The Plain Janes (Minx)

I am not much of a reader of young adult novels but after reading the first few pages, I felt like I could relate to the protagonist.

Great girl-power story about urban Jane, moved to the suburbs from Metro City after a 9/11-like attack. Her mother deals with the post-trauma world by being over-protective; Jane starts a public art gang.

Jane finds a creative way to fit in when her parents move the family to the suburbs.
This isn't a new story, but the author manages to put a nice twist on the usual tribal drama. The idea of a renegade group of girls forcing art on an unsuspecting town is both exciting and different. It would be

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good in a standard novel form, but the graphic novel format really brings the whole thing to life. The Janes have a true chance to become superheroines, and it is delightful to watch them come into their own. The parents do seem a bit intense and they overreact to the point of making the reader grit teeth, but it is a YA novel, so some angst is to be expected.
This is a great addition to any graphic novel collection, especially considering how few graphic novels for girls are out there.

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After a catastrophe in the city, Jane and her family move to the suburbs. Jane has a difficult time with this and struggles with fitting in at her new school. Once she adjusts a bit, she gets an idea for a club and it takes off.

This short graphic novel didn't quite interest me. I felt it was choppy

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and while I believe there were times it was supposed to be poignant - it fell short. Many other readers loved this, but it just wasn't my thing. (2.5/5)

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After surviving a terrorist attack in Metro City, Jane is shocked by the cruelties and pains of the world. She responds to these cruelties with an attempt to redefine herself by chopping off her hair and embracing alternative values. Jane is inspired by a sketch books with “Art Saves” embossed

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on the cover. She found the book discarded in front of her amidst all of the madness and confusion during the terrorist attack.As a result of the terrorist attack the books owner, a John Doe, is trapped in a coma in the Metro City hospital. Jane often visits him to read to him and express her inner conflict and frustration with the world. She wonders to herself, “Can art actually save people?”.Jane decides to find the answer to this question, after her family decides to leave Metro City, for the safe suburban confines of Kent Waters. Jane finds comfort in her foreign setting by forcing her friendship upon a unique assortment of “individuals”, all of whom are named Jane. With help from the bookish, Brain Jane, the dramatic thespian Jane and the jock/sporty Jane, Jane forms P.L.A.I.N. People Loving Art In Neighborhoods, a secret group that conspire to create acts of art sabotage in their community.

I liked this graphic novel, and was impressed by the manner in which the author approached teenage rebellion. There were no drugs involved, no acts of violence or overly emotionalized responses to the cruelties perceived through the teenage world view. Even the mischief they caused through their artistic terrorism was harmless, resulting in property damages that were not destructive or permanent. Their art sabotage served a purpose which was to promote beauty in their setting. A refreshing contrast to the oppressive and constant reminders of the mediated fear and uncertainty present in a post 911-like world.

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After Jane is injured in a random bombing in Metro City, her parents freak out and move to the suburbs, where they imagine life will be safer.

Jane feels totally changed by her experience and connected to "John Doe," the guy whose life she saved after the bombing. He had no ID, only an art

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portfolio titled "Art Saves."

When Jane meets three other misfits at her new school who share her name, she feels like she has found a place to belong. She creates a secret club called P.L.A.I.N. (People Loving Art In Neighborhoods) and she and the other Janes commit acts of artistic terrorism that have the town on edge.

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Jane is whisked away from Metro City after she is a part of the collateral damage of a domestic terrorist attack. This event causes Jane's parents to move them all to the safe suburbs. As Jane puts the herself back together again, she finds that there are new things that she finds important and art

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does save.

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One wonders what it says about me that I'm loving DC's new Minx imprint, aimed at teenage girls. While "Clubbing" is very funny and very silly, and "Re-Gifters" is wonderfully cheerful and fluffy, "The Plain Janes" is slightly deeper, just a touch darker and more thought-provoking than those two.

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Ultimately still a cheerful and uplifting read, and the added depth makes it even more enjoyable, and even sadder to part with the characters as the ending sneaks up on you.

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After she's caughtA girl's parents move her to a smaller town, wrap her in cotton wool, and try and stop her from experiencing life after she is caught on the edge of a bomb attack in the city.
This was fun, but a little slight - other than the main girl, the Janes were penciled outlines, I didn't

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get any strong sense of character. But the story was strong, and I think that one story from the point of view of each girl could be built into a very interesting whole.

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This graphic novel is about Jane, whose parents swoop her safely to the suburbs after she is one of the victims of a bombing in Metro City. Jane isn't happy in her new high school until she meets a group of misfit girls, all named Jane or Jayne or Polly Jane. She convinces them to accept her and

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together they start performing guerrilla art-fare - putting knit hats and scarves on fire hydrants or leaving dozens of garden gnomes in front of the police station, crediting the acts to P.L.A.I.N. - people loving art in neighborhoods. Lovely story, not so excellent artwork - the characters often look a bit stiff and ungainly.

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I read this graphic novel in just a couple hours and I thought it was great. It deftly portrays the anguish of having one's whole world turned topsy-turvy, whether it is from a bomb explosion or moving to a new town and school. Jane's efforts to find her place in a new world is very realistic and

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relatable. The teen rebellion is also fun and creative, not destructive. A great graphic novel!

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my first graphic novel!!! I loved it so much. I really think this is a complex form of reading. Not only do you have to read and interpret the text, but you also have to read/interpret the images. The illustrator and author are equal partners... all in all, very cool.

Jane has just survived a terrible bombing in Metro City and the bombing has had a drastic effect on Jane’s life. Jane has cut off her hair and dyed it black and her friends do not understand her. Her overprotective parents have forced to her to move to the suburbs to be safe. Jane makes a choice

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not to be part of the status quo and joins a group of friends who are in the uncool crowd and also happen to be named Jane. Jane is inspired by a sketchbook called Art Saves; she finds that belonged to a bomb victim who is in comb. She is inspired to change her life by the title of the sketchbook and launches a group Called P.l.a.i.n., People Loving Art In Neighborhoods, that instead of terrorist attacks create works of art called art attacks on different properties. Jane must fight through her fears after the bomb to be able to move on and not let her fears dominate her life like her parents have done. This is an important message in the post 9/11 world. It is important to not become paralyzed by your fears but to keep going. The illusions by Jim Rug are well drawn and really add to the story. This is Cecil Castellucci’s first graphic novel and it is a triumph of the genre.

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Very interesting, smart and intriguing. “The premise is intriguing, relevant, and disturbing, even as the resolution leaves more questions. When is an art attack sabotage, graffiti, or vandalism? How can people reinvent their lives despite fear?“

After a situation like 9/11, Jane and her family moves out to the 'burbs where she has to rediscover herself. She writes letters to the John Doe that she saved and lays in a hospital back in the city. While there, she gets a group of girls together and comes up with ideas to do street art and the

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girls call themselves PLAIN and they are all named Jane. Great storyline and equally well done graphics.

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This is a really cute, girl power type graphic novel. The Janes really grow together as they learn to accept each others' different quirks and even use them to the advantage of the group. (Main) Jane, being new and from Metro City, is courted by the popular girls, but her insistence on staying

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loyal to the rest of the Janes, without Mean Girl-ing the popular chicks, is highlighted a few different times. It's her ability to be nice to everyone, even when she's blowing off the popular crowd, that makes the Big Unifying Art Attack possible.

Running underneath this light storyline is (Main) Jane's attempt to cope with the attack she lived through in Metro City. After the attack she grew attached to a John Doe who also survived but has been in a coma ever since. His notebook, full of his admiration of everyday art, is what inspires her to start P.L.A.I.N. She writes him letters, which she sends to the hospital, about the art "attacks" and her new friends. Though this relationship is entirely onesided, it gives Jane the outlet that she needs for her feelings regarding the attack and her parents' newfound fear of Metro City.

The artwork is entirely in black and white, which I found a bit strange at first considering it is a book about public art. The artist uses the black and white drawings to highlight the emotions of (Main) Jane and later of her friends, rather than to highlight the art they create, as color work would do. It lends some levity to the lighter, surface storyline.

Overall, this is a quick and fun read that has a bit more heft and substance to it than you'd guess at first glance. I highly recommend it.

Book source: Philly Free Library

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I love both of the 'Plain Janes' books so much. Both were graphic novels that I stayed up to read through with absolute relish. I was irritated when the book was finished. But, I would actually say to myself, "That was great." The emotion and Humor is wonderful. And I wound up recommending it to

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younger friends.

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This fascinating and cleverly done graphic novel follows the story of Jane as after a bomb explodes in her city, her family moves to the suburb to be safer. Jane narrates the book through a series of letters that she writes to a John Doe who was knocked into a coma during the same explosion and

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that she feels she has a connection with. The John Doe had been an artist and so when Jane has trouble fitting in at her school, she connects to a group of girls also called Jane and they plan art attacks.

These simple acts of art end up transforming the town and how people think as Jane becomes more comfortable in her new home. In this work, the graphic novel style suits the story and the striking black and white illustrations move the story to a stronger place as we see transformations in people and places.

Due to the hard subject matter that is dealt with in terms of the violence and the struggles of high school, this book would work best for a high school reader and could be very effective as a way to open up a discussion about how disasters and moving can change and affect us. Though the violence is dealt with from a slightly indirect viewpoint as Jane works to a point of being able to deal with it herself which means that a younger but mature reader but also find a connection.

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This is the first graphic novel I’ve read, and, after growing accustomed to the format, I rather enjoyed it. The story was a little on the weak side and needed the art supported it. I don’t feel the story would stand on its own. The reader is left hanging a bit at the end, but all in all an

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enjoyable read, particularly for reluctant readers.

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Relocating after a bomb attack, Jane meets 3 other Janes and form a secret club. They cause trouble when they decide the town needs some art. Peer pressure and pressure to conform takes center stage.

A graphic novel in the young adult section, fine with me. The back cover recommendation is right: "Thought-provoking... absolutely engaging."
Made me think about art and terrorism anew.

When a bomb goes off in fictional Metro City, Jane's life changes in an instant. Traumatized, she cuts off all her hair, then her parents decide to move the family to the suburbs, where her mom wants to know where she is every second. She hates it. She finds comfort in a sketchbook she found that

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day belonging to a 'John Doe' who lies unconcious in a hospital and to whom she writes letters about her feelings.

At her new school she tries to fit in with the misfits, tries joining clubs, teams, the play, but nothing works. Determined, she makes friends with the misfits,Jane, Jayne and Polly Jane. Hence the title. They embark on a wonderful adventure of guerilla art in their town to try and shake people up. It does!

Really quick read full of good stuff.

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Traumitized after being in a bombing in Metro City, Jane cuts her hair and dyes it. Her family moves out of the city and heads towards the suburbs. Her mother is more protective and calls her every minute to know where she is. She starts high school at her new town and is unenthusiastic about it.

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Soon after foregoing hanging out with the popular girls, she finds a more ecentric group of girls who all happened to have some form of the name "jane". She has a difficult time becoming friends with these girls, but finally they come together as a group through public art. Calling their group, P.L.A.I.N. (People Loving Art In the Neighborhoods), Jane and the girls are part of the many art projects that upset the community. However the group brings together all high school cliques. During her whole journey she writes letters to a "John Doe" she tried to help after the bombing. She uses his art journal to cope with fear and finally overcomes it with new friendships and a new relationship with a boy.

This graphic novel is a good book to add to the collection. I think it is a positive book for any girl to read to feel empowered without having to be angry. Teens, teen girls especially can relate to Jane and other girls wanting to feel significant, purposeful, individualistic, and rebellious.

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Joe Shuster Award - Outstanding Canadian Comic Book Writer
ALA Great Graphic Novels for Teens 2008
Booklist's Top 10 Graphic Novels for Youth 2008

The Plain Janes is a graphic novel involving four girls named Jane. Main Jane is the lead character who used to live in Metro City until her parents moved

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her out to the suburbs. Jane was a victim in an urban bombing which has changed her drastically. She doesn't feel like herself anymore. Before she moves she visits another victim of the bombing daily who is in a coma; she doesn't know his name and calls him John Doe. Jane used to be popular at her old school but doesn't really care about that anymore. At her new school she is attracted more to the outcasts. She meets a group of girls who all have Jane as part of their names. She convinces them to start a street art rebellion where they secretly do projects around the city and call it P.L.A.I.N. (People Loving Arts in Neighbourhoods).

This novel shows the importance of being yourself and finding kindred spirits who understand you. Main Jane could just fall back into her persona in the popular group, but the bombing has changed her. She needs to express herself and have friends who are authentic. I liked how this book encouraged girls to be brave and creative. The story was realistic in showing Main Janes reaction to trauma with her need to stay connected to John Doe and express her feelings to him even if he doesn't speak back. Her parents fear for Jane after the bombing and the need to control her surroundings is well portrayed. The friendship and encouragement between the girls who all have their own unique qualities and traits is endearing and relatable. The street art component of the story is entertaining and shows rebellion doesn’t always have to be connected to destructive behaviour.

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