Fernanda Frick’s new graphic novel follows a Chilean girl chasing weightlifting dreams

A new graphic novel from author and illustrator Fernanda Frick puts weightlifting at the center of a coming-of-age story. In a conversation with Ayesha Rascoe, Frick discussed Raise the Bar, a book about a Chilean girl who pursues her passion for the sport.

The premise gives the graphic novel a distinctly physical and emotional framework. Rather than treating athletic competition as a backdrop, the story uses weightlifting as the driving force behind a young character’s ambitions, suggesting a narrative about discipline, confidence and persistence.

By focusing on a Chilean girl, Raise the Bar also adds a specific cultural setting to a genre that has increasingly embraced diverse perspectives. Graphic novels for younger readers have become an important space for stories that combine personal growth with questions of identity, and Frick’s book appears positioned within that broader literary trend.

The fact that the project is both written and illustrated by Frick is also notable. In graphic novels, that dual role can create a particularly unified storytelling voice, with image and text working closely together to shape how a character’s world is understood. For a story about physical training and aspiration, that visual control can be especially important.

Weightlifting is not a common focus in many children’s or young adult graphic novels, which makes Raise the Bar stand out as a sports story with a different kind of energy. The sport’s emphasis on technique, repetition and personal progress offers a natural fit for a narrative about pushing limits and building self-belief.

The book’s subject may also resonate with readers looking for stories that broaden the range of what athletic achievement can look like in fiction. A young protagonist pursuing weightlifting can challenge expectations about who gets to be seen as strong, competitive or determined on the page.

Frick’s appearance on NPR’s Author Interviews signals that Raise the Bar is being introduced not just as a sports comic, but as a literary work meant to reach readers interested in character-driven stories. As the graphic novel finds its audience, it may also help further establish room in the market for sports narratives that are rooted in place, identity and underrepresented passions.