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A First Time for Everything

Dan Santat

Ages 10–14

Readers rate it 4.3 (20 on Hardcover)

Released Feb 28, 2023

Content report card

A First Time for Everything parent’s guide: what’s inside

High confidence

Violence

LGBTQ+ themes

What it offers

Educational value

A note for parents

This National Book Award–winning graphic memoir celebrates the transformative power of new experiences and self-discovery during an awkward time of life. The content is age-appropriate for middle grade readers, with only light references to mature themes that are presented in a coming-of-age context rather than glorified. Santat's story is fundamentally about resilience, kindness, and gaining confidence—messages that resonate universally with young people navigating adolescence.

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From the publisher

Winner of the 2023 National Book Award for Young People's Literature A middle grade graphic memoir based on bestselling author and Caldecott Medalist Dan Santat's awkward middle school years and the trip to Europe that changed his life. Dan's always been a good kid. The kind of kid who listens to his teachers, helps hi... Winner of the 2023 National Book Award for Young People's Literature A middle grade graphic memoir based on bestselling author and Caldecott Medalist Dan Santat's awkward middle school years and the trip to Europe that changed his life. Dan's always been a good kid. The kind of kid who listens to his teachers, helps his mom with grocery shopping, and stays out of trouble. But being a good kid doesn't stop him from being bullied and feeling like he's invisible, which is why Dan has low expectations when his parents send him on a class trip to Europe. At first, he's right. He's stuck with the same girls from his middle school who love to make fun of him, and he doesn't know why his teacher insisted he come on this trip. But as he travels through France, Germany, Switzerland, and England, a series of first experiences begin to change him—first Fanta, first fondue, first time stealing a bike from German punk rockers... and first love. Funny, heartwarming, and poignant, A First Time for Everything is a feel-good coming-of-age memoir based on New York Times bestselling author and Caldecott Medal winner Dan Santat's awkward middle school years. It celebrates a time that is universally challenging for many of us, but also life-changing as well. Praise for After the Fall “The author gives wings to both his protagonist and his message about the importance of getting back up after a fall and the realization that recovering from a trauma takes time.” —Booklist, starred review “Santat’s precise illustrations and sensitive text combine for more emotional depth than the typical nursery rhyme remix. A terrific redemptive read-aloud for storytime and classroom sharing.” —School Library Journal, starred review

Shelved under

  • Juvenile Nonfiction
  • inspiring
  • funny
  • hopeful
  • reflective
  • Adventurous
  • lighthearted
  • Young Adult
  • Adventure
  • Comics
  • Graphic Novels

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ISBN 9781626724150 · First Second Books

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