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Reviewed by: Taylor Coonelly, Elementary School Librarian Title: Fangirl: Volume 4 Author: Rainbow Rowell Publisher: Viz Originals
Year: 2024 Good for Grades: 11-Adult Genre/Type of Book: Realistic Fiction/Manga
Content Warnings, or things that other School Librarians should be aware of: Mentions of sex and alcohol (not shown) Recommended for a school library: Yes Reason(s) for choosing the book: I have been wanting to dip my toe into the manga world, and I loved the book that this manga is an adaptation of. If you were tasked by the publisher with writing a short quote for the back cover of this book, what would it be: A delightful look into college and relationships, and finding ones voice
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Review:
This is the last volume in the manga adaptation of Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell, a story I connected with in high school and sparked my love of reading. I have not really dipped my toe into manga until reading this adaptation, and now I am more open to the genre and reading more of it. In this last volume, we begin with the end of the 3rd volume, where Cath has gotten a call from her estranged mother that her sister is in the hospital. Cath drops everything to reunite with her, and the two become closer than ever. Cath is also opening up more with Levi, her crush since the first day she met him and her current boyfriend. But the semester is coming to a close, leaving Cath with the responsibility of completing her fiction writing assignment before her professor fails her and finishing her fanfiction Carry On before the author of the real series ends it with the final installment of the series. Can Cath begin to trust herself and let herself live in the moment, or will she continue to be stuck in her head and fanfiction?
This manga pairs really well with the original story written by Rowell, keeping true to main plot points and interjecting with pieces of fanfiction Cath is writing/has wrote. The manga style was beautiful, and accentuated the features of the characters that I for so long just had a visual image of in my head. I was afraid that the colorless medium would be bland, but in reality it made the story more dynamic.
This book (along with the rest in the series) I think would be an awesome addition to a high school library collection. While the characters are in college, the themes of friendship, confidence, finding oneself and navigating relationships are easily applicable and important to high schoolers. I also highly recommend the novelized version.
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For more information about this book, see the Publishers Website