Squished

by Megan Wagner Lloyd (Author) Michelle Mee Nutter (Illustrator)

Reading Level: 4th − 5th Grade

From the powerhouse duo behind the instant bestseller Allergic comes a fun new graphic novel about finding your own space... especially when you're in a family of nine!

Eleven-year-old Avery Lee loves living in Hickory Valley, Maryland. She loves her neighborhood, school, and the end-of-summer fair she always goes to with her two best friends. But she's tired of feeling squished by her six siblings! They're noisy and chaotic and the younger kids love her a little too much. All Avery wants is her own room -- her own space to be alone and make art. So she's furious when Theo, her grumpy older brother, gets his own room instead, and her wild baby brother, Max, moves into the room she already shares with her clinging sister Pearl! Avery hatches a plan to finally get her own room, all while trying to get Max to sleep at night, navigating changes in her friendships, and working on an art entry for the fair. And when Avery finds out that her family might move across the country, things get even more complicated.

Megan Wagner Lloyd and Michelle Mee Nutter have once again teamed up to tell a funny, heartfelt, and charming story of family, friendship, and growing up.

Select format:
Paperback
$12.99

Kirkus

Starred Review
A charming and achingly relatable snapshot of life in a big family.

Publisher's Weekly

Brightly colored landscapes and keen dialogue artfully depict common eldest daughter woes. 

Review quotes

Praise for Squished:

Barnes & Noble Most Anticipated Kids' Book

There is so much to love about this title... The storytelling is fast-paced and has many humorous moments... The artwork is busy and offers the frenetic feel of the hustle and bustle of a large family. The colorization looks vivid and warm, which wraps up the warm tingly feelings all readers will be left with. Another great addition to the middle-grade comics collection. — School Library Journal's Good Comics for Kids Blog

This delightful graphic novel about growing up and carving out your own space is perfect for fans of Raina Telgemeier. — Barnes & Noble

Praise for Allergic:

Instant Bestseller

School Library Journal Best Graphic Novel of the Year

New York Public Library Best Book for Kids

There's a lot packed into this graphic novel beyond the allergy story line: how family dynamics change with a new baby's arrival, how kids struggle to fit in and find friends. But while it addresses serious issues and emotions, Allergic, unlike hives and sneezing, is mostly madcap fun. — The New York Times

Allergic is the sweetest story you'll read all year. A touching chronicle of a young girl's severe allergies woven into a meaningful journey of friendship, family, and self-discovery. — Terri Libenson, New York Times bestselling author of Invisible Emmie

★ A heartachingly enjoyable tale of resilience. — Kirkus Reviews, starred review

Readers will root for this realistic and relatable fifth grader, who's capable of kindness as well as envy and self-doubt... readers will easily identify with her trials and accomplishments. — School Library Journal

Vibrant... easy to recommend. — Booklist

Warm and well-paced... an encouraging tale for young readers engaging with the world of pets, family, and friendships. — Publishers Weekly

Praise for the Allergic Audiobook:

★ A first-rate full-cast audio treatment... Thanks to expertly mixed recording effects and a bouncy music score, the production sounds like a radio drama: overlapping voices, yipping dogs, and multitude of noises. — Booklist, starred review

Pretty good

Edit Your Review

Squished was okay.It was a bit boring but that's all.

Megan Wagner Lloyd
Megan Wagner Lloyd is the author of the kids' graphic novel and Indie Bestseller, Allergic, co-created with illustrator Michelle Mee Nutter, which the New York Times called "madcap fun." She's also the author of the picture books Finding Wild and Fort-Building Time, illustrated by Abigail Halpin, Building Books, illustrated by Brianne Farley, and Paper Mice, illustrated by Phoebe Wahl. She lives with her family in the Washington DC area. Find her at meganwagnerlloyd.com and @meganwagnerlloyd.

Abhi Alwar is an Indian American freelance illustrator/designer based in NYC. She aims to tell absurd and silly stories through comics and picture books. Her debut picture book, Hamsters Make Terrible Roommates, written by Cheryl Klein, received a starred review from Publishers Weekly, who said that "readers should get a tickle out of [Alwar's] compositions." She's at abhialwar.com and @abhi_alwar.
Classification
Fiction
ISBN-13
9781338568936
Lexile Measure
520
Guided Reading Level
-
Publisher
Graphix
Publication date
March 20, 2023
Series
-
BISAC categories
JUV008000 - Juvenile Fiction | Comics & Graphic Novels | General
JUV039020 - Juvenile Fiction | Social Themes | Adolescence
JUV013070 - Juvenile Fiction | Family | Siblings
Library of Congress categories
Families
Graphic novels
Moving, Household
Girls
Cartoons and comics
Comics (Graphic works)
Maryland
Humorous comics
Domestic comics

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