First published: 2013
Pages: 208
Source: Capstone Young Readers via Netgalley, thank you!
THE ISOBEL JOURNAL is no ordinary snapshot of a contemporary teenage life. A charming and vivid narrative scrapbook of the eighteen-year-old author's sketches, mini-graphic novels, photographs and captions, it captures her wit, her observations and her creative talent as she takes us through the three central themes in her life: 'Love', 'Friends, Art and Otters' and 'Me'. Resonant of Laura Dockrill's MISTAKES IN THE BACKGROUND and with the powerful naïve illustrative style of cult Japanese artist Yoshitomo Nara, this is a collector's gift for teenagers and all who have the teenage experience still in their hearts. Readers will emphasise with this witty and honest journal of a girl getting to grips with impending adulthood. A must-have for all hipster teenagers and anyone who appreciates the raw creativity of youth. Enchanting and poignant.
Thoughts: Growing up I loved the Clarice Bean book series by Lauren Child and to this day, the series is still one of my all-time favourites. One of the reasons why I loved the Clarice Bean books is because of the illustrations that are scattered throughout the novel. The multiple novels are illustrated from Clarice's point of view with pictures of characters, jokes, and funny quotes that are highlighted and randomly placed on the page.
Similarly, The Isobel Journal is an illustrated book full of random yet relatable illustrations and hilarious statements. The book is divided into three sections 'Me', 'Friends, Art and Otters' and 'Love'. Out of the three, I definitely preferred the 'Love' section because of it's drawings of couples, dealing with heartbreak, finding boys so cute that you want to squish them into a tiny ball to keep them in your pocket (see below), and getting over the fact that it's okay if you don't have a boyfriend.
As for the 'Me' and 'Friends, Art and Otters' sections, I did enjoy some of the doodles and illustrations found in these sections. 'Me' introduced the author, Isobel, who likes to shop for vintage clothing, loves tea and has an obsession with otters. 'Friends, Art and Otters' was a very broad section that included lots of illustrations of the aforementioned otters and doodles of faces and other miscellanious and random drawings. Regardless of the description of this book, I would label Isobel a typical teenage girl. I definitely do not agree that The Isobel Journal 'is no ordinary snapshot of a contemporary teenage life' because from just her 'Me' section alone I feel that the majority of teens can relate by substituting otters for another cute furry animal (my favourite is rabbits - see my point?).
Nonetheless, I really enjoyed this book. It was a fun and easy read that takes you back to those days in school doodling while in lessons (I'm not the only one right?). I also loved all the colours and textures of the pages, which varied from using cardboard as a canvas to notebooks and post-it notes. If I have one flaw, it's that there isn't really much of a plot going on, it's very random and the pages of the book don't flow together. But it's definitely an inspiring book that will make you want to doodle everything so that it can look as beautiful as the pages of this book.
My rating: ★★★½
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