Aiurea

Peppi hopes to fit in at her new school. She plans to avoid bullies and find friends with shared interests. But on her first day, she trips in the hall. A quiet boy named Jamie comes to help her. His kind act draws bullies, who start to tease them. Peppi pushes Jamie away and runs off.

She finds friends in the art club but still feels guilty. Making peace with Jamie gets harder when she learns he belongs to a rival club. As the two clubs clash, Peppi must rethink her rules for school life.

Aiurea by Svetlana Chmakova is an illustrated novel for children and teens. Its school story explores guilt, friendship, and the wish to belong. The novel received an Eisner Award nomination. Chmakova also drew the colour illustrations. This edition presents Awkward in a translation from English by Dan Buzumurga.