[1] It was published in February 2010 by Graphix, an imprint of Scholastic Inc.[2] The novel provides an account of the author's life, characterized by dental procedures and struggles with fitting in, from sixth grade to high school.

[3] Telgemeier created this comic to tell the story of her adolescence, though she did not initially write these strips for Girlamatic with children in mind as her intended audience.

[3] Professor Michelle Ann Abate notes that, as can be seen in the text of many graphic novels, Smile utilizes nonstandard capitalization and mixed-case lettering.

[9] A study conducted by Professor William Boerman-Cornell in 2016 upholds the pedagogical value of Smile, as it includes this novel in a list of recommended graphic fiction for middle grade readers.

[4] Educational researcher Elizabeth Friese holds that Smile is a graphic novel that provides children with an example of a nontraditional way to share one's life story.

[10] Professor Laura Jiménez and her colleagues argue that graphic novels like Smile help children learn to integrate source types and engage in the process of meaning-making while reading texts of all forms.

[11] While scholars considering the way literature is taught may believe that graphic novels like Smile provide unique opportunities for children who do not love to read to explore a new type of storytelling, Professor Michelle Ann Abate holds that graphic novels like Smile often include typographic features such as irregular capitalization that are more difficult for children who struggle with literacy to process.

[7] Additionally, Professors Wendy Smith-D’Arezzo and Janine Holc note that Smile fails to represent people with marginalized identities in roles that are central to the plot of the novel.

[19] In a 2010 interview with librarian Snow Wildsmith of Good Comics for Kids, Telgemeier said that the first print run of the book sold out in four months.