PLEASE BE MY STAR

A teen strives for authenticity while battling imposter syndrome in this graphic retelling of The Phantom of the Opera.

Eleventh grader Erika Early has just moved from Atlanta to Texas with her family, bringing with her a lot of emotional baggage. Eager for a fresh start, she chooses a striking green blazer from a thrift store to be the focal point of her signature look. When Erika joins the theater group at Gaston Valley High School, she meets Julie Karimi, a white girl with a flair for sarcasm. Julie discovers Erika’s secret crush on good-looking Mexican American Christian Dominguez, and she introduces Erika to him and more of the racially diverse theater kids, including Miguel Hinojosa and Morgan Tsang. Erika and Christian discover a shared love for music and comics; the chapters reference a playlist featured at the end. After Erika writes her play for the school’s One Act Stage Festival, her four new friends become her cast and crew, bringing her closer to her crush. But Erika’s anxiety and obsessive behavior, including a secret she’s desperate to keep hidden, threaten these new bonds. Blue-eyed, auburn-haired Erika’s social anxiety is portrayed as a grayed-out doppelgänger who voices her self-doubts and negative self-talk in black speech bubbles. Erika’s struggles with mental health strike an empathetic chord that will resonate with readers. The clean, inviting art features varied panel shapes and perspectives and highlights the characters’ emotional expressions.

Manga-style art animates this charming story of self-discovery.