Graphic Novel Roundup – Raina Telgemeir Edition

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Drama
Support your local independent bookstore: buy it there!
Content: There’s middle school drama, but other than that, it’s pretty tame. It’s in the teen graphic novel section of the bookstore, but only because it feels a bit mature for the middle grade section.

Callie is a theater nerd. She’s not one to be on stage — she can’t sing, and her acting needs some work — but she LOVES being backstage, helping create the sets. And so, for the middle school production (middle school!) of Moon over Mississippi, she’s been assigned to be in charge of the sets. That’s overwhelming enough, but Callie’s personal life has taken a turn for the confusing. She thought she was getting somewhere with her long-time crush, but he went back to his girlfriend (who’s not terribly nice). And then a set of twin brothers show up in her life to just confuse things more.

I really liked Telgemeir’s depiction of middle school (spot on!) and the theater program (again, spot on!). I loved Callie’s spunk and drive and her longing to feel accepted and belong. And even though it was Callie’s story, I thought that all her friends — from the twins to her best friend, Liz — were fully developed. (Though there were some stereotypes, the mean girl girlfriend being one.) My only real complaint was the inclusion that all guys who do theater (at least on-stage) are gay. It’s a stereotype, and although there are gay boys who do theater, not all theater boys (even on-stage) are gay. I know I’m nitpicking, but here in Kansas, that’s the kind of stereotype that really takes hold and so parents discourage boys from participating in the arts because of it. I would have appreciated one character, at least, who wasn’t part of that.

Even so, it was a lot of fun to read.

Smile
Support your local independent bookstore: buy it there!
Content: much the same as Drama; it’s got some themes that are a bit old for the younger elementary crowd, but there’s not much “objectionable”. It’s in the Teen Graphic Novel section, mostly because it seems to do better there.

Every once in a while, there’s an author (or in this case an author/artist) who gets the middle grade years so absolutely perfectly. The awkwardness, the challenges with friends, the wanting to be liked and not feeling liked.

Telgemeier is one of those people. It’s loosely based on her early teen years, and tells the story of how she lost her two front teeth in an accident and the dental work it took to make her smile what it is today. But it’s also the story of acceptance (inner and outer) and the things we’ll do and put up with so we don’t feel alone.

One thing I liked (well, I liked lots of things) was that the middle and high school Telgemeier drew was a diverse one. From her friends to the boys she liked, there were all shades of skin. And it wasn’t  this one’s the “black friend” or the “Asian friend”. They were all just friends — well, sort of; some of her friends, as A pointed out when she read it, were not very nice — and it wasn’t like Telgemeier was forcing a diverse world on things. It felt natural.

And, on top of that, she set it in 1989, which was a lot of fun to revisit.

Sisters
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Content: This one is “tamer” (not that the other two are wild) than the previous two books, and has a more universal appeal, being about sibling rivalry. It’s in the middle grade graphic novel section of the store.

This is another memoir(ish) graphic novel, that takes place during Smile (though you don’t need to read that one to enjoy this one). It’s centered on Raina’s relationship with her younger sister, Amara. It has their backstory, their relationship as siblings as well as a road trip (yay road trip!) to visit cousins in Colorado for a family reunion.

It’s not an easy relationship, the one between Raina and Amara. There’s jealousy, age difference, interest differences, and (of course) just plain sibling rivalry. It’s the usual stuff: hitting, yelling, punching, name-calling. But an event on the road trip (I knew they were useful!), helps the sisters see that maybe it’s okay if they’re different. They can still get along.

I think, out of the three, this one was the least angsty, the least middle-school drama-y, and my personal favorite. Not only because I still remember fighting with my siblings, but because I’ve got all these girls around here who fight and squabble and don’t get along. Maybe, someday, they’ll figure it out. So, this one hit home in a way the other two didn’t.

A word on her art: it’s a bit cartoon-y (that’s the techincal term), but I thought it fit her story-telling style. It’s not terribly detailed, but it served it’s purpose, and the bright colors drew the eye in.

I handed all three of these off to the girls and they enjoyed them as much as I did. I’m glad we finally got around to reading her work!

Blue Lily, Lily Blue

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by Maggie Stiefvater
First sentence: “Persephone stood on the bare mountaintop, her ruffled ivory dress whipping around her legs, her masses of white-blond curls streaming behind her.”
Support your local independent bookstore: buy it there!
Release date: October 21, 2014
Others in the series: The Raven Boys, The Dream Thieves
Content: There’s swearing, lots of it, including f-bombs, but nothing felt gratuitous. There’s also violence and some adult drinking. Plus, it’s a complicated story arc that may prove confusing for younger readers. It will be in the Teen section (grades 9+) of the bookstore.

I’m always at a bit of a loss when dealing with this series. I just want to throw it at everyone (especially people who come in the store. WHY WON’T THEY BUY THIS BOOK?) and say “READ THIS! THIS IS WHAT STORYTELLING AND WRITING IS.” It really doesn’t matter that I love the characters (“What [Orla] didn’t realize about Blue and her boys was that they were all in love with one another.” Count me in on that.), and I am intrigued and fascinated by the people they meet. In this book, most especially, it was Jesse Dittley, the man who took care of the cave in the hills, who talked in ALL CAPS and called Blue an ANT. He was wonderful.

The basic plot that Stiefvater weaves is that Blue, Gansey, Adam, and Ronan are getting closer to waking their unknown king, Glendower. Blue’s mom, Maura is missing, gone off on a quest of her own. And Mr. Gray’s employer, Greenmantle (“Greenmantle had always liked the idea of being a mysterious hit man, but that career goal invariably paled in comparison with his enjoyment of going out in the town and having people admire his reputation and driving his Audi with its custom plate (GRNMNTL) and going on cheese holidays in countries that put little hats over their vowels like so: ê.”), has shown up in town, furious at Mr. Gray for defying him, determined to make him pay.

But, things don’t necessarily go right. (There is one more book, after all.) And Blue and the boys are possibly in deeper than they can handle.

What I love most (as evidenced by the frequency of quotes already), however, is the writing. It’s so drop-dead gorgeous. Stiefvater is a poet here, capturing so much — mood, character, events — with so little (even her use of swearing has Meaning.), it’s breathtaking.

If you haven’t picked these up yet, the series is almost done. Now is a good time to start. You won’t regret it.

The Princess in Black

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by Shannon Hale and Dean Hale, Illustrated by LeUyen Pham
First sentence: “Princess Magnolia was having hot chocolate and scones with Duchess Wigtower.”
Support your local independent bookstore: buy it there!
Review copy provided by the publisher.
Release date: October 21, 2014
Content: Yeah, there’s nothing but good fun here. And it’s simple enough for the younger set. It’ll be in the Beginning Chapter Book (grades 1-2) section of the bookstore.

Princess Magnolia has a secret. She’s a superhero, rescuing innocent and unprotected goats from the Big Bad Monsters. The thing is: princesses aren’t supposed to be superheroes. They’re supposed to be princesses. Right?

Well, aside from the stuffy Duchess Wigtower, no one tells Princess Magnolia she can’t. So, even though the Duchess is trying to snoop into Princess Magnolia’s business, she finds a way to sneak out of the castle to go whip those pesky monsters into shape.

As an aside, yes, Princess Magnolia is white. (Shannon Hale has said that’s partially for marketing reasons — if I heard her correctly — and partially because she’s modeled on Hale’s daughter, who is blonde and blue-eyed.) But the goat boy is not, and Hale promises further diversity (of race, at least) in the next book. (In fact, she showed us at KidlitCon a mock-up of the drawings, and they’re quite gorgeous.)

Liberally and cheerfully illustrated, this short chapter book was a delight to read, Hilarious and silly and just perfect for those who can’t get enough of Kate DiCamillo’s Mercy Watson series. (Same sort of humor and silliness as those as well.)

If Princess Magnolia has any other adventures, I’d love to read them.

KidlitCon in Photos

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I could do a lovely wrap-up, but I’ve been home for two days, and I’ve been busy (and you can read everyone’s notes on the twitter feed). Needless to say, it was a fantastic trip, a wonderful conference full of good ideas (yeah, even for someone who’s been blogging for nearly 10 years!). I definitely think I’m more AWARE now, at the very least, of my own reading habits. And that’s a good wake up call.

So, 10 pictures.

1. Sacramento from my window, early Friday morning.

2. The organizing team I was a part of. They were fantastic to work with, and I thoroughly enjoyed meeting Tanita and Reshama. Both were quite lovely.

3. The disembodied head of Shannon Hale. Also the closest I’ve ever gotten to meeting her. (Also, Charlotte very kindly thought to give Shannon my phone number, and I got all fangirly when she ACTALLY called. To discuss some technical problems. But STILL.)

4. The delightful French Bakery where a group of us had breakfast Saturday

5. Lunch, in which we solve all the problems of the world. Also: Jewell Parker Rhodes is a FANTASTIC human being.

6. That the author event which Reshama and I planned actually came together and people enjoyed themselves.

7./8. Meeting new people: Reshama and a friend of a friend who came last-minute, Emily. I hope they both come again; I would love to spend more time with them!

9. Dinner on Saturday night. YUM.

10. The bus adventure with Karen Yingling. Once we made it to the bus (which involved a bit of running by the capitol building), it was quite nice to sit and watch Sacramento go by while chatting. I’m taking to heart her idea that everything is better when you hum the theme from Mission Impossible. It really is. (Sorry the picture is fuzzy. We took it right after racing for the bus and I, at least, was a bit giddy.)

It really was a fantastic time. And next year’s will be in Baltimore. Will I be there? Most definitely!

10 Questions For Sarah Beth Durst

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So, a couple months back I got an email out of the blue from SARAH BETH DURST offering me not only a NetGalley of her new book but an INTERVIEW as well. If you can’t tell from the caps, I was more than a little excited. She’s definitely on my list of  authors I HAVE to meet someday (but may never since they never really seem to come to Kansas) because I’ve adored everything she’s written. You can read my review of her new book here.

And without further fangirling…

MF: If you had to describe Chasing Power in one sentence, how would you?
SBD: Kayla was born with the ability to move things with her mind, but will her powers save her or destroy her?

MF: Good sentence. I may have to steal that to handsell the book. You’re writing is so diverse — vampires, mythology, fairy tales, and now telekinesis. How do you come up with the ideas for the worlds you create?
SBD: Sometimes I just open a file, label it “Things I Think Are Awesome,” and write a whole list of things I think are awesome until something captures my imagination.  Really, it’s all about writing what you love.  People always say to write what you know, but I think you should write what captures your imagination and won’t let go.

MF: Why did you choose to write about telekinesis? 
SBD: I’ve always loved the idea of telekinesis — from THE GIRL WITH THE SILVER EYES by Willo Davis Roberts to the movie Escape to Witch Mountain to various X-Men to The Raven (from Anne McCaffrey’s books) to Yoda.  It’s such fascinating power because it’s limited only by your imagination.  Look at the damage that Magneto can do with only the power to move metal.

MF: True. (It’s my oldest daughter’s superpower of choice, as well.) What kind of research did you do for writing about telekinesis and teleportation to make it sound plausible?
SBD: Not sure this counts as research, but I’ve spent a significant chunk of time over the course of my life imagining I have various magical powers.  I’d probably list that as one of the job requirements for being a fantasy writer.

Optional but not required: a childhood spent checking closets for entrances to Narnia.

In all seriousness, I did do a fair amount of research into the places that Kayla and Daniel travel.  I also spent a lot of time figuring out the rules of their powers.  Consistent rules help foster plausibility.

MF: Very true. Why did you decide to make Kayla a thief?
SBD: Mainly because it was really fun to write.  Kayla has very limited telekinesis (and a very loose grasp on the concept of personal property).  She can only move very light objects, like a fish hook or an ATM card.  It was a ton of fun to figure out how to, for example, rob a jewelry store with just a little bit of power.

MF: One of my favorite things about Chasing Power is the friendship between Kayla and Serena. Do you have a favorite scene or character in the book? 
SBD: The Kayla-Selena scenes were my favorite to write.  Selena is a sidekick who has zero interest in being a sidekick.  She loves her friend, but she’d rather drink a smoothie on the beach than come along on an adventure.  One of my favorite scenes to write was when Daniel is attempting to intimidate Kayla (in order to convince her to help him save his mother), and Kayla and Selena are completely underwhelmed by his attempts to be ominous.

MF: That was a fantastic scene! So, is this a stand-alone book, or the start of a series? 
SBD: I wrote it as a standalone, though I admit I do miss Kayla…

MF: Who, or what, inspires you to write?
SBD: Everything that I am.

I’ve wanted to be a writer for as long as I can remember.  Over the years, I’ve discovered that if I don’t write, it messes with my worldview.  I need to write.  It keeps me happy.

MF: What’s the last book you read and loved, and why did you love it?
SBD: Last book I read and loved was THE PRINCESS CURSE by Merrie Haskell.  Really great retelling of The Twelve Dancing Princesses (with a little Psyche and Cupid tossed in).  It features a strong female protagonist and lots of magic, both things that I love.

MF: Ooooooh. Sounds fun! If you don’t mind me asking, what can we expect from you next?
SBD: Next up is a middle-grade novel called THE GIRL WHO COULD NOT DREAM.  It’s about a girl whose family owns a secret store where they buy, bottle, and sell dreams, but who can’t have any of her own, and the adventure that she and her pet monster go on when someone starts kidnapping dreamers.  It’s coming from HMH/Clarion Books in fall 2015, and I’m really, really excited about it!

MF: Thanks so much for your time!
SBD: Thanks so much for interviewing me!

Chasing Power

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by Sarah Beth Durst
First sentence: “Razor blade.”
Support your local independent bookstore: buy it there!
Review e-copy sent to me by the author.
Release date: October 14, 2014
Content: It says it’s for 14 and up, and maybe they did that because most of Sarah Beth Durst’s books lately have been aimed toward that crowd. That said, there’s really nothing that I think a 7th- or 8th-grader couldn’t handle (mild swearing, some pretty bad parenting, etc.). It’ll be in the YA section (grades 6-8) of the bookstore.

Kayla and her mother — Moonbeam — are on the run. They have been for eight years now, moving frequently, changing their names, trying to keep a low profile. Why? Because Kayla’s dad killed Kayla’s sister, Amanda. Why? Because Kayla — and her sister, presumably — have magical powers.

Kayla’s powers aren’t that big, and mostly she uses them to steal little things — cash, jewelry — to help keep her and her mother afloat. Thing is: her mother doesn’t want Kayla to use her powers. She says it’ll help her dad find them. And then, one day, someone does find her. His name is Daniel, and he knows about her and her powers. And he needs her help to rescue his mom.

What Daniel starts is an epic quest to find not only Daniel’s mother, but Kayla’s past. And not everything is as it

I adore Sarah Beth Durst (and I’m not just saying this because she offered me this e-book (and an interview!), I really do enjoy her writing and world-building. I loved Kayla for her strength and for her insecurities. I was often annoyed with Moonbeam and her “I know better, trust me, it’s for your protection” routine, but in the end, she was someone worth cheering for as well. And I love the way Durst used the magic — both Kayla’s telekinesis and Daniels transporting — to forward the story; the quest couldn’t have happened without their powers, rather than them just being incidental to the whole story.

A fantastic read.

The Infinite Sea

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by Rick Yancey
First sentence: “There would be no harvest.”
Support the local independent bookstore: buy it there!
Others in the series: The 5th Wave
Content: It’s violent and intense; Yancey pulls no punches. There’s also a lot of (understandable) swearing, including f-bombs. It’s in the Teen section (grades 9+) of the bookstore, but I’m thinking I might need to put a couple in our science fiction/fantasy section.

Spoilers for 5th Wave ahead. You’ve been warned.

I don’t even know where to begin with this. The first four waves of the alien invasion have happened, and the fifth wave is coming. Cassie and the rag-tag group of kids (including her little brother) believe they know what that is and with the help of the alien/human hybrid Evan Walker, they believe they can fight it.

And they are wrong.

I won’t go into the plot much here; it’s better if you just read it. I didn’t re-read 5th Wave first, and thankfully, Yancey dropped enough reminders throughout that I basically remembered what was going on. (I love it when authors do that, as opposed to a blanket summary up front.) What really impressed me, though was that Yancey spares nothing and no one. Everyone is suspect, everyone is vulnerable. Nothing is safe.

It’s intense, I can tell you that. I devoured it in one sitting because I HAD to know what was going to happen, what everything meant. And it’s deliciously complex: you peel back one layer and there are three more waiting for you. Just when you think you know someone — even Vosch, the Big Bad Guy — things are revealed that make you realize you know nothing. And in the best way. Yancy’s writing compelled me onward, made me want to know more. It’s the best of post-apocalyptic fiction: things are going completely, utterly wrong, and yet you can’t help but hope for the best. He does balance some positive things with the horrors; he hasn’t killed off Cassie’s younger brother (yet) and there is some humor along the way. But mostly, it’s an intense emotional roller coaster.

And I say that with all the love in my heart.

SO good.

State of the TBR Pile: KidlitCon Edition

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I’m hopping on a plane and heading off to sunny Sacramento, CA for KidLitCon 2014. I’m super excited to see old friends and meet new people and just have a fantastic weekend. But the other thing I’m excited about (you can tell I have kids) is the UNINTERRUPTED READING TIME on the plane, both there and back.

You know I have a reading pile. This is it:

The top 5 I’m dragging along to give away. The rest, I’m going to try and read.

The Miniaturist, by Jessie Burton
Not My Father’s Son, by Allen Cumming
Rain Reign, by Ann M. Martin
I’ll Give You the Sun, by Jandy Nelson
Rethinking Normal, by Katie Rain Hill
Some Assembly Required, by Arin Andrews
Evil Librarian, by Michelle Knudsen
Mortal Heart, by Robin LaFevers

I’m hoping to get through a good number of them. See you in Sacramento!

The Iron Trial

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by Holly Black and Cassandra Clare
First sentence: “From a distance, the man struggling up the white face of the glacier might have looked like an ant crawling slowly up the side of a dinner plate.”
Support your local independent bookstore: buy it there!
Content: There’s some intense violence at the start, but nothing worse than, say, Harry Potter. It’s in the middle grade (grades 3-5) section of the bookstore. We’ll see how the series goes; it might change.

Callum has grown up believing that magic is bad, that the mages at the Magisterium only put their interests in front of the students, that his leg which was injured as a baby and never healed right was the fault of the mages. His father — once a mage himself — has told Call this among other things. So when Call gets summoned for the Iron Trial — the selection process for the Magesterium — his father tells him to throw the entry. And, because Call is only 12 years old, he tries. And fails. He gets into the Magesterium and is exposed not only to the dreaded magic, but also the story of his past that his father never told.

I’m just going to come out and say it: it’s Harry Potter. The similarities are really numerous — a boy raised as an outsider finds out he’s magic, he has a special calling, he was at the death/disappearance of the Enemy and has a connection to him (um… bit of a spoiler, there. Sorry.), the story takes place over a school year, he has two friends (a boy and a girl), there’s a rich snob bully boy, and on and on.

Except, for all the similarities, it works. I’ve been looking for a (good) Harry Potter read-alike for years, and this one — Black and Clare are superb writers in their own right — fills the bill. The world building is solid, the magic interesting. And there’s a bit of a twist that caught me off guard. So, even though there’s solid Harry Potter similarities, it’s definitely worth reading.

Dollbaby

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by Laura Lane McNeal
First sentence: “There are times you wish you could change things, take things back, pretend they never existed.”
Support your local independent bookstore: buy it there!
Content: One of the protagonists is a teenage girl, and there’s a lot of good historical information. There’s nothing truly objectionable, so even though this is in the Adult Fiction, I wouldn’t hesitate giving it to an avid teen reader who showed some interest.

I picked this one up because a couple of people at the bookstore have been raving about it. “It’s funny,” they said, “If you liked The Help, then you’ll love this one.”

I liked The Help well enough, and I figured it’s the South, set in New Orleans, during the whole Civil Rights movement. I like quirky characters. This one will surely be a good book.

Well… Not so much. Yes, it is set in New Orleans in 1964, when our main character, Ibby (short for Liberty) is dropped off at her grandmother’s house. Her father had recently died in a freak accident, and Ibby’s mother can’t handle being a single parent. Ibby’s grandmother, Fannie, is one of those eccentric Southern ladies, who believes in being proper and feisty and doesn’t trust anyone except her help, who are pretty much like family. (But heaven forbid if her granddaughter takes up with a colored man.)

This just didn’t do anything for me. Sure, it’s got those quirky Southern characters, but that’s about it. The plot was lacking, and I didn’t connect with the characters at all. Maybe I’ve been gone from the South for too long, but I wasn’t even entertained by the quirkiness. Or horrified by the racism. Mostly, I was just… bored.

I ended up skimming the second half of the book, just to find out what happens. Books like these make me wonder if I’ve been ruined for adult books after all.