worked on several of the biggest properties in entertainment. Their artistic interests find communion in fine and sequential art under the notion that there’s something hilarious about something that’s not funny at all. Constellations is their author-artist debut. Kate lives, draws, and tattoos out of Philadelphia under the stringent supervision of Kipper the Cat.

From the B&N Reads Blog

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Editorial Reviews

★ 03/13/2023
In the 1980s, high schooler Claire doesn’t know exactly who they are or where they fit in their Irish Catholic family and the surrounding Troy, N.Y., community (“Having a girlfriend isn’t the part that feels the most wrong. It’s the being a girl part”). The conflict between conforming to their family’s pressure that they “act like a normal girl” and their own discomfort with their gender identity throws them into a spiral that they try to mitigate with increased alcohol consumption. Claire falls further into alcohol dependency when classmates begin bullying them for kissing a girl, and a subsequent spiral results in them being placed in a juvenile recovery program. Loosely lined art by Glasheen (A Radical Shift of Gravity), rendered in soft watercolors, lends a sense of nostalgia to Claire’s tale, varied panel shapes contain a youthful verve, and overflowing text fittingly captures Claire’s feelings of overwhelm. This solo debut—a fictionalized, somewhat autobiographical accounting, as indicated in an author’s note—explores its protagonist’s struggles to be a part of their family and community while learning to accept themself, potently reflecting on themes of addiction, healing, and identity. Ages 14–up. Agent: Anjali Singh, Ayesha Pande Literary. (May)

Publishers Weekly

2023-02-08
A tale of gender and addiction.
Claire Dunroe lives in the crumbling industrial city of Troy, New York. The androgynous White teen often butts up against the question of what gender they are, and Claire’s working-class Irish Catholic family is not one to deal with issues of gender-based bullying or violence with sensitivity or support. With good friend Greg, Claire discovers that beer is a great way to dull the pain and starts drinking regularly. One particular bender—inspired by a girl who kisses Claire and then spirals into gay panic, followed by severe bullying at school—leads to Claire’s getting picked up by the police and then sent by a judge to a teen rehab facility. This is a brutal story with glimmers of hope shining through, complemented by harsh art, tangled lines, and blunt facial expressions. While this story may be cathartic for those who can relate to the subject matter or appreciated by readers seeking narratives dealing with trauma, overstuffed text boxes often devolve into melodramatic exposition or lengthy dialogue scenes in which Charlie, the main addiction counselor, lectures the audience both on and off the page about addiction and recovery. The author’s afterword gives a heartfelt explanation of how this not-quite-memoir dovetails with their life.
Successfully delves into issues but never quite coalesces into an engaging story. (Graphic fiction. 14-18)

Kirkus Reviews

★ "A tale of gender identity and recovery that will resonate with readers and leave them thinking long after the final page. A first purchase for all young adult library collections."—School Library Journal, Starred Review

★"This solo debut—a fictionalized, somewhat autobiographical accounting, as indicated in an author’s note—explores its protagonist’s struggles to be a part of their family and community while learning to accept themself, potently reflecting on themes of addiction, healing, and identity."—Publishers Weekly, Starred Review

★ "Thoughtful artistic choices pair well with an excellent, illustriously lyrical approach to gender-expansive identity. . . . Claire’s story is a multifaceted must-have for young adult readers looking to better grasp the intersection of addiction and identity."—Booklist, Starred Review

"Exaggerated size and perspective emphasize raw experiences throughout the graphic novel. . . . The watercolor and ink illustrations add even more weight to the scenes. . . ."—The Bulletin for the Center of Children’s Books

"A brutal story with glimmers of hope shining through. . . ."—Kirkus Reviews

"A unique journey that doesn't turn away from hard truths; courageously honest and vulnerable."—Iasmin Omar Ata, the Ignatz Award-winning creator of Mis(h)adra

"Heartfelt and realistic, and painted in beautiful, lively watercolors—Constellations pulls no punches about the realities of navigating addiction and bullying as a teen, while also honoring the people who help us to survive and grow along the way."—Melanie Gillman, creator of As the Crow Flies and Other Ever Afters

"Constellations is a gut punch for anyone who grew up as a delinquent queer kid, desperately trying to become a monster in a world that treats us like monsters. Glasheen's watercolors shine with the clarity of memory, bringing us into a real 1986 that feels present, reminding us that the pain of interpersonal trauma is both historical and modern. We're reminded that queerness, too, is both historical and modern, and that becoming your authentic self will always be healing, and will always bring us together."—Priya Huq, cartoonist of Piece by Piece: The Story of Nisrin's Hijab

From the Publisher

★ 05/01/2023
Gr 10 Up—Glasheen draws from personal experience to create the story of Claire, a teen struggling with their identity in 1980s New York. Claire is constantly asked whether they are a girl or boy. The frequent questions and hostility from some of the adults and family members in their life leads them to cope with alcohol abuse. Eventually their alcohol abuse becomes so severe that they are sent to inpatient treatment for substance abuse. While in treatment, Claire meets a variety of teens struggling with their own addictions and begins to gain a better understanding of their identity and possible romantic interests. Claire's counselor, Charlie, is a strong positive role model who helps Claire through their journey of recovery. Substance abuse and its consequences are not shied away from, and later pages show what happens to some of the characters in the book. Claire's narration of the story is featured in watercolor illustrations enhanced with surreal notebook drawings that both mirror their journaling and provide additional insight into their thoughts. Emotions are drawn with exaggerated expressions so that readers can see the depth of Claire's feelings. VERDICT A tale of gender identity and recovery that will resonate with readers and leave them thinking long after the final page. A first purchase for all young adult library collections.—Ashley Leffel

School Library Journal

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