A First Time for Everything

Dan Santat’s graphic memoir for middle-grade readers is set in 1989, when he was thirteen. His time at middle school has been mostly unhappy: he has been bullied by his peers, and at home his mother’s lupus has put a strain on the family. His parents nevertheless insist that he join a three-week school trip through six European countries.

On the trip he experiences many firsts. He also begins to take his art seriously and to share it with others without fear of being bullied.