When you’ve worked in kids and young adult books as long as I have, you learn some “big names” of the biz. One I knew I never had to read (but probably should because they were good) was David Levithan. I recommended them on repetition alone. Therefore, when the opportunity came to read Every Day: The Graphic Novel I knew the Reading Gods were telling me to go for it. First, a graphic novel (a favorite reading genre for several years now) and second, David Levithan. Sure, it would be adapted, but the meat and potatoes would be there.
And not only do you get meat and potatoes, there is gravy, too. Talk about your Romeo and Juliet story! This graphic novel asks a lot of questions about love, how do we know people, and even about gender and expression. While I had a few bumps, overall this is a terribly interesting and thoughtful book, with some clever, sweet, strong illustrations by Dion MBD.
The character of A wakes up in a new body Every. Single. Day. And for the most part, they have learned to adapt to this. Don’t get attached to people, keep your head down and just play it safe. That is until She arrives in his life. Rhiannon. The perfect gal: smart, funny, beautiful, already has a boyfriend. A boyfriend that A is now inhabiting for a day. A day that is perfect and wonderful. A day that once A leaves, his host will not really remember, yet will just enough so he can be aware of things when people talk about it. But things do not end there, now A is now obsessed and will do anything to be with Rhiannon.
And this is where some of my bumps happen. A really controls people’s lives. I was thinking, when A is in a male body, what if that character is gay and really does not want to have feelings for Rhiannon? Or if in a female body what if they are not gay? And sex in the body is not okay but kissing is? Then there was Vic as he has a girlfriend, and A travels over three hours to be with Rhiannon, so what if Vic missed his date with her? The moral issues might not be front and center for the teen reader (at least 12 and up, but I would say 13-14 and up), but they did for me. The other thing is the question: What happens if the person A inhabits was supposed to do something? Like the boy who was supposed to go to Hawaii. What if the parent lost a job? Or would A stay there and therefore, couldn’t be with Rhiannon any more? Then the two story arcs at the end allow two things to happen. One allows for the sequels (which are currently only traditional novels) and that is fine, but the other adds a new moral issue for me.
Still, despite, or maybe because of the bumps, I really enjoyed this book. I think the moral issues were just making things have a harder hit and are the point. I also like the idea of being trans or non-binary handled in a way that is relatable and understandable to most people.