FRESHMAN YEAR
Everyone gets a fresh start. Who do you want to be?
Sarah is leaving suburban Wisconsin for her freshman year in Minnesota. She has high hopes for the future: impress her professors, meet interesting new people, stay close to her best friends and boyfriend back home, flourish as an artist, and shed her lingering high school anxieties. What seems manageable at first quickly unravels into a tailspin: Sarah’s high-achieving roommate puts her to shame, her summer love dissolves, and she is quickly overwhelmed by the freedom, the isolation, and all the possibilities that await in this new environment.
Based on the author’s personal college journal and comics, Freshman Year navigates the inner workings of an 18-year-old girl in witty, honest, and heartfelt detail. This graduation gift pairs perfectly with OH, THE PLACES YOU'LL GO!. Dr. Seuss's sentimental graduation picture book is beloved, but the one teens really need is Freshman Year. This graphic novel debut shows the places students actually do go—the home goods aisle at Target; lavish libraries; grungy parties off campus; cereal-for-dinner at the dining hall.
Whether you’re anxiously looking forward or nostalgically looking back, this is the perfect read for anyone who loves realistic graphic novels about the laughable growing pains of almost-adulthood, like Check, Please! and Bloom.
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Little, Brown/ Christy Ottaviano Books
Praise for FRESHMAN YEAR
"FRESHMAN YEAR is both a relatable recounting of the ups and downs of the first year of college, and an excellent exploration of navigating the challenges and responsibilities of emerging adulthood. A thoughtful, fun, and refreshing read--and the perfect gift for every high schooler contemplating college."
Megan Wagner Lloyd, bestselling author of ALLERGIC and SQUISHED
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“A really lovely slice-of-life look at a tender time in life: The first year of college. This is a story chock full of heart, sadness, and wit.”
Tillie Walden, creator of ON A SUNBEAM and SPINNING
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"Freshman Year brilliantly captures the hardships and messy journey of self-discovery in college. Accompanied by a charming art style, it's a heartfelt and relatable story that will resonate with anyone who's trying to find their own path. Sarah Mai delivers an honest and essential YA debut."
Kat Fajardo, creator of MISS QUINCES
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