NEW GENRE! 
 For me, at least. I've always considered myself an open-minded person, but then I look at my shelves (YA, Aussie YA, Aussie YA, Classic, Generation Kill) and I realize how limited my book choices have been. I read my first Urban Fantasy series this year (Mercy Thompson, baby!) and now with Friends with Boys, I've entered Graphic Novel territory. 
 And I liked it! 
 This is the story of Maggie McKay, a homeschooled girl about to enter the shark tank of high school for the first time. She's dealing with typical teenage problems: a mother who's just run off, aggravating older brothers, and a ghost who follows her around. Anyway, who has time to worry about a ghost when you have to worry about fitting in for the first time. The setup to this story reminded me a bit of Mean Girls, but instead of Regina George and the Plastics, you have Matt and the Pack. 
 What I really liked about this was that it didn't go for the expected -- and easy -- route with mean girls but instead focused more on Maggie's loneliness and mean boys! The homeschool stigma is there for Maggie, but her older brothers dealt with the brunt of it when they first entered high school. While friendless, Maggie plays the role of observer and watches the dynamic between Matt George and her eldest brother, Daniel, Matt and the mohawked Alistair, and Alistair and Daniel. She finally makes a friend in Alistair's equally hair-challenged sister, Lucy. Lucy is energetic and spunky, a vibrant, lovable character who often puts her foot in her mouth while trying to draw Maggie out of her shell. However, there is nothing vindictive about Lucy. The Mean Boys, on the other hand, are constantly on the prowl. Wait til you get to the part about Maggie, the Mean Boys, and a stolen wooden hand. 
 I really enjoyed my first foray into graphic novels. It totally felt like cheating. A book with pictures! Lots of pictures! But there's also a plot there. It felt a bit disjointed at times with the different storylines (high school story, sibling story, ghost story, etc), but overall, it was well done. 
 If you want to try this novel for yourself, you can buy it tomorrow or read the entire novel on Faith Erin Hicks's website for another week. Here's the link. As Rayanne whispered to Angela in the opening credits of the ultimate high school show, "Go now. Go!" 
 To read why my nickname is now Magsby, check out Noelle's review of Friends with Boys at Young Adult Anonymous.