Rot & Ruin: Warrior Smart

Maberry, J. (2015). Rot & Ruin: Warrior Smart.San Diego: IDW Publishing.

Mature YA / Graphic Novel / Post-Apocolyptic

I gave this book 3 out of 5 stars.

This book will be released in April, 2015.

Lukewarm best describes my response to this graphic novel adaptation of a zombie book I really liked, Rot & Ruin. For those unfamiliar with Rot & Ruin, I think you could jump in and be okay starting here, and maybe like it better since you don't know what you're missing! I only read the first book in the four book Rot & Ruin Collection, (the rest of the series is definitely on my TBR list) but I had no trouble with keeping up with the story line in the graphic novel since it covers new adventures.

I liked that the graphic novel took care to catch-up readers by providing some background on the kids and situation.   In "The Farm" story,  Maberry did go in a bit more mature direction than he did in the book. Fortunately, it was handled well, without any explicitness, and the build-up was good -- though you didn't want to believe where it was going.

I did have trouble with some of the illustrations -- there were a few that I had to really study to figure out -- but there were others that were eerily clear and harrowing. And as far as formatting, I actually thought there was too much text on some of the pages. Also, Lilah wasn't quite right to me as far as how she was drawn. I did review an eBook copy, so the physical print copy may have felt better than the electronic experience.

The story was entertaining and did, again, force readers to think about who are the real enemies here: the living or the undead?

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me a free eBook copy in exchange for my honest review -- the only kind I give. 

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Manga Classics: The Scarlet Letter

Hawthorne, N. and King, S. (2015). Manga Classics: The Scarlet Letter. Richmond Hill, Ontario, Canada: Udon Entertainment.

YA Literature / Classic / Manga

I gave this book 5 out of 5 stars

"Was it simply that her scarlet letter sat bold upon her breast, while the sins of others were hidden in their own hearts?"

This illustrated retelling of The Scarlet Letter was very well done and will be appealing to reluctant readers and others who want to know the story without reading the novel. I can see it actually encouraging someone to read the original after finishing this manga version.  

The story is framed nicely with the addition of the 19th century discovery of the 17th century parchments which tell Hester Prynne's story.  SunNeko Lee's drawings are rich in expression and imagery -- like overlaying pages with what look like shards of glass when Hester is remembering her past -- and the drawings flow very naturally even for someone with little to no experience reading manga. It was greatly appreciated that a short, easy to follow manga tutorial was placed at the start of the book.

There were a couple of typos and minor edits needed, which I am assuming will be corrected in the final version, but overall, this was a fantastic alternative to the original novel, which stays true to Nathaniel Hawthorne's messages on hypocrisy, sin, guilt, and judgment.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me an eBook proof copy of this book in exchange for my honest review -- the only kind I give. 

Wildfire - Volume 1

Hawkins, M. (2014). Wildfire,Volume 1. Berkeley, CA: Image Comics.

Graphic Novel / Sci Fi / Adult / YA

I gave this book 5 out of 5 stars

This is an outstanding graphic novel taking a "what if" scenario on genetic modification. I appreciated that the author didn't preach any political agenda and also that he didn't feel the need to throw in gratuitous sex scenes, naked people, and profanity, as seems to be the norm in any graphic novel these days. The story has more than enough action and interest to keep readers engaged, and the illustrations -- wow! Stunning, and some of the scenes were so realistic that they could have been photographs.  The panels of the Hollywood hills on fire will definitely stay with readers.  

A super cool feature of the book is at the end, the author has included tons of information on GMOs, its science and history, U.S. emergency response teams, and loads of links for readers to educate themselves.  I look forward to the sequel coming out. . . just when you thought it was safe again!! I recommend this book for young adults and older. 

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me a free eBook copy in exchange for my honest review -- the only kind I give. 

The Adventures of Superhero Girl

Hicks, F.E. (2013). Adventures of Superhero Girl. NY: Dark Horse.
YA Comic / Humor

I gave this 4 out of 5 stars.

She's an ordinary young woman: she shrinks things in the laundry, she forgets to wear sunscreen, she is short on cash and needs a paying job, she's living in the shadow of her uber-successful older brother. Oh, and she can leap tall buildings and has superhuman strength and regularly kicks the butts of ninjas and monsters wreaking havoc on her town! She is Superhero Girl, named because she kinda waited too long to give herself a cool name and that one stuck. Such is her life.

Superhero Girl's "ordinary-ness" is what makes this book of comic strips fun. The drawings are well-done, and though the book of strips don't exactly pick-up one after the other, they are sequential and enough to give readers a clear picture of the struggles of being a superhero when you still have to be a productive citizen in the world.

Young adults and adults alike will enjoy the humor and sarcasm in this book. There is comical violence - duh, she's a superhero kicking ninja/monster butts and social drinking of alcohol, but it's appropriate since Superhero Girl and her friends are likely of age.

I'm a fan!

I won this book in the Sam Houston State University Library School HBRC 2013. Thanks, SHSU!

FBP: Federal Bureau of Physics Vol. 1: The Paradigm Shift

FBP: Federal Bureau of Physics Vol. 1: The Paradigm Shift by Simon Oliver, Robbi Rodriguez (illustrations)

I gave this book 3 of 5 stars on Goodreads.
Adult, graphic novel
Publication date: February, 2014

The premise is a very interesting one -- that the "laws" of physics we've all known are basically failing. I was fine with the graphic novel not giving us the particulars of why, for example, gravity is failing or dark matter is showing up in row houses. Oliver did a good job of setting the concept forth in such a way that readers could just accept that in this world, physics fixes are a needed norm.

What I didn't like were the illustrations. The colors were great and really contributed to the sci-fi, funky vibe; however, the drawings were just a little too sloppy. For example, I really wanted to have a good, lasting impression of how the main character, Adam Hardy, looks. Other characters are somewhat more defined, but Adam is. . . messy.

I felt like the ending was a bit abrupt, but overall, this series has potential, and with six more installments, things could get even more interesting.

This is an adult graphic novel, but I think mature and sci-fi loving young adults would enjoy it. For those readers, be aware there are sexual situations, pot smoking, and some strong language.

Thank you to Vertigo Comics and NetGalley for this free ARC.

Wonderstruck

Selznick, B. (2011). Wonderstruck. NY: Scholastic Press.
YA / Graphic Novel

2012 Schneider Family Book Award Winner (Middle Grade Category)


Amazingly, there were even more drawings in Wonderstruck than in The Invention of Hugo Cabret! The book has an equally spectacular mix of drawings and writing to carry forward a dual storyline, one set in 1927 and the other set in 1977. 

The two seemingly separate stories, placed many years apart, weave and parallel each other and end-up coming together in a very satisfying way. In The Invention of Hugo Cabret, I really studied many of the drawings because they were so elaborate and had much to say, whereas in Wonderstruck,  I flipped quickly through more quickly because they were more focused on a single subject. The wolves, for example, are illustrated in a sequence of drawings that keep zooming in closer and closer, until you are looking very closely into its wild eye.  The level of detail is incredible -- every space on the page is taken.

Loved this book and will keep it on my shelf for my granny days.

Scholastic has a great website dedicated to Wonderstruck where you can see some of the fabulous illustrations from the book (those WOLVES!!) and learn all kinds of things about the book.  Here is their video with Selznick talking about it. Enjoy!

Coraline

Gaiman, N. and McKean, D. (illus.). (2002). Coraline. NY: Harper Collins Publishers.

YA Lit / Sci-Fi? Horror? Fantasy? Adventure?

Awards: Bram Stoker Award for Works for Young Readers (2002), Hugo Award for Best Novella (2003), Nebula Award for Best Novella (2003), Locus Award for Best Young Adult Novel (2003), World Fantasy Award Nominee for Best Novella (2003) World Fantasy Award Nominee for Best Novella (2003), Child Magazine Best Book of the Year

 Since I absolutely adored Gaiman's The Graveyard Book, I snagged this from Half Price Books and didn't put it down until I was done.  I didn't see the movie, so I was unfamiliar with the storyline.  This is a fascinating, creative, and creepy story that is very easy to visualize, but even moreso with the aid of Dave McKean's illustrations.  Coraline is a brave and precocious little girl, and I don't think her parents are worthy of her!  I thoroughly enjoyed this quick read and highly recommend it for young and old.

Mercury

Larson, H. (2010). Mercury. NY: Atheneum Books for Young Readers.
YA Fiction / Graphic novel-comic / historical fiction, but with some fantasy
Eisner Award Winner; Junior Library Guild Selection

I didn't intend to read this.  A freshman at my school checked it out at the end of the day, and it was turned-in first thing the next morning.  I opened it up to see what was either so dull or so fascinating that it could have such a quick turn around, and I was surprised to see it was an illustrated novel.

I flipped through and saw that there were two storylines; one in the present and one in the past.  I was drawn in quickly, and couldn't put the book down! Though some of the drawings were confusing (especially since one storyline involved two teens who greatly resembled one another), it was definitely an entertaining, well-drawn, and quick read.  I enjoyed it and liked how the ending left you with just a few thoughts to ponder.

The Invention of Hugo Cabret

Selznick, B. (2007). The Invention of Hugo Cabret. NY: Scholastic Press.
YA Lit / Graphic novel / mystery / historical fiction / picture book

This was an incredible book and quite possibly my favorite of the year.  The drawings were amazing - all 284 pages of them! Even the format of the book in its layout, coloring, style, and construction truly contributed to the storyline.  And the storyline was great and kept me turning the pages.

Prior to starting the book, I had read an article that talked about the automaton (I want one of these of my very own!!! Maillardet's Automaton) and another about Selznick's inspirations.  It is fascinating, shows a bunch of Selznick's drawings from the book, and lists his 20 favorite books. It's easy to see who influenced him, and I encourage anyone who's read or not read the book to check it out:
Author Brian Selznick Shares 20 Favorite Children's Books

In case you haven't figured it out, I HIGHLY recommend this book to young and old.  It's a treasure.

UPDATE: I made this little book trailer after I named this book my favorite book from 2011.  Enjoy!

Formic Wars: Burning Earth - Prequel to Ender's Game

  

Haven't read this yet and can't decide if I will.  I loved Ender's Game, but I am disappointed that the prequel is a series and is in graphic novel format.  I suppose I should have a little faith since Orson Scott Card is still the author. Here's the trailer, which makes me even less interested.  It's so busy!

Blankets

my library's cover

alternate cover

cover of music inspired by novel

Portuguese - soft cover

Spanish - hard cover

alternate cover

French version

Thompson, C. (2003). Blankets. Marietta, GA: Top Shelf Productions.
LS5385: YA Lit / Graphic Novel
Quote I liked: "On my first visit to the public library, I was like a kid at a candy store where all the candy was free. I gorged myself until my tummy ached."

Check this out - someone actually created a soundtrack inspired by this book (see cover 3 above).  Now that I've read it, I think I will explore and see what kind of music is on there.  If I were making a soundtrack for it, all the tunes would be sad sounding.  What a melancholy read. . .  Portuguese & Spanish covers are a little livelier but the snowy covers are more in step with the books tone/mood. (though some - DEFINITELY not all - of the flashbacks to stories with his brother are not sad).
 
I had to let this one sit with me a few days before writing about it, and honestly, I'm still not sure what to say. It is 582 pages, and as such, is not as quick a read as most books in this genre. And some parts of it make the term GRAPHIC novel more apropos than others.  Actually, the author defines the book as an illustrated novel.  Not sure there's enough text to make that distinction, though the story comes in loud and clear.

First off, if you or your child are looking for a humorous and light story, this is not an uplifting or particularly fun read. I was surprised by the content, which was pretty heavy and included questioning God/faith, divorce, bullying, isolation, teenage drug use and drinking, sexual molestation, masturbation, teenage intimacy, first love, first love lost. Some of this content was verbalized, some was illustrated, and some was broached both verbally and by illustrations. Some of this content was shown with the main character as a participant, other times as an observer.

It's silly that pencil drawings make a difference. . .I can't decide if I'm a prude or if I'm in mom-mode or what, but for example, when the molestation and masturbation were both told and illustrated, (not over-the-top, but more than enough) I got a little uncomfortable. These were not the only times, either. I think this was mostly because I was reading in terms of what would be appropriate in my school library.  Would I be more comfortable if it was in a novel? Probably. . . not sure why, though.

To be balanced, I suppose if there's a teenager struggling with some of these struggles, he/she wouldn't feel alone. And the story is about finding yourself, figuring out what (and who) you believe in. But the resolution is still a pretty lonely and dismal one, and my overall mood upon the conclusion of it was sort of melancholy.

The author definitely was effective in drawing-out the readers' emotions, and it's amazing we feel we know the main character, Craig, so well given it's a graphic novel. It truly was painful to read at times, which is the mark of a good writer, but in this case, also of a good illustrator.

American Born Chinese

Typical bookstore cover

Chinese version cover

Yang, G.L. (2006). American Born Chinese. NY: First Second.
LS5385: YA Lit/Graphic Novel

First, whatcha think about the covers? After reading American Born Chinese and its three seemingly separate storylines (which weave together at the end), the Chinese cover seems more fitting; it's all over the place, much like it seems the story is until the resolution.

I had not really read a graphic novel before.  The Savage was an illustrated novel, and I enjoyed it, but I wasn't sure about the glorified comic book. (which I now understand graphic novels really aren't.)

I did enjoy reading the book and looking at the illustrations, which were amusing and definitely added to the story.  Given that so much about the story relates to appearances and trying to be someone other than who you are, the author would have had to write a lot more prose in order to get the point across. With the graphic novel, the illustrations show the readers what they need to know and can keep the dialog to a minimum.

Chin-Kee is a painfully stereotypical (quite intentionally so) "Chinaman" and I felt a little guilty laughing at his antics because they were so awful - but I think that was part of the author's intent. 

This has several powerful lessons that anyone can pick-up on and learn.  It also makes you keep thinking long after you're done reading.

The Savage

Almond, D. (2008). The Savage. Cambridge, Mass: Candlewick Press.
LS5385: YA Lit/Fantasy

I will admit that this one made it into my library check-out cart for two reasons: 1) the library had the book, and 2) it was clearly a short read (WITH PICTURES!!). yeah, I know - I sound like my son.

The amazing thing is that it was one of the coolest reads I have had in a while.  Yes, short but FULL of story. RICH in characters.  Well-written - even though it's written with a child's grasp of spelling and punctuation.  As an aside - sometimes I felt like I was reading something the Chick-Fil-A cows might have written!

It is a very interesting story about a young boy who is dealing with the loss of his father and a town bully who only gets worse once the boy's father has died.  Writing is the boy's escape, and as he deals with his feelings, the lines between his story about "the savage" and the boy's real life become blurred.

The drawings (by Dave McKean, who worked on Harry Potter set designs) are spectacular and wild enough that they help the reader along. They are rugged and edgy.

I was amused by the "profanity" in the book - the boy writing d*** and then apologizing for using a cuss word, but explaining it really was apropos (he was right).  Very nice and again, very much like you'd expect a young boy to write.

Take a look at this - it's definitely worth the short visit and the memory will last longer than the reading time invested.