Drama: a Graphic Novel

About Drama

Drama is a 2012 graphic novel by Raina Telgemeier, published by Scholastic/Graphix. The story centers on Callie, a seventh-grader who is passionate about musical theater but can't carry a tune. Rather than audition for her school's production of Moon Over Mississippi, she signs on as the set designer — determined to build something spectacular on a shoestring middle school budget.

What follows is a story of friendship, creative ambition, unrequited crushes, and the messy social dynamics of early adolescence. Callie navigates her feelings for several different people, makes mistakes, owns up to them, and ultimately comes into a clearer sense of who she is and what she values. Along the way, she befriends twin brothers — Jesse, who is openly gay, and Justin, who eventually comes out as gay during the course of the story — whose presence in the drama program adds warmth, complication, and heart to the narrative.

Telgemeier draws in her immediately recognizable, expressive style — the same visual language she used in her bestselling memoirs Smile and Sisters. Her characters communicate volumes with a raised eyebrow or a slumped shoulder. The theater setting gives her plenty of opportunities for slapstick, spectacle, and visual comedy, and she deploys all of them with confidence.

Awards and Critical Recognition

Drama was a Stonewall Honor Book in 2013, recognized by the American Library Association for its authentic, non-sensationalized portrayal of LGBTQ+ young people. It spent years on the New York Times bestseller list and has sold over three million copies. It was also a finalist for the Will Eisner Comic Industry Award.

Telgemeier has become one of the most-read cartoonists in American publishing, and Drama is often cited alongside her memoir work as an example of how graphic novels have expanded the audience for comics — particularly among younger readers and those who had not previously thought of themselves as comics readers.

Why It Has Been Banned

Drama has been banned or challenged in 36 school districts across 7 states, including Alaska, Florida, Iowa, Kentucky, Texas, Utah, and Wisconsin. The challenges are almost entirely focused on its depiction of LGBTQ+ characters — specifically the storyline involving Jesse and Justin.

The book does not contain explicit content of any kind. The relationships it depicts are age-appropriate, handled without fanfare, and embedded in a narrative that is otherwise entirely about theater, friendship, and the difficulty of putting on a school play. Critics of the challenges have argued that objections to the book are objections to the existence of LGBTQ+ young people in fiction — not to any specific content.

The American Library Association has placed Drama repeatedly on its list of most frequently challenged books. Telgemeier has spoken publicly about her opposition to the challenges, emphasizing that she wrote the book for kids who need to see themselves reflected in stories — and for kids who benefit from seeing their classmates reflected there too.