Graphic Novels

Dream On

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by Shannon Hale, illustrated by Marcela Cespedes
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Content: There is some bullying and depictions of panic attacks. It’s in the Middle Grade Graphic Novel section of the bookstore.

Cassie is a pretty happy kid. She has a best friend, she likes playing imagination games, she loves her 4th grade teacher, and even though her family is big and they don’t have much money, she’s pretty content. But then things start to change: a third girl comes in between Cassie and her friend, and she tries too hard to keep the friendship together. She discovers a sweepstakes letter that says she’s won the Grand Prize – a trip, or furniture, or money! – and she sends in some magazine subscriptions to get it (ah, that’s a throwback!). She doesn’t like it when her mom tells others that Cassie is “too sensitive”. What seemed good now seems to be falling apart.

The thing I like best about Shannon Hale is that she just gets the Big Emotions that young kids can have. This is a book about Cassie and her Feelings, and I just felt the empathy Hale has for her character. She’s able to validate these emotions, to make them seem more substantive, to make the kids who have them feel seen. It’s remarkable.

I did enjoy the story, and choosing to place it in a time where there wasn’t cell phones or internet is a good choice (though how many kids today will know about those silly sweepstakes junk mailers?). I liked the art well enough, but found myself wishing for LeUyen Pham’s drawings instead (I don’t know why; maybe it’s because Hale and Pham make a great team?). In all, though, it’s a good graphic novel for the younger elementary reader.

The Raven Boys: The Graphic Novel

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by Maggie Stiefvater, Stephanie Williams, Sas Milledge
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Content: Much like the source material, there is some mild swearing and references to teenage drinking. It’s in the Teen Graphic Novel section of the bookstore.

I’m not going to rehash the plot here because I read the audiobook earlier this year. My thoughts on this can be boiled down to this: I loved the art, but I missed the words. Milledge did an excellent job of capturing the boys and Blue. She was able to portray their personalities in the art (though I’d always pictured Gansey as a blonde, but oh well), and I loved seeing her interpretations of the locations in the book. The art is, in fact, quite lovely.

But I don’t read Stiefvater for the plots. (Unusual for me, but there it is.) I missed her words. The book -because it’s a graphic novel – it boiled down to the plot and honestly, there’s not much there there. Which means I didn’t get the soaring descriptions, the lovely turns of phrase, the things that make me truly love these books. It was…. just okay.

That’s not to say I’m not going to collect these for the art. It’s just not as good a read as the original is.

Audiobook: All-Star Superman

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by Grant Morrison & Frank Quitely
Read by a full cast
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Or listen at Libro.fm
Content: There is comic-book violence. It’s in the Graphic Novel section of the bookstore.

In this series of collected comics, Superman deals with the madness on the backwards Bizarro planet. There is a bottled city that proves you can never go home again. A living sun hell-bent on destroying humanity. A world without the Man of Steel. Twelve impossible labors and mere moments to save the Earth. (Yes, I copied the back copy, because honestly, I’m not sure what really happened.)

I’m going to get this out of the way first: graphic novels/comics really are a visual medium, and don’t work in audio. That said, it’s kind of a fascinating experience. The narrators not only read the dialogue, they describe what is going on in the picture. It makes me wonder if they’re reading the script the writers write before the artists take it on? Or if they wrote a whole new script for the audiobook? I don’t know. It was hard for me to imagine scenes (my brain doesn’t really work that way – when I think of the word apple, I don’t see a picture of an apple in my head), which is why I don’t think the audiobook worked for me.

That said, I liked the stories. I’m glad we listened to this before going to see the movie, because there were parallels from this collection and what James Gunn did. And I can see the value of having audio versions of graphic novels, even if they are not for me.

It Rhymes With Takei

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by George Takei, Harmony Becker, Steven Scott, and Justin Eisinger
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Content: There is homophobia and mention of gay sex. It’s in the Graphic Novel section of the bookstore.

In his previous memoir, They Called Us Enemy, Takei wrote about his time in the internment camps during World War II, but didn’t really elaborate on the rest of his life. In this book, Takei does just that. It picks up when he first realizes that he was gay, when he was about 10 years old, and works his way through the years until the present day. There is a lot about his activism, and the guilt and shame he felt staying in the closet for so long. But, he feared being too different – his family was already put in a camp for being different once – and it was a different time. He was just doing the best he could with what he knew at the time. He made good friends on Star Trek, people who stood beside him later in life, and he eventually became more comfortable with his identity as he got older. The most truly heartbreaking thing was that his brother shunned him when he finally came out to them, but he still has a relationship with his brother’s kids.

It’s a good book – Takei has a good team for this (it’s the same team that did They Called Us Enemy) – one that captures the conflicted and complicated life of one man. It’s perfect for those who are fans of Takei, but it also puts the whole LGBTQ movement in the context of one person’s life.

I really enjoyed it.

Miss Camper

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by Kat Fajardo
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Review copy pilfered from the ARC shelves at work
Release date: July 1, 2025
Others in the series: Miss Quinces
Content: There are some intense moments, and talk of crushes. It will be in the Middle Grade Graphic Novel section of the bookstore.

It’s summertime again, and this year Sue’s mother is letting her go to sleepaway camp. It’s only because her older sister is a counselor and her younger sister has to come along, but Sue’s still excited. She’ll get to hang with her best friend, and explore new classes, and just have an exciting two weeks. Except things don’t go the way she planned. Her best friend has a camp best friend, her little sister is always underfoot, and Sue’s friend Izzy has a crush on her. It’s all a bit too much to handle.

Much like Miss Quinces, this is a bit of a fish out of water story. Sue doesn’t quite fit in with the long-time campers, she’s not entirely sure how to do some of the classes she’s come up. She wants to make friends, but her little sister is always underfoot, hanging around. There is a bit of a conflict and climax, but mostly it’s just Sue figuring out how to fit in with this new experience she’s having. I don’t think I liked it quite as much as I liked Miss Quinces – it lacked some of the humor I remember that one having – but I still thought it was a solid friendship and experiencing something new story. I do like Fajardo’s art and the way she depicts friendships, which is all this one really needed.

Sea Legs

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by Jules Bakes, illustrated by Niki Smith
Support your local independent bookstore: buy it there!
Review copy pilfered off the ARC shelves at the bookstore.
Content: There are some intense, possibly scary, moments. There is also possible abuse, but I think only an older reader would catch that. It’s in the MIddle Grade Graphic Novel section of the bookstore.

Janey has spent the last year at a school in Florida, living a normal life, making friends. But all that’s come to an end, as her parents – who have built a seafaring sailboat – have decided to leave and go adventuring again. For Janey, that means homeschooling and no actual friends. That is, until they reach St. Thomas. Then, in another boat, Janey discovers Astrid, a girl slightly older than Janey is. Janey’s just excited to make a friend, but friendship with Astrid is complicated to say the least.

On the one hand, I really liked this portrait of a family that’s not doing traditional things. I liked the adventurous spirit of the parents, their willingness to give things up and chase their dreams. And I appreciated seeing that from the point of view of their child. It’s not easy. It was a lot of boring times, and then trying to figure out how to stay out of everyone’s way. On the other hand, Janey got to see some incredible things that she wouldn’t have been able to experience if she were land-bound.

The thing I found most interesting about this was that it felt much like a memoir. It was told in first person point of view, and there wasn’t a neat and tidy ending. It was much more a slice-of-life story than one with a traditional story arc. I didn’t mind that, but I do wonder how kids will react to it. Are they going to want more of a resolution? The art is good and suits the story well.

I’m glad I read it.

Brownstone

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by Samuel Teer and Mar Julia
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Content: There is smoking by teens and two f-bombs. It’s in the Teen Graphic Novel section of the bookstore.

Almudena has grown up without contact with her dad, knowing very little about him. But the summer before she turns 15, her mother gets an opportunity to join a dance tour, and Almudena is sent to live with the father she doesn’t know. The father who is a Guatemalan immigrant and doesn’t speak much English. The father who is currently living in and renovating a brownstone building into apartments for his heavily Latinx neighborhood. Almudena is resentful at first: she doesn’t know the language, she doesn’t fit in because she has a white mom, and she doesn’t want to do the heavy work of renovating. But, as the summer goes on, she learns. About her heritage, about the neighborhood, and most of all, about her father.

This was an absolutely delightful graphic novel. I like the way both Teer and Julia don’t hide the conflicts between those in the neighborhood who immigrated or are first-generation Americans, and Almudena, who grew up speaking English in a whiter part of the city. I liked the friendships she made in the neighborhood, and the way the neighbors looked out for those who are less fortunate. It’s a very community-minded story, and that came through. I also liked the growing relationship between Almudena and her father: it felt genuine and honest, which I appreciated.

It was just a delight to read.

A Song for You and I

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by K. O’Neill
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Release date: March 4, 2025
Content: There’s a storm that is pretty scary. Otherwise, it’s tame. It will be in the Middle Grade Graphic Novel section of the bookstore.

Rose is a Novice ranger, and it’s their last post before the Name Carving. Rose gets an easy one: mostly just tend to the field where the shepherd Leone plays and the sheep wander. When a storm comes, and Leone is stranded in the field without much protection, Rose rushes to the rescue, at the expense of their pegasus. As a result, they’re grounded while their pegasus heals, and they accompany Leone as protection while delivering wool.

Not much happens in this slight graphic novel – except Rose realizes that they don’t want to be called Rose anymore, and they develop a respect not only for being a ranger, but for the slow, meditative times. Things don’t always have to be action-fast-dangerous to be important and worthwhile. And that’s the most important thing in this slim book: you can find out who you are not through daring deeds and accomplishing something great, but by being quiet and listening to yourself.

Which is, perhaps, the most important thing of all.

Fresh Start

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by Gale Galligan
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Review copy pilfered from the ARC shelves at work
Release date: January 7, 2025
Content: There is some online bullying and talk of periods. It will be in the Middle-Grade Graphic Novel section of the bookstore.

Ollie moves a lot because of her dad’s job and so she’s decided that nothing she does really matters. Embarrassing moment at school? Doesn’t matter; we’re moving soon. Fallout with friends? Doesn’t matter; we’re moving soon. Until her dad takes a job in Virginia (after being overseas for much of Ollie’s 12 years) and her parents buy a house: they’re going to stay put for a while.

Which means Ollie actually needs to adapt and figure out how to make friends and find her place in the world.

This one was super fun and charming. I loved Galligan’s illustrations, and I liked that she balanced Ollie figuring out how to fit in with people who had grown up together and stay true to herself. I loved the relationship Ollie had with her sister, Cat, and that they had some honest struggles with their parents. I liked that Ollie’s mom is Thai, and there was that cultural element as Ollie struggles with not being “Thai” enough.

It was just all-around enjoyable. Highly recommended.

The Deep Dark

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by Molly Knox Ostertag
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Review copy pilfered from the ARC shelves at work.
Content: There is some talk of sex, and there is some swearing, including a few f-bombs. It’s in the Graphic Novel Section of the bookstore.

Mags hasn’t ever left the small California town she grew up in, for good reason: she has a secret that is preventing her from going. So, when her childhood friend Nessa shows back up, Mags is wary: she doesn’t want anyone to know her secret, mostly because people could get hurt. But Nessa is persistent, and Mags has a weakness for Nessa.

Of course, Nessa asks questions, which leads to complicated answers, and maybe Mags might be ready to share the secret she’s carried alone for her whole life.

I’m not doing the plot justice, here: Ostertag is a better storyteller than that plot summary indicates. She is good at characterizations, at creating chilling, but ultimately hopeful situations, and for bringing the monsters out in the open. You could look at this one on several levels: yes, it’s a monster story, but perhaps it’s a metaphor for the secrets we all have, and how it’s always better to share the secrets (but maybe not always, because there will be people who shun you for them). Like all of her books, this one is superbly well-drawn, and I loved the small details in the art that bring the characters to life.

Another excellent graphic novel from Ostertag.