Knots is a fun and accessible middle school graphic novel. Readers follow Nora as she tackle her first year of middle school, family issues, and tried to find her true self. This is the perfect addition to all middle school collections.

Norah and her family move around alot for her parents' jobs. When a shake up at work splits up their jobs and sends her mom to another location, she has to move out with her sister, and Norah is left to stay with her dad. Both parents are tied up with their jobs, and expect Norah to 'step up' and take care of herself. But Norah is still a kid, and she just can't seem to do what is expected of her. When another kid at school is removed from his family for similar neglect, Norah decides she cannot let anyone know that her parents are never home. Unfortunately, with no one paying attention to her, Norah's failings at caring for herself (most visually, her botched hair experiments) are starting to show.

In *Knots*, award-winning cartoonist Colleen Frakes delivers a semiautobiographical graphic novel about Norah, a well-behaved sixth grader whose attempt at changing her appearance leads to a cascade of personal and familial chaos. As Norah struggles with her identity and her family's unraveling dynamics, she learns that asking for help is the key to untangling her messy situation. This engaging and relatable story is perfect for fans of *Just Pretend* and *Crunch*, offering both humor and heartfelt moments as Norah navigates her challenges. I can personally see my younger patrons loving this graphic novel for many years to come.

Norah has knots in more ways than one, and I think her story will be relatable for many readers. Both of her parents work for the prison system, so they move around a lot. Norah turns to dying her hair as a way of self expression— and it goes very wrong.

I enjoyed watching her try to figure it out on her own, but no sixth grader should be carrying that much pressure by themselves. Anyway, I definitely related to Norah because she reminded me of the time(s) I had to chop my hair off because it was too knotty. And her little sister, Lark, cried out for attention in other ways. This story is an important reminder that kids are kids, and their voices deserve to be heard.

Twelve-year-old Norah Dowd and her younger sister by two years Lark have had it rough. Their parents work for the Washington State prison system and have been transferred many times over the course of their daughters’ short, young lives. The family finally seems to have settled in Cheney, WA, just as Norah is about to start middle school. As if being in middle school wasn’t stressful and difficult enough with really only one friend, Norah’s father receives a promotion. Since both parents work in the same prison location, Norah’s mother must transfer to another prison location miles away from home to avoid nepotism. The family is split in half. Norah stays in Cheney with her father and Lark moves with their mother.

Money is tight in the Dowd household so Norah’s mother has given her permission to dye her dark, thick hair herself with a drug store bleach kit. Norah’s attempt did not turn out as she hoped and re-dyed it into a shade of blue instead. This is a hit with middle schoolers but when her roots start to grow out, she attempts to bleach her hair again to blond. Norah is left to her own devices without parental supervision because her mother lives in another town and her father is working crazy hours in his new position. Norah’s hair ends up with as a fried disaster resulting in nothing but “knots”.

There are two aspects to this story: the fractured family and Norah’s fractured hair. They seem worlds apart to provide continuity but it works.

The artwork and color were very pleasing. The story was semi-autobiographical based upon the author’s personal account of her bad hair day as a young girl.

This is a superbly immersive story of a girl whose self-expression is mostly concentrated in one creative hair mishap after another. So many adults, as well as those young readers for whom the book is intended, can relate to our protagonist's ongoing cosmetic crises.

My preteen reader was captivated by this graphic novel with expressive art. It will be a must purchase for middle school.

"Knots," a graphic novel by Colleen Frakes, is a recent addition to the growing genre of semi-autobiographical narratives. It follows Norah through her first year at middle school, navigating the frequent moving necessitated by her parents' careers in the prison system. Norah's introspective nature and her role as the "good" child lead her to overthink everything. The story kicks off with an unfortunate hair incident and progresses to explore themes of economic hardship, absentee parents, the responsibilities of mandated reporting, and the struggles with anxiety. Frakes presents these issues with a sensitivity that resonates with young readers, particularly tweens and young teens who may find parallels in their own lives. Norah's experiences, especially her hesitance to seek assistance due to her father's regular absences and her mother's physical distance, struck a chord with me personally. I believe many young visitors to our library will see themselves in Norah's story, making Frakes' work a valuable addition to our collection.

Thanks to Netgalley and Harper Alley for providing a free copy for review.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC of Knots by Colleen Frakes.

This is a middle grade graphic novel. There was a whole lot of different aspects to this story. It is about Norah who is figuring out who she is. Her parents are both prison guards and work a lot. This book does deal with some serious issues. Her best friends talk about her parent's divorce. During circle time a boy shares about his not-so-great home life and the principal of the school reports it to CPS. Norah goes through several different hairdos. Her parents don't have the extra money for professional haircuts or getting her hair colored. So, she takes matters into her own hands....and I am sure you can guess how that goes.

I like this graphic novel. I like how things are discussed, and eventually things are explained. That way whoever is reading it understands why certain things take place. It brings up a lot of good talking points for those going through middle school.

An excellent account of the very messy time in middle school when you don't feel like a little kid, but the adults around you don't treat you like a mature, responsible teen yet. The messages of learning to speak up for oneself and to ask for help were delicately laid out throughout the story.

Thought it was a really interesting story! I haven't seen too many stories set in the Pacific Northwest. Will appeal to young readers who are looking for stories like Smile and Allergic.

I really wanted to enjoy this book but it felt forced. I don't see a mid-grade reader truly enjoying the book. The constant fighting of the parents sparked anxiety so I can only imagine what a younger child may think.

Such an adorable and highly relatable read. I love the sibling/sister dynamics. All around the family relationships felt very real

3.5, rounded up
We are under a deluge of semi-autobiographical graphic novels in the middle grade space (thanks, Raina!). Knots is the latest addition to the genre. While it tackles some themes untouched by others in the genre (parental neglect, mandated reporters, why you should NEVER bleach your hair twice with a box kit), many of the plot points fall flat. While the main character is well-rounded, the side characters are under-developed, particularly the best friend character and little sister.

All that said, I will be purchasing this book for my library. I know there are students who will identify with the main character's family.

This was a great middle grade graphic novel. While a big part of the story centers around Nora’s hair disaster, so many other important issues are addressed. Students can relate to Nora and what she’s going through. I can’t wait to add this to my library.

Knots by Colleen Frakes is a relatable story about Norah, a girl starting middle school who has moved from town to town because of her parents' jobs as prison guards. Norah has made a friend, Ashley, and hopes that this is where her family will finally settle down. She experiences every awkward moment of middle school including, dyeing her hair and feeling like a "baby" during "circle time." When her mom has to take a different job in another town, everything begins to unravel. Norah is left to fend for herself while her dad is at work and her mom and little sister move to a new city. How will Norah take care of her dad when she can hardly take care of herself?

This one was ok. The pressure that Norah was under as a tween starting in a new school, parents who seem to be fighting all the time, an annoying younger sister and the need to just fit in oozed across the pages. I was NOT a fan of the parents. This one was ok.

Knots is a great addition to the middle school graphic novel genre. This story not only gives details to the knots in Norah's hair, but also describes the "knots" that seem to have taken over her family. Norah realizes that she's going to have to speak up if she wants to fix her hair and fix her feelings about her family.

Knots by Colleen Frakes was a cute graphic novel about 12 year-old Norah who lives with her two working parents and younger sister. Her parents are always working, her little sister is very high maintenance, and Norah just wants her hair to be as beautiful and blonde as her best friend’s.

Norah soon finds herself in a bind when everything she does becomes a disaster. With her mother unavailable and a teacher she’s afraid to talk to, Norah finds herself dealing with the mess all by herself…what could go wrong?

I liked that this book was semi-autobiographical, and while Norah’s hair was the main focus of the story, it gave enough supporting storyline for middle grade readers to identify common issues they may be dealing with, such as being home alone while their parents work, shyness in school, parents squabbling, and having to move for a parents job.

Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins Children’s Books for a digital ARC of this graphic novel. I will absolutely recommend this in my library,

Norah's role in her family has always been to be the "good" kid. She always tries to keep everyone around her happy and everything running smoothly. One of the things that is (sort of) in Norah's control is her hair. She decides that she would like to dye her hair - going blonde should be just the right thing! When the bleach doesn't work evenly, her mom helps her dye it a fun color.

Norah's dad gets a promotion which sounds like great news- but it turns out it means her mom will have to get a new job when the boss doesn't want one spouse supervising the other. While her mom and sister move away, Norah and her dad are left behind. And even though Norah tries to take care of everything- she just ends up in a big ole mess- including ruining her hair when she tries to bleach it again when her roots begin to show.

I enjoyed this story and feel like a lot of my students will identify with Norah. Life is messy and complex and this story clearly shows that (as was revealed when I tried to type a succinct summary that made sense!).