Confessions of a Blabbermouth

* Bibliographic information
Carey, M. & Carey, L. Confessions of a Blabbermouth. DC Comics, 2007. ISBN: 9781401211486. Illustrated by Aaron Alexovich.


* Plot Summary
In this smart graphic novel, Tasha is a punky teenage blabbermouth with a successful blog. When her mom brings home her newest boyfriend, Jed after a long line of losers, Tasha is weary. She takes to her blog and talks about the past male mistakes of her mom and how this one will not be any better. She quickly learns Jed is a control freak and expects her to do as he says; he obviously does not know Tasha. His daughter, Chloe starts school with Tasha the next day and she wants to give her the benefit of the doubt but Chloe is a bit strange and Tasha does not know why. When Tasha learns that Chloe has written a hurtful article based loosely on her, she lashes out and tells the school bullies that Chloe is a snitch which results in them beating Chloe up. Tasha feels guilty later when she learns Chloe and Jed have a secret that Chloe does not want to keep. Tasha takes her under her wing and helps her gain her literary freedom.


* Critical Evaluation
A fun graphic novel for today’s teens. One of the authors, Louise Carey is actually a 15-year-old girl so she lends her insight into the teen world for this story. The pictures are fun and the dialogue is quirky. Many modern teens have blogs so they will appreciate seeing a strong female character typing away, posting on her blog. The plot line is different and keeps readers wondering what is going on between Jed and Chloe. Like Tasha, readers start to think the worst only to find out the situation is not so dire but rather mild; this creates good suspense. Some of the terms used were unfamiliar to me, this could have been a generational thing or because the graphic novel is from England. I think teens will really enjoy this book; the characters are interesting and fun, the story has a bit of suspense mixed in with the humor, and it is visually exciting.


* Reader’s Annotation
Tasha’s mom is bringing home a new boyfriend and Tasha is not happy about it. Her blog, Blabbermouth is just the place to go to vent about it.


* Information about the author
Mike and Louise Carey are a father-daughter writing team; they both live in London, England. Mike is a comics writer, novelist and screenwriter. He is the author of the popular Felix Castor novels and the RE-GIFTERS. He says “his real claim to fame is working with his fifteen-year-old daughter, Louise”. Louise writes the Diary of a London Schoolgirl for the London Metropolitan Archive website.


* Genre
Teen Fiction; Graphic Novel, Issues


* Curriculum Ties, if any
Computer Science:
This book could be used to teach about blogs and what can be done with them but most teens already know all there is to know about blogs.


* Booktalking Ideas
1) Describe the character of Tasha. When Chloe first arrives she wants to be nice to her when everyone else is not but then she goes on the warpath when she read the article about bloggers.
2) Were you surprised that after Jed lied and used his daughter, Tasha and her mom forgave him and life went on?
3) Before Jed came along, what other things can you imagine Tasha wrote about?


* Reading Level/Interest Age
Grade 7 and Up / 13-18 years old


* Challenge Issues and Defense
N/A


* Why did you include this book in your titles you selected?
I included this title on my blog because I am so used to seeing the typical action hero graphic novel or Manga cover that I was ecstatic when I came across this one. I had to include it based on visuals alone but then I read it and loved the story as well. I like seeing such a strong female character such as Tasha who has her flaws just like everyone else, like when she told the bullies lies about Chloe but all in all she is a good person. She gets out her frustrations on her blog which is very common among today’s teens so I find this book extremely relatable for them. This is a fun easy read that should be shared among young adults.