The Plain Janes - Module 13

THE PLAIN JANES

By Cecil Castellucci

Published by Minx (2007)

ISBN 9781401211158 (paper back)

Grades 7-10

Tale

Jane is a ‘big city girl’ living in Metro City until she experiences

a terrorist attack and is forced to move with her parents to a calmer place. Although invited to sit with her new school’s popular girls, she decides to sit with the ‘rejected ones’. Jane is being very friendly with the girls at her table but they don’t seem interested in any relationship. The ice is broken when Jane asks the other girls’ names and starts laughing as they say “Jane, Jayne, and Polly Jane”. They become friends and together they find a clever way to become very popular, even though nobody knows that they are the ones behind P.L.A.I.N. (People Loving Art In Neighborhoods); the organization everybody is talking about.

Sequel: Jane is in Love

Thought

This is a graphic novel about current topics involving teens of all ages and cultures: moving, terrorist attacks, idealism, rejection, friendship, fear… a little bit of everything. The ‘Janes’ find a mature and acceptable way to fight against rejection and rebel against the city’s nonsensical projects. They perform secret ‘art attacks’ by painting, decorating, remodeling, and sculpting the most interesting things, always leaving a note of explanation with the project. On their first attack they construct three pyramids on a lot reserved for a shopping mall and posted the following signs: “The Pyramids lasted for thousands of years. Do you think this strip Mall will?” and “Art saves. Think big, think P.L.A.I.N.” Of course the public opinion is divided and even the police become involved, but nothing stops the P.L.A.I.N Janes!

About the author

Cecil Castellucci was born in New York City on October 25, 1969. She lived in New York until admitted at the Concordia University in Montreal to pursue her Bachelor of Fine Arts in Film Production.

Still in Montreal, Cecil jumped into a music career. She was a part of several bands until she moved to Los Angeles and became Cecil Seaskull to start her solo career. In 2005 Cecil’s first novel, Boy Proof, was published. Plain Janes is her first graphic novel. The same year the book was published she was chosen the Best Canadian Comic Book Writer by Shuster Award. Cecil also received the California Book Award Gold Medal for her first picture book, Grandma’s Gloves, published in 2010.

Review

From School Library Journal

“Grade 7–10—Young adult author Castellucci makes her graphic-novel debut with this quirky comic. Jane's parents relocate to the suburbs when she's caught in a bomb attack in Metro City. Bored and lonely in her new town and school, the teen is thrilled when she meets three other girls named Jane, all of them as out of place as she is. They form a secret club, the Plain Janes, and decide to liven up the town with art. Some people like their work, but most are frightened, and the local police call the Plain Janes' work "art attacks." Castellucci gives each girl a distinct personality, and spirited, compassionate Main Jane is especially captivating. Rugg's drawings aren't in superhero or manga style, but resemble the more spare, clean style of alternative comics creators such as Dan Clowes and Craig Thompson. A thoughtful look at the pressures to conform and the importance of self-expression, this is also a highly accessible read. Regular comics readers will enjoy it, but fans of soul-searching, realistic young adult fiction should know about it as well.—Lisa Goldstein, Brooklyn Public Library, NY.
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Activity

If you were a P.L.A.I.N.’s member, what projects you would like to see accomplished in your city? First, students will think individually about the ideas they have. They will write down the ones they consider best for the community. In groups, students will discuss the ideas they have and will write and draw the top picks of the group. They also need to write the purpose of each project.