Mixed-Up is a fantastic middle grade book about friendships and learning differences. This is perfect for middle grade readers who aren't quite ready for Click or the Berrybrook Middle School series.

This book is perfect for fans of Raina Telgemeier or books like Swim Team. A great depiction of dyslexia and I really loved that it showed a female with this disability. I have found many books choose to highlight male characters with things like dyslexia and ADHD. Growing up I could have used books like these! My one complaint is that the main character is in 5th grade which is a little young for my middle school students. Reviewing books, I have to look through the lenses of my students and deciding what I will purchase for our library. If my students see the character is in 5th grade, they automatically assume the novel is a little too young for them. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this book and review it!

This graphic novel had adorable artwork and was super easy to follow while reading. I think it gave a good overview of dyslexia overall and I felt like I really understoof Stella's personal motivations and experiences relating around it. I'd be interested in learning more about some of the other characters as well if there were any spin-offs or sequels. I loved the support for both graphic novels and audiobooks as reading and hadn't considered how much easier typing assignments could be just in having spell check/grammar check as an accessibility accomodation. My only critique is that this did do a lot of telling rather than showing in terms of characters interactions/emotions especially in bigger scenes, but I think it's still very strong and I'd recommend it to elementary and middle schoolers readily.

"Mixed-Up" is a realistic graphic novel that follows Stella as she begins a new grade and discovers she is falling behind in reading. While her friends enthusiastically devour the new guidebook for their favorite show, Stella can barely get her homework done, and feigns disinterest in the book and game to hide her embarrassment. This book is a wonderful exploration for how a child with dyslexia can struggle without the proper accommodations and learning techniques. Books where children explore disabilities/neurodivergence are popular with most middle grade readers. "El Deafo" and "Guts" being the most popular, but the OCD-protagonist of "Just Roll With It" also is a big hit for readers.

The best thing about "Mixed-Up" is the use of Open Dyslexic font, specifically designed to make the words easier to process without mixing them up. I also appreciated illustrator Brittney Williams making sure Stella and her two friends were always color coded for that extra context clue in reading the pictures. It's easy to see how invested the creative team is in making this book accessible to those with learning neurodiversity. The strength, and what some might find as a slight let down, is how prominent Stella's journey over dealing with her dyslexia is to the graphic novel. While her strained friendship with her friends is part of the plot's stakes, it is entirely tied into her learning issues, and the book is very streamlined to focusing on that. I appreciate that the book takes such a measured pace to explaining how a diagnosis isn't the easy solution to adapting to dyslexia, but the start of a journey, but I also understand some readers may want some supplemental material to round out the story.

This is a great intro before getting to Raina Telgemeier's graphic series - with so many learning differences being diagnosed in elementary grades, it can be hard to find a way to help readers relate. With a graphic novel about Stella's struggles leading to a dyslexia diagnosis, this may help a lot of students get the help they need with a fabulously written story!

Perfect story about a fifth grade dislexia diagnosis and the steps taken to supportive home and school environment and the struggle a student still goes through navigating that support, important for kids who have a diagnosis or may get one and everyone else who nee to understand what it's like.

I adored how real this book was. Many kids are going to be able to relate and see themselves in this story.

Readers with and without dyslexia are going to enjoy the storyline (gaming is the thing right now) and the graphics are well developed. I hope that it may give others that glimpse into how those with dyslexia may feel. I also love the fact that the font chosen is one that is helpful for those with dyslexia.

I can't wait to purchase this for my library and share it with my students.

Thank you NetGalley and First Second Books for the ARC

I received an ARC of this book through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

My daughter has been behind in reading from the start. Every teacher that she had provided her with extra support, and she worked with a reading specialist for all three years that she was at our lower elementary school. They kept telling me that she just needed more time than other kids and not to worry, but as I watched her struggle and her confidence deteriorating, I knew that there was something else going on. We were fortunate enough to get her officially diagnosed with dyslexia in the third grade, about a month ago. That knowledge has been life changing for her. And she now has accomodations that make learning more accessible to her.

When I read this book, I saw all of the emotions that my babygirl struggle with on Stella's face. I completely understood her actions and experiences. This graphic novel is going to be a huge deal to some of the kids who read it.

Mixed-Up by Kami Garcia follows Stella, a fifth grader who finds herself overwhelmed by the workload, especially the reading, in her new school year. Stella has two best friends, Emiko and Latasha, and a supportive family and teachers, but she doesn't understand why she continues to fall behind in school. Eventually, working with support staff at school, Stella learns that she has dyslexia. She begins developing new techniques to help with reading and other schoolwork. Stella pushes away her friends because she's embarrassed by her difficulties reading. She doesn't want them to know that she can't play a new video game because it takes her too long to read the guidebook. Eventually, Stella's new reading strategies help her catch up in school and she even submits a graphic novel to the fifth grade author competition. When she wins the competition, Stella finally opens up to her friends about her struggles.

I really enjoyed this story, especially because it covers a type of neurodivergence that isn't often introduced to children. Dyslexia is quite common, but not represented in media very frequently. I think this story is relatable to most kids, as it touches on themes of friendship, challenges at school, and self-esteem. But it will be particularly important for kids with dyslexia to so a story that they're reflected in. Mixed-Up is also written in a dyslexia-friendly font which will make it more accessible to readers.

3.5 stars

Stella, the charming star of this middle grade graphic novel, is in fifth grade, learning about her friendships, and struggling with dyslexia. The latter is what makes her a standout character for the age group and genre, along with the central reason I'll suggest this book to students.

The storyline and art are a great mix, but the character development is somewhat limited. Most of the work focuses on Stella's dyslexia and its impacts, but I'd have loved to see more of Stella's life, dig deeper into her relationships, and understand even more about her feelings. Even keeping the audience in mind, this just felt a bit more limited than I'd hoped for (in these specific ways).

Overall, this is a fun, colorful, and informative graphic novel, and I'm so glad there's a book with this focus that is so palatable and welcoming.

I absolutely loved this graphic novel and its honest portrayal of neurodivergence. I think young readers will feel seen and understood after reading this book and readers who aren’t like the main character may have a better understanding of their classmates who are. Highly recommend.

A sweet and honest portrayal of a middle schooler learning to cope with her dyslexia diagnosis. She resists telling her friends what is going on but eventually conveys what is going on through her art.

Thank you, Kami Garcia!

Fifth grader Stella keeps getting further behind her classmates, and her frustration with not being as fast as the other kids in her class weighs heavily on her mind. Along with those academic frustrations, Stella also faces hurdles with her friendships. Thankfully, Stella has wonderful support from her parents and teachers , and she learns how to cope with her dyslexia. As a Mom who helped her son navigate dyslexia when he was in second grade, this story was personal and made me truly thankful for the amazing educators who helped him.
Mixed-Up is a book so many students need; they need to understand that It's ok to learn differently from your peers. Adding the dyslexic-friendly font to the novel was the chef's kiss!
I can't wait to share this one with my readers!

Sweet late elementary school about a young girl whose un-diagnosed dyslexia causes difficulty with her schooling and friendship group. She is ultimately supported by her teachers, parents, and friends in a way that is loving and inclusive. A great book for explaining learning differences, particularly to those who, like the MC, struggle with extensive blocks of context-free prose.

Graphic novels are such a hit with my kids. I love the representation of a child with dyslexia. Some kids will really relate. I am not sure how engaged those who don’t struggle to read will be by the storyline, but it’s worth a try since a graphic novel that doesn’t have any content that’s too mature for my third graders. Would be great to buy specifically for a child who struggles to read and could see themselves in the story.

First off, this book was absolutely adorable. You could feel Stella’s troubles throughout the book, and as the reader, you just wanted to help her. The author did a great job with portraying dyslexia and how it affects people that live with this disability. A must read for any reader.

I received an advanced eBook from First Second Books via NetGalley. Mixed-Up was an excellent middle grade graphic novel that shows a 5th grade student, Stella, who finds out she has dyslexia. While noted by the author this story doesn't represent all youth with this diagnosis, it does a fantastic job of introducing what dyslexia to young readers. Also the story supports and lifts up young people who may learn differently than others. Empowering and easy to navigate for readers.

Stella and her friends are so excited for 5th grade. They end up in the same class and sit next to one another. Stella finds 5th grade hard. It is a lot of reading and she starts to fall behind. Her friends don’t understand why she isn’t excited about a new Witchlins guidebook and online game. The truth is Stella can’t read it. The teacher becomes concerned and after some testing, they realize Stella is dyslexic. She learns that she is smart, but her brain learns in a different way. Stella can’t come up with an idea for her 5th grade project to write a story. Her teachers encourages her to write a graphic novel. She does, using her friends and the Witchlins game as a theme. All ends well when Stella wins the author contest and she reveals the book to her friends and her dyslexia.

I liked this graphic novel. The subject was different than any I have read in the past. I liked how this was based on the author’s daughter dyslexia journey. I liked the explanations about dyslexia at the end of the book. I also enjoyed reading about the author and illustrators stories.

A thoughtful graphic novel based on author Kami Garcia’s experiences with her daughter, Mixed Up shows us the anxiety of an upper elementary student as they start to feel the pressure and increasing demands of school work. The story has a great message for students that find they or a friend gets a new diagnosis with a learning disability and that there isn’t any shame to that. The book is great for upper elementary/middle grade and fans of Smile and Guts. The font used is a dyslexic friendly font with weighted lines to help with letter recognition. While the dialogue feels choppy in some places and some of the backgrounds and art feel a little flat, this book will likely fly off shelves just like its peers.

Thank you @NetGalley and @First Second Books for this ARC. Kami Garcia has been a favorite author in my school Library. I will definitely be adding this new book to our collection. The graphics are so bold and beautiful. I am always looking for books that have a positive outcome for students with learning differences. A must for every Library.