Smile is the story of what happened to a girl’s two front teeth when she was 11 and how it affected her self-perception while becoming a teenager.

The author, Raina Telgemeier, has an impressively simple style, the kind that looks really easy but is actually quite skilled. Her doppleganger is immediately likable, a happy, outgoing girl who’s uncharacteristically restrained by her accident and how it changed her smile. All the emotions are unspoken but clearly visible through the character’s body language.

It takes someone who’s been there to remember all the aspects of the experience — treatment that makes you sick, how other kids gossip, the thoughtless teasing of a younger sibling, the alien feel of the dentist’s office, the sleepless nights worrying about your appearance. And over it all, the sensitivity as doctors drill and braces pull.

It’s a terrific comic, capturing what it’s like to be a kid presented with the insight of an adult. There are ten chapters available online, all worth reading.