Raise the Bar

A graphic novel about one girl’s weightlifting dreams and how far she’ll go for them.

"Frick’s drawings are simple but detailed and ­nuanced, recalling the work of Raina ­Telgemeier . . . An inspiring story of athletic challenge and the struggle to excel, highly recommended for upper ­elementary and middle school readers." —School Library Journal

Sam Sanchez might not have a coach or proper equipment, but she’s going to become Chile’s first weightlifting gold medalist. She just knows it.

When there’s an opportunity to train at the high-performance center with her weightlifting hero and Olympic gold medalist Eva Dos Santos . . . well, Sam can’t let that opportunity pass. Even if it means going behind her parents’ back.

As she makes friends (and a rival) during training and tries to qualify for the Pan American Games, she’ll find out how far hard work and perseverance can take her and just how much weight she’s able to hold.

Fernanda Frick is an animation director, storyboarder, illustrator and comic artist. "Here's the Plan", her 4th short-film, was selected in various festivals around the world including Nashville International Film Festival, SANFIC, Chilemonos, Anima Mundi, CICFF and the Premios Quirino. It won the Jury Prize at SIGGRAPH ASIA . It was also long-listed for the 2017 Academy Awards. In 2019, she published "Trazos", her first graphic novel with Editorial Planeta and had a series project in development with Netflix. Currently, she manages her independent animation studio FFrick Studio.