Just Pretend by Tori Sharp

Just Pretend

NATIONAL BESTSELLER!

“Grounded and relatable.” —Whitney Gardner, creator of Fake Blood

“Frank and honest portrayal of divorce, losing friends, and growing up” —Rex Ogle, co-creator of Four Eyes

Fans of Real Friends and Be Prepared will love this energetic, affecting graphic memoir, in which a young girl uses her active imagination to navigate middle school as well as the fallout from her parents’ divorce.

Tori has never lived in just one world.

Since her parents’ divorce, she’s lived in both her mom’s house and her dad’s new apartment. And in both places, no matter how hard she tries, her family still treats her like a little kid. Then there’s school, where friendships old and new are starting to feel more and more out of her hands.

Thankfully, she has books-and writing. And now the stories she makes up in her head just might save her when everything else around her—friendships, school, family—is falling apart.

Author Tori Sharp takes us with her on a journey through the many commonplace but complex issues of fractured families, as well as the beautiful fantasy narrative that helps her cope, gorgeously illustrated and full of magic, fairies, witches and lost and found friendships.

Tori Sharp on Writing Her Graphic Memoir, JUST PRETEND

I drew exactly one comic page before becoming perfectly obsessed. I was about thirteen, and it was a silly comic strip about my dog having misadventures with my friends’ dogs. I drew it in a creative fervor in my dad’s basement, like I was in a trance, and then I drew three more. I adored every wobbly, uncertain line.

Drawing that first comic was like digging a hole in your garden to plant something, and instead your trowel hits a treasure chest.

Now that my graphic memoir, Just Pretend, is about to hit shelves, I’m amazed to remember that I started making comics by drawing inspiration from real life. In my dog’s cartoon adventures, there were many fictional elements. The dogs could talk, they dined at restaurants, and they were fully autonomous in a world without humans. It was a pretend story, but I was borrowing the personalities of living, barking dogs for my comics. I was mining my life for stories without fully realizing what that meant.

Praise

"Just Pretend is a celebration of active imaginations everywhere, a grounded and relatable tale of family and friends with just a little bit of fantasy swirled in. Tori Sharp's charming story and polished art style will have readers enchanted from the first page."
—Whitney Gardner, author-illustrator of Fake Blood

"In Just Pretend, Tori offers a frank and honest portrayal of her dealings with divorce, losing friends, and growing up. Divorce can be difficult on any child, but Tori's tale reminds us that finding refuge in imagination is always welcome." —Rex Ogle, award-winning author of Free Lunch

"In Just Pretend, Tori Sharp effortlessly weaves together the raw emotions of growing up in a fractured family with the limitless world of our imaginations. Her fluid and expressive artwork gives readers a story full of heart, growth, and fantastical adventures."
—Mai K. Nguyen, author-illustrator of Pilu of the Woods

"Working in a simple, expressive cartoon style reminiscent of Raina Telgemeier’s, Sharp captures facial and body language with easy naturalism.... A rich and deeply felt slice of life." —Kirkus

"Led by an endearing and resilient heroine, Sharp’s memoir makes a strong case for imagination as a middle school survival tactic.... Sharp creates a portrait of a resourceful young artist using her passion to forge connections." —Publishers Weekly

"Full of the challenges of family, school, and friends, this is a book that will likely resonate with plenty of teens and tweens . . . Hand to fans of Shannon Hale, Raina Telgemeier, or Maria Scrivan." —Booklist

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Author Essay

Tori Sharp on Writing Her Graphic Memoir, JUST PRETEND

Praise

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