Freshman Year (A Graphic Novel)

Ages 14 to 18, Grades 9 to 12

A stylish graphic novel about the unique angst, humor, and self-doubt universal to the experience of going away to college—from a promising debut talent—for fans of Heartstopper.

Everyone gets a fresh start. Who do you want to be? 

Sarah is leaving suburban Wisconsin for her freshman year in Minnesota. She has high hopes for the future: impress her professors, meet interesting new people, stay close to her best friends and boyfriend back home, flourish as an artist, and shed her lingering high school anxieties. What seems manageable at first quickly unravels into a tailspin: Sarah’s high-achieving roommate puts her to shame, her summer love dissolves, and she is quickly overwhelmed by the freedom, the isolation, and all the possibilities that await in this new environment.

Based on the author’s personal college journal and comics, Freshman Year navigates the inner workings of an 18-year-old girl in witty, honest, and heartfelt detail. This graduation gift pairs perfectly with OH, THE PLACES YOU'LL GO!.  Dr. Seuss's sentimental graduation picture book is beloved, but the one teens really need is Freshman Year. This graphic novel debut shows the places students actually do go—the home goods aisle at Target; lavish libraries; grungy parties off campus; cereal-for-dinner at the dining hall. 

Whether you’re anxiously looking forward or nostalgically looking back, this is the perfect read for anyone who loves realistic graphic novels about the laughable growing pains of almost-adulthood, like Check, Please! and Bloom.

About the Author

Sarah Mai is an illustrator and writer based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. She has a degree in English Literature from the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, where she developed a passion for graphic novels, and is the illustrator of The Cool Code and The Cool Code 2.0: The Switch Glitch written by Deirdre Langeland. Freshman Year marks her author-illustrator debut.