Introduction by Heavy Medal Award Committee Member Kate Olson
Mallory Marsh is a people-pleasing, comic-drawing tween who has been tasked with being a primary caretaker of her twin brothers after school. Her mind wanders whenever she tries to accomplish tasks outside of her webcomic, and she is too afraid to tell her mother that she is intimidated by the swim coach. Mallory’s anxieties are ramped up when she lies about her age to enter an online comics contest, and then her identity is in danger of being revealed at her school. This is all a lot for a tween to handle, but when you add in her questions about identity and frustrations with her parents’ separation, Mallory is at her breaking point.
MALLORY IN FULL COLOR by Elisa Stone Leahy tackles a lot, and still manages to educate readers about terms relating to sexual and gender identity and drag, and includes minor romantic storylines. Panels from Mallory’s webcomic are included throughout the book, allowing readers to see how Mallory has represented real life in her fictional world.
“It was bad. I really screwed up.” Mal gripped the quilt in her fists and sniffed. “I’m such a terrible person! I never should have said all that—”
Chapter 20 page 241
“No, you’re not.” Her dad scratched his chin. He needed to shave, and Mal remembered that he’d just gotten back from a business trip. “You just have …. feelings. And you can’t bottle them up.”
Mal raised her eyebrows. Her dad never talked about feelings.
All discussion on this book is welcome, but I am especially interested in thoughts on how this book ties in with others on our list this year. Numerous books include themes of children feeling misunderstood, ignored, abandoned or unduly burdened by parents – how does this book connect with and stand out in relation to the others?
Heavy Medal Award Committee members and others are now invited to discuss this book further in the Comments section below. Let the Mock Newbery discussion begin!