Awkward by Svetlana Chmakova

Hey there! I’m Cath Hak, and welcome to Sex Ed Rescue, my YouTube channel where I do a lot of book reviews. I know I haven’t gotten around to doing sex ed stuff yet, but for now, I’m all about sharing awesome books that can help us have those sometimes uncomfortable conversations with our kids. Books make those conversations easier and more approachable, which is why I’m a huge fan of them. You can also find resources on my website, Sex Ed Rescue, to help you have open-minded discussions about sex with your kids.

I’m all about having conversations, not just checking off a list of topics. It’s about talking openly about things that most parents shy away from. By doing this, we can help our kids make smart decisions and empower them with knowledge so they don’t make choices based on ignorance. When we have these conversations, our kids get the facts and feel comfortable coming to us with questions. For example, if someone shows them porn on their phone and they don’t know how to respond, they can come home and talk to you about it instead of dealing with it alone.

Now, let’s talk about this book called Awkward by Svetlana Chmakova. I hope I pronounced that right, but honestly, I’m terrible with names! This is the first book in a series of three graphic novels. I actually read the third one first, which was all about going to high school and experiencing that first love and crush. I think it’s called Crush. Then I read the second one, and now I’m talking about the first one.

In this book, the characters are starting middle school (or high school, as we call it in Australia). It’s that time when puberty kicks in and friendship circles start to matter. I remember when my daughter went through primary school, and kids started getting clicky. Some of them were mean because they realized that if they were mean, people would be too scared to stand up to them. Other kids just watched because they didn’t have the confidence or courage to speak up and protect others. They didn’t have the confidence to make a choice and not hang around with those bullies.

But as my daughter got older and went through puberty, I noticed something interesting. The kids who were bullies and ringleaders ended up in a smaller circle. They weren’t popular because they were nice, but because everyone was scared of them. Books like this one can spark great conversations about these kinds of experiences.

What I love about Awkward and other graphic novels is that they normalize the feelings and experiences of going through puberty. Kids often feel like they’re alone in what they’re going through, forgetting that everyone else in their school year is experiencing similar changes. Sometimes, even we as parents forget what it was like. That’s why books like this are so powerful. They let kids know that they’re not alone and that other kids are going through the same things.

The best part is that graphic novels are easy and quick to read. They’re presented in a format that’s more appealing to kids who may be reluctant readers. For example, I recently reviewed some books, and when I handed my son a novel with lots of lines, he just wasn’t interested. But when I gave him a graphic novel like Awkward, he was all over it! Every kid is different, so having different formats of books is important.

I hope this review was somewhat helpful. As my own kids are getting older, I’m realizing that it’s not as simple as just handing them a book and saying, Read this, let’s talk about it. We need to approach it from different angles. Books like Awkward can help start conversations or even just give you ideas to talk about. You can say things like, Remember when that kid Jamie started at school and everyone picked on her? Did something like that ever happen to you? Or do you see that kind of stuff happening at your school? These books are great conversation starters.

Alright, that’s all for now. Cheers!