Giant Days

June 18, 2018
Pratt (Trouble) adeptly tackles a narrative adaptation of John Allison’s hit graphic novel series by the same name. The story follows the unlikely friendship of three girls in their first year at Sheffield University: slightly misanthropic Susan, a former amateur private investigator; sweet and unassuming Daisy, whose years of homeschooling render her more naive than her peers; and Esther, a music-loving goth. Fans of the comic will delight in further character development as the young women’s friendships deepen. But even those unfamiliar with Allison’s work will enjoy the story’s humor and exploration of universal themes, including what it means to find and define oneself during the first year away from home. Pratt’s strong storytelling reveals bigger issues behind mundane college experiences (missing classes, drinking too much). And shifting perspectives allow the reader to glimpse that despite each girl’s armor—Susan’s cynicism and sarcasm, Esther’s goth attire, and Daisy’s bright attitude—they are equally in need of each other. Ages 14–up. Agent: Jane Finigan, Lutyens & Rubinstein.

July 1, 2018
English author Pratt's (Floored, 2018, etc.) latest is an original story based on the graphic novel of the same name.Sheffield University first years Susan, Esther, and Daisy live on the same floor and have become close friends, although they have almost nothing in common. Med student Susan is rough around the edges (and all the way through) and has a sketchy past. Pale goth Esther is an English lit student who, at the end of October, still hasn't attended a lecture. Practical and sweet, Daisy studies archaeology. The one thing they have in common? They each have a problem. Susan's is called McGraw. Her friends want to know why she hates him so much, but she holds her cards close. Esther desperately wants to meet the mysterious Goth Girl she sees around campus. In an effort to socialize more, Daisy winds up with 32 society and club memberships. Nothing turns out the way it's supposed to, but with loyal mates like these, there's nothing they can't handle. With its wry, comics-inspired humor, the action is dramatically silly, but it's a rollicking grrrl-centered good time. The author captures the minute details of university life with uncanny accuracy. Daisy is a blonde, biracial girl of white English and black West Indian heritage; Susan and Esther are white; and there are South and East Asian major and minor characters. Great fun. (Fiction. 13-adult)

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