Status
Available
Call number
Publication
Groundwood Books (2008), Edition: F First Edition, 140 pages
Description
Skim is Kimberly Keiko Cameron, a not-slim, would-be Wiccan goth stuck in a private girls' school in Toronto. When a classmate's boyfriend kills himself because he was rumoured to be gay, the school goes into mourning overdrive, each clique trying to find something to hold on to and something to believe in. It's a weird time to fall in love, but that's high school, and that's what happens to Skim when she starts to meet in secret with her neo-hippie English teacher, Ms. Archer. But when Ms. Archer abruptly leaves, Skim struggles to cope with her confusion and isolation, armed with her trusty journal and a desire to shed old friendships while cautiously approaching new ones. Depression, love, sexual identity, crushes, manipulative peers --teen life in all its dramatic complexities is explored in this touching, pitch-perfect, literary graphic masterpiece. Cousins Mariko and Jillian Tamaki collaborate brilliantly in this poignant glimpse into the heartache of being sixteen.… (more)
User reviews
LibraryThing member fyrefly98
Summary: Skim is the nickname of Kimberly Keiko Cameron, given to her by her classmates because she's not. She doesn't fit in with the pretty popular crowd, and she's much more into Wicca and goth culture with her friend Lisa. When a classmate's boyfriend dumps her and then commits suicide, Skim's
Review: I'm having a hard time deciding how I feel about Skim. It didn't really have a distinct story arc, per se, and it felt more like "a year in the life" coming of age than anything else. There was the arc of Skim suffering through, and eventually starting to recover from, her depression, but I didn't feel like the resolution of that story, nor of several other subplots, was particularly strong - the book ended in what I felt to be a strange, unfinished place. But still, I thought this book captured a lot of things really accurately about depression, and high school, and how different people process death - very accurately. There's no easy simplistic solution here, nor does this book sugar coat things, but there is ultimately some sense of hope, which I think is a very fine balance to strike.
I had a similarly ambiguous reaction to the art. This book is formatted and narrated primarily as Skim's journal, although with segments that are more traditional storytelling narration, which mostly worked for me although was occasionally a little jarring as it switched back and forth. The style of the artwork was not my favorite - characters were mostly recognizable but their faces didn't always look realistic, which was was strange given the realism of much of the other detail in the scenes. There were some absolutely lovely images, though, especially some of the full page/two page scenes. Ultimately, while this book didn't entirely come together for me, what *was* there was very good. 3.5 out of 5 stars.
Recommendation: It reminded me a lot of Nate Powell's Swallow Me Whole, although not as bleak as I found that one to be. Recommended for those who have, are, or know someone who has struggled with depression.
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high school is turned upside down in a seeming frenzy of public grieving, leaving Skim - who didn't really know either her classmate or her ex-boyfriend - even more ostracized, which causes her to spiral into an ever-deepening depression.Review: I'm having a hard time deciding how I feel about Skim. It didn't really have a distinct story arc, per se, and it felt more like "a year in the life" coming of age than anything else. There was the arc of Skim suffering through, and eventually starting to recover from, her depression, but I didn't feel like the resolution of that story, nor of several other subplots, was particularly strong - the book ended in what I felt to be a strange, unfinished place. But still, I thought this book captured a lot of things really accurately about depression, and high school, and how different people process death - very accurately. There's no easy simplistic solution here, nor does this book sugar coat things, but there is ultimately some sense of hope, which I think is a very fine balance to strike.
I had a similarly ambiguous reaction to the art. This book is formatted and narrated primarily as Skim's journal, although with segments that are more traditional storytelling narration, which mostly worked for me although was occasionally a little jarring as it switched back and forth. The style of the artwork was not my favorite - characters were mostly recognizable but their faces didn't always look realistic, which was was strange given the realism of much of the other detail in the scenes. There were some absolutely lovely images, though, especially some of the full page/two page scenes. Ultimately, while this book didn't entirely come together for me, what *was* there was very good. 3.5 out of 5 stars.
Recommendation: It reminded me a lot of Nate Powell's Swallow Me Whole, although not as bleak as I found that one to be. Recommended for those who have, are, or know someone who has struggled with depression.
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LibraryThing member kmaziarz
Mixed-race teen Kimberly Keiko Cameron—known as “Skim” because she’s not—is a girl who doesn’t quite fit in. She’s almost Goth, but not really. She’s almost a Wiccan, but not really. She is the only student of Asian descent in her all-girls school, and her only friend isn’t really
Struggling for some sense of identity and connection, Skim becomes enamored of her free-spirit drama teacher, Ms. Archer. Ms. Archer encourages Skim’s affections until it starts to go too far, then leaves without explanation or closure. Meanwhile, Skim’s best friend Lisa, upset that Skim has been ignoring her, begins a friendship with a more popular girl at school.
Throughout Skim and Lisa’s adolescent traumas, the school community is struggling with its own problems. The boyfriend of a popular girl has committed suicide because he was homosexual; the grieving girlfriend, Katie, has fallen from a roof in what is supposed to be a suicide attempt of her own and has broken both arms. The school is in an upset, with the popular clique using Katie’s disasters more as a vehicle to promote themselves as caring and giving individuals than as a way to help Katie heal. Skim, at first dismissive of the whole thing, slowly discovers that Katie is funny, genuine, and genuinely traumatized, unlike the rest of the popular girls.
The artwork accompanying the story is fluid and compelling, borrowing in style from traditional Japanese brushwork paintings. Overall, “Skim” is an absorbing look at the common traumas of teenagers coming of age. Readers who have enjoyed such coming-of-age graphic novels as “Blankets,” “Fun Home,” and “Ghost World” will find much to like here.
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much of a friend at all.Struggling for some sense of identity and connection, Skim becomes enamored of her free-spirit drama teacher, Ms. Archer. Ms. Archer encourages Skim’s affections until it starts to go too far, then leaves without explanation or closure. Meanwhile, Skim’s best friend Lisa, upset that Skim has been ignoring her, begins a friendship with a more popular girl at school.
Throughout Skim and Lisa’s adolescent traumas, the school community is struggling with its own problems. The boyfriend of a popular girl has committed suicide because he was homosexual; the grieving girlfriend, Katie, has fallen from a roof in what is supposed to be a suicide attempt of her own and has broken both arms. The school is in an upset, with the popular clique using Katie’s disasters more as a vehicle to promote themselves as caring and giving individuals than as a way to help Katie heal. Skim, at first dismissive of the whole thing, slowly discovers that Katie is funny, genuine, and genuinely traumatized, unlike the rest of the popular girls.
The artwork accompanying the story is fluid and compelling, borrowing in style from traditional Japanese brushwork paintings. Overall, “Skim” is an absorbing look at the common traumas of teenagers coming of age. Readers who have enjoyed such coming-of-age graphic novels as “Blankets,” “Fun Home,” and “Ghost World” will find much to like here.
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LibraryThing member ewyatt
Skim's life in high school is portrayed through her daily activities and her diary entries in this black and white graphic novel. Skim doesn't quite fit as she dabbles with witchcraft, has an awful relationship with her best friend, and is on the radar for a lot of the girls as being an outsider at
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her Catholic school. When Skim falls for her English teacher, who suddenly picks up and leaves, her life seems to get more complicated. The popular clique at the school becomes obsessed with their suicide and anti-bullying cause. An unlikely friendship with Katie, a girl who has lost her boyfriend to suicide, leaves the book (and Skim's future) with a more hopeful tone. A quick read that I quite enjoyed. Show Less
LibraryThing member karafrib
Skim, by Mariko Tamaki, follows the story of the title character, who is “just a little weird.” Skim is a tenth grader who is attempting to be a Wiccan, smokes cigarettes, and attends a school where a popular girl’s boyfriend just committed suicide. Skim’s best friend, Lisa, shares most
This coming of age story about first love and loss is often broody, but realistically so. Skim is a believable character who is experimenting with all aspects of who she is, from her hair color, to her religion, to her sexuality, and Tamaki is not afraid to address those issues. The book also deals with stereo-types of “goth” teens and the touchy issue of suicide. The students in the book create a club called the “Girls Celebrate Life Club”, and while the purpose of this in the book is clear, it is a little over the top to fit in with the believability of the rest of the graphic novel. The black and white illustrations throughout the graphic novel are appropriately realistic, and make it feel like Skim’s school could be any high school anywhere. They also serve as the means of conveying some of the most important parts of the story. Skim has a well-paced plot, but several parts of the story seem unnecessary. While these parts are interesting in their own right, they do not serve the greater part of the book, and ultimately feel out of place. Readers who enjoy off-beat characters will relish this story of a social outcast who is on the cusp of self-discovery. Skim is best suited for high school students.
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everything with her. But one day, when Skim skips gym class to go outside and smoke (and also because she has a broken arm) she is caught by the red-headed drama teacher, Ms. Archer. What she doesn’t expect is that Ms. Archer will smoke with her and chat. Soon, Skim begins meeting Ms. Archer regularly, but keeps it from Lisa, who knows that her best friend is not telling her something. However, just as the relationship between Skim and Ms. Archer reaches the point of romantic, Ms. Archer moves away, devastating Skim. Throughout the rest of the story, Skim struggles with her loss, which leads to the discovery of new interests and friends. This coming of age story about first love and loss is often broody, but realistically so. Skim is a believable character who is experimenting with all aspects of who she is, from her hair color, to her religion, to her sexuality, and Tamaki is not afraid to address those issues. The book also deals with stereo-types of “goth” teens and the touchy issue of suicide. The students in the book create a club called the “Girls Celebrate Life Club”, and while the purpose of this in the book is clear, it is a little over the top to fit in with the believability of the rest of the graphic novel. The black and white illustrations throughout the graphic novel are appropriately realistic, and make it feel like Skim’s school could be any high school anywhere. They also serve as the means of conveying some of the most important parts of the story. Skim has a well-paced plot, but several parts of the story seem unnecessary. While these parts are interesting in their own right, they do not serve the greater part of the book, and ultimately feel out of place. Readers who enjoy off-beat characters will relish this story of a social outcast who is on the cusp of self-discovery. Skim is best suited for high school students.
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LibraryThing member twonickels
This young lady was heartbreakingly real. Loved the art in this one – the best graphic novel I’ve read in a while.
LibraryThing member Salsabrarian
Kim, or Skim, as she is known to her peers, is a half Japanese teenager who attends a private girls' school. She dabbles in Wicca, broods over art teacher Ms. Archer with whom she has a "thing" of sorts, and is fed up with the clique of popular girls. Her discontent is dark, moody, and shuffling.
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In other words, teens will get it. Show Less
LibraryThing member aliay
Perhaps I'm not young enough to remember the horrors of high school, but I found Skim to be whiny and overwrought, and maybe that's part of the point.
Skim's a terrific book for a reluctant high school reader or somebody who just feels a little alone in the world-- I finished the book within 45
Skim's a terrific book for a reluctant high school reader or somebody who just feels a little alone in the world-- I finished the book within 45
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minutes of picking it up. But terrific, enduring literature, this is not. Show Less
LibraryThing member cland
I really loved this book and it gets better each time I read it. I read a review that said Skim was an outsider who didn't want to be an insider, and I think that YA fiction needs more of those characters.
LibraryThing member stephmo
Skim's (nicknamed so because she isn't) year at school is rough enough - she's broken her arm, she's doesn't have all of the supplies for her witchcraft altar, the one coven meeting she's gone to doubles as an AA-meeting, she and her best friend aren't always getting along and her crush on Ms.
Throw in a well-meaning group of girls that start the Girls Celebrate Life! club in response to a boy's suicide and Skim's own slip into depression seems inevitable. The Tamaki cousins' work on this graphic novel is astonishing - the black and white drawings have an amazing depth and texture to them that become another part of the story. Skim's story keeps the realism of the emotional peaks and valleys that are being sixteen without veering into after-school-special territory.
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Archer...Throw in a well-meaning group of girls that start the Girls Celebrate Life! club in response to a boy's suicide and Skim's own slip into depression seems inevitable. The Tamaki cousins' work on this graphic novel is astonishing - the black and white drawings have an amazing depth and texture to them that become another part of the story. Skim's story keeps the realism of the emotional peaks and valleys that are being sixteen without veering into after-school-special territory.
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LibraryThing member francescadefreitas
With astonishing openness, teenaged Kim, called 'Skim' because she's not, lets us see her life, with all its confusion, heartbreak, sadness, and spots of laughter and joy. Skim is so very real, not just as a character, but with the stark relief of a person surrounded by phonies. While her private
A very touching story, wonderfully told through the art and words.
I'd give this to a reader looking for realistic fiction with an interesting teen character, and no cotton wool.
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school goes into excessive mourning after a boy's suicide, Skim has a heartbreaking encounter with a teacher, a slow estrangement from her best friend, and empathy for an unexpected ally.A very touching story, wonderfully told through the art and words.
I'd give this to a reader looking for realistic fiction with an interesting teen character, and no cotton wool.
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LibraryThing member YAlit
Skim is Kim Keiko Cameron, known by her friends and classmates as “Skim” for her slightly overweight frame. She is a quiet biracial 10th grade high school student who attends an all girls Catholic School and is interested in Wicca and Goth culture. Skim struggles with depression; a rift with
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her best friend; her parents divorce; falling for her drama teacher, Ms. Archer; and asserting her individuality. Many teen girls can identify with her as she feels she can’t communicate her inner heartaches and questions. Skim learns embrace her individuality and accept herself and others Show Less
LibraryThing member kpickett
Kim Keiko Cameron (Skim) is in 10th grade at an all girls private school in 1993. A goth girl into Wicca and witchcraft no one really understands her. Her dark clothing and moods are always being misinterpreted as depression. When a guy at a neighboring school commits suicide, Skim's school goes
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into mourning overdrive. They create an anti-suicide/depression group, of which Kim is a particular target. To top it all off Kim has fallen in love with her english teacher (a woman), her best friend is becoming distant and Kim is actually starting to feel depressed.This book has some of the same tones as the cult classic movie "Heathers" which is a personal favorite. The popularity of the suicide and the drama that follows. Told from the diary of a dark character. I almost expected Kim to blow up the school at the end, but instead she ends up befriending the other freak who has fallen off the roof of her house and broken both her arms. (does this remind anyone else of the last scene of Heathers where Veronica and the girl in the motorized wheelchair ride off into the sunset?")Good book but a little contrived. Just a spin off of Heathers. Show Less
LibraryThing member bwilson
Saltman, J. (2008). Skim comes out on top. Quill & Quire, 74(2), 66. Retrieved December 1, 2009, from Article Citation database.
LibraryThing member welkinscheek
A real slice of life. Told in pictures and diary entries, reading this book transported me into a few months of a teenager's life, and I made it safely out the other side.
LibraryThing member MariaKhristina
The graphic novel was entertaining and a quick read. In the novel the main character Kim , Skim, deals with depression, friendship, identity and love. The story is a little bland and predictable but I thought that the art was done well and fit the story.
LibraryThing member macart3
Skim is on the periphery of the school cliques in a private high school. She deals with the self-righteous popular girls, a crappy friend, bourgeoning sexuality, etc when a classmate, Katie Matthews, attempts to kill herself. I thought the graphics were good: that they displayed feelings when words
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weren't needed. My only compliant was that it's so short. I wish the author could have made it longer. Show Less
LibraryThing member JackieHancox
This book is filled with feelings of depression, confusion and anxiety, the agony of unrequited love, the awkwardness of forced social interactions, and the overwhelming melodrama that exists in every high school. It is an extremely authentic book of what life is like for the teens that feel
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misunderstood and live on the fringe of their high school society. I love the way Kim’s diary entries are incorporated into the story. This would be an excellent book to include in every high school library! Show Less
LibraryThing member wyvernfriend
Kimberly Keiko Cameron (aka Skim) is a teen witch with a broken arm and teen drama. Things change when one of the boys in her year kills himself which leads to a cascade of issues. Skim is somewhat of an outcast, she doesn't really fit in with a lot of the rest of her class andshe has to learn to
It's an interesting look at the life of an outlier, a person who doesn't fit in with the rest and I enjoyed it.
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live with that. Then she falls for one of her teachers and the repercussions of that change her views.It's an interesting look at the life of an outlier, a person who doesn't fit in with the rest and I enjoyed it.
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LibraryThing member SunnySD
Skim's life is WAY to complicated these days. No matter how many times she reads her tarot cards, she doesn't seem to be able to make sense of things. Going to art class and seeing Ms. Archer makes her sick to her stomach hungry and empty at the same time. Her best friend mostly isn't speaking to
Not necessarily a book you're going to find in a lot of teen collections, and it's something of a shame. Well-drawn and sensitively drawn out, the storyline deals with issues apt to get it challenged or banned in many communities, but it's neither graphic nor violent. Skim is dealing with issues that most teens face, and the author gets it.
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her, and everyone else in school seems hung-up on the boy whether or not the boy who committed suicide is gay... No one seems to understand anything anymore, Skim included.Not necessarily a book you're going to find in a lot of teen collections, and it's something of a shame. Well-drawn and sensitively drawn out, the storyline deals with issues apt to get it challenged or banned in many communities, but it's neither graphic nor violent. Skim is dealing with issues that most teens face, and the author gets it.
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LibraryThing member mahallett
teen age angst. goth girl, lonely.
LibraryThing member terriko
A bittersweet story of a young girl trying to find out who she is, set with a backdrop of a school coping with suicide, the friends learning about wicca, and a budding romance... weightier issues than you see in many teen novels, but treated in a heartfelt way that lets the light shine through and
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doesn't let it get depressing even when sad. Show Less
LibraryThing member kevinyezbick
I really enjoyed Skim - both for its cinematic, emotional illustrations and its undaunted conversational dialogue. The storyline unfolds through the main character's lived and recalled experiences in her diary. There is a lot of internal conversation and struggle - confusion - that we all know so
The caveat - when I say undaunted language - I mean it. This book has ALL the ingredients to make it controversial. Which made me love it all the more. Definitely on the upper tiers of YA.
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well. The images often speak volumes - and are breathtaking.The caveat - when I say undaunted language - I mean it. This book has ALL the ingredients to make it controversial. Which made me love it all the more. Definitely on the upper tiers of YA.
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LibraryThing member raschneid
The same creative team as This One Summer. It's an enjoyable coming of age story, and the art is so wonderful: distinctive and dreamy.
LibraryThing member 1morechapter
Do you always read what you know you will like, or do you sometimes try to stretch yourself to see ‘what’s out there’? I go in cycles. Sometimes I have no patience for something that doesn’t fit my personality, and other times I do like to be exposed to books or other art that is far from
Skim is not something I probably would have picked up if not for the Canadian Challenge or the Graphic Novel Challenge. It was also a quick read. While I very much sympathize with the typical teenage angst in the book, with themes of suicide, witchcraft, and homosexuality, Skim just wasn’t for me. I do give the author credit, though, for writing the characters in such a way that the reader does feel their emotional pain. That alone, though, just wasn’t enough for me to enjoy the book.
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my own personal norm.Skim is not something I probably would have picked up if not for the Canadian Challenge or the Graphic Novel Challenge. It was also a quick read. While I very much sympathize with the typical teenage angst in the book, with themes of suicide, witchcraft, and homosexuality, Skim just wasn’t for me. I do give the author credit, though, for writing the characters in such a way that the reader does feel their emotional pain. That alone, though, just wasn’t enough for me to enjoy the book.
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LibraryThing member aratiel
Not as depressing as I thought it would be. An interesting read with a light focus on suicide and sexuality.
Awards
Eisner Award (Nominee)
Green Mountain Book Award (Nominee — 2011)
Canadian Library Association Young Adult Book Award (Shortlist — 2009)
Ignatz Award (Winner — 2008)
The White Ravens (2009)
Doug Wright Awards for Canadian Cartooning (Winner — Best Book — 2009)
ALA Rainbow Book List (Selection — Young Adult Fiction — 2009)
Best Fiction for Young Adults (Selection — 2009)
CCBC Choices (2009)
OYAN Book Rave (2009)
Language
Original language
English
Original publication date
2008-02-28
Physical description
140 p.; 7 x 0.75 inches
ISBN
0888997531 / 9780888997531