Paul Has a Summer Job

"When Paul is thrown off an after-school art project by his overbearing principal because of poor grades, he quits high school and gets a job at a print shop. Then a friend offers him a position as counselor and rock-climbing instructor at a summer camp for underprivileged kids, which he accepts despite having no experience with kids or rock climbing. This realistic and touching book tells the story of that job, as Paul finds a community among the ragtag camp staff, yells at and bonds with the kids, and starts to grow into an adult. The story is told with cartoony black-and-white art by French Canadian creator Rabagliati, who won the Harvey Award for Best New Talent in 2000 and was nominated for an Eisner Award for his earlier comic book Paul in the Country."—Library Journal

"In 1979, Paul, 18, lands an unexpected job at a camp for underprivileged children. Accustomed neither to roughing it nor to youngsters, he knows that he is unprepared but falls to with a will and an open heart. Over the course of the summer on a Quebec lake, he learns about his own strengths, discovers the unaffected charms of 9- to 14-year-olds, and falls in love with a co-counselor. Subplots involve overcoming physical and emotional fears and the reality of shepherding a blind child through camp experiences. The ending brings the protagonist back to the site of the camp 20 years later. Paul and his fellow teens act responsibly with the children but are prone to partying between sessions; they are able to cope with emergencies, and they experience the death of one counselor's parent. The story unfolds with quirky black-ink drawings and natural-sounding dialogue. The images bounce with physical energy and depict the brightness and darkness of the teen's moods. Endnotes offer readers in the U.S. helpful information for interpreting Quebecois swearing and references to pop idols of the place and time. Anyone who has gone to camp, or taken on a job with the knowledge that it seems unworkable, will recognize Paul's plight and the sense of achievement he gets to taste."—School Library Journal

"It's the summer of 1979, and Paul, a recent high-school dropout and an apprentice at a local print shop, is broke, unhappy, and living with his parents in Canada. A phone call from a friend who is running a summer camp for underprivileged kids allows Paul to escape into a job as a replacement counselor. Paul is apprehensive at first as he's not great with kids and doesn't know the first thing about braving the wilderness, but after a rocky start, he bonds with his fellow counselors, the kids begin to grow on him, and he falls in love with his partner, Annie. Rabagliati's simple black-and-white line drawings and classic comics format are well-suited to this slacker-goes-to-summer camp tale, which has plenty teens can relate to—whether it's Paul's dissatisfaction with the authority figures at his school or a first love. The final act will ring true for older readers nostalgic about their own first overnight camp. The book was originally published in French, and this English translation includes a glossary of terms and places."—Booklist

"High school dropout Paul is working a miserable job printing raffle tickets at a Montreal print shop, well on his way to becoming a slacker, when he lands a gig at a summer camp for underprivileged kids. Will the spoiled city boy learn a lot about life and himself over the course of the summer? Before September, Paul will fall in love, learn how to rock climb and discover that not only can he deal with kids, but that having them grow to love and trust him is a great reward . . . [The story] charms [us] as Paul chases snakes out of his tent, meets cute co-counselor Annie, and learns how to get the children to behave . . . The book [is] a warm summer memory of long-ago bonding. A contemporary epilogue skillfully and satisfyingly ties up the story's loose ends, showing how far Paul's come in 20 years. Rabagliati is a relative newcomer to comics, having spent most of his career as a graphic designer, and his art shines. It's highly reminiscent of the rounded, cartoony style of Peter Arno and other great New Yorker cartoonists, and Rabagliati has a sure sense of storytelling and the ability to strip even complicated emotions down to just a few lines . . . Teens and adults who attended camp will find much to relate to."—Publishers Weekly