TANIA DEL RIO has been published in TOKYOPOP's RISING STARS OF MANGA ANTHOLOGY. She worked for Archie Comics as the writer and artist of SABRINA THE TEENAGE WITCH- THE MAGIC WITHIN graphic novels, an American Manga take on the characters and stories. She also wrote Archie's highly publicized "Reversedale" story and has worked on their JOSIE & THE PUSSYCATS and SONIC THE HEDGEHOG comics as writer and artist. Tania has also written SPIDER-MAN/ARA A- THE HUNTER REVEALED for Marvel. She is currently writing the Young Adult Supernatural Fantasy novel WINTER WILDER.
"DIARY OF A GIRL NEXT DOOR is a fun and funny read that gives us a
special peek into the heart of the Archieverse's most lovable
character. The format should prove popular with young readers, and
the Archie comics brand will mean quality to their parents." "
--Jimmy Gownley, NEW YORK TIMES bestselling author of AMELIA RULES!
and THE DUMBEST IDEA EVER
"Really charming." --MCCLATCHY NEWS SERVICE
"I think quite a few young ladies--and maybe a few lads as
well--will recognize themselves in the hopes and dreams of the girl
next door." --MCCLATCHY NEWS SERVICE
"Although these may be familiar places and nostalgic characters for
some of us, they are brilliantly recreated by Archie Comics for
today's young adult readers." -- DIAMOND BOOKSHELF
"You remember what it was like to be a teenage girl, right?
OK, clearly I was never a teenage girl, but I’m pretty sure if I
had been, I would have wanted to be Betty Cooper. Smart, pretty,
ambitious, full of dreams. Blond with a ponytail.
Sure, Betty’s not the most popular girl in school (that’s her
middle school best friend Veronica) and she doesn’t have this high
school thing completely figured out (particularly her crush on a
certain Archie Andrews). But this girl is genuine and kind and
pretty darn funny. She’s everything you’d expect, and yet still
feels like a real live person.
A youth-oriented novel with simple and fun illustrations by artist
Bill Galvan, DIARY OF A GIRL NEXT DOOR: BETTY is the first in
a series of prose titles aimed at the tween market who, if I had to
guess, may not give comics a second look. Designed to stand tall
next to Disney Channel programming and young adult
novels, Betty surpasses its peers in quality and depth,
delivering a book that not only would appeal to kids (maybe not
even just girls) 10 to 14, but can be enjoyed by adults as well
(that’s me!).
Author Tania del Rio provides a beautiful, first-person narration
of Betty Cooper’s first two months of high school in classic “Dear
Diary” style, but still manages to engage the reader thoroughly
from entry to entry. Each passage is treated like its own story,
featuring Betty’s interactions with best friend Veronica, the
dreaded Glossies (Veronica’s new ultra cool friends), her next door
neighbor Jughead, her parents, and of course, best guy in the world
and dream boat extraordinaire — Archie.
The feelings we get from Betty aren’t trite or overplayed, and
they’re somewhat self-conscious without resorting to being maudlin.
Del Rio rides the line very carefully by infusing a wonderful humor
in Betty’s thoughts and speech, as well as a good sense of how
she’s learning from herself from start to finish. As this is but a
brief swatch of young Betty’s life, we don’t get a radical growth
into womanhood, but the confidence she has by the end of the book
finally catches up with her ambitions. It’s heartwarming, quite
honestly.
Galvan’s doodle-style drawings, meant to mimic Betty’s own
illustrations (why doesn’t she ever consider becoming an artist?
Huh.), are really so adorable, it’s hard not to grin from ear to
ear when you page through the book. The ones gracing the cover and
outside spine, in particular — Betty herself with a word
balloon saying “That’s me!” — make me smile every time I open
the book.
As much as I love what Archie Comics has done here, and as much as
I am looking forward to the inevitable follow-up starring Veronica,
I have a confession to make. I’m not keeping my copy. No, I have to
ship it immediately to my niece, because if there’s anyone in the
world who’s going to like it more than me, it’s someone Betty’s own
age (or younger even).
Buy this book for your little middle-school girl. She’ll feel like
she’s getting a peek into the wild sophisticated future of high
school, and you can be assured that what she’s really getting is
the most genuine experience of a good kid who has a great heart
that I’ve seen in a long time. Congratulations, Archie Comics.
You’re about to make another new generation fall in love with
you.
The Verdict: 10/10
--Matt Santori-Griffith, COMICOSITY
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