I wish this book were double the thickness because I find Sophie Crumb’s drawings very compelling; I have been looking through this daily for about a week and am still enjoying it. Her drawings are personal and guileless and super charming (especially from ages 4 to 14!) Her words are self aware and reveal a pretty good sense of humor. On certain pages her enthusiasm for drawing is so sweet, and very evident.

This book was a real surprise. I opened it with some skepticism (or plain ol’ cynicism) because I had never heard of Sophie Crumb and I wondered if she were riding on her famous father’s name. But it is wonderful. A gifted artist, she drew plenty well by the time she was 9. Her drawings and accompanying test are often very funny. When she was an adolescent her honest renderings of awkwardness and hopes to fit in are painfully good.

Recommended by Jeeyeon