My daughter loves graphic novels, and I love that they are a quick way to enjoy a story while also absorbing the visual medium used to help convey characters and plot. Winging It follows the ordeals of a girl named Luna, who moves from the comfort of her life in California to Virginia, away from friends and the familiar, and into the house of her grandmother, the mother of Luna’s deceased mom.

It takes Luna a while to warm up to her grandmother, who is mostly set in her ways and demands a neat and organized home. Luna’s father is always busy with work, and Luna’s friends from California seem to be moving on without her. As she adjusts to the new climate and school and befriends some neighbors, she also looks through her mother’s nature journals and learns more about the Luna Moth, after which she was named.

The artwork in this novel is easy to digest, with a scrapbook quality to it, especially with the dividers (which goes along with the nature journal Luna and her mother keep). The story is a typical coming-of-age tale, with Luna’s mother absent (through death) and her father absent (through a busy work schedule). The themes of nature (Luna’s mother as an artist and Luna as a photographer) overlap with the interests of Luna’s grandmother and go well with the difference in climate between California and the Washington, DC area.

The novel is appropriate for many ages, with no noticeable graphic content. My elementary-aged daughter has read this multiple times. I like reading books that my children read to keep up with what is popular and also be able to discuss with my children. As an adult reading young adult literature, it’s always good to be reminded of the types of things that kids are attuned to (needing to find friends) versus what grownups focus on (work, needing a clean house), and it’s always good to keep my eyes open to the different and sometimes conflicting priorities. Even as just a stand-alone story, I found it an enjoyable read and will seek additional work from this author-illustrator duo.