True Colors: Growing Up Weird in the '90s

Ages 11 to 14

Growing up is always just a little too much for a kid to handle, but taking your time is all it takes

Tweeny-bopper Elise knows she’s different, but kind of just chalks it up to being a weirdo. And in the 90s, who isn’t? Other girls might be shifting their attention to boys, but Elise is putting the freeze on all that adult stuff to get lost in play with her besties and pour her energy into making her art. Besides, what’s the point in rushing when being a kid is such a blast?

In True Colors: Growing Up Weird in the 90s, Elise invites readers into the pages of her diary and takes them back to a radically different time before smartphones and home computers. It’s a world where fun means going to the mall and making mix tapes on cassette, and where imagination reigns supreme! It’s also a world where making new friends can be confusing, nerve-wracking, and utterly mind-boggling.

Creative and curious kids, anybody dealing with anything from not fitting in, to anxiety—or even an ADHD diagnosis—will see themselves in the pages. And through it all, Gravel shows the power of art and creativity to transform, as we see Elise turning her differences into her superpower in this funny and encouraging artistic origin story.

About the Author

Elise Gravel is an author illustrator from Montreal, Quebec. After studying Graphic Design, Gravel pursued a career writing and illustrating children’s books, where her quirky and charming characters quickly won the hearts of children and adults worldwide. In 2012, Gravel received the Governor General's Literary Award for her book La clé à molette. A prolific artist, she has over thirty children's books to her name which have been translated into a dozen languages, including The Disgusting Critters series, The Mushroom Fan Club, The Bug Club, The Worst Book Ever, and If Found…Please Return to Elise Gravel, her challenge to young artists to keep a sketchbook. Elise Gravel still lives in Montreal with her spouse, two daughters and cats.