Personal & social issues: bullying, violence & abuse (Children's/YA)
August 2020
The Riverdale Diaries, vol. 1: Hello, Betty!
by Sarah Kuhn, J. Bone
Betty Cooper and her buddies from Archie's Riverdale are reimagined for middle-grade readers in this full-length, full-color graphic novel written by rising star Sarah Kuhn and drawn by critically acclaimed artist J. Bone! Betty Cooper and Val Smith are best friends ready to start middle school. They've always done everything together – taken the same classes, played the same games, and created the world of Sparklespacelandia in Betty's backyard together – so naturally, Betty assumes they'll continue to be an unbreakable duo once the school year starts. But Val finds herself drawn toward pursuing a music elective, and does it without Betty at her side. Suddenly Betty's on her own for the first time since Val moved to the neighborhood, and she's struggling to deal with being lumped in with the loser drama class – that just happens to be dominated by snotty and powerful Veronica Lodge! Even the presence of other friends like Archie, Jughead, and Sabrina isn't making Betty feel better about her estrangement from Val. Will Betty and Val find a new way to connect, or has middle school ended their friendship for good? Sarah Kuhn and J. Bone deliver an authentic and funny tale of middle-school life as they reimagine the iconic gang from Riverdale into contemporary middle-grade students. Full of lively dialogue and stunningly hilarious art, the dynamics of friendship and school struggles are as classic as the characters themselves – and fresh and engaging for today's readers.
