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| Screen shot from Libby of Page by Paige |
In the Graphic Novel Page by Paige Laura Lee Gulledge explores the life of a young introverted artist who has moved to the big city. The story follows Paige as she explores both the city and her views of her own life.
Paige’s Story
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| Paige looking at painting |
Paige is unhappy in her new environment but has been challenged by her grandmother, also an artist, to draw something every day. This challenge starts with Paige drawing about how she feels but expands out as she meets new friends in school.
Paige joins a group of other ‘misfits’ as she feels that are also artists and musicians. They each see the world in a unique way. One becomes her best friend and other her boyfriend with the fourth member of the group becoming her art partner in many of their escapades. Over the course of the book the four friends learn to trust each other sharing their art and music with one another. Paige even lets them see her art, which she never shows anyone. This leads them to start doing street art to make other happy, one such is a tree with messages of encouragement in bottles for anyone who might need them.
Along the way Paige learns to be herself and that life isn’t all bad or lonely. The drawings in her book while private help her to learn about herself and show others how her world feels to her. One day she even choses to let a woman on the subway see her portfolio, the woman encourages her to continue drawing and see the world as she can. Toward the end of the story Paige choses to show her mom. When her mom sees her drawing, she accepts her as she is, this begins to help Paige to accept herself and mom as they are. Paige even states “I hate to admit it, but we are more similar. If I can’t accept my faults if I can’t accept hers...” (Gulledge, unpaged). This realization
leads to a better relationship between Paige and her mother. The growth seen in Paige brings happiness to her life and better relationships. 
Paige shows her mom her art
The Lessons
Page by Paige shares the many hard lessons about growing up and accepting yourself and others. The lessons learned by Paige through the story share that it is ok to be different and to see the world in your own way. Learning to accept yourself and others is important. Paige is seen as a typical teen with anxieties that not only teens but adults can relate to. Everyone has felt different and insecure at some point in their lives. Growing up involves change and that change is not just where you live and what you do but can also be who you are or how you see yourself. Gulledge brilliant words and illustrations detail the growing pains everyone has as they figure out who they are and what they want to do in life.
Review
The detailed black and white illustrations draw readers into the life of Paige, showing her world not only externally but inside her head. The story is well written and relatable in many ways. Gulledge illustrates what many people feel or have felt in life. The book shows how hard it is to accept yourself as you are and that it is ok to be different. The depression and then happiness that Paige has is relatable to many who do not quite fit into the norm or expected role of those around. Paige feels like a failure at the being and is lost and alone but by the end she has grown, better understanding herself and her world. The character development and flow of the story is well done and enhanced by the illustrations in each panel. Gulledge’s handling of a coming-of-age story shows what many have gone through and is a good read for teens and adults alike.
Reference
Gulledge, Laura Lee. (2013) Page by Paige [Libby edition]. New York: Amulet Books.
Images are screen shots from Page by Paige from the Libby app from the book by Laura Lee Gulledge.
