While student teaching in the English department at Memorial High School for the past month, I’ve added piles upon piles of books to my to-read list and devoured countless poems and short stories with my students. This, I expected.

What I didn’t see coming was a newfound love for graphic novels. I knew these accessible, comprehension-enhancing reads would spark joy for my students, but I didn’t realize just how much I would come to appreciate them. 

My eleventh graders are currently reading choice graphic novels alongside studying Scott McCloud’s “Understanding Comics.” McCloud’s text allows them to deeply analyze their novels and reflect on or question authors’ choices. 

A few weeks ago, when my students selected the graphic novel they would spend some time with, I offered a brief synopsis of the 16 available choices. 

Students were able to choose anything from a graphic adaptation of “The Odyssey” to “Honor Girl,” an exploration of love and adolescent identity at summer camp. 

While modeling reading behavior expectations for students, I chose to pick up a brand new copy of “The Flip Side” by Jason Walz. Memorial is lucky enough to have been granted an author visit by Walz in March, so I wanted to read his work to be prepared. 

With little to no experience reading graphic novels, I didn’t quite know what to expect. I wasn’t sure how much time I was supposed to spend reading and studying each page — I felt like I could study the illustrations and dialogue for hours. Flipping through too quickly felt almost disrespectful.

But eventually, I fell into a groove, entranced by the novel’s grief-stricken, charming main character: Theo. I eagerly followed along as the sorrow of losing his best friend quite literally flipped Theo’s world upside down. 

Theo paces the ceiling of his bedroom, just barely beginning to make sense of this upside-down world, until he begins hearing a sinister voice: his monster. It taunts him by vocalizing his darkest thoughts and worries and eventually begins to chase him. 

After Theo narrowly escapes his monster, which is composed of scribbles of negativity and doubt, Emma enters the picture. A headstrong, brilliant and complicated girl, Emma takes Theo under her wing in the new world he finds himself in.  

Together, Theo and Emma navigate the shadowy, perilous underworld that a significant dark event has placed them in. For Theo, it was the drawn-out loss of his best friend that placed him in this realm of emotion.

Emma’s origin in this realm is initially unknown, though it quickly becomes apparent she’s been there for a while. She guides Theo from building to building, across makeshift bridges built from ladders and spare parts. 

Eventually, Emma shows Theo the harbor she has created in a public library. Theo marvels at the arches and hallways she has constructed out of volumes of books. I truly fell in love with the novel while reading about this special moment and studying its accompanying magical illustrations.

During this temporary relief from immediate danger, Emma candidly explains that the beautiful construction of her base is the result of endless hours of distracting herself. 

To keep her own monster at bay, Emma elucidates, she has to constantly busy both her body and her mind. This might sound eerily familiar to anyone who deals with persistent anxiety or other mental illnesses.

“The Flip Side” is riddled with similar beautiful metaphors concerning mental health, and Walz contextualizes them wonderfully to be relevant for readers of all ages. This novel’s heartfelt storyline and intent, care-infused writing led me to zip through it in a day.

If you are interested in checking out “The Flip Side,” visit Jason Walz’s website to see options for purchasing the graphic novel.  

O’Brien can be reached at [email protected].