Smile: A Graphic Novel

Smile by Raina Telgemeier is an autobiographical graphic novel and the winner of the 2011 Eisner Award for Best Publication for Teens. It originated as a weekly webcomic in 2004 before Telgemeier expanded it into a book in 2010. Telgemeier is the writer and illustrator, while Stephanie Yue is the colorist. Smile is a coming-of-age tale, set in a San Francisco suburb from 1989 to 1992, in which Telgemeier struggles with preteen life after losing two front teeth in an accident.

Plot Summary

Smile follows the point of view of 11-year-old Raina Telgemeier, a sixth-grade student at Aptos Middle School (for this guide, “Raina” refers to the book’s protagonist, and “Telgemeier” refers to the author). Raina’s mother takes her to Dr. Dragoni’s orthodontist office, where Raina learns that she will need braces to correct an overbite. That night, Raina trips and falls face first while chasing her friends, breaking her two upper front teeth. Her mother takes her to Dr. Golden for emergency surgery to insert one tooth back into her mouth and pull down the other from her gums.

Raina finds the situation funny at first but becomes frustrated with strict recovery guidelines, invasive questions, and throwaway platitudes. When she returns to Dr. Golden, she learns that her front teeth are now lodged too far above the others. Fixing them requires a root canal, painful top-row braces to pull the front teeth down, and nighttime headgear that makes her feel like a nerd.

Raina’s mother consoles her by buying her videogames and allowing her to get ear piercings on her 12th birthday. Meanwhile, a sub-conflict emerges as Raina’s friends pressure her about her appearance. Two of them, Karin and Nicole, make mean jokes at her expense. When Raina enters seventh grade, she develops a crush on Sammy, a sixth grader in her band class who also wears braces. Soon after, a major earthquake hits San Francisco, but Raina’s family only suffers temporary power loss. She figures out that Sammy has feelings for her as well but then develops an obsessive crush on Sean, a basketball player.

The braces fail to pull the teeth down, so Dr. Dragoni decides to remove them entirely and install full braces to push the remaining teeth together. Raina is terrified, but she gets to wear a retainer with plastic teeth in between procedures that make her feel normal. She lands in a dilemma when Sammy asks her to the Valentine’s Day dance with the intent to confess his love to her. Feeling sick to her stomach, Raina leaves the dance without entering and breaks Sammy’s heart the next school day.

Raina’s new braces are even more painful than before, and she must go for re-tightening every few weeks. In addition, she suffers a traumatic experience when she faints after a botched gum cleaning. Her friends, believing she is too uptight, intensify their teasing and stage a prank on her 13th birthday, giving her a tacky makeover under the pretense of wooing Sean. As they enter eighth grade, the girls enter puberty and start hanging out with boys. While Raina appreciates the opening up of her friend group, she remains fixated on Sean as the perfect guy whom she cannot get because of her appearance.

After graduation, Raina plans to start fresh in high school, but she ends up in the same group and struggles in class. Worse, she now must wear a rubber band between her braces to correct a crossbite. At the book’s climax, Karin mocks her breath after her extensive dental supplies fall out of her backpack. As Raina storms away, Karin and Nicole pull down her skirt in the middle of the courtyard. Tearful and humiliated, Raina stands up to them as well as to other friends who condone their actions.

Raina gains newfound confidence after leaving her group and soon meets Theresa, who treats her with respect and introduces her to others who encourage her artistic abilities. Her mind is off her teeth, but her old fears return after Dr. Dragoni removes the braces to reveal a row of discolored, misshapen teeth. Her friends’ reassurance melts away her worries, and Dr. Golden later applies more bonding to improve their appearance. She realizes that focusing on her passions matters more for her self-esteem than her outward appearance. Raina paints the banner for the school’s Sophomore Hop, dances without a care at the event, and gives a beaming smile in a group photo.