How It All Ends

In this exploration of maturity levels, close friendships, and first loves, Hunsinger uses color and illustration to portray the disquieted adolescent mind as Tara learns about herself through the coming-of-age challenge of high school.

A slice of life that's as imaginative as its protagonist.

Thirteen-year-old Tara Gimmel believes that she can do anything. But when she's enrolled in a "special academic program to challenge high-performing students" and promoted straight to high school, Tara is faced with a new, terrifying reality she doesn't feel prepared for. She quickly learns that high school is nothing like the teen dramas she's watched. Worse, when she encounters her older sister and best friend Isla at school, Isla adopts a persona Tara doesn't recognize. Then Tara is partnered with classmate Libby for a Greek mythology project, and quickly develops a crush. Her constant internal monologue, which is depicted in rich red hues, is only interrupted by conversations she's having IRL, a mechanism that often results in hilarious--and embarrassing--scenarios. Using borderless panels teeming with cartoon illustrations rendered in ink with a limited color palette to quickly alternate between Tara's real life and her internal thoughts, Hunsinger (My Parents Won't Stop Talking) explores what it's like to be an especially inexperienced fish out of water in this vibrant, comedic character sketch. Character skin tones match the white of the page, with blue hues connoting varying shades. Ages 8-up. (Aug.)

Copyright 2024 Publishers Weekly, LLC Used with permission.

Gr 4-9--Tara wasn't supposed to be in ninth grade. She had one more glorious year of middle school left, where life was simple. When she finds out that her academic performance landed her in high school a year early, she fears that she is too much of a "baby" to survive. Tara may be book smart, but she doesn't feel mature enough for the PE, dress code, and overall freedom given to high school students. She still enjoys playing make-believe with her little brother and feels more comfortable in her imaginary world than in the real one. That is, until she meets Libby. Is she a best friend? Is she something more? Suddenly high school doesn't seem so bad. This story perfectly captures the sweetness of a first crush during the confusing and overwhelming early teenage years. Tara grapples with her identity and learns to walk the fine line between trying to impress others and being true to herself. Readers will not only identify with Tara but also with her cool, alternative older sister Isla and her nerdy-turned-heartthrob best friend Jessup. The art depicting Tara's real world is drawn in cool blues, while her imaginary world is depicted in bright reds. Yellow appears in both, visually connecting the two. VERDICT Those familiar with Hunsinger's moving New Yorker comic story "How to Draw a Horse" will be thrilled with this beautiful, heartfelt, longer work. A must-have for any library serving middle and high school students.--Amy Ribakove

Copyright 2024 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Funny and honest, this book is a poignant and relatable look at coming of age and the daunting transition to high school.

A whirlwind dive into the chaotic imagination of a tween experiencing her first crush. The protagonist, Tara, doesn't quite understand her romantic feelings for another girl, but the force and warmth of them explodes from the page. Hunsinger is a master of capturing feelings and desires that the protagonist doesn't themselves recognize or understand. How It All Ends is hilarious, inventive, smart and silly, and perfectly captures the overwhelming confusion, anxiety, and joy of a young gay crush. — Alice Oseman, bestselling author of Heartstopper

Emma Hunsinger's art is earnest, playful, and achingly perceptive. Pretty sure I'd die for Tara, and I'm head over heels for this book. — Becky Albertalli, New York Times-bestselling author of Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda

Hunsinger's distinctive style. . . is reminiscent of doodles in the margins of student notebooks and perfectly suits the subject matter. . . . Tara's voice rings true, and readers will find much to relate to in her various social and emotional struggles. Frequent moments of humor create a lighthearted tone despite Tara's overall angst. . . . A slice of life that's as imaginative as its protagonist. — Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

This funny, brilliant, debut had me laughing out loud. How It All Ends is one of the best graphic novels I've read this year."" — Johnnie Christmas, award-winning author of Swim Team

Emma Hunsinger's storytelling feels like it's full of inside jokes that you, the reader, are somehow magically a part of. Through expressive character design and clever use of color, How It All Ends hilariously yet tenderly captures the specific kind of melodrama that takes place inside the head of a teenager who maybe isn't the coolest. I had so much fun reading this. — Tyler Feder, acclaimed author of Dancing at the Pity Party

Imaginative and hysterical, and with the sort of rare clear-seeing honesty that will make any reader feel less alone in the world. I loved it. — Eliot Schrefer, two-time National Book Award Finalist and New York Times-bestselling author

Emma Hunsinger's sharp wit and eclectic humor shines in this fantastic story about making new friends and surviving school. I simply adore her work as a writer and an artist."— Dan Santat, National Book Award winner of A First Time for Everything

How It All Ends felt like Emma Hunsinger's inner child asking my own inner child, 'Hey, you want to sit together?' I've never felt so healed by a book. I can't wait to give it to everyone I know. — Adib Khorram, award-winning author of Darius the Great Is Not Okay

Emma Hunsinger is a master at revealing human emotion through comedy and absurdism. How It All Ends is a hilarious, surreal, and deeply sincere story about finding yourself in a situation that you don't feel ready to face and making your way through it anyway. — Sarah Sax, author of Picture Day

How It All Ends brilliantly captures the exquisite terror of growing up in a touching story that celebrates sisterhood, first crushes, and the beauty and struggle of finding the you that you want to be. Straight, gay, metalhead, pop fanatic, or just really into corn, readers of all stripes will fall in love with Tara, Isla, Libby, and Jessup. Ironically, you won't ever want How It All Ends to end. — Alex London, bestselling author of Proxy and The Princess Protection Program

Thirteen-year-old Tara isn't too excited about her first day of school after being approved to skip the eighth grade. . . . Tara has a hard time going with the social flow of high school—until she befriends Libby in her chaotic English class. As Tara and Libby get closer, Tara starts having feelings she doesn't understand, making her even more confused. . . . In this exploration of maturity levels, close friendships, and first loves, Hunsinger uses color and illustration to portray the disquieted adolescent mind as Tara learns about herself through the coming-of-age challenge of high school. — Booklist

This graphic novel is refreshing. . . .The illustrations are purposefully unruly, sometimes frantic in pages filled to the edges with Tara's internal running monologue, sometimes joyfully bright and open. . . .Vibrant colors, free-form pages that only occasionally hint at paneling, and emphatic. — Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books

Detailed vignette-style illustrations blend Tara's lived experience with elaborate scenes from her mind. . . . Funny and honest, this book is a poignant and relatable look at coming of age and the daunting transition to high school. — Horn Book (starred review)