Girlmode: A Graphic Novel

By Magdalene Visaggio

Book Overview

A 2025 Lambda Award Finalist and named one of the Best Books of 2024 by Kirkus

A recently transitioned girl tries to figure out who she is--while trying to manage who everyone else wants her to be--in this funny, unexpected, and affecting new graphic novel from Eisner-nominated writer Magdalene Visaggio and artist Paulina Ganucheau.

The last thing Phoebe Zito wants is to be noticed. The newest kid at Sally Ride High School, newly arrived in Los Angeles, and newly transitioned, she's just trying to blend in while she figures out exactly who she is. But with her mom checked out, her dad still adjusting to having a daughter, and no guidebook on how to be a girl, that isn't going to be easy.

Enter Mackenzie Ishikawa. She's the girl who all girls want to be, and all the boys want to be with--and, Mackenzie has decided, Phoebe's new best friend. Mackenzie knows what it takes to survive and thrive as a girl in high school, most of all that no matter who Phoebe wants to be, or who she wants to date, she's going to need someone having her back.

Phoebe soon realizes what Mackenzie knows too well: Being true to yourself is going to mean breaking some hearts. But as Phoebe discovers what kind of girl she is--and what kind of girl everyone around her thinks she's supposed to be--she worries one of those hearts will be her own.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0063060655
• ISBN13: 9780063060654
• Release Date: October 2024
• Publisher: HarperCollins
• Length: 224 Pages
• Weight: 1.12 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 5.8" x 8.7"
• Age Range: 14 years and up
• Grade Range: Grade 9 and higher

Customer Reviews

The drama!

A newly transitioned girl, Phoebe is starting at a new high school. Immediately, Mackanzie is already interested in becoming her friend and teach her the ways of what it's like being girl. As Phoebe navigates new friendships, boys, and how each of her parents navigate her transition, can she truly see who she really is? This was a grower. This took me awhile to get on the train because I have no idea how to navigate the beginning of this graphic novel. I was so protective of Phoebe because all the other characters didn't feel real. But when I got into it, you'd want to swim deeper to get more. This story was so good! It even made me look at myself as a girl and as a woman. It even gave a sense of nostalgia as to what it was like in high school and how I navigate frienships and boys. This honestly felt a little therapeutic because this graphic novel went deep, like really deep! It tackled so much more that what it presents itself on the surface. I definitely feel like this is something that everyone should read! The art in itself is also so very good. Though it's really not, the art really reminds me of the slam book aesthetic with all the bright colors, deep hues, and bold lines. I really like it a lot. It also gave justice to a layman's perspective of what Los Angeles, California is like, This was such a good story to read, and such a good art to appreciate!