Cub Blog Tour

Synopsis:

Twelve-year-old Cindy has just dipped a toe into seventh-grade drama—with its complicated friendships, bullies, and cute boys—when she earns an internship as a cub reporter at a local newspaper in the early 1970s. A (rare) young female reporter takes Cindy under her wing, and Cindy soon learns not only how to write a lede, but also how to respectfully question authority, how to assert herself in a world run by men, and—as the Watergate scandal unfolds—how brave reporting and writing can topple a corrupt world leader. Searching for her own scoops, Cindy doesn’t always get it right, on paper or in real life. But whether she’s writing features about ghost hunters, falling off her bicycle and into her first crush, or navigating shifting friendships, Cindy grows wiser and more confident through every awkward and hilarious mistake.

My Thoughts:

I really enjoyed this gentle memoir about Cindy, who uses her internship as a reporter and her drive to succeed as a journalist and photographer, to navigate through the rocky world of middle school. Mean girls try to wreak havoc on Cindy's self-esteem, and even claim her best friend as part of their clique, but Cindy doesn't wallow. Instead, she makes new friends and has exciting adventures as a cub reporter. I especially liked the dynamics within Cindy's family - her patriarchal father, who spends most of the graphic novel praising and encouraging her brothers, and then eventually realizes the potential in his daughter.