A Kid Like Me, written and illustrated by Norm Feuti, is a semi-autobiographical graphic novel that will resonate with fans of slice of life, coming of age stories. A Kid Like Me follows Ethan, who lives in a trailer park and goes to school with a lot of wealthy kids. Though his mom does her best to get him things that the other kids have like a cellphone and name brand clothes, Ethan is still mocked and is struggling to find and maintain friendships in his new middle school. One thing that helps is playing Bio Battle (a fictional blend between Pokémon and Magic the Gathering) with an old card collection he found at a yard sale. Instead of cowering to the bullies, Ethan begins leaning into a “retro” aesthetic with second hand clothes, finds friends in the Bio Battle club, and stands up for his home and in turn himself.

The illustrations are clean and consistent with Feuti’s other illustrated titles. Though there are occasionally humorous facial expressions, the story is very grounded and never gets too sad or dramatic. This may lose the interest of some readers, but kids who relate to Ethan’s struggles will find relief in the story’s ultimate message – just be yourself and good people will want to be your friend. An author’s note at the end emphasizes the harm that poverty shaming had on him as a child and that “entitlement programs” like welfare, free lunch, and subsidized housing along with great role models were what enabled Feuti to break the cycle of poverty.

A recommended purchase where Holm’s Sunny series and Libenson’s Emmie & Friends series are popular.

Reviewed by Ivy Burns, Merrill Memorial Library, Yarmouth