A Clear Winner at ABM
From Lisa:
Sometimes Smackdown sends you a sign...
I was struggling to decide between The Faithful Spy and Good Enough. The social teacher in me loved The Faithful Spy. Although there are several good YA/middle school books written about the resistance against Nazi Germany, not many are about German citizens who actively worked against Hitler. Who wouldn't love a story about a man who stood by his convictions even though it meant he faced death? As a reader who often doesn't "get" graphic novels, I also though the illustrations were thoughtful and worked to enhance the story rather than detract from it. But I teach grade 7, and I am not sure this book would be very accessible to them. High school, yes, grade 9, perhaps. As far as the story and the writing? I thought The Faithful Spy was the clear winner here. The writing in Good Enough is simple, and the story was a little predictable; certainly the subject matter is important, but I have read better books about the same topic. But then, something happened.
I had given the book to one of my students for the break, and she showed up Monday morning. Early. Not like her. I knew that she wasn't a big reader, but I also knew this young lady was suffering from some anxiety, and this book had some important ideas about dealing with those thoughts that can shout at you and linger in your mind. I was sitting at my computer. She showed up and was moving around my desk. I glanced her way, said good morning, and asked her if she liked the book, still a little focused on my computer, when she said, "Mrs. Haugen, this book was really important to me." I heard those words, and I stopped. I turned to face her, and prepared myself to really listen to what she had to say. She told me that she saw herself in this book - for the first time ever, she saw herself in a book. She confided in me that she often feels that her body does not measure up, and she really understood what this character was going through. She talked about the pressure that she sometimes feels to look better and be perfect. As a lover of books and reading, I always dream of putting the perfect book into people's hands. The book that speaks to them, and tells them exactly what they need to hear at exactly the right time in their life. If this book made her feel like this, maybe there is a whole army of young girls out there who will find the same kind of connection to this character and her story. How could I not vote for Good Enough after this experience? Now, if I can only find a way to tell Dia that the book has left my room in someone else's hands after a solid recommendation from someone who loves it.

From Annabel:

The Faithful Spy is my vote. It was the most text heavy GN I’ve ever read but was fascinating and compelling. A fresh insight into a topic which has so much literature written about it already. The wolf imagery stood out for me as did the use of authentic quotes and the insight into how a secret plot with such high stakes is planned and can fail. It reminded me of The Nazi Hunter and was just as compelling but in a more unique format.   

From Ben:

This was a tough round for me--two very compelling stories in two vastly different styles. Good Enough's Riley speaks in a very raw and jarring way, and you immediately see the juxtaposition of her wanting to get better with the gnawing self-doubt and self-sabotage. The Faithful Spy is a history buff's dream, but at times I found it challenging to balance and keep track of the biographical and historical aspects of the book. Perhaps the story of Bonhoffer would have been best served as either a conventional novel or an outright graphic novel--Palaccio's recent work White Bird comes to mind with regard to the latter.

So in the end, Good Enough was good enough for me!

From Arlene:

I agree with Annabel that Faithful Spy was one of the most text heavy GNs that I have ever read. It was fascinating and compelling for me, too.  However, I usually vote for what my class wants to read more and this time it was Good Enough. I will have to buy a copy as I returned the one I read to Dia. They are fighting over who was going to read Good Enough next. This isn't the case for Faithful Spy. From Holly:

I feel like The Faithful Spy isn't even a graphic novel, but instead a (info)graphic non-fiction book. I felt like I was misled when I first picked it up! I kept expecting the traditional graphic novel style to begin once we had the backstory but it never did. Some of the details were fascinating, and the illustrations and colour choices brilliant- the perfect book for our kids who LOVE history. I know a few of my kids would probably love it as they are already obsessed with learning about WWII. I have never heard of this particular person in relation to the siege against Hitler, but it did give me goosebumps reading about their attempts to assassinate him. Obviously I know that they all failed ahead of time, but how close they were to actually being successful was interesting! 

My vote goes to Good Enough. It took awhile for me to get into it, but the power that weight and body image has on her is a story that deserves to be shared. It provides hope to those that struggle with distorted beliefs about eating and would be more readily chosen by students, like others have said. I am sure many junior and high school girls could identify with some part of her journey. Without a doubt, Good Enough would get more reads, is easily accessible to many readers, and a topic that is still important in today's society. 

From Lil:

My vote goes to Good Enough. I really felt the topic was relevant  especially in our society so driven by social media platforms of being 'perfect'. The message needs to be delivered that trying to distort your body image to 'fit in' , comes with a price  and the realness of what could possibly be the end result. Yes, the book ties it up neatly but the message resonates that more people need to embrace  and love who they are and be less involved with the outside but the beauty that comes from within. This book would be very impactful for many, to know they are not alone and that who they are matters and that they are 'good enough' just the way they are!

From Andrew: This might sound a little strange from someone who loves history but I am also voting for Good Enough. This is why... I did enjoy Faithful Spy and found the story very interesting, especially the first section that explained how Hitler and the Nazi party took control of Germany - there is a good lesson to be shared with the discontent populations today. I did however find that the text was very dense and it was a struggle to read through it. Overall would I recommend it to students? It would have to be the "right student" who is a strong reader and has the determination to finish it when the reading gets tough. I was also surprised to discover that a number of people already knew about Bonhoeffer and his story when I was describing the book over the break.

Now on to Good Enough. This is a book that I believe needs to be read by teens. I think that it shows the dangers of eating disorders as well as does a good job of describing just how dangerous the offhanded comments of peers can be. It would be my hope that after reading this book that students would think twice before making a hurtful comment in passing. As well I liked that the young girl in the story doesn't really want to be helped and goes through a number of things to remain thin even though she knows it is a competition and a healthy choice.