mental health

YA Graphic Novel Roundup 7

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This is the last roundup for the year. My panel has met, and we’ve talked about all the books and come up with her our lists., which I’m quite proud of. It’s a good list, reflective of all the good graphic novels that have been published hits year We’ll announce it on January 1st!

Victory. Stand!
by Tommie Smith, Derrick Barnes, and Dawud Anyabile
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Content: There is racism and depictions of injustice. It’s in the Middle Grade Sports section of the bookstore.

This is the story of how Tommie Smith got to the 1968 Olympics, and the story behind the famous picture of him and John Carlos raising their fists at the medal ceremony. It’s a remarkable story, one full of sacrifice and good luck and determination and support. There is fighting for equality and civil rights, as well as excellence in sports.

I know I’ve seen the photo lots of times, but honestly, I’ve never thought about the story behind it. As a result, this book was incredibly fascinating. I liked hearing Smith’s story and the sacrifices and hardships as well as the opportunities he had on his path toward the Olympics. it was a reminder that racism was (is) everywhere, not just in the South, and that things were (are) much harder for Black people than it needed to be. The amount of racism that Smith faced is astounding, and it’s a little-known civil rights story that deserves to be told. An excellent book.

Tiny Dancer
by Siena Cherson Siegel and Mark Siegel
Support your local independent bookstore: buy it there!
Other ins the “series”: To Dance
Content: There are some mild swearing, divorce, and body image issues. It’s in the Graphic Novel section of the bookstore.

About 16 years ago, the Siegels wrote a middle-grade graphic novel about Siena’s experience being a ballerina. It’s a good book, one that talks about the path to being a professional ballerina, and the subsequent injury that derailed Siena’s career. I thought it was a good story, a complete story, but the Siegels must have thought there was more to tell. Enter Tiny Dancer, where Siena goes deeper into what it takes to be a ballerina on the highest level and the consequences and aftermath of her injury. I don’t know if this book was necessary, but I found it interesting and worth reading. It hits some of the same beats as To Dance, but it adds another, deeper layer to the story. And, as usual, Mark Siegel’s art is beautiful, capturing the elegance of the dancers as well as the pain and indecision post-injury. A good book, overall.

Slip
by Marika McCoola and Aatmata Pandya
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Content: There is talk of mental illness, as well attempted suicide, and some swearing, including a couple f-bombs.

Jade has gotten into a prestigious art camp, a place for her to hone her art and get ready for art school. Right before she leaves, she finds out that her best friend Phoebe has attempted suicide and has been hospitalized. Jade still goes to the camp, but finds that she can’t focus because she’s worried about Phoebe. She also feels guilty as she develops feelings for another camper, Mary. It’s compliated dealing with everything, and Jade is not quite sure how to move on.

I really liked this one. I liked the discussion of mental illness and the difficulty it is when friends don’t know what to do when their friends are sick. I liked the art aspect, and the slight magical realism in it. It’s beautifully drawn, and I think it opens up an avenue for discussions of suicide and how to deal with friends who are suffering. Really really good.

EMG Graphic Novel Roundup 6

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The Wolf Suit
by Sid Sharp
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Content: There are some scary moments, and handwriting might be difficult for younger children to read. It’s in the Middle-Grade Graphic Novel section of the bookstore.

Bellweather is a simple sheep: he just wants to live in his little house by the forest and eat blackberries. However, in the forest are some Scary Wolves, who make it difficult to enjoy the delights of the forest. So one day, Bellweather decides to make a wolf suit and put it on, so he can go into the forest and enjoy it. However, there are Complications with being a wolf, and as Bellweather makes more wolf friends, he discovers that maybe being a wolf isn’t all it’s cracked up to be.

Oh my heavens, this was so cute. From the super-charming illustrations to the laugh-inducing twist (it’s even funny if you see it coming), it’s just all-around enjoyable. I loved it so much.

Fibbed
by Elizabeth Agyemang
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Content: There are some scary moments. It’s in the Middle-Grade Graphic Novel section of the bookstore.

Nana is a storyteller – she tells the things she sees. However, she seems to be the only one who sees them! Which means that everyone around her thinks that she’s a liar. And when she is sent to be with family in Ghana for the summer, it only intensifies. Especially when she starts seeing Ananse, the trickster god of stories, and learns about the evil that is going on in the forest.

This was a really intriguing way to approach the Ananse tales. I liked that Agyemang updated them, making them more contemporary while keeping the traditional feel. I liked Nana and the way she learned and grew in Ghana and the friends she made. I also liked the way that she and her friends were able to work with Ananse and defeat the colonizers. It’s a solid retelling with a modern spin, and I liked it a lot.

A Tale as Tall as Jacob
by Samantha Edwards
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Content: There is a lot of baby destruction and some sibling fighting. It’s in the Middle-Grade Graphic Novel section of the bookstore.

in this graphic sort-of memoir, Edwards recalls her childhood with a brother who was (eventually) diagnosed with ADHD. Jacob was rambunctious and sometimes violent, and often intrusive in Samantha’s personal space. It was challenging to be Jacob’s sister, but there were some good parts, too.

I thought this was an interesting look at ADHD. I feel there is a lot about how the person with ADHD feels or reacts to the world, but it’s not often we are given the perspective of a sibling. I appreciated that outside perspective, and how Edwards reacted to and with her brother. There were some genuinely sweet moments as well as more tense ones. It’s was really an insightful and interesting (and short) book.

The Doors to Nowhere
by Chris Grine
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Content: There is death and some scary moments. It’s in the Middle Grade Graphic Novel section of the bookstore.

Willow and her friends have gotten to know an old vampire, Elric, who happens to be caught up in this centuries-old conflict after stopping a grand spellbinder from becoming immortal (by killing a baby, who happened to have been Willow’s great-grandmother). In book one (I love it when I get sequels without reading the first one first!), Willow made a wish and it comes true in this book: she can read and speak Gnomish, which allows her to open her great-grandmother’s spellbook. They are chased by the weird museum curator in town (who happens to be an evil elf), who wants to resurrect the grand spellbinder. The kids can stop him, but at what cost?

If you’re lost, well, it makes a bit more sense while reading the book. I think it would make a LOT more sense if I had read the first one as well. I liked the story well enough: it was quick-paced, full of action, and I liked the way the kids – who all had different abilities – worked together. It’s the start (I think?) of a series, that I think kids will like (it’s giving off strong Amulet vibes). Not bad at all.

Just Roll with It
By Veronica Agarwal and Lee Durfey-Lavoie
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Content: There is discussion of mental illness and anxiety. It’s in the Middle-Grade Graphic Novel section of the bookstore.

Maggie just wants to be like everyone else. But, starting sixth grade has increase her anxiety, and she finds that she has to do certain things to make it through the day. She switches the light switch on and off when she gets home from school (or the house will be sad and might break down), she can’t lend her books out to her new friends. And, most importantly, she needs her d20 to let her know what she can and cannot do. But, as she makes more friends through the after-school RPG club, she finds ways to be more confident. And when she gets professional help for her OCD, she is finally able to become her best self.

There’s a lot of talking about mental illness in the graphic novels this year, and this one is no exception. Aragwal and Durfey-Lavoie provide a look into what having OCD might be like for one person. I was concerned that Maggie and her parents would try to solve this one by themselves, and was gratified when they got a professional invovled. I’m not sure it stood out to me, but I like that it’s out there for kids to be seen as well as for others to learn more about what OCD really is like.

Cat’s Cradle: The Golden Twine
by Jo Rioux
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Content: There are monsters and some scary moments. It’s in the Middle Grade Graphic Novel section of the bookstore.

Suri is a storyteller and a foundling that has found a home (sort of) at a traveling carnival. What she wants to be, though, is a monster hunter. Her stories all involve monsters and their capture, and she’s sure she can do that job. If anyone will let her. When the carnival stops, there are rumors of a caitsith, a cat-like monster who can pass for a human. Suri inadvertently encounters one, and takes their golden twine (it’s what makes the caitsith’s human), and then is chased by the monsters before realizing that the carnival has taken off without her.

If you can’t tell from the summary, there’s not a lot to the graphic novel. It’s nicely drawn, but the story…. lacks something. Well, maybe a lot of things. It’s got the bones of a good book, though maybe it’s just the set-up for more adventures (it is book 1, after all). Unfortunately, it’s not quite there as a really good book for me.

EMG Graphic Novel Roundup 5

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A-Okay
by Jarad Greene
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Content: It’s a very “middle school” book, with crushes and friendship issues. It’s in the middle grade graphic novel section of the bookstore.

Jay is starting 8th grade with a face full of acne. This is a problem, mostly b because he is very self-conscious of his looks, and he thinks that his friends won’t like him anymore. He tried everything, but nothing seemed to work until he goes to a dermatologist and got on a heavy course of medication. The only problem is that it gives him mood swings and makes him sweat a bunch. On top of that, his best friend is more interested in hanging out with his new band members and Jay feels alone. He tries to make new friends, but it doesn’t go terribly well. And one more thing: he’s just not interested in a couple of his classmates the way they are in him.

I liked that this book dealt not only with the way boys feel about their appearance but also with the lack of feelings of attraction to people. I think there are more of these coming out now, normalizing not “liking people”, which I really appreciate. It’s not a really great graphic novel, but it is a good one, and one that I think kids will find valuable.

The Flamingo
by Guojing
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Content: there are very few words, so this works as a beginning chapter book, a picture book, or a graphic novel. It’s in the Middle Grade graphic novel section of the bookstore, but it can definitely go younger.

The simple story of a city girl who goes to visit her grandmother in an unnamed (but presumably Asian) country. They spend days on the beach, and at night, her grandmother telles==s her the story of how she came to have a flamingo wing. It’s a simple story, one that is meant to delight as well as entertain, and when the girl returns home to the city, she draws the flamingo adventure for her grandmother.

There is not much to this book, but man, it was absolutely gorgeous. The art is so so evocative, you can’t help but fall in love with the characters from the girl and her grandmother to the flamingo. It’s absolutely stunning.

Living with Viola
by Rosena Fung
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Content: It talks pretty frankly about anxiety, and implies suicidal thoughts. It’s in the Middle Grade Graphic Novel section of the bookstore.

Olivia is a sixth grader, and her parents have transferred her to a new school, one with a better reputation so she can get a better education, which means starting completely over. That’s shared enough, but Livvy has pretty bad anxiety, which she personifies as “Viola” Sometimes Livvy can keep Viola at bay, but often Viola becomes so big that it’s overwhelming. Livvy does make new friends, but there are friendship struggles and struggles with her immigrant parents as well as with her extended family. Overarching it all is Viola, and her insistence that Livvy is just no good.

This is an excellent graphic novel for a couple of reasons. First, it’s great that it shows anxiety as something “other” – it was a little weird to get used to at first, but eventually, I did. I think it’s beneficial because kids will realize that anxiety is not “them” but something outside of their control. At least by themselves. At the end of the book, Livvy goes to see a therapist who gives her some tools to help keep Viola at bay better. The book doesn’t get into medication, but it does provide hope that anxiety isn’t something to be ashamed or afraid of. I liked that Livvy felt like a sixth grader, aught between friends who want to “grow up” and Livvy wanting to carry around her cute plush unicorn. That pretty well sums up sixth grade. I also enjoyed Fug’s exploration of Livvy’s Cantonese heritage, from the microaggressions of kids at school (why does your food smell, why don’t you speak Chinese) to Fung choosing to make every time a character speaks in Cantonese in red. It’s a clever, good, well-drawn graphic novel and I enjoyed it quite a lot.

Button Pusher
by Tyler Page
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Content: There is some domestic violence, as Tyler’s dad has a temper. There are also allusions to swearing (but they are @#!!). It’s in the Middle Grade Graphic Novel section of the bookstore.

In this graphic memoir (sort of), Page relates his history of having ADHD during his childhood, and his path to his parents not only getting him diagnosed but also the ups and downs of medication. There is also family drama: Tyler’s dad has an explosive temper and is pretty misogynistic towards Tyler’s mom (and his boys, too, really). Page doesn’t sugarcoat the contention at home, and even recalls the times when his mother had had enough and wanted to leave (but chickened out). There is a lot of “it gets better” in this book as well, as Page is looking back on his childhood.

It’s well-drawn, and I liked that Page spent time trying to explain what ADHD is, and how the brain of a person with ADHD works (and doesn’t work). It may be a bit advanced for kids, but I found it fascinating. And I think the purpose of the book is to not only try and illustrate what a kid with ADHD looks like (though, as Page notes near the end, it’s different for everyone), and to create awareness. I don’t think the problems at home had much to do with the ADHD (except maybe Page’s dad was undiagnosed? I felt like he was bipolar, but that’s me being an armchair doctor), but Page was trying to be as honest as possible about his childhood. A really good graphic novel, though maybe not as much for kids as it is for their caregivers.

Didn’t finish: Besties.

Audiobook: Broken (in the best possible way)

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by Jenny Lawson
Read by the author
Support your local independent bookstore: buy it there!
Or listen at Libro.fm
Content: There is a lot of swearing, including many, many f-bombs. It’s in the humor section of the bookstore.

In this series of short, sometimes thoughtful, often very funny, essays, Lawson reflects on life, mental illness, writing, and well, just about everything.

Honestly, this isn’t the first book of hers I’ve listened to, an I have to say that it’s really the best way to experience them. (Granted, I’ve not read them, so I can’t definitively say.) I love listening to Lawson — who is really a great narrator — spin her stories, making me laugh. She is a personable writer and a narrator, and does much to just bring you in as a listener into her little world.

I definitely recommend the audio book for this one, if only for the last little bit when she talks about recording the book during quarantining for COVID (since her immune system is shot, she took the quarantine seriously) and it was a nice way to wrap the book up.

She’s crazy, yes. But in the best possible way. I loved this.

Words on Bathroom Walls

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by Julia Walton
First sentence: “My first doctor said it was unusual for the symptoms to manifest in someone so young.”
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Content: There’s swearing, including multiple f-bombs, and some tasteful on-screen sex. It’s in the Teen section (grades 9+) of the bookstore.

Adam is a regular teen. Mostly. He has regular teen boy desires, interests… the only difference is that he’s been diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia. The kind that make you see things — in Adam’s case, he sees people and hears voices. He’s on a new trial drug, though, and as part of it, he’s required to go to therapy. He doesn’t want to, and he doesn’t want to talk to the therapist, so the book is a series of diary entries where Adam describes what’s going on in his life, how he’s reacting to the drug, and answering the therapist’s questions, such as they are.

I found the format of the book to be super fascinating: it got us in Adam’s head, while not being mundane or super weird; the entries were made weekly, so Adam was able to reflect on the week. So, while he may have had episodes, the book never took the reader through the middle of them, since the entries were always written afterward. I thoroughly enjoyed being in Adam’s head; he had a super strong voice that came through, and I enjoyed his sense of humor around his mental health. It was also a case in which the parents (hooray!) were absolutely fantastic. They fought for Adam and his rights and wanted nothing but the best for him. The conflict was partially internal — Adam against his mental health — and from his peers, who just don’t understand what’s going on.

It’s a really excellent book; definitely a good look at a mental health issue that not many people know much about.