Graphic Novels for Intermediate and Middle School

Graphic novels for middle and high school are becoming ever more popular. In general, these novels seem to appeal more to boys than to girls and have a great deal of violence within them, as well as a high degree of fantasy. I personally find the graphic novel a little more difficult to read because I have to make myself pay attention to the words as well as the pictures and I am grounded in the genre of words only, making it a little more difficult to attend to the pictures as well.

Here is a sampling of the graphic novels that have been published in the last year. It is not exhaustive by any means, but just shows a little of what is out there. I have read some of these, but others I have simply skimmed to see how the story is told and what the focus of the book is. 

 

Many of  these books are similar to Diary of a Wimpy Kid (Jeff Kinney).  They are a mix of pictures and stories, so not exactly a graphic novel in the sense that they do not look like a “comic.” In this category are the two by Andy Griffiths and Terry Denton, telling the story of two characters and their adventures. These two have the added feature of being inanely silly, with liberal splashes of puns throughout (ie, the Thirteen Story Treehouse, a play on words from the very start.)Stuck in the Middle of Middle School: A  Novel with Doodles by Karen Young is another example of this, with the added feature of being a facsimile of a diary, very popular with the middle school set. None of these three are books that I would go out of my way to purchase or share with young people.  But, keep reading, the good ones are out there.

Some of the books are told in comic fashion to appeal to younger readers who may not be up to reading a full on novel. Legends of Zita the Spacegirl by Ben Hatke is one of these. Zita began her adventures in the first volume. She ended up in outer space because of her own bullying behavior toward one of her friends and now she is stuck and cannot get back to earth. But, at least she is a hero to her fellow space-nuts. Humans, outer space aliens and robots are all represented here and as Zita travels through space, she learns lessons in how to interact and be kind to all of these creatures. Having a young girl as the hero in this series is genius and it has appeal to both genders, showing Zita to be strong and brave and someone who is capable of big mistakes as well. The story told in words and pictures is as strong as Zita and carries the reader easily between planets.

Just as the diary format works for the younger set, the format of a memoir works for the high school readers. Lucy Knisley uses this format extremely well in Relish: My Life in the Kitchen. She draws on a memory from her childhood or adolescence and portrays it in traditional comic book fashion. Each memory is connected to a culinary delight that concludes each section as an illustrated recipe. Anyone with an interest in food or memoir will be delighted with this book.

Totally out of my genre preference are graphic novels telling a story of fantasy, often involving violence and creatures from another time and place. While Zita could be in this category, the lack of violence means she is not in this league. Curses, Foiled Again by Jane Yolen and Broxo by Zack Giallongo are both somewhat gory, one futuristic and one set in the past. Yolen sets the genre on its head by featuring a young woman who is both smarter and stronger than her male counterparts as the lead. Neither of these stories held my interest, largely because they are not the genre I normally choose to read.

And finally, Victory, Resistance book 3 by Carla Jablonski and Leland Pruvis

is historical fiction told through the genre of graphic novel. Set in France in the waning days of World War II, the story of a family with members who react differently to the pressure that the Germans put on many French people. This explores an interesting question: for those who seemed to be collaborating with the enemy, who can know if they were acting complicit in order to get information to share or if they were traitors to their country. In the end, everyone (or almost everyone) claimed their actions were done in some way to help their countrymen. While historical fiction is not my favorite genre, it is much preferred to violent fantasy. I was pulled in by this story and by the overarching question of what is collaboration and what is resistance, as well as how far can the resistance go without exposing innocent countrymen to the ultimate risk. 

For reviews of more graphic novels, check out this great blog where comics and graphic novels are reviewed: http://goodokbad.com/index.php/about/

 

More Picture Books

 

Building our House by Jonathan Bean

The story of how a young family moves to the country and builds their own house. I couldn’t stop thinking of our cousins in Sweden who built their house just a few short years ago. The author states at the end that he based the story on memories and pictures of when his parents built the family home. Who will tell the story of Gunnar and Ann-Helene’s house in Nykvarn? We’ll have to wait and see.

 

The Bear in the Book by Kate Banks, pictures by Georg Hallensleben

Can you say postmodern? While the pictures are inviting and the story is sweetly told, I found this just a little bit weird. A young boy and his mother sit down for a good night story. The mother picks his favorite book, one about a bear, and as she opens the pages, the reader sees the story along with the boy and his mother. On each page, the story progresses and the boy and his mother talk. Some pages show the illustrations from the story book and some show the boy and his mother looking at the book. The bear hibernates and the boy sleeps. The end.

 

Leave Your Sleep, a Collection of Classic Children’s Poetry with music by Natalie Merchant and pictures by Barbara McClintock

(Click on the picture of Merchant to visit her website and see the poems and listen to some of her songs. You'll love them!)

These poems are delightful and the music is enticing. Some poems are familiar, like The Land of Nod by Robert Louis Stevenson, and some are less so like The Sleepy Giant by Charles Edward Carryl, about an old giant who used to eat little boys and now regrets it. The poets are all white and almost all male, so perhaps Merchant can be encouraged to find more poems by women or people of color as she certainly will want to do a sequel to this delightful collection!

Picture books for the young and not so young

 

Who has this tail? By Laura Hulbert, illustrated by Erik Brooks

Repetitive language asks “who has this tail?” followed by the animal and what the tail is used for. For example, “A shark uses its tail to push itself through the water.” Throughout the book, no gender pronouns are used, so all the animals could be male or female. The illustrations portray the animals within their natural habitat; from desert to ocean, beauty abounds. Perfect for 2 to 5 year olds who are interested in animals or the kindergarten set who are memorizing books.

 

Frog Song by Brenda Z. Guiberson, illustrated by Gennady Spirin

A short story of 11 frogs around the world, the songs they sing and how they protect their eggs. My favorite was the Darwin’s frong in Chile; the male holds tadpoles in his vocal sacs for seven weeks. “Then he gives a big yawn, and little froglets pop out.” The frogs are drawn realistically and their surroundings are illustrated with flora and fauna from the country being described. This beautiful concept book is finished off with a bibliography as well as several websites where we can find more information about frogs. Excellent for upper elementary children who love to learn about animals.

 

Snowboy 1, 2, 3 by Joe Wahman, illustrated by Wendy Wahman

A counting book for winter, with a slightly off-kilter rhyme. While the pictures and words tell a story, it is hard to follow would take a lot of direction to make sure children are following the story line. Reading it just for the joy of counting and rhyming would be the best option.

 

Trixie Ten by Sarah Massini

Another counting book, with ten brothers and sisters, all drawn with thumbprints. Trixie Ten is tired of her brood of brothers and sisters, all with their disturbing and distinguishing noises: burps, hiccups, sneezes and giggles among them. So she runs away only to discover the world itself is noisy and she is lonely without her siblings.

When they come to find her, she is ready to go home. The story line is more conventional, easy to follow and perfect for family or play groups who might be getting annoyed with one another over silly things.

Why I didn’t like J. K. Rowling’s new book for adults, even though I wanted to love it!

 

Casual Vacancy is set in a small town in the U. K., not too far from London, but far enough to be somewhat isolated. Next to the town of Pagford is a low-rent district called Fields, originally established by the neighboring town, but now somehow the responsibility of the good people of Pagford. And that’s where the first problem comes in: there are no good people of Pagford. Virtually every person portrayed by Rowling in this book has major character flaws, they are mewling and back-biting and drunk and drug addicted; they are mentally ill and physically unappealing and abusive and mean-spirited and vindictive. They are just plain hard to like. Some, very few, might have a few redeeming qualities, but their faults are so loudly portrayed, it was hard to see. And the man who dies in the first chapter was apparently very likeable, but he’s dead. So, just over 500 pages of unlikeable characters and I had to ask myself why did I read the whole thing?

Well, it was by Rowling and I loved Harry Potter and all his sequels. And there were shades of Rowling’s skill throughout the book. She writes well, she draws you into the story, she portrays characters with aplomb, even if those characters are unlikable.

The second reason I did not like this book is the story. These mean, malicious townspeople spend their days trying to get rid of the responsibility of Fields. They do not want the children of Fields to be educated with their children; they do not want the people of Fields to go to the same clinics they go to; they do not want to have to see the detritus of humanity in their backyards and they are not afraid to own up to their betrayal of this humanity.

Not only were there shades of Rowling in the portrayal of the characters, some of whom resembled the most despicable of those found in the Potter books, but her craft was also evident in the multiple storylines and the careful plotting of the story.

While I did not like this book, I still love Rowling as an author and I would probably read most anything she wrote. I would just encourage her to write more fantasy because her view of reality is too scary for me.

So Many Books, So Little Time

I once had a sweatshirt with that printed on it. I belonged to a book club in Casper, WY and we all got the shirts together and tried to remember to wear them to our meetings. But, lately, I really feel that. Here are just a few of the books I have read over the last few months. Listed in order of my preference:

 

I am now almost caught up with Louise Penny's books about Chief Inspecter Gamache. I try to not read them too quickly or too many at a time because they are so well written. Anyone out there who is a mystery fan and who has not yet discovered these stories, you are in for a treat. The writing melts in your mouth and the underlying themes and ideas in the books are full of insight and small delights. One of my favorite images from these books are of Gamache, a man past his prime, remembering when he would walk with his daughter and recite poetry to her. If all children could have this patient, kind man as a role model, where would the world be now? Issues of alcoholism are explored in this book and as always, Penny approaches this controversial topic with love and care. Start at the beginning and devour these books!

 

Another mystery series, these are set in the 1920s and 1930s in the UK. Maisie Dobbs is a young woman who went to war and came back a changed woman. She is a private detective and a psychologist. In this and other ways, she reminds me a little of the Number One Ladies Detective Agency and Mma Romotswe. As Penny does, Winspear approaches issues as she tells a story of intrigue. She keeps her readers on their toes and gives only a little bit of Maisie's story in each book, keeping us coming back for more. This is only number three in a series that is now up to 10 books, so it will be a while before I can finish all the books.

 

I read The Audacity of Hope  early in Obama's presidency and I enjoyed it, but I have to say that this book touched me so much more! Obama is a good writer and this book is written with humility and with inspiration. So many of our young people do not know their heritage and Obama was lucky enough to try to find his. Although he did not get to know his father, he did get to find his African roots and explore his many connections with numerous siblings. His experience in Chicago as a community organizer is telling about what so many of our poorer families are facing today. What is the underlying problem? Is it systemic and caused by a lack of care throughout society, or is it familial and caused by a lack of cohesive family units? This book helped me to solidify my views of the problems caused by selfish public policies that are put in place to benefit the rich. Let me know your views. 

 

While this reminded me a little of Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn, especially in the number of twists and turns in the plot, is it this one, no! Is it this one, maybe! While I have not read any other Ellie Hatcher books, this one did interest me in the character and my draw me in to reading others in this series, but, as the heading says: so many books, too little time. I will need to put Burke on the list of those to come back to when I have more time.

And now for something completely different. I am not a huge fan of historical fiction, and the two main characters here are killers who kill for money and sometimes for pleasure. Yet, I did like this book both the way the story was told and the story itself. There was a certain amount of poetic justice doled out throughout the book, and the voice of the brother who was telling the story kept me interested and on my toes. If you like a different voice once in a while, or even all the time, give the sisters a try!

Six Biographies (almost)

Six Biographies: Guess How Many are of Women?

Only One, so that gets top billing!

Who says Women Can’t be Doctors? The Story of Elizabeth Blackwell by Tanya Lee Stone, illustrated by Marjorie Priceman The true and factual story of how Elizabeth Blackwell became a doctor in 1849, including her many rejections from medical school. While the words are a bit stuffy, the illustrations are eye-catching and help to tell the story in an engaging way. The endnotes add more information about Elizabeth and her life as a doctor. In addition to being a doctor, Elizabeth was a single adoptive mother to a young orphan girl. Groundbreaking woman in so many ways!
	Timeless Thomas: How Thomas Edison Changed Our Lives by Gene Barretta Thomas Edison was an extraordinary man and this brief glimpse of his life showcases his amazingness! While we do not learn much about Edison’s biographical information, we learn a great deal about his inventions. Each two page spread includes a Present Day (on the left) and Edison’s Lab (on the right), where the conveniences we take for granted today are traced back to one or more of Edison’s inventions. Very clever. The last two pages include brief tidbits about employees in the Edison labs as well as Thomas Trivia. My favorite: Edison nicknamed two of his children Dot and Dash.
If You Spent A Day with Thoreau at Walden Pond by Robert Burleigh, Paintings by Wendell Minor A great companion piece to D. B. Johnson’s books (Henry Climbs a Mountain, Henry Works, etc.) in which Thoreau is represented by a good natured bear. While this book is more realistic, it’s appeal is to slightly older readers who may be interested in Thoreau and his beliefs in the simple life. The endnotes tell more details about Thoreau. Taken together with Johnson’s works, these books give a thorough picture of Thoreau.

	Henry and the Cannons: An Extraordinary True Story of the American Revolution by Don Brown Henry Knox, the First Secretary of War, traveled from Boston to Fort Ticonderoga, New York, to pick up several cannons and bring them back to Boston. Of course it was winter and they had to travel through snow, icy, sleet and mud to haul, pull, carry and otherwise transport the cannons to Boston. When they returned, they were able to scare the Redcoats out of town. Hooray for Henry and the men who helped him. This story is well-told and an interesting piece of history. While told in picture book form, it would still be appropriate for those fourth through sixth graders who might be studying the Revolutionary War.
	Monsieur Marceau by Leda Schubert, illustrations by Gerard DuBois A brief biography of Marceau, moving quickly through his childhood and his time as a resistance fighter during WWII, into his great career as a mime. While the pictures are lovely and the tales of his work onstage are great, the story leaves out too much. Why did he change his name to avoid having people know he was Jewish? What did it mean that his father died in a concentration camp? Who was Charlie Chaplin? Told in bits and pieces, there is too much left out, too much background knowledge that a child would need to understand the important bits. Older readers may enjoy the story, but the language is too simple for middle schoolers and above.
Abe Lincoln’s Dream by Lane Smith While not technically a biography, this tells the story of one of Lincoln’s last dreams; Smith uses a small girl’s trip through the White House as a vehicle to show Lincoln that what he hoped to accomplish has come to pass, or as Quincy says: “We’re working on that.” A beautifully illustrated story with some historical significance, this would add dimension to any child who is fascinated with the presidents; and who isn’t?

Any readers have a desire to be children’s book authors? We need someone (or several someones) to step up and start writing more biographies about women. While most of these books were good and worth reading and sharing, the fact that only one in six features a woman is pathetic!

Two Losers and Two Winners

Young adult books hot off the presses: 

The two books that I did not read, but started to read are Boy Minus Girl  by Richard Uhlig and Handbook for Hot Witches by Dame Darcy.

 

BoyMinus Girl had a striking voice, plenty of sarcasm and might even be a good read, but there were too many references to what teenage boys want to do to teenage girls and I just couldn’t keep going. Having said that, it might be the book that would keep a teenaged boy reading.

 

Handbook for Hot Witches gives the definition of what a hot witch is (probably not what you are thinking from the title) and then gives tips and pointers on how to be the best kind of hot witch in your category. Again, this did not interest me, but I can think of others who might delight in this book.

 

The first winner: Melody Burning by Whitley Strieber. Strieber is a writer for adults and promoter of the supernatural. This is his first attempt at writing for young adults and he does an excellent job! Melody is a young soon-to-be superstar whose mother dominates her life and career. Beresford is a young man who grew up in the bowels of a fancy high rise apartment building in Los Angeles. You will find mystery, romance and family struggles to keep you interested. While some of the plot lines are a little hard to believe, there are strong emotions to keep you interested. 

Emily’s Dress by Kathryn Burak is a dark tale of high school angst about suicide and murder, but ultimately about true love and how to overcome. Claire is trying to finish her final year of high school while reconciling her feelings about her mother’s suicide and her best friend’s sudden disappearance a year before. A loving father and new friends help her to see the good within herself and together they solve the mystery of her former friend’s disappearance. In spite of the dark topics, this is definitely worth reading.