Girlmode

Phoebe Zito—a geeky white transgender girl with no friends, a neglectful mother, and a father who’s trying his best (“My dad’s a good guy”)—has just moved to L.A. for a “fresh start.” At her new school, she befriends fellow geek Ben Wheelock, portrayed with pale skin and brown hair, but is soon swept up by a popular crew led by Japanese American Mackenzie Ishikawa, who shows Phoebe “how to be a girl.” But even as her social life expands, Phoebe’s romantic endeavors are fraught with transmisogyny, homophobia, and classic toxic bro behavior. And when it seems that Mackenzie is trying to turn Phoebe into someone she’s not, Phoebe feels like she’s back at square one trying to figure out who she is in a world that seems against her. Organic dialogue by Visaggio (The Ojja-Wojja) and poppy animated art by Ganucheau (Lemon Bird) combine for a must-read that portrays one teenage girl’s struggles to find—and stand up for—herself. An emphasis on the various forms transmisogyny can take is balanced by depictions of young people making amends for their actions. Ages 14–up. (Oct.)