Skim

Title Skim
Author Mariko Tamaki
Mariko Tamaki lives in Toronto where she is not just a writer but a performer as well. She is the author of True Lies: The Book of Bad Advice and Fake ID. Jillian Tamaki is her cousin.
Illustrator Jillian Tamaki
Jillian Tamaki is originally from Alberta, Canada, but currently resides in Brooklyn, New York.
ISBN 9780888997531, 9781406321364
Publisher Groundwood Books/House of Anansi Press
Copyright Date 2008
Reading Level/Interest Age 14+
Genre Issues: Sexual Identity; LGBT Fiction
Plot Summary
Skim is a graphic novel set in Canada that tells the story of Kim (aka Skim), who is a tenth grader at a religious all-girls school. She has a best friend, Lisa, with whom she is practicing Wicca in order to become a witch. One of her classmate's ex-boyfriends kills himself and the rest of the school takes their anti-suicide/anti-depression/anti-bullying message a bit too far, creating a group called "Girls Celebrate Life." Suddenly Kim's moroseness is the subject of much concern and even Lisa begins acting strange. At the same time, Kim starts to form an emotional relationship with her English teacher, Ms. Archer and as her feelings grow, she becomes even more withdrawn and uncommunicative. But then Kim becomes friends with Katie, the suicide victim's ex-girlfriend, and things start to look better for Kim.
Critical Evaluation
Skim is truly a beautiful, short novel. The art within its pages is nuanced and detailed and extremely evocative of the somber mood of the whole piece. The writing is also lovely, allowing the reader glimpses inside of Kim's mind and feelings, particularly through brief excerpts of her diary entries. This is a novel that does a whole lot more showing than telling, which is intriguing on an aesthetic level, but might be frustrating to some teens as the reader is forced to make more assumptions than is usual for a teen novel. For mature teens, though, the novel might capture the depressed, sometimes tortuous emotions that teenagers feel, particularly when they don't quite seem to fit in with their peers. The novel is also praiseworthy for casting a girl with a more curvaceous body than is often seen in teen fiction. Unlike many of the other books in this genre, the storyline does not focus on Kim's exploration of her sexual identity exclusively and seems to be more concerned with teen depression and moodiness in general. In fact, the book reads like an excerpt out of Kim's life, rather than a story with a long and steep narrative arc. But the honesty of Kim's experiences shine through, creating a slightly haunting story that will stay with you long after you finish the book.
Reader’s Annotation
Kim is busy being a normal teenager (you know, practicing Wicca and tarot and hanging out with her best friend), but then a classmate's ex-boyfriend kills himself and suddenly, everyone seems to be taking things more seriously.
Curriculum Ties Could be tied into lessons about LGBT issues, tolerance and prejudice.
Booktalking Ideas
1. Do a mood-based booktalk, setting the scene from Skim’s perspective, focusing on being depressed and feeling different from everyone else.
2. Describe the characters of Kim, Lisa and Katie and encourage your audience to read the book to find out what happens to each of them.
Challenge Issues
Please see "Controversy & LGBT Teen Collections"
Why did I include this book?
Rainbow List Starred Pick, 2009 (ALA); NYT Book Review Best Illustrated Children's Book Award; I wanted to review a graphic novel dealing with LGBT themes.