I almost forgot I’d checked Yummy out from the library – that’s what happens when I hand a book to Elly before I’ve had a chance to read it… another Cybils shortlist graphic novel and this one is excellent. So sad – Robert Sandifer, sad sad sad. Using a well drawn (and written) graphic novel to tell the story is such a great idea. Love. All kids (and adults) should read it.
After all of the serious Penguin reading I’ve been doing, I needed a light and easy break. Thankfully, I had three Cybils books on my library cart and those did the trick.
First, I’m fascinated by Zapato Power. I’ve never seen a children’s book quite like it. First, we learn that Freddie and his mom live in an apartment complex where the superintendent works hard to keep things neat and tidy – not like the last place they lived where the big kids wrote nasty words on the walls and nobody cleaned it up. And then we learn that Freddie’s dad was not only in the Army, he DIED while overseas fighting. That never, ever happens in early reader books. Never ever. Bravo, Bravo, Bravo! I am now a Freddie Ramos fan.
Next, a middle grade graphic novel called Smile. Elly read it last week and said it was SAD. That confused me. I expected it to be funny. She’s right, it was sad. Forget the dental drama – it was the mean girl issue that was sad. And unfortunately, felt pretty accurate.
Last and also least, my dirty little secret comes out. I have never liked “choose your own ending” books. I cringed when I saw Meanwhile on the Cybils shortlist. I tried to be hopeful about it. Maybe a graphic novel version would be something I’d like? Alas. No. It was worse. On the first try… the story ended on the second page. (which was cleverly done, by the way.) On my next try, it ended on the third page – or maybe I got confused and did not follow the tube-y lines properly, which is pretty likely because lord help me I cannot follow those little lines. The third and fourth times, I was more successful but again… I cannot follow those lines. The panels not related to my current path distract me and I found myself completely confused.
None of this means that Meanwhile isn’t a brilliant, awesome book. IT IS. Elly loves it. I am just not hardwired for this kind of thing. I’m just not. Your kids (and you) might be. You should check it out. It’s a very clever idea – and nicely drawn.
First, Frankie Pickle and the Pine Run 3000 – loved it. Loved it a lot more than the last Frankie Pickle I read. I especially loved Frankie’s thoughts on the hobby shop. Great fun for people who love hobby shops and anyone who has ever experienced a “Pinewood Derby”.
Next, Dragonbreath: Attack of the Ninja Frogs. It was cute, in places, but a little slow. I’d have probably liked it more if it was pure graphic novel. One problem – now I’m trying to decide whether it would be better to be a Ninja Queen or a Veterinarian.
*292 more pages down!
Two Cybils for #Readathon Read More »
I’m still dealing with this virus or whatever the hell it is that sent me to the ER on Thursday. So reading – not easy. Also, work is really busy (I’m sneaking a five minute break at 9:15pm to write this before I forget… that’s how busy it is…) so having these light and easy Cybil’s to turn to was a real joy. Well, mostly a joy.
The least joy-bringing, The Unsinkable Walker Bean. Elly read this one last week and said it was ok (great art) but it was kind of hard to follow and she didn’t love it. I read it last night and… it was ok (great art) but it felt muddy at the end – which is why I think Elly said it was hard to follow. I think also, at least at first, it wasn’t always easy to tell who people were because they were drawn healthy and then sick so there was a bit of confusion until you got comfortable with that. I liked Walker and his grandfather and the other “kids” he met along the way. I’m guessing there’s a part two, where we learn why Gen was able to look at the skull…
Next, Princess Posey and the First Grade Parade was a very cute book that those going to first grade will appreciate. Heck, I think the idea of a first day of school parade like Posey’s teacher did is a terrific idea – I’m glad Posey thought of it. Very cute.
My favorite of these three was Anna Hibiscus and I didn’t expect that to be the case. But, there’s something about Anna and her family that sucked me in and by the end of the book I was yelling (out loud) “NO! It can’t end there! Children’s books should not have cliffhangers! What happens NEXT?” Seriously. TW was not amused with me. I’m dying to find out what happens when Anna visits Granny Canada and sees snow for the first time. Which reminds me, I need to go reserve that book right now. MUST read.
Elly and I are big graphic novel fans, so we really look forward to the Cybils shortlist recommendations – Ghostopolis is one of those books and it was excellent. Both Elly and I agree – EXCELLENT.
A boy gets stuck in the afterlife, by accident. And the ghost hunter and his ex-girlfriend, a ghost, head there to bring him back. There’s a cool guy who built the afterlife community, named Tuskegee Joe, and an evil villain and lots of action.
I know some of you lurking are looking for graphic novel recommendations for your kids – this one is good. No sex. No drugs.
I was really looking forward to Borrowed Names – a book about mothers/daughters, a book about Laurie Ingalls Wilder, Madam C.J. Walker, and Marie Curie (and their daughters). And I did like it but more than half the book was the store of Laura Ingalls Wilder and Rose Wilder. The Walkers and Curies felt shorted – which is too bad because I particularly liked the Walker and Curie sections of this book.
Twin Spica – a little girl wants to be in the first class of the Tokyo Space School. There are problems, of course, it’s a graphic novel after all. The girl’s mom was injured and killed when she was a baby – when the first Japanese rocket crashed into earth after lift-off. Elly read this one before I did and she liked it. I read it and… I liked it too, once I settled into the traditional backwards method of reading (it always takes me about three pages to get used to reading right to left, lol) – but I didn’t get the end. I don’t know if it’s because it was almost midnight when I finished or if I missed a heading that explained what the heck was going on but… I think I need to re-read the last three pages. Maybe that’s the intro to volume two? I don’t know. (FYI to those looking for middle grade graphic novels – there’s some family violence in this book. The father slaps the daughter a couple of times. And there are cases where the kids fight with each other, but in the context, the fighting makes sense (three kids locked in a small room together and told to place dominos – millions of dominos – in line within 7 days …. Or they flunk the test. It’s one of those controlled environment tests for space programs. Totally stressful, read Packing for Mars if you’re confused by this. Heh)
Cybils Short List – One Poetry, One Graphic Novel Read More »
Argh! How many books are there going to be in the Amulet series? They keep ending just when they’re getting interesting and I’m once again left wondering what happens next. Same darn thing happened last night when I read Cloud Searchers. I was just settling in and getting excited about the story and … BAM. When is the next book coming out? Sheesh.
Have I mentioned I really like this graphic novel series (for younger kids)?
Amulet: Cloud Searchers Read More »
First – Nemi. Love it. I want the whole series. A girl with an attitude. A lot of attitude.
Next – The Grave Robber’s Daughter. Short, easy to read, just creepy enough to be fun.
Then – The Chuckling Whatsit (author also write The Grave Robber’s Daughter). This one was also excellent, but a little long. At one point I felt like I just wanted to skip to the end but I stuck with it and was glad I did.
Last – The Man Who Grew Young. Why do I feel like I’ve already read this? That’s what I kept thinking, all the way through. Familiar. Interesting but… it doesn’t quite work for me.
Some graphic novels (non Cybil) Read More »
Holly Black’s faeries are some of the best and Kith was an excellent follow up to Kin. I cannot wait to see what Rue does. I kind of hope she doesn’t save the human world. Wouldn’t that be awesome?
Oh one thing, was her father drawn differently in book 2 than in book 1? It felt like he was but I don’t have book 1 here to compare it with. Anyone out there own them both? Or have them book checked out of the library at the same time?
Kith: Good Neighbors Book 2 Read More »
