February’s YA Discussion for Eliza and Her Monsters
[ID: A green book sitting on a white shelf surrounded by baby’s breath flowers. The cover is of a figure of a girl from the neck down holding two illustrated characters in her paint-stained hands, a boy and a girl saying “Her story is a phenomenon, her life is a disaster”. A dragonfly necklace is hanging on the book and three paint tubes lays in front of it. A stack of paintbrushes is on the right side with two flowered rings.]
“You found me in a constellation.”
It’s time to discuss the Chronically Iconic Book Club’s second February read, the YA book Eliza and Her Monsters by Francesca Zappia.
Our discussion via Instagram group chat will take place starting today through March 13th. Send me a DM or comment below if you’d like to join in or answer the following questions in the comments at your leisure.
@libraryofdreaming’s thoughts:
I absolutely loved this book the second time around! Eliza is such a sympathetic main character and I was completely absorbed in her story. The Monstrous Sea comic added a dimension to the book that I really enjoyed, in fact, I wish we could read the entire comic! Eliza’s anxiety felt so real to me and the last third of the book really tested my emotions. I have some mixed thoughts about the conflict, but I did appreciate the ending. I can’t wait to discuss it with you!
Discussion Questions:
What did you rate this book? Did you like it?
Throughout the novel, Zappia includes some sketches and excerpts from Monstrous Sea. How do you think these play into the narrative of the story? Would the story still have the same effect if these drawings had been left out?
Mental health plays a huge role in the book. What did you think of how the topic was handled?
The novel includes many musings on creativity, friendship, and the internet. Was there anything in particular that stuck with you?
What did you think of Eliza’s relationship with her family and their actions regarding her webcomic?
What was your favorite part of the book?
What was your least favorite part?
Was there anything you wish was different/anything about the book you would like to change?
Who was your favorite character?
Were you happy with the ending?
Reminder: this book fulfills the following prompts for the #ChronicallyIconicReadingChallenge: “romantic”, “mental health”, and “illustrated book or graphic novel”.
ICYMI, our March read is The Weight of Our Sky by Hanna Alkaf and we will be chatting about it March 25th - 27th.