Swing opens on Marcus McCalister's first day of eighth grade. His older brother is a soccer superstar, but Marcus is ambivalent about going out for the team again. His classmate Izzy Briggs marches to the beat of her own drum. The two are paired up in gym class to study a form of dance for a week, and then perform it for the class. The showcase goes about as well as expected, with bruised toes (and pride) aplenty. Their gym teacher offers to let them redeem themselves - and their grade - by performing in the school talent show. Izzy agrees - but only if she leads and Marcus follows. Everything gets more complicated as Marcus tries to juggle soccer with swing practice, and his teammates definitely notice how much time he and Izzy are spending together (and they definitely aren't above a little petty revenge). With themes of friendship, loyalty, and gender norms, Audrey Meeker's debut graphic novel proves once again what a rich vein eighth grade is to mine for stories such as this one!

“You know, Marcus, just because your friendship with Ted isn’t terrible doesn’t mean it’s healthy.”

I have pretty much blocked out P.E. classes from my K-12 experience because woof that was painful. One thing that stands out to me from middle school is our dance unit. We were randomly partnered up with a class member of the opposite sex (I see you early aughts homophobia) and we had a series of dances to learn. I was gangly and awkward with two left feet and sweaty hands. This unit was, needless to say, a nightmare for me. This book brought back so many memories and emotions from that time in my life.

Things I Loved —
-Watching two middle schoolers trying to learn how to swing dance was just as humorous in graphic novel format as I imagine it would be in real life.
-Izzy is a really strong character. She knows who she is and what she believes and she isn’t going to let anything get in her way. I appreciated getting to know a character that isn’t your typical “good girl” - Izzy appears a little rough around the edges with her fashion and hair colors. I think it’s really good for young readers to see the humanity in others who might look different from them.
-Marcus was your typical middle school boy - trying to figure out who he is and where he fits in while running to catch up to where he should be at any given moment. He sticks his foot in his mouth often leading to some humorous situations. But Marcus has a good heart and he knows what the right thing is. I appreciated that he let Izzy lead in the swing dance and didn’t give her too much grief about it. He recognized his weakness and let her lead where she shines.
-Marcus’ friend Ted is so mean! But again, very typical for middle school. I appreciated that Marcus tried to be friends with Ted even though he was not a good friend back to Marcus.

Things That Didn’t Work For Me —
-I’m really supposed to believe there are only EIGHT kids in this gym class? I get drawing a graphic novel is far different from writing about a class but come on. There is no school that is supposedly as big as this school is that would have a class with only 8 students.
-Likewise, this was me as teacher noticing things but I noticed first period was a full hour from 8:00-9:00 and there were 8 or 9 periods? The math ain’t mathing.
-I didn’t quite understand why Izzy’s mom was so strict with her. It wasn’t explained well enough for me to get why she was so strict with Izzy. Is it just who she is as a parent? Did Izzy do something wrong in the past?
-I also wanted to see more of the after effects of Marcus quitting soccer. How did his parents, his mom especially, take it? Was Marcus able to find something else to fill his time after the talent show?


Thank you to Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group, Feiwel & Friends, and NetGalley for an advanced reader’s copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts & opinions are my own.

This story is all about true friendship and learning to accept who you are even when the majority is doing something different.

Funny, sweet middle school book. Sometimes you have to do something you don't want to, to understand who you truly are.

Oof, eighth grade - I think a lot of people can identify with how formative and hard of a year it can be. This perfectly captured a number of the struggles that kids can face in middle/junior high school. From figuring out who they are and what they want to do despite pressures from family and friends, figuring out the things that truly inspire them and honestly finding out who your real friends are. Throughout the story Marcus and Izzy go through a lot of back and forth, mainly because of influence by outside forces such as the class bully - but watching them find their friendship, courage to speak up and navigating their new school year was a fun read. They did clash a lot, but they also were both dealing with a lot of pressure from family and expectations and finally found a path to understanding. Overall a lovely read that I think a lot of kids would see themselves in.

Pleasantly surprised with how much I loved this graphic novel. High School Musical meets Mean Girls. With a similar storyline to High School Musical, Swing takes gender norms and the 'status quo' and challenges them. I want more volumes please and thank you.

The plot made no sense, character development made no sense, the art was boring and simple, and I struggled to finish it.

Hi everyone,

We are somehow nearly halfway through September and I honestly have no idea where the time has gone. So last week I wanted to take some time to read some more upcoming graphic novels. There are always so many new ones coming out and graphic novels are amazing. Recently I received an E-ARC of Swing, an upcoming graphic novel (thank you so much to the publisher for the E-ARC in exchange for my honest opinions). So I went ahead and downloaded it and dove in!

SPOILERS AHEAD

Marcus is about to start another school year in middle school. His older brother is in high school and a soccer legend, so his parents kind of expect the same from him. Marcus does play soccer and he plays it really well however, he does not really like it. It’s just not his thing but he does not want to let his parents down. On the first day of school in gym class, the students are given an assignment, they will be working in partners and have one week to learn a dance style, that they draw from a hat. Marcus is paired with Izzy, Izzy is kind of the outcast of the grade level but she is a nice person deep down, it’s just she is bullied a lot for how she dresses. Now Marcus and Izzy have a week to learn swing dancing and on top of that Marcus still has soccer practice. On the day the pair are due to swing dance, they absolutely fail and now the teacher is saying the only way to pass the class for the year is to spend time practicing the dance and perform it in the talent show. Neither Izzy nor Marcus are happy about it but they do not want to fail so now they are forced to practice together outside of school.

I absolutely loved this story. Marcus and Izzy were both such interesting characters as well as their families. Each had very different home lives and experiences and it was nice to see how they learned to work together and help each other even outside of the project. The art in the graphic novel was very vivid and bright (which I absolutely love)! This graphic novel hits shelves on October 22nd. I highly recommend picking it up and giving it a try!

Goodreads Rating: 5 Stars

***Thank you so much to the publisher for the E-ARC in exchange for my honest opinions.

Advance reader copy provided through NetGalley.
Is there anything more terrifying in middle school than dancing with a partner in PE or standing up to 'friends' who bully? Swing tackles both with heart and humor. Will definitely be adding to my classroom library!

The exaggerated friend reactions don't mesh well with the flat characterization and the lack of backgrounds or detail in many panels.

Unfortunately we could not access this title via Kindle or the Netgalley app so we won’t be able to review this title at this time. Thanks so much for the opportunity.

Swing hits a lot of topics that I think will truly resonate with the target audience. Marcus is trying to figure out what it means to be himself and the steps he needs to take to get there. The struggles he goes through could really resonate as he is fighting to break out of the expectations everyone has for him and his comfort zone.

The art style did a good job of creating movement for when they were dancing. Movement lines and facial expressions really helped tell the story.

That said, I can't figure out if I had a problem with the story or the art or maybe it's a combination. There is something missing from here that could have really pulled me in and want to root for Marcus and Izzy on their journey.

I do think this could be good for the target audience as despite my complaints, I do think that it was a good story with a good message.

I received a free eARC of this book. Thank you for the opportunity to read it

Izzy wants to stand out. She’s a flamboyant dresser, outspoken, unafraid. It’s not always easy, but it’s the life of a future fashion designer.


Marcus doesn’t like soccer, but he plays because his family and his friend Ted want it. Even though Ted isn’t exactly a good friend. Or maybe a friend at all.

A PE project to do dance styles with a partner goes up in smoke when Marcus and Izzy are paired.. In order to save their grades, the PE teacher says he’ll change the grade if they perform at the talent show. Which means missing soccer, dealing with pressure from friends, and….learning to let Izzy lead the way.

This is a cute middle grades graphic novel with enjoyable characters that also looks into gender roles and the pressure they can place on kids.

I was lucky to receive a digital ARC of this book from NetGalley and also see a print edition from my local library. In this middle grade graphic novel, Marcus feels pressure to play soccer. Izzy struggles to fit in and find true friends. The two are paired together for gym class and must perform a swing dance together. While their initial attempt is a disaster, the gym teacher gives them a chance to redeem their grade through talk Jen hit site participation. This book has some painfully accurate representation of middle school bullying, awkwardness, social drama, academic and familial pressure, and more. There were a lot of cringe-inducing foot-in-mouth moments but again probably on par with eighth grade interactions. Thankfully, the story ends on a positive gender-bending note of friendship and acceptance. The book is very readable with strong illustrations and coloring.

Meeker, Audrey. Swing. Feiwel & Friends 2024, 978-1250864048. $14.99. 256p. Grades 4-8

Description: Marcus McAllister wants to fit in even when he feels like an outsider. He constantly tries to live up to his brother on the soccer field even though he doesn’t enjoy the sport.
Izzy Briggs could not care less about fitting in. She was born to stand out with her bold fashion choices and personality, so when she is partnered with Marcus McAllister for the swing dancing extra credit project in Gym she is less than enthused. Can these two learn to swing dance together and earn the extra credit they need to pass the class

Thoughts: As a whole this book was really enjoyable. I enjoyed that it highlighted gender roles and how Izzy was the “lead” in the swing dancing. I also really loved that the book highlighted toxic friendships when Marcus was being bullied by his “friend”, Ted.

Graphic Novel; Realistic Fiction; 741.5

Tags: Fitting in, Bullying, Relationship Skills, Self Awareness, Gender Issues, Trust, Soccer, Swing Dancing, Friendship

Sweet book about how being true to yourself can sometimes be difficult. Unlikely alliances form in order to get a good class grade. It can be hard to choose between fitting in and being yourself. Thank you Macmillan Children's Publishing Group | Feiwel & Friends for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

A story about two middle school students who ended up doing swing dancing with each other for gym class; however because of their poor performance in class, they had to participate at the talent show as a negotiation with the gym teacher in order to pass the class. Izzy, a strong girl who has a lot of self-confidence and is aware of what she likes and dislikes, was very patient with Marcus as he battles between satisfying his parents’ expectations of him and pleasing Ted in being part of the soccer team to be better than their older brothers. This entire book was definitely written under the perspective of middle school students and the challenges they face like bullying, peer pressure, and self-identity. Overall, the ending does conclude that being true to oneself is above all else!

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me an advanced copy for review!

Thank you to #NetGalley, Audrey Meeker, and the publisher of the book for the eARC copy in exchange for an honest review.

Marcus is so desperate to fit in that he's playing soccer just because his best friend Ted is. Izzy wants to stand out and tries to with her smarts and the way she dresses.
Things get bad though when she and Marcus are paired together for their dance unit in gym class. They do so badly their grade is at risk. Their only hope is to perform the swing routine in the talent show to receive a passing grade and extra credit. They accept but Izzy has one condition: she gets to lead the dance. Will they be able to get through the talend show in one piece?

A great middle grade graphic novel about doing what makes you happy and the pressures of friends.

Really fantastic middle grade graphic novel! I like the exploration of likes and dislikes the way the characters reactions and family interactions were handled honestly. My only hang up is I would’ve liked to see the bully get his due on page that would’ve been really cathartic. Thanks to NetGalley for the arc.

Marcus and Izzy have found themselves in a tough spot. They did not perform their swing dance well in gym class, so they have to perform it again during the school's talent show for extra credit. Marcus finds himself stuck between Izzy and dancing and his friend Ted and soccer. Izzy just wants to be herself. 'Swing' does not shy away from the hard, complicated feelings that come for Marcus and Izzy as they navigate friendship, self confidence, and middle school. This book is well-rounded and deserves a spot on every library's shelf.