Told through Ramsey's journals, collages, lists, and drawings she shares with he her transformation in the time before her move up to the end of her first year of college, in this great autobiographical tale.Even though some of the drawings were done within the last couple of years, everything was based upon what she wrote in her journal. In Little Fish, Ramsey share's with her us her first hand thoughts of tackling the new challenges that face her in the big city and growing up away from the friends and family she's known all of her life. Find her at This book is available on Taobao and Amazon.ARC provided by NetGalleyRamsey Beyer is 18 years old and about to leave her small town life to become an independent big city college freshman. Kendra Perkins is Coordinator for the Shanghai Librarian Network, Ambassador of China for the International Librarian Network and Head Librarian at YK Pao School. It’s easy to relate to, particularly for international students who have recently experienced similar circumstances first-hand. I loved this graphic novel and would encourage teens to experience what Beyer went through by reading Little Fish. I highly recommend this as a first graphic novel to read. The lists that she creates often add humor and show her true personality. In the end, however, Beyer always finds the optimistic way to deal with these problems or stresses.

You can feel her excitement for the opportunities ahead, and also her fear as new challenges present themselves at the same time. Memories from periods of transition in my own life surfaced as I followed along with her story. While I was reading this book, I felt that I could really relate to the emotions the author was dealing with. The black and white format, combined with the scrapbooked pieces of her life, create a deep connection between the reader and the author. This collection of pieces from her life shows more than words alone possibly could. Smudges and photocopied items are included, adding warmth to the pages. Manual typewriter-style lists, doodles, cartoons, notes and diary entries collectively depict how the author truly felt. Little Fish has a unique scrapbook-type style that includes many snippets of papers and items she’s collected along the way. She chronicles all aspects of her life that are important and familiar to her from what’s in her friend Merry’s basement to what she considers to be the top 10 worst sounds. In this autobiographical-style graphic novel, we get a glimpse into this brief period of her life that’s filled with more change than she’s ever had to deal with before – not living with her family and having her best friends around her.

Have you ever faced a difficult change in your life, such as having to make a big move to a new city? Ramsey Beyer’s first published book tells her real life story of moving from a small farming town to the big city.

Little Fish by Ramsey Beyer