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Eigentlich gehören die Sommer Bina und Austin - doch ihr gemeinsamer Spaß-Index zieht dieses Jahr nicht, wenn Austin in einem Sommercamp für Fußballer sitzt. Doch Bina will sich davon nicht die Laune verderben lassen. Nur was tun, wenn der beste Freund meilenweit entfernt ist und sich auch noch merkwürdig verhält? Zwischen Musik, Austins Schwester Charlie und ihrer Familie muss Bina für sich selbst rausfinden, wie sie ihren Sommer unvergesslich macht. Und dabei kommt sie auch dem Erwachsenwerden ein Stückchen näher ...

Meine Bewertung

Ich wäre fast an Hope Larsons "All Summer Long" vorbeigegangen - fast. Und was für ein Glück, dass ich es nicht getan habe! Denn dieser Comic hat sich ganz langsam in mein Herz gestohlen und ich bin schon am Überlegen, ihn zu rereaden. So lange musste ich warten, bis er offiziell erscheint und ich darüber reden darf, dabei haben mich diese Seiten einfach zum Lachen und Mitfiebern gebracht.

Was dieser Comic ist? Hautnah. Bina war eine Protagonistin, mit der ich wirklich mitgelitten habe - auch ich kenne diese Ferientage, in denen man sich allein fühlt, weil alle Freunde verreist sind. An denen man durchs Haus tigert und nicht weiß, was man mit sich anfangen soll. Und in solchen Momenten fängt man dann an, an Freundschaften zu zweifeln und sich zu fragen, wie leicht diese zerbrechen - wie es auch bei Bina geschah. Ihre Emotionen waren wirklich zum Greifen nah und ihr Alltag sehr realistisch dargestellt. Selbst die Langeweile hat beim Lesen Gefühle hervorgerufen und ich finde, man kann sich mit der Protagonistin sehr leicht identifizieren.

Der Name der Autorin ist hier auch irgendwie Programm: Was Hoffnung macht, sind die kleinen Sachen. Eine neue Freundin. Ein Familienbesuch. Die Zeit, die man miteinander zu schätzen lernt, die winzigen Sachen im Leben, die man mit mehr Erfahrung erkennt. Das macht irgendwo auch Binas Erwachsenwerden aus. Sie lernt auch sich selbst besser kennen, und was ich sehr bewundernswert fand: Der Comic zeigt auch auf, dass man sich nicht alles gefallen lassen muss. Es ist okay, neue Freunde zu finden, aber ausnutzen lassen muss man sich von ihnen nicht. Es ist okay, Angst vor Verlust zu haben, aber unterkriegen lassen muss man sich von ihr nicht.

Was ich auch sehr cool fand, war der musikalische Aspekt des Comics. Binas Musik hilft ihr aus ihrer Krise heraus und zeigt ihr auf, dass man auch eigene Interessen haben kann, die aber nicht dazu führen müssen, dass man sich von anderen entfremdet. Musik bringt Menschen zusammen, hilft aber auch für den eigenen Seelenfrieden. Wie Bina sich in der Musik wiedergefunden hat, hat auch in mir wieder viel bewegt, denn auch in meinem Leben haben Lieder und Songtexte eine große Rolle bei der Selbstfindung gespielt. In diesem Sinn hat Hope Larson das Lebensgefühl einer Altersgruppe zumindest aus meinem Blickfeld gut wiedergegeben.

Auch die Panels fand ich sehr gut strukturiert, die Zeichnungen waren genau nach meinem Geschmack - stilvoll, jugendlich, nicht zu überladen. Es sind sehr monochrome Farben verwendet worden, also man darf nicht vom Cover auf die Farben im Innenteil schließen, dennoch fand ich diese sehr passend zur Geschichte. Und auch die Textanteile waren gut angepasst, sodass sowohl Zeichnunge, als auch die Bubbles für sich sprachen.

Alles in allem ist "All Summer Long" ein Comic, der für eine etwas jüngere Zielgruppe perfekt ist, aber auch bei mir tief eingeschlagen hat. Ein wenig Nostalgie ist auch dabei, und ich empfand die Geschichte als sehr berührend, ohne belehrend zu sein. Eine tolle Umsetzung von Hope Larson und sicher nicht mein letzter Comic von ihr!

Thank you to NetGalley for a digital ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Set in the summer before 8th grade, Bina is bored, lonely, and sulking after her best friend goes away to soccer camp. Bina and Austin have always had the best summers, complete with a Summer Fun Index scale and now everything is ruined. All Summer Long is all about how Bina fills her summer after her best friend messes up their plans. It's a fun graphic novel about growing up, summer nights, and letting friendships evolve.

This is a classic middle grade tale that focuses on those first stirrings of getting older. Bina is upset that Austin seems to be outgrowing her. He doesn't want to play the games they've always played or be silly with Bina anymore. She feels them growing apart and isn't sure how to handle it. Larson really captures how uncertain friendships can seem in the summer. Bina has to find something else to do when Austin leaves, whether she wants to or not. Bina befriends Austin's older sister and a summer of unexpected things begins.

This graphic novel is a fun exploration of summer and growing up. It's about starting fresh but also allowing yourself and your friends to grow. Austin and Bina discover they can be friends even when their lives take them in different directions.

This is a wonderful, all ages, read that will resonate with anyone who has experienced the growing pains of changing relationships and adolescence.

All Summer Long is a moment in time, a summer of loneliness and discovery. For Bina, it's rather lonely, having a summer apart from her best friend, but there has to be something to do beyond eating chips and watching TV all the time.

Bina's fun and energetic. She loves music and playing the guitar, hanging out with her best friend Austin, and she's all ready to spend another summer with him finding out how much fun they can have. Keeping track of it all in their Combined Summer Fun Index. But on the last day of school before the summer, Austin puts the brakes on their plans because he's off to soccer camp. And he thinks they need to grow up a little. They are thirteen, after all. Once Austin's gone, Bina's a little lost. What she supposed to do? Summer reading? Watch loads and loads of British teen dramas online? Leave the house? What follows for Bina is a summer of exploration, of meeting new people, of getting to know people better, of learning some hard lessons, and of continuing to love something that already brought her enjoyment.

The art style fits with the story. There's something casual and summery about it. I rather enjoyed the expressions Hope Larson gave the characters, the frowns and the grumbles on Bina's face, the sneer's on Charlie's. The way the lyrics of the songs Bina listens to float across the page. There's something about Larson's art the brings Bina's story to life.

This is a sweet coming of age story about a girl who loves music and is still figuring out the world, figuring out the people around her and what she wants from life. What she's interested in, what she thinks she'll continue to be interested in. Things will change, as they always do, but the people close by, the ones who've always been there, will continue to be there. And as Bina gets older, as she learns and practices, whole new worlds will open up to her. I would recommend this to those middle-grade graphic novel readers looking for more stories about growing up and getting older while also being light-hearted.

I can't wait to have a physical copy of this book in my library to hand to everyone! Larson is just an amazing story-teller and "All Summer Long" is not exception. I will be suggesting this to everyone I possibly can.

Hope Larson has created a wonderful coming of age graphic novel for middle grade readers. Bina's summer seems like it's going to be a disaster when her best friend announces that he'll be heading off to soccer camp and that he thinks they're too old for their usual "Summer Fun Index" anyway. Bina struggles by herself for much of the summer, navigating changes in her relationship with Austin, a friendship with Austin's older sister, and her place in the world. This rewarding book is an evocative and interesting look at what a summer can do for a person's confidence and self image.

Hope Larson has long been a favorite of mine and she doesn't disappoint in this perfect middle grade graphic novel. The hardest part of being a tween is dealing with changing bodies and changing relationships, this book deal with these issues well in the course of Bina's summer. As you follow her disappointments and adventures you can see that while it's hard letting childhood go, there are good new things you pickup along the way. I can't wait to put this in the hands of the patrons disappointed by all of our Raina Telgelmeier books being checked out.

This was a fine middle grade book about teenage friendship and discovering ones ambitions. The book has good illustrations and characters and started off very well but it sadly kind of lost focus towards the end. Still a read that middle grade kids will love.

Wow, this is my first time reading Hope Larson and I'm so glad I did. There's so much to love about ALL SUMMER LONG. Bina's self-discovery the summer she turns 13 is so real. I remember summers where friends were on vacation or at camp and being left behind to make my own fun. I discovered writing and Buffy. Bina discovered a British Teen Private Eye show and a love for music. I love how real Bina's distance from her best friend was as well. It was so authentic to the pre-teen/teen experience, especially when friends' interests begin to shift and change. The intricate illustrations really helped give life to this story as well. Hope Larson did a wonderful idea of giving readers a clear view of Bina's world and I LOVED the way she chose to include the music lyrics. This was a wonderful read and one I can't wait to share.

Reading this coming-of-age middle-grade graphic novel about summer and friendships back-to-back with Vera Brosgol's Be Prepared made for a great reading experience, since both revolve around similar adolescent themes that naturally occur with the peak of summertime.

I got an advanced reader copy of Alll Summer Long from NetGalley in exchange for a honest review.

This book goes by so incredibly fast in the best way. Bina is going through the first summer where her and her best friend Austin are starting to diverge on different paths. It is a great way to see how despite that happening the kids can always come back together.
The art itself is 2-tone, which just lends to the nostalgia factor that the entire book has. There are some bits that I think kids might have a problem relating to, like burning CD's not sure anyone does that anymore.
It is exactly what I needed for a light read.

This was another terrific offering from the great Hope Larson. My students are going to love All Summer Long, and I predict it will be one of those titles that gets checked out in September and then gets passed from student to student for the remainder of the school year. Kind of ironic for a story entitled All Summer Long, but that's my bet. While I was previewing this title, my 11 year old, who is a graphic-novel binge reader, was desperate for a peek. She's upper-elementary age and loved it as well.

Super-cute and absorbing. I doubt I'll remember it in six months' time, but it passed an hour pleasantly.

An original graphic novel about a 13 year-old's first summer without her best friend. Bina and Austin have been BFFs since birth, but Austin is off to soccer camp for a month and Bina must entertain herself in his absence. She discovers a new favorite band, practices her guitar, and make friends with the unlikeliest of people. But summer vacation is not all fun. Relationships are strained and Bina takes comfort in the music and, after some inspiration from the lead singer of the band, she decides to form her own band when school starts.

An instant classic! Hope Larson has captured the boredom, the fun, and the awkwardness of being a teenager over a lonely summer. As a teen librarian, I can't wait to recommend this book to my teens. The weirdos and part time punk rockers are gonna love it!

This is a good choice for readers who are into tween coming-of-age/friendship drama graphic novels. It falls somewhere between BSC and This One Summer, probably most similar to Victoria Jamieson's Roller Girl. The pacing unfolds nicely, and the story is well-constructed as the main character navigates changing friendships, growing up and the feeling of being stuck in the middle - there are no major crises to tackle, just normal growing pains. The protagonist, a twelve year old girl stuck at home for the summer, also displays more confidence than is normally seen in the genre, which is a fresh change. A few other touches were nice - a normal, competent mom who happens to have full-sleeve tattoos, the parents of the protagonist are a mixed race couple, her brother is married to a man and adopting a son - these touches happen in the background and are not a huge "Story Point." Minor drawbacks worth mentioning: the coloring is monochromatic, which I know is a turn off for some readers, and one of the more major plot points hinges on a cd, though the story takes place modern day, alongside instagram and smartphones. Highly recommended for middle school, though unlikely to reach the popularity levels of BSC or Svetlana Chmakova

This slice of life graphic novel is a wonderful read. Bina's summer vacation is off to a rocky start when she finds out her best friend, Austin, will be away at soccer camp for the first month. Struggling to make new friends and find something to occupy her time Bina finds herself floundering through her summer.

Fans of Victoria Jamieson, Kiyohiko Azuma and Raina Telgemeier will like this one.

Excellent coming of age story, I love that it addresses taking a platonic male/female friendship through teenage years without making it into a romance.

Excellently organized and entertaining. A real winner for the publisher and the reader.