Some Girls Do

Morgan, “marginally disgraced track star of the female persuasion,” is starting at a new school because queerness is “against the code of conduct” at her old one. On her first day, Ruby—a lifer beauty pageant contestant whom her classmates see as “trashy” because she lives in a trailer—almost runs Morgan down in the school parking lot, and their attraction is instantaneous. Ruby has had feelings for girls before, but she doesn’t do relationships, and her homophobic beauty queen mother is totally invested in her daughter being a pageant winner, a dream that Ruby no longer shares. Morgan, meanwhile, is no longer interested in being in the closet. Dugan (Verona Comics) gives the high school seniors, both white, solid lines as well as obstacles that are tied to and separate from their feelings for each other. Ruby is the slightly more interesting character, as she tries to balance competing interests (she’s serious about fixing up cars) and navigate what she owes her mother, but the teens’ collisions as they try to determine whether they can turn their attraction into something more solid make for an enjoyable romantic tale. Ages 12–up. [em](May) [/em]