This middle-grade graphic novel was alright. It wasn't anything amazing, but it had some great lessons about being yourself and being confidant in who you are. The art style was a little confusing: I thought the main characters were both girls for a while. I also hate how the theater teacher plot thread was dealt with.

Stand Up by Tori Sharp is the kind of graphic novel that hits hard if you’ve ever been a middle schooler with big dreams and zero confidence (so… most of us?). It follows a girl named Tori (yep, based on the author’s real experiences) who wants to be a stand-up comedian, but between stage fright, social struggles, and just being thirteen, it’s not exactly smooth sailing.

The art is soft and expressive, and the way Sharp captures anxiety, self-doubt, and that deep middle school awkwardness is so real. But what I really loved is how the book balances humor with heart—there are funny moments, but it’s also a really touching story about finding your voice, even when it shakes.

If you liked Roller Girl or El Deafo, this one has a similar vibe—great for middle grade readers or honestly anyone who remembers what it’s like to want something so bad but not know how to get there. Super sweet, super relatable, and an easy recommendation.

The artwork for Stand Up! was fantastic, but I found the writing to be lacking. At times there was too much text and the name changes from real things were just slight enough to become annoying. The story idea is great, but I had a hard time getting invested in the characters. Recommended for larger collections

Thank you, NetGalley, Little Brown Books for Young Readers, & Tori Sharp for sending me an eARC in exchange for an honest review.
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I loved this one and will definitely be reading more by this author. As an autistic person, I’m always looking for books featuring neurodiverse characters and I was super excited to find this graphic novel! One MC is autistic and one has ADHD. I love how supportive Clay and Kyle’s families are as well as how the words autistic and ADHD are actually mentioned in a casual way. The premise of two middle schoolers starting a comedy podcast is super fun! I love the illustrations as well!

5/5 or 9.43/10

What Worked For Me

Characters

I loved the characters in this. I thought Clay and Kyle were great. I love the friendships in this novel and how much they care about each other and wanted to help each other. As a fan of theatre, I loved how much theatre was in this book, and it brought me back to my middle school days of doing theatre. I loved seeing the families of the characters and the friendships they had as well.

Writing and Art

As you can tell, I loved the writing this because of how many favorite quotes I have, I thought this was great, and it was a written in a way where Middle-Grade readers will love it. This was a graphic novel, and I loved the art style so much, there were bright colors which I loved. Each character in the book is unique and diverse.

Plot

I loved this story. I found it very fun and cute. As someone who also loves podcasts, I loved the podcast element to this book. I enjoyed how the theatre had both the backstage crew, and the on stage. The theatre production was interesting, and I loved the music element as well. Stand Up! : A Graphic Novel had an interesting journey for Clay and Kyle. I loved the little romance in this book as well.

To be honest, I didn't get very far into this graphic novel. From the cover, it looks absolutely darling and something I would want to read, but as I delved into the pages, it just wasn't for me. That being said, I might give it another chance when I get the physical copy in my hands, because the formatting did throw me off. It has good potential to be something good for middle schoolers or anyone wanting to read more about the LGBTQ+ community.

I could not finish this one on time myself but I know two young girls who really enjoyed it. We all love graphic novels and it’s one of the only formats we will read contemporary in!

*Stand Up!* by Tori Sharp is a fantastic graphic novel that captures the struggles and joys of finding your voice. I loved following the main character through the ups and downs of middle school, friendships, and figuring out her passion for stand-up comedy. The illustrations are expressive, and the story feels so relatable—it’s a perfect read for anyone who’s ever felt a little out of place. I know my patrons will love this!

Clay and Kyle are best friends who were naturally funny, they couldn't help to make everything more fun. Clay wanted to try joining the school drama musical performance and brought her humor on stage, but later she discovered that the producer didn't tolerate fun at all.

With Kyle, Clay tinkering the idea of making podcast to put their humor to good use. but it's not that easy because there's a crush situation for clay, and the rehearsal was starting to become nightmare.

it was really lighthearted and fun. i didn't get all of the jokes but the vibes are good! the illustrations also look fun and added more touch to the story. i love seeing autism and ADHD representations and how different but equally special they are.

Clay and Kyle are goofball besties. They enjoy doing stage crew, but Clay dreams of being onstage. So the two audition for the next school play, Gals and Dolls, with a comedy routine. Seems fair, until the director tells them at Gals and Dolls is a tragedy! So Kyle returns to stage crew, while Clay prepares to get serious. Easier said than done when she has ADHD and wants to have fun. Not helping is she has a crush on Dania, the girl cast as the lead.

It seems that rehearsals will crush Clay as long as the director says no humor or improv and Dania's costar seems interested in her. Dania is also struggling with stage fright, as she's prone to forgetting lines or knowing when to sing. Maybe a podcast can solve their problems, where Kyle and Clay can banter and Dania can do the audio editing. But it takes more than stage presence, confidence, and a sense of humor to overcome the standard hurdles of show business. Not to mention that Clay doesn't know how to deal with her blooming feelings for Dania.

I related very hard to Clay trying to get through what should be standard routines. She has acting talent, given by the director casting her in a semi-major role, but focus is really hard when you have ADHD. Her parents are supportive, so at least she knows that there's no one end-all-be-all with approaching neurodivergence, creativity or love.

Definitely fun to read and worth perusing for the gorgeous art and humor. Also, justice for Banjo Benjamin!

My students fly through graphic novels. They are going to love this one. It is beautiful book that associated has a great message.

This was a cute graphic novel. I enjoyed the story and the illustrations were colorful and fun. The book had so many cute details that I enjoyed. The whole cast of quirky characters. The little bakery, Honey Bunny. The blanket fort for the podcast Kyle and Clay started and the eighth grade dance at the end of the book.

I really enjoyed the growth that both Kyle and Clay went through as the book progressed. I think there is a great message for young readers about following your dreams! I definitely think a lot of middle grade readers will love this book!

I received this book from TBR and Beyond Tours in exchange of an honest review.

+ While I have autism/ADHD I recognised more of me in Clay, I guess that is because we don’t really see a whole lot of Kyle. Yes, the two friends are together often, but yet Clay jumps out more than Kyle does. And I recognised a lot in Clay’s chaotic energy. Her not being able to sit still. Tune out when things get boring. The feelings of getting frustrated when it all just takes too long (which is actually a real thing for us ADHD-ers). She tries to make a lot of jokes. There were many other things, it was so relatable! And I love each bit of it.
+ Clay’s design was just so fun. The author really captured Clay and her chaotic energy!
+ I loved the podcast and what the made of it. And seeing it grow from just a blanket fort with a microphone to someone who does editing, to finding a logo, to getting a brand, to adding mails, and more. They were fully committed and it was so fun. Plus, I loved the idea of it and it was great to see how well they could improv their way through things.
+ And I was so proud when they got THAT offer and all that brought. Go go team Kyle x Clay! You deserve this! And I love how natural they were there, a lot of people would be like UM WOW, this is BIG and what do I do, but they grabbed that chance, whirl-wind through it, and had such fun. I hope that they will continue with their podcast, because I see a bright future for them both.
+ Dania x Clay forever, just without all the drama please. ? But they had such a good chemistry and throughout the book I just kept rooting and shipping, hoping that they would get together. I loved their little moments on stage and how Clay was always there to help out Dana. Like when she didn’t remember her words/scene and Clay just pretended to resurrect to help her out? CUTE!
+ On that note: THAT LAST PART ON STAGE OMG SOOOO CUTE! *dies*
+ A bakery named Honey Bunny’s, so CUTE!
+ I love love love that they live above a bakery of theirs called Honey Bunny’s, which not only features yummy pastries and all that, but also open mic evenings. Not entirely my kind of thing (stage fright and all that), but I do like seeing it around. And seeing all the creative things happening.

*cries* It was such a shame that the quality of the art in my ARC just plain sucked. It looks like such a lovely style, but it was blurry and at times hard to see things.

*angry* The teacher was horrendous and reminded me a lot of my many teachers. I didn’t learn of my ADHD until I was 13, but before and after that people would tell me to be serious (I was), to stop slacking (I wasn’t, my ADHD just was bored and that is apparently a whole thing that I didn’t learn about until I was an adult), to stop fidgeting or moving too much or to sit still or whatever else.

*meh* At times it felt a bit long. While in the end the story is all told, I still feel like it could have been 50-70 pages shorter and would still have worked out perfectly. But that may also be my ADHD speaking up, haha.
*questions* While I love love that our two characters live together with their moms, I was so confused as well, especially since there was also a friend/childhood friend as well named Lettie. It would have worked for me if there was a small introduction, now it felt like we just had to know that Clay and Kyle are not just friends, but also live together with their moms. And I want to know what is up with Lettie, does she live there? Is she more than a friend???

*confused* #notmefindingoutKyleisaboy240pagesin #oops I thought given everything Kyle was a girl. Hey, I am sorry, but the other character is called CLAY and is a girl. SOOO confusing.

All in all, despite some things, I still had fun reading this one, great characters, sweet romance, fun podcast, and I would recommend it~

Will Clay and Kyle succeed with their podcast, the school play, and the dance?

Clay and Kyle, two best friends, love to have fun with their wacky humor all the time. Clay decides to try her hand at stardom by auditioning for the school play "Gals and Dolls." However, the director has zero tolerance for fun, and Clay wants to enjoy herself. So, Clay and Kyle came up with the idea for a podcast where they can freely express their humor. Will their podcast be successful? Will Clay perform well in her role? And will she get the opportunity to ask her crush to the 8th-grade dance?

The book was incredibly entertaining with its quirky humor, and I frequently found myself bursting into laughter at Clay's amusing behavior. The storyline was gripping and left me questioning whether it was based on a true story. I appreciated the representation of autism through Kyle, as it resonated with me.

Clay's comedic timing never failed to bring a smile to my face, and Kyle's gamer persona added an extra layer of depth to the characters. Dania, Clay's love interest, was not only stunning but also possessed a remarkable singing talent.

I highly recommend this book to anyone who appreciates humor and would find joy in this captivating narrative.

Happy Reading and Publication Day, Paige ❤️ 📚

Cute graphic novel about 2 friends in a school play and starting a podcast. The illustrations were great, but I had a hard time connecting with the book in electronic form. I think the physical book would have been better for me in this case.
I believe the book would definitely appeal to middle schoolers.

Thank you Net Galley, Tori Sharp and Little Brown for the opportunity to preview this title and the opinions shared are my own.

A cute story about different types of performing artists following one who is delighted to audition for the school play and get a part.

It was a good story line but I felt the main character was a bit over the top which made it harder for me to connect with the story. Without the connection, it felt like the story moved slowly.

When I saw the email for Stand up which was already on my pre-orders as I thoroughly enjoyed Tori's previous Graphic Novel Just Pretend.

Stand up was an absolute joy to read I adored Kyle and Clay who even though they were Autistic and ADHD respectively they lived their lives with gusto. But Tori did not stop there she introduced LGBTQ into the mix. As usual the artwork was stunning and that is all I am saying about this Graphic Novel.

But if you decide to pick it up you will have a fab time like I did.

For all the above reasons Stand Up receives 4 Stars

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This is a great graphic novel that kids will love. This was a fun read.

This was a fun graphic novel to read, and I'm sure students will enjoy reading it as well. It dove into the topic of finding yourself and your place in the world and growing as a person. I think students will enjoy this!

Clay and Kyle are best friends who love to joke around. They both want to do more than just be part of the behind the scenes for their school's plays. Clay decides to try out for the cast of Gals and Dolls, but can't keep her cool when her crush, Dania, is the main character of the play!

Clay and Kyle also decide to start their own podcast about giving bad advice to their peers and teachers. They are such a comical act that they can popularity with the improv jokes they tell on their podcast.

Will Clay be able to tell Dania how she really feels? Will Clay and Kyle be able to continue with their podcast when Clay is in the school's play?

I thought this was a great graphic novel about finding yourself, being comfortable with yourself, and also growing as a person. Sometimes life can be scary, but it's nice to have the support from family and/or friends.