Rookie Yearbook One
Editor Gevinson, known to fans, friends, her parents, and teachers simply as Tavi, is way, way cooler than the coolest kid you went to high school with. Last year, with a little help from her friends, she launched online magazine Rookie. This title compiles the site’s “very best” offerings through May 2012. In the book’s welcome note, she asks, “Isn’t this weird, with no Cheeto-crumb-covered keyboard or Netflix streaming window between us? I’m really into it.” Though Rookie chalked up one million page views in less than a week after its launch, this eye-catching large-format paperback will be an exciting first exposure to this new brand of young, girl-power feminist journalism. Contributions and interviews by Gevinson, staff writers, Rookie readers, and stars address topics both silly and serious. Rotating “Literally the Best Thing Ever” and “How To” columns showcase, for example, Joni Mitchell and “Approach the Person You Like without Throwing Up,” respectively. The included pullout record, designer-made paper crown, and sheet of stickers will necessitate special care for circulation, but with wit and reason, Rookie combats the often ridiculous or destructive advice aimed at its audience, and it is a beacon for a smarter, more sensitive generation of young women. --Annie Bostrom