Raina Telgemeier facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Raina Telgemeier |
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Telgemeier receiving an Inkpot Award in 2023
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| Born | Raina Diane Telgemeier May 26, 1977 San Francisco, California, U.S. |
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Notable works
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Smile (2010) Drama (2012) Sisters (2014) Ghosts (2016) Guts (2019) |
| Awards | Eisner: 2011 (Smile), 2015 (Sisters), 2017 (Ghosts), Dwayne McDuffie Award for Kids' Comics: 2017 (Ghosts), Inkpot Award: 2023 |
| Spouse(s) | |
Raina Telgemeier (born May 26, 1977) is a famous American cartoonist. She writes and illustrates popular graphic novels. Many of her books have been on The New York Times Best Seller lists.
Her well-known works include the autobiographical graphic novels Smile and Sisters. She also created the fictional stories Drama, Ghosts, and Guts. Besides her original stories, Raina has adapted four The Baby-Sitters Club books into graphic novels.
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Early Life and Education
Raina Diane Telgemeier was born on May 26, 1977. She grew up in San Francisco, California. She has two younger siblings, Amara and Will.
When Raina was in sixth grade, she had an accident. She knocked out her two front teeth. This meant she needed braces and several surgeries. She attended Lowell High School in San Francisco.
After high school, Raina studied illustration. She went to the School of Visual Arts in New York. She finished her studies there in 2002.
Starting Her Career in Comics
After graduating, Raina Telgemeier started attending small comic festivals. She sold her own mini-comics there. These comics were short, autobiographical stories about her life. She created seven issues of her Take-Out series between 2002 and 2005.
She also contributed short stories to other comic books. These included Bizarro World for DC Comics. She also had a story in Volume 4 of the Flight anthology.
In 2004, Raina joined a website called Girlamatic. This site featured webcomics by female writers. Working on a weekly webcomic helped her develop her story Smile.
Adapting The Baby-Sitters Club
Raina's big break came from adapting The Baby-Sitters Club novels. She met an editor from Scholastic in 2004. Scholastic was planning to start a graphic novel section.
Raina told them she was a big fan of Ann M. Martin's The Baby-Sitters Club series. They asked her to create a graphic novel version. Scholastic, through its Graphix imprint, published four of her adaptations:
- Kristy's Great Idea
- The Truth About Stacey
- Mary Anne Saves the Day
- Claudia and Mean Janine
These adaptations allowed Raina to focus on her art full-time. She finished the fourth Baby-Sitters Club novel in 2008.
Original Graphic Novels
In February 2010, Raina released the print version of her webcomic Smile. This book quickly became a New York Times bestseller. It has remained on the bestseller list for many years.
After Smile, Raina created several more original graphic novels. All of these books also became New York Times bestsellers:
- Drama (2012): This book is about a middle school stage crew. It uses some of Raina's own experiences in theater.
- Sisters (2014): This story is about her life growing up with her younger sister.
- Ghosts (2016): This book follows a girl who can see ghosts. It explores adventures in a new town during Day of the Dead.
- Guts (2019): This graphic novel shares Raina's experiences with stomach problems. It also covers her adventures with food, school, and changing friendships.
Raina has also contributed to other comic collections. These include Nursery Rhyme Comics (2011) and Fairy Tale Comics (2013). She also worked on the Explorer graphic novel series and Comics Squad: Recess!
Raina wants her books to tell kids that "it's going to be O.K." She believes that talking and understanding each other can help people find common ground.
In 2021, an ice cream company called Salt & Straw partnered with Scholastic. They created comics-themed ice creams. Raina's flavor was called "Smile: Words & Pictures." It was a vanilla ice cream with almond-infused cake and "pencil shavings."
In 2023, Raina announced she finished drawing her next graphic novel. It is titled The Cartoonists Club. She co-wrote it with Scott McCloud. The book is set to be published in April 2025.
Personal Life
Raina Telgemeier was married to fellow cartoonist Dave Roman. They married in 2006. They divorced in 2015.
She currently lives in San Francisco, California. She has also lived in Astoria, New York.
See also
In Spanish: Raina Telgemeier para niños
