Introduction by Heavy Medal Award Committee Member Courtney Hague
How does a graphic novel hold up against the Newbery criteria? PLAIN JANE AND THE MERMAIDS by Vera Brosgol definitely hits some of the high points in the Newbery criteria. I think it especially shines in its Delineation of Characters and its Development of Plot.
First, the characters in PLAIN JANE are well constructed. Jane appears at first glance to be a mild-mannered young orphan who lacks the looks or charm to get a husband to maintain her lifestyle after her parents’ untimely death without a male heir. But as the book progresses we see Jane through a different lens as we learn about the unfortunate accident that took her brother and the verbal abuse that she endured from her mother. We see Jane grow as a person as she learns that maybe she is still desirable and lovable even though society has told her differently. We also have Mr. Whiskers, the helpful seal who turns out to be a selkie, whose depth of character is shown as he slowly reveals his true self to Jane. Even each of the mermaids, our ostensible villains, with their various personality traits are given depth of character.
The plot of this graphic novel also has depth that surprised me. The way that Vera Brosgol shows and tells us plot points early in the story that eventually come full circle is masterful plotting. From showing us the begrudgingly helpful woman in the city who turns out to be a long lost mermaid sister to showing us pictures of Jane’s lost brother foreshadowing his return, Brosgol manages to show us where this story is going without actually giving too much away even in the beginning. I loved how she slowly reveals the horrors that the mermaids have planned for Peter long before the mermaids actually tell Peter what is going to happen. This graphic novel reads like a fable about being true to yourself. And that theme, as well as the theme of loving yourself, runs smoothly through this graphic novel with Jane, Peter, and the mermaids themselves all needing to learn this one lesson in order to get the happily ever after at the end of the story.
PLAIN JANE AND THE MERMAID shines in terms of Newbery criteria in many ways but especially in terms of characters and plot. Will it hold up against the other books that have been published this year?
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!