YA Graphic Novel Roundup 2

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Squire
by Sara Alfageeh and Nadia Shammas
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Content: There is violence, including suggestions of genocide. It’s in the graphic novel section of the bookstore.

Aiza dreams of becoming a squire for the knights of the kingdom, even though she is an Ornu, a people that has been conquered and oppressed by the kingdom. It’s her heart’s desire, though, and eventually, her parents let her go. What she finds when she gets there, however, is not what she was expecting. She hides her heritage – Ornu get tattoos on their arms and she hides that — and makes some friends. She fails her first exam, and starts trainging with the caretaker in the camp. But when she and her friends are out on a routine patrol, and they are attacked by Ornu villagers, Aiza needs to decie between her dreams and her people.

Oh, I loved this one so much. I loved that the authors are Jordanian- and Palestinian-American, and while this book isn’t explicitly Muslim, they are pulling on the cultures of the area. I loved that you have a girl who is learning and using her spunk to improve and gain respect from other people. I loved that they deal with prejudice and colonialism and war. It was an engaging story, with great art, and absolutely a joy to read. Don’t pass this one up.

Twelfth Grade Night
by Molly Horton Booth, Stephanie Kate Strohm, and Jamie Green
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Content: It’s super lovey-dovey, but not really anything else. it’s in the graphic novel section of the bookstore.

Vi same to Arden High for a fresh start – she wasn’t really jiving any more with the uniform of the private school anymore, and she needed a chance to be more expressive. Her twin brother, Sebastian, has decided to stay in the private school – which means he’s away at bearing school. Vi finds it all a bit disconcerting to be in school without her twin, but she eventally makes friends. There’s a dance coming up – and (especially if you’re familiar with Twelfth Night) shenanigans enuse.

I am a sucker for a good Shakespeare retelling, and this is a really good Shakespeare retelling. I liked that Vi is leaning toward non-bineary (though she still uses she/her pronouns) and defies the stereotypes of nonbinary characters. But there is a definite LGBTQIA+ element to this, which is a nice touch. I loved the way they set the play in a high school, and it follos the play pretty much beat for beat. I liked the addition of the faeries from A Midummer Night’s dream to the high school, and how it’s just a delight to read. I loved the art, and thought it was all a lot of fun.

Grishaverse: Demon in the Wood
by Leigh Bardugo and Dani Pendergast
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Content There is violence, including suggestions of genocide, and some murder. It’s in the graphic novel section of the bookstore.

While this isn’t the story of how the Darkling became the Darkling, it is a story about the Darkling before he truly came to power, and gives some of the reasons behind what he did that led him down the path to becoming the Darkling. He and his mother are wondering Grisha, and they find a village to shelter them. Aleksander is supposed to keep his powers quiet, especially the fact that he is an amplifier. But things go awry, and he ends up murdering a couple of the villagers.

It’s not a deep story, though it’s an interesting exploration of the “bad guy” as the main character. It’s slight, but the art is beautiful, and it serves as both a good interoduction ot the Grishaverse and a nice addition for someone who has been immersed in the world. Not bad at all.

EMG Graphic Novels Round-Up 2

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Investigators: Braver and Boulder
By John Patrick Green
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Content: It is very silly and includes a lot of punny jokes. It’s in the Beginning Chapter Book (grades 1-2) section of the bookstore, but I’m sure older kids love these too.

I’ve seen these in the bookstore, and they have been flying off the shelves, almost as fast as Dog Man (which I think is the best comparison). I assume there was something to these, a reason why the kids really liked them, so I was more than hapy to read one. It’s the fifth in the series, but you don’t really have to read them all to get the gist of the story. It’s full of silly puns (like a lie-berry which is a website that has facts about anything but also throws some lies in there to keep you on your toes) or acronyms (like S.U.I.T.S. – Special Uncdercver Investigation Teams). It’s not terribly high stakes, but it’s not low ones either, and the result is a slight mystery and a book about foriving and remembering those who have gone on. Too silly for my taste, but it wasn’t bad.

Manu
By Kelly Fernández
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Content: There are demons and magic, which will disturb some people (here, at least). It’s in the Middle Grade Graphic Novels section of the bookstore.

Manu lives at a magical boarding school for girls. She has a best friend, Josefina, but she also gets in trouble a lot. One day, a prank of hers goes wrong and Josefina gets mad and wishes that Manu’s magic – which is exceptionally strong – would just go away. It does, and then when Manu does another (forbidden) spell to get it back, everything goes sideways (like opening up the gates of hell and letting demons free, sideways). And of course, since Manu made the mess, she needs to clean it up!

I liked the combination of Church (the school is run by nuns) and magic here. I liked the friendship between the girls, and how Manu’s independence and challenges to authority aren’t necessarily seen as bad things. She’s a free spirit, and even though she knows magic is supposed to help people, she also wants to use it for fun. And the final message – that loving someone for who they are instead of for who they should be – is a good one.

Qute enjoyable.

Wait Till Helen Comes
by Mary Downing Hahn, adapted by Scott Peterson, Meredith Laxton, and Russ Badgett
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Content: It’s a ghost story and there are some pretty scary parts. It’s in the Middle Grade Graphic Novel section of the bookstore.

Molly and Michael’s mother has gotten remarried, and their stepfather’s daughter, Heather, has done nothing but cause trouble. She constantly acts up, and then blames it on Molly and Michael when she is confronted. Things only get worse when they move out to the country and into a restored church with a graveyard nearby. Heather starts talking about her “friend”, Helen, and acting out even more. Molly is convinced that Heather is possessed by a ghost, one that has malicious intent toward Heather, but the problem is that her brother and parents don’t believe her, and Heather keeps lying anytime Molly tries to bring it up. As tensions mount, Molly does everything she can to keep Heather safe, but everything – including the ghost – is working against her.

Honestly? Let the little brat Heather die.

Okay, that was harsh. Still, I could NOT stand her. I wanted to shake her and smack her parents for taking her side over the older kids. What kind of sexism is it that the parents side with the kid of the husband (oh, she has a tragic backstory, blah blah) and not the ones of the wife? The whole family needs therapy, and moving to the country and letting your kids run amok in the forest is NOT the right way to do things. I just couldn’t get out of my parent brain and ended up being super judgy about this one. The art is fine, but the story needs help. I do know kids love her, and she’s a good teller of age-appropriate scary tales. But seriously. let the brat get what’s coming to her.

Ugh.

Scout is Not a Band Kid
By Jade Armstrong
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Content: There is some bullying by so-called friends. it’s in the Middle Grade Graphic Novel section of the bookstore.

Scout is a big fan of author Pristing Wong, and would do anything to meet her at the upcoming fan convention. The problem is th it’s in another city, and her dad doesn’t have the time or money to take her. So, when she learns that the band festival is in this city at the festival (don’t ask why; I don’t know), she decides to join band, playing troubmbone. (She’s in 8th grade!). She doesn’t take it seriously, skipping class and practice (not the same thing?) to sluff off with her friends (who are super judgy of both Socut’s fandom and her involvment in band). Eventually, the other trombonist gets upset and is forced by the teacher to start tutoring Scout. They develop a bit of a friendship, and Scout managed to improve her playing. They bond over their shared fangirlyness over Pristine Wong. But will things change when they get to the festival, and the band is scheduled to play at the same time as the meet and greet?

Aside from the obvious problems I had with the band part (no one starts band in 8th grade. You can leave it, but you can’t start then!), it wasn’t a bad story. I really had no patience for Scout’s choice of friends, but she had a growth arc, and that made it tolerable. It wasn’t anything special, but it wasn’t terrible either.

YA Graphic Novel Roundup 1

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Fly by Night
by Tara O’Connor
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Content there is some swearing, and acts of violence (offscreen) against women. It’s in the graphic novel section of the bookstore.

Dee has come home because her twin sister – whom she hasn’t seen in years since their parents split – has one missing. Dee holds out hope that her sister is still alive, but the adults are hopeless. A Cold trail is a cold trail. Additionally, a local corporation wants to chopd won the New Jersey Pinelines and sent an oil ipile line trhough. Are the two event s connected? And wat is that weir creature that Dee has seen in teh woods?

I liked the environmental side of this story, the way the kids stood up against corporate greed, and their blatant disregard for the land. I did feel that the mystery side of the story got resolved too soon and very quickly (although it made sense, in the end). I liked the supernatural elements and the way O’Connor wove them into the story. Really very good.

Pixels of You
by Anath Hirsh and Yuko Ota, illustrated by J. R. Doyle
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Content: There is some swearing, including multiple f-bombs. It’s in the graphic novel section of the bookstore.

In the near future, AI is just a part of everyday life. They are workers, and drivers, and have begun “reproducing”, creating their own offspring. Indira, a human, has an internship at an art gallery, and the person she is supposed to work with is Fawn, a human-facing AI (an AI in a human-like body). They don’t want to work together at first, but the more they work together the stronger their friendship comes.

This one looks at the ideas of art and identity and friendship, all through the lens of the relationship these two young women have. i have to admit that I didn’t love the last panel; I didn’t think it was warranted with the relationship they had built throughout the book. But that said, I really like the world that these authors have created, and think it wa an interesting one to read.

Girl on Fire
by Alicia Keys and Andrew Weiner, illustrated by Brittaney Williams
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Content: there is swearing including f-bombs and violence. It’s in the graphic novel section of the bookstore.

When Lolo Wright is with her brother when is he jumped by police for a crime he didn’t commit, she gets superpowers. She learns how to use those superpowers for good, and to help her friend Rut get away from local gang leader Skin’s influence.

File this one under “important but not good”. I wanted it to be good since it is dealing with important themes of racism and police violence. But, friends, it’s…not. It’s got too much in it, it’s not developed enough, and as much as I wanted to like it, I just didn’t. There are better examples of this story what don’t have a celebrity’s name on it. I’m going to go find one of them.

Audiobook: Nerd

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Adventures in Fandom from this Univers to the Multiverse
by Maya Phillips
Read by the author
Support your local independent bookstore: buy it there!
Or listen at Libro.fm
Content: There really isn’t anything that I can think of. It’s in the Film section of the bookstore.

In a series of essays, Phillis – a cultural critic for the New York Times – deconstructs her relationship with fandoms over the years. I liked her groupings – the first one is about the way New York shows up in comic books and movies, and a later one talks about Gods and the supernatural. I liked her insights, even when I disagreed (she took on Firefly, and it didn’t come out well, which I mean, sure, but leave my show alone!). It was a fascinating look at fandoms through the eyes of someone who has been a fan of things since she was young (though I didn’t get many of the anime references), and someone Black and female. It wasn’t your usual perspective on these sorts of things, and I appreciated that.

She was a good narrator of her own book, as well, and it made me feel like a friend was sitting there chatting about her thoughts on all sorts of geeky things.

Recommended.

Elementary/Middle Grade Graphic Novel Round Up 1

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I thought about giving each one of these their own post, but then I realized that’s a lot of posts, and its just easier for me to lump them together as I finish them. I’ll try and do two a week – one for EMG and one for YA graphic novels. Enjoy!

Ride On
by Faith Erin Hicks
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Content: There is some bullying by older siblings It’s in the Middle Grade Graphic Novel section of the bookstore.

Victoria has left her old riding stable, primarily because of a falling out with her best friend over competing (Victoria has lost her taste for it, and her friend wants to keep leveling up), so she moved to Edgewood stables. There she meets Norrie, Sam, and Hazel. At first, she shuns their friendship, thinking that she just wants to focus on the horses and riding, but over time she learns that friendship is important too.

I am not a horse girl. I never really was a horse girl, and I’m not sure I understand the appeal. But, I loved this graphic novel. I loved that it focused on friendship and connecting with the horses, rather than the competition aspect of it. I loved that there was a diverse cast, even though I’m pretty sure the sport is pretty white. I loved that there was a way for the kids t earn their riding lessons and that they, for the most part, weren’t kids of rich parents. It made it so much more accessible. And I loved that friendship was at the heart of it all. A good book for horse girls, sure, but one for anyone who likes friendship stories.

Twin Cities
by Jose Pimienta
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Content: There is a character that smokes weed and tires to get one of our main characters to sell it. It’s in the middle grade graphic novel section of the bookstore.

Teresa and Fernando are twins growing up in Mexicali, just south of the US border. They have done everything together, but in 7th grade, Teresa decides to go to school on the US side, and Fernando decides to stay in Mexico. Their closeness is tested as Teresa finds new friends, and Fernando feels left behind. He eventually makes a new friend who is strongly pro-Mexico, but also is a negative influence on Fernando. The challenge is for the twins to stay close as the stresses mount, and they grapple with their priorities and their relationship with each other.

I thought this one had some pretty heavy material for an EMG graphic novel. It almost felt YA in spots; no romance, but that Alex was doing andpushing weed on Fernando was a bit of a red flag for me or this age gropu. That said, I did like the issues that Pimeienta brought up. That of belonging, of friendship, of family, and of creaign your own place. I liekd the lookat Mexican culture from a Lantins writer and appreciated the nuanced way they looked at life on the border.

Red Scare
by Liam Francis Walsh
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Content: There is bullying by other children, some pretty intimidating FBI agents, and a pretty intense chase scene at the end. It’s in the Middle grade graphic novel section of the bookstore.

It’s the 1950s and Peggy has polio. Which is not just painful, it makes her a target of bullying. Even her own brother doesn’t want to spend time with her: she’s too slow, she’s too much of a hassle. Then, one day, she finds a red glowy thing (as a man dies in a hotel room that she’s hiding in) which gives her something she never had: freedom. She can fly, she is fast. The problem? The FBI is after her because of the red glowy thing, and they don’t want it to fall into the hands of the “commies”.

This one, I thin tried to do too much. communist scare, aliens, FBI, Korean war vets, poilo… its like if it was in the 1950s, it ended up in this book. And while I get that history needs to be told, it just felt like a LOT. The adults in the book were all pretty horrific and while I liked the idea of a kid finding a magical red thingy, it also felt ablist – like Peggy wasnt a whole human being until she had a super power and was no longer on crutches. Just not at all my jam.

Did not finish: Paws: Gabby Gets It Together

Tidesong

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by Wendy Xu
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Content: There’s some bullying/strict parenting on the part of parents, which might be triggering. It’s in the Middle Grade Graphic novel section of the bookstore.

Sophie comes from a long magical line of women who have taken care of the island and communicated with the dragons in the sea. Sophie wants to make her mother and grandmother proud, and get into the magic academy. So she s shipped off to live with her Great Aunt and learn how to refine her madic for her aplication process. She’s not great at magic though and keeps messing up, which makes her Auntie Lan irritated. Sophie is attempting some magic, which goes wrong, and accidentally gets her magic entangled in with a young water dragon, Lir. He’s human, without memories of who he really is, and they can’t get their magic detangled.

I’m not making this sound anywhere near as good as it really is. It’s a little bit learning to make your own path in the world – Sophie learns that it’s not the wishes of her elders that she needs to follow but her own hear – and a little bit learning how to be a good friend – which means not remembering that other people’s wishes are valid as well your own. It’s a solid coming-of-age story, one where Sophie really learns to shine, but in her own, special way.

Xu is an excellent storyteller, and this is no exception.

The First Cat in Space Ate Pizza

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by Mac Barnett and Shawn Harris
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Content: It looks like a lot, so it may be intimidating to some kids. It’s in the Middle Grade Graphic Novel section of the bookstore.

Back in the early days of the pandemic, say April of 2022, Mac Barnett (bless him) decided to start a lunchtime stoytime where he would sit and read one of his books. (He was written a lot!) He live-streamed them on Instagram, which was its own brand of charming (with guest and regular tech issues). It grew to be a whole thing, including a Joke corner (with jokes submitted by kids) and sound effects (done by Mac’s wife) appearances from Henry the Dog, and once a week or so, an episode of The First Ct in Space. Mac would write the scripts, Shawn (Mac’s best friend and racquetball nemesis) would draw and film them, and they both would do the voices. It was dumb and silly and exactly what we ended during the first year of the pandemic.

All this to say: those episodes became this book. And it’s very much in the spirit of those: silly, kind of stupid, full of dumb jokes, and absolutely charming. I giggled my way through this (I completely jive with Mac’s sense of humor), and even though the plot is really dumb, it doesn’t matter. What matters is that you’re having a good time reading it, you’re checking out the Spotify playlist to hear the Ballad of Captain Babybeard, and you’re forgetting about the problems in the world for a bit.

Honestly, that is the best sort of book, really.

Two Graphic Novels about Belonging

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Huda F Are You?
by Huda Fahmy
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Content: There are instances of racism and Islamaphobia. It’s in the Graphic Novel section of the bookstore.

In this loosely autobiographical graphic novel, Fahmy tells of the time in her childhood when her parents moved the family to Dearborn, Michigan just so they could be a part of a bigger Muslim community. Huda went from being the only Muslim to one of many hijab wearers. She talks about the struggle she had to figure out who she was, in relation to her friends, her family (and sisters), and her religion. There is an incident with a teacher who grades Muslims harsher after 9/11 and a slight bomb “scare” at the high school, that brought Huda’s conflicts within herself to a head. Can she stand up for herself, especially in the face of Islamaphobia?

I adored this one. I think everyone can identify with the feeling of being an outsider, but I can empathize with identifying with a religion where you are in a place where your religion (mostly) is in the minority, and then moving somewhere where it is the majority religion. It messes with your head and identity. I loved the humor of this book and the way it treats religion as something that can be a big part of a teenager’s life, without it seeming all-encompassing or something the teen needs to “grow out” of.

Smart, fun, and worth reading.

The Tryout
by Christina Soontornvat, illustrated by Joanna Cacao
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Content: there are some instances of racism and bullying. It’s in the Middle Grade Graphic Novel section of the bookstore.

Also loosely autobiographical, Soontornvat reflects upon 7th grade and the way trying out for the cheer team affected her. She grew up in a small town in Texas, and her parents – a mixed-race couple (her mom is white, her dad is Thai) – ran a Chinese restaurant in town. She reflects on how har it is to make and keep friends in middle school, and the ups and downs of friendship. But the central challenge is Christina’s desire to try out for the cheer team. It’s a challenge becasue her best friend Megan is trying out as well and Christina fears that it wil negatively affect their friendship. They encounter racism (Megan is Iranian) at their small-town school – none of the teachers can pronounce Christina’s last name, and some kids are blatantly racist to her and Megan. Christna works hard, though, and finds value in trying out for the team, and along the way, makes and strengthens friendships.

This is another good one about finding where you belong. Middle school is rough, and I think Sontornat recognizes that. THis one reminde me a lot of Real Friends, centering navigating female friendship in the heart of the book. But I also like how it debunked some of the cheer stereotypes and reminded me (again) that cherlieading isn’t just a fluff thing that popular girls do. I really appreciated the author’s note at the end.

Really soild.

Bloodmarked

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by Tracy Deonn
First sentence: “My veins burn with the spirits of my ancestors.”
Support your local independent bookstore: buy it there!
Others in the series: Legendborn
Content: There is swearing, including multiple f-bombs, and a lot of violence. It’s in the Teen section (grades 9+) of the bookstore.

We pick up where Legendborn left off, so spoilers for that, obviously.

Bri has been chosen as the Scion of Arther, Pendragon, who has woken up after 250 years. The problem is, though, that she’s an outsider (read: black) and the (white, racist) Order doesn’t accept her as what she is: their King. Instead, they gaslight her, drug her, and kidnap her, institutionalizing he. But, her friends are awesome, and they break her free and they all set about doing what needs to be done: training Bri how to better use her powers. This involves meeting new people, facing new dangers, and unraveling a bit more of the corruption behind the Order. Also (and I think we knew this was coming) – there’s a nice love triangle between Nick, Bri, and Sel (the Kingsmage), which is very fitting for an Arthurian tale.

Oh, I love this series. I love the way it plays with race, expectations, and magic. I love the characters (I would do anything for Alice!), and I love the way Deonn has woven different elements – from Bloodwalking, to being marked by demons, to rootcraft, to the aether of the Order – together so effortlessly. The only thing I don’t like is that I have to wait at least a year for the final book in the series.

So much great here.

Witch Hat Atelier, vol 1-9

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by Kamome Shirahama
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Content: there is violence, some mention of sexual abuse, and other traumatic events, as well as some mild swearing. It’s in the Graphic Novel section of the bookstore.

Back in August, my kids sat me down and said, “You would really like Witch hat Atelier”. They then pulled it up on their manga site, and I started reading it. And I’ve been slowly reading it over the past couple of months, a chapter a day. The basic plot is that Coco, who was born a non-magical person, accidentally gets ahold of some magic and turns her mother into stone. A magician, Qifry, who happens to be there takes her under his wing – because magic in the wrong hands is dangerous – and teaches her how to be a witch. of course, this is a long process – there are nine volumes after all – and she has adventures along the way.

There are other young witches in the school – the atelier – whom Coco gets to know, and we all learn their stories. We learn more about the magic world, and Qifrey and his best friend Orugio who run the atelier. You learn about the magic world – which is problematic and complicated – and how magic work – which is fascinating, if a bit complicated.

My kids were right: I am enjoying it a LOT. The art is absolutely gorgeous; some of the spreads are just breathtaking. And while I have an issue sometimes with the rambling episodic nature of the manga, I’m really enjoing the charactesr and plots. So, the lesson learend here: when it comes to manga/anime, my kids know what I’ll like.