Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Following a dangerous incident at a party, two 14-year-olds spend their summer at a camp for wayward teens in this cathartic graphic novel by Wood (The Flutter Collection). Best friends Dylan, who is nonbinary and white-cued, and Leighton, who is biracial (Black and white), have always loved communicating via note-passing, often in the form of paper airplanes. But ever since the party, Leighton has been distant, not responding to notes and disparaging Dylan for developing friendships with fellow campers. In alternating past and present sequences, Wood economically unspools the pair's mercurial relationship throughout the years leading to their admittance to the camp, where teens must learn to follow directions and be team players. The two find themselves on divergent paths and are forced to confront past mistakes and reevaluate their friendship. Dozerdraws (The Last Session) renders flashbacks in a sepia-toned palette, artfully distinguishing them from vibrantly saturated present events. While Leighton and Dylan's internal voices often read overly similarly, this emotionally resonant telling presents the protagonists' challenges and missteps with empathy, making for a simultaneously hopeful and sobering reminder that growing up sometimes means growing apart. Ages 12--up. (May)
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Review by School Library Journal Review
Gr 7--10--Dylan and Leighton are two former best friends who have been sent to a summer camp for troubled youth due to an incident that is revealed late in the story. Friends since they were children, and now on the cusp of starting high school, their lives begin to diverge. Dylan is nonbinary and comes from a single-parent household, while Leighton, who is biracial and asexual, is pushed to excel in a sport she is not interested in by her affluent parents. This non-linear tale effectively uses flashbacks to show how these two friends had a falling out and why they are forced to be at the camp together. The artwork is pleasing and showcases a diverse cast of characters, with a palette that helpfully alternates to signal when there are time shifts. The illustrations will appeal to fans of the "Lumberjanes" series, not only for the similar camp vibe, but because Dozerdraws has also illustrated a few volumes from that series. VERDICT Strong character growth, welcome diversity, and the bittersweet lesson that some friendships don't last forever make this a must-buy for all libraries.--Nancy McKay
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Review by Kirkus Book Review
Two teens trapped at summer camp confront their feelings about their history and senses of self in this contemporary graphic novel. After "the incident," Dylan, a White nonbinary teen, and Leighton, a biracial asexual girl, face a threat to their futures at high school unless they can demonstrate personal growth to the counselors at a summer camp for kids with behavior challenges. Although they were once close friends, conflicting desires for their relationship and the disapproval of Leighton's parents have created a rift between them that even their paper-airplane notes struggle to fly across. Losing Leighton is what Dylan fears most, but they have always prioritized her feelings before their own. Meanwhile, Leighton battles her own frustration that her family (especially her mom) and Dylan refuse to accept more than one part of her identity: She is Black and White, an artist and an athlete, and in love but uninterested in dating or sex. The narration flips between their two perspectives, indicated by illustrations of rocket ships for Dylan and pink roller skates for Leighton. Flashbacks in between scenes at camp, cued visually by a faded color palette and yellowed pages, reveal the story of their relationship. Tension builds as each memory, beginning with the first time they connected, ramps up toward the climactic incident. The art depicts diversity in the world, including casual representation of fatness. A queer coming-of-age story that embraces the mess and complexity of identity and relationships. (Graphic fiction. 14-18) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
