It's fun to have a male perspective in Libenson's series this time around! It feels as relatable as the others and I'm sure it will be a welcome addition to the fold.

While I don't think this title is as strong as the other books in the series, I'm still looking forward to having it on our library shelves and recommending it to girls and boys alike. Told in alternating perspctives between Tyler and Emmie, who has a crush on Tyler, we get a LOT of text but still a general graphic novel format. We get sports, we get art, we get complicated family dynamics and friendships. I don't think the message at the end was as clear-cut and strong as the others, but it was a fine read.

3.7 stars for me.

I loved Invisible Emmie and so was excited to have the chance to do an early review of Truly Tyler. Author and artist Terri Libenson is building a middle grades graphic novel world that is funny, heartfelt, and beautiful to see on the page.

I’m equally excited to share this book and others in this series with middle grades and upper elementary readers. This is a book and series that belongs in young people’s hands. Well done storytelling for this pivotal age!

After reading the ARC of Truly Tyler by Terri Libenson I am convinced she is secretly a middle school student. All of her books are spot on with middle school life and tweenage social machinations. This one is no exception and I love that it has a male protagonist.

Tyler is the popular kid: basketball star and the crush for many of the girls at his high school. But Tyler is struggling with the fact that he likes art, and he likes Emmie, the girl who wrote a love note to him that he was not supposed to get (see "Invisible Emmie," Libenson's first book in this series.) But everyone knows Emmie is one of the art geeks and that art geeks and jocks don't mix. Tyler struggles with other's expectations and his own interests and learns that he can like and be good at more than one thing.

Libenson's books fly off the shelves in my library and the 'hold' list is a mile long for the titles in this series. "Truly Tyler" is as good as the rest of them and I cannot wait to offer it to my students. These realistic fiction graphic novels can be recommended to students who like the Raina Telgemeier books, Jennifer L. Holm's "Sunny" books and Shannon Hale's "Friends" books.

I really enjoyed this book. I am a fan of Libenson and have read all their other books. I enjoyed the dual points of view, with Tyler and Emmie. It is nice to see the same story from different perspectives. I also enjoyed the sprinkling of their comic book. I think fans of realistic middle grade stories will enjoy this book.

This is my first "Emmie and Friends" book and I loved it. I jumped into the middle of the series and found my way through just fine, but it would probably be much better if you started with book 1. It is quite popular in my middle school library and I was intrigued to see how it compared with Telgemeier and Jamieson, etc. Wow did it hold its own! I loved the storyline and how it brought in storylines/characters from other books (to keep kids reading the series). I also loved the crossover format between graphic novel and illustrated novel. The issues felt convincingly real and very middle school-ish. Libenson is now one of my favorites!

Thank you to HarperCollins Children's Books and #NetGalley for allowing me the opportunity to read a digital ARC of Truly Tyler by Terri Libenson. This is the fifth book in the Emmie and Friends graphic novel series. It will be published in May 2021. All opinions are my own.

Ever since Tyler started talking to Emmie, he can't seem to get his friends off his case. When the Tyler and Emmie pair up for an art project things only get worse. Tyler really enjoys working on the comic and his artwork and tends to lose track of time resulting in him being late to basketball. He starts to slip up on the court and his friends aren't happy about it. Tyler doesn't understand why he can't do his art and play basketball. Emmie is excited to finally get to spend more time with Tyler. She's knows they're just friends but, now that they're working together, maybe it could become something more. As his friends and their fellow classmates continue to make comments about the two of them, Emmie begins to question if she's even cool enough to hang out with him.

I love Libenson's Emmie and Friends series. It gives me all the middle school feels. I love that this book features Tyler as all the previous protagonists have been female. It reminds readers that middle school boys also have to deal with peer pressure, teasing, and friendship issues. The book focuses on common middle school problems both at school and at home that many readers will be able to connect to. The illustrations enhance the overall story and I love how the styles differ to show the main story and the sub plot. I also love that Libenson includes a book within a book and that the story that Tyler and Emmie write together enhances the overall themes of the graphic novel.

Terri Libenson is a favorite in our household and Truly Tyler brought some definite excitement. Tyler and Emmie decide to work on a project together but they get a lot of flack from Tyler's friend group about it, or so they think, Tyler has to decide what is really important to him and how to handle friends and parents who think differently. Great flow, great story, sure to be a follow up hit!

This installment focuses on both Tyler and Emmie as they navigate some shared, and some separate problems. Emmie’s storyline mainly focuses on her feelings for Tyler and bullying while Tyler’s follows several threads like expectations and interests, identity, etc. I think the main thing I felt while reading this was that it was too long and had too much going on so I didn’t feel as drawn to the characters as I would like. I do, however, know this series is very popular among my tweens and I don’t think this will be an exception. While this follows a lot is relevant and difficult topics kids are facing at this age I just had a hard time connecting with the characters.

I have really enjoyed all of the Emmie and Friends books I have read and Truly Tyler is no different! I will be recommending it to all my middle grade readers. The series touches on many common issues encountered by middle grade and is very relatable! I think this series as a whole is great for fans of Smile or the Babysitters Club and I know so many kids that I will be recommending this to!

Middle School is alot, and this book tells you the real story of balance between friends, family, hobbies, and school life. So honest and told from the male perspective of Tyler, it is worth a read for everyone. Lots of memories came back to me as I read it. This book exceeded my expectations and stands alone on its own merits!

Best in the series so far! All the books revolve around two main characters and each chapter goes back and forth from each character’s point of view. This book seemed more fluid. Very enjoyable with unique, likable characters and setting. The illustrations are great and really highlight the text. I love the addition of the author’s own grade school drawings in the endnotes. It was also fun that this is a book within a book. Each of the two main characters is working on a comic series that’s featured throughout. So there’s basically four different stories going on with four different drawing styles and four different writing styles that all comes together in this one book. Just very fun to read!

Part of the Emmy and Friends series, Truly Tyler focuses (mostly) on the thoughts and experiences of Emmy's crush. Tyler is the younger of two brothers who benefit from good looks, athletic prowess, and general popularity. But Tyler wishes his divorced mother and popular older brother had more time for him and that his father, who lives in distant Seattle, would talk to him about more than just basketball. An art project with his classmate Emmy, who Tyler considers a friend but not a crush, causes him to wonder why middle school social life tends to put people in boxes and makes him wish he could be seen as both and artist and an athlete. Interwoven with Tyler's thoughts are chapters narrated by Emmy who is also struggling with the middle school social order, where she fits (or doesn't fit) in it, and her all too obvious interest in Tyler (who does not reciprocate these feelings). Emmy's insertion seemed at times unnecessary, although I did very much enjoy the narrative device of Tyler and Emmy's shared comic book assignment. I would have appreciated more about Tyler's story that was unrelated to Emmy's feelings for him.

Tyler is a basketball star who is having trouble focusing. His friends and family are all pushing him toward basketball, but lately, he has been more interested in art. His popular friends though, don't approve, especially since some of them don't like his art partner Emmie. Emmie is going through her own struggles. She has a crush on Tyler and is she around him, but also hates how the popular kids pick on her friend Sarah. Can the two of them work together to pull of their art project?

Once again, Terri Libenson adds another great volume to her middle school series. Her mix of prose and illustrations is very engaging. She really captures the middle school voices really well, as well as does a good job of really illuminating the highs and lows of being in 7th grader. The one drawback of this book is that I didn't like Tyler as much as the other characters in the series. Although this is probably my least favorite of her books, this is still a stellar read and I will recommending it to a wide variety of readers.

I love Terri Libenson books, and so do my students. I cannot keep this series on the shelf in my classroom. Boys and girls alike love reading Terri's characters. Truly Tyler fits in perfectly with the series, and it adds a boy to the mix. I see my students loving this book just as much as all the others in the series. I can't wait to purchase it for our classroom.

A sweet story of cliques, crushes, friendship, and finding one’s place in the world, all told through alternating viewpoints and filled with a memorable cast of believable characters. Perfect for fans of Raina Telgemeier.

This is another fantastic book by Terri Libenson. It alternates perspectives between Tyler and Emmy. Tyler starts out as a "popular" middle school boy who has lots of friends and spends most of his time and focus playing basketball. Emmy loves art, has a crush on Tyler and is mostly quiet around others. They become fast friends while working on a comic book together for art. Tyler likes art and hanging out with Emmy but his friends on the basketball team are worried he isn't focused enough on the game. Emmy likes hanging out with Tyler but pushes one of her friends away because she is trying so hard to be popular. They both end up realizing it is better to be themselves and that different can be friends. It is a great book for early middle grades students. The graphics and relatable story will engage readers.

I liked the newest installment of the Emmy and friends series. I liked how it really showed how cliques happen in school and how to stand out and be yourself. It's a mix of graphic novel and illustrated novel.

I read this book in one sitting. A cute story about first crushes and the ways in which we can be influenced by those around us. I liked the additional family relationship element. The characters were relatable. I was taken back to my own middle school days and that feeling of how important it is to feel valued.