Tokuda-Hall, Maggie. Squad. Lisa Sterle, Illus. Graphic. Greenwillow/ Harper Collins, 10/2021. [213]pp. PLB $21.99. 978-0-06-294315-6. OUTSTANDING. GRADES 10-ADULT.
Becca is the new girl at Piedmont High School and bonds instantly with popular Marley, who introduces her to her friends: the super-rich RiRi and tough-but-smart Amanda (Mandy). Soon, the girls have adopted Becca, buying her a new wardrobe and taking her out. When a “nice” boy starts to harass Becca at a party, her best friends change before her eyes and Becca has to make the ultimate choice: join the squad and become a werewolf, or be eaten herself. Sharply feminist, Tokuda-Hall uses the body transformation from girl-to-starving werewolf as an allegory for that messy time as a teen where it feels as if you can’t trust your own body. Sterle’s illustrations dance perfectly between the two worlds the girls inhabit: the colors are bright, bubbly, and cute when the girls are in human form, but their wolf-forms are dark, frightening, and gory. The representation among the characters is accurate to the Bay Area: the squad is multiracial, and some characters are LGBTQ. Asian-American Becca has long, black hair and pale skin, RiRi has light brown skin and brown hair, and Amanda is black and often shown wearing her hair naturally. The “worst of the worst” boys who fall victim to the squad are white with blond or light brown hair. Another minor character wears a hijab, and one of the Black teachers is called Mx. Two of the girls begin a romantic relationship. While horror fans will appreciate this graphic novel, the sexual content (sexual harassment and the threat of sexual violence, naked bodies shown in outline like renaissance art, and the use of mature terms for anatomy) means the book is better suited to older teens. This book has California-specific content.
Solia Martinez-Jacobs, Bret Harte Middle School