Comic Book Review: Enemies by Svetlana Chmakova
Felicity Teale is one of many ordinary students at Berrybrook Middle School, but this time it’s her turn to be in the spotlight. “‘City” likes doing art and playing video games (the hot one right now is Skore) and is decent in Spanish class, but she has a problem with poor organization and getting distracted, so seldom finishes anything. Felicity’s slightly younger sister Leticia (“Letty”} is a science whiz and music prodigy, and excellent at organization, so keeps winning contests and being praised for her ideas, making Felicity feel inferior.
Desperate to find a way to prove herself, Felicity spots a poster for the Entrepreneurs’ Club, announcing a thousand dollar prize for the best start-up business idea. Catch! She has to have a partner. The teacher’s first suggestion is Joseph Koh, a boy Felicity was friends with in elementary school. Unfortunately, when they came to middle school, Joseph abruptly turned cold and distant and has actively been avoiding Felicity even though they have other friends in common. The teacher quickly picks up the awkward vibe and does not force them to work together.
Instead, Felicity ropes in Tess from the art club, who’s a bit ditzy, but actually does her share of projects. Joseph goes with Alex, another member of the gaming group he and Felicity are both in.
As anyone who’s ever tried to start a business knows, it’s not as easy as it sounds. The kids struggle, and Felicity finds herself overbooked and short on good ideas. {“Soap”, everyone suggests.) Also, the stress is causing drama between her and her friends. Joseph even calls her an “enemy!”
Will Letty turn out to be right, that Felicity just doesn’t have what it takes to finish anything?
This is the latest graphic novel in the Berrybrook Middle School series which started with Awkward. Each of the volumes deals with age-appropriate drama, focusing on one or two of the students. Felicity appeared in minor roles in previous stories, but takes the lead here.
There’s quite a lot good in this book. Felicity, Joseph and their fellow students are realistically flawed and gifted; given their age, it’s easy to believe they make bad decisions and communicate poorly. Letty’s a bit more put together, but there’s a moment when she has to face failure as well. The parents and teachers are doing the best they can, but aren’t mind readers and don’t always understand what the kids are going through.
The story doesn’t go too hard on the nitty-gritty of entrepreneurship, but does depict some of the difficulties involved, and I especially liked the reminder about intellectual property laws.
There’s a lot of diversity at Berrybrook in various ways; it’s not made a huge deal but is just part of the setting. Some conservative parents may feel uncomfortable about their children being exposed to that.
The one truly naughty child in the book is Dennis, the dead weight in the Spanish class group project, who never contributes but expects to get a passing grade from the other kids carrying him–and who gets upset when he finds out what his assigned lines mean because he never bothered to learn anything in class. He may actually be Felicity’s enemy, though he is pretty bad at being menacing.
And while things wrap up perhaps a little too neatly at the end, it’s not because Felicity doesn’t still have a lot to learn about business, friendship and how to navigate those things.
Content note: taunting between sisters, a bit of bullying., a poop joke. Nothing a middle schooler can’t handle.
Overall: I remember Ms. Chmakova’s early work in Original English Manga, and it’s good to see how much her artwork has improved as she’s found a niche that goes well with her talents. Recommended to middle school kids and those that don’t mind revisiting those awkward times.
