Graphic Novels – Page 29

Graphic Novels, Humor, Intermediate, Tween Reads

Prehistory just got a lot more fun: Meet Lucy & Andy Neanderthal

Posted on June 20, 2016 by Rosemary Kiladitis

Lucy & Andy Neanderthal, by Jeffrey Brown (Aug. 2016, Crown Books), $12.99, ISBN: 9780385388351

Recommended for ages 8-12

Jedi Academy’s writer and artist Jeffrey Brown goes prehistoric in his latest graphic novel, starring two cave siblings, their family, and members of their group, living about 40,000 years ago. Joined by two paleontologists who show up to inform and dispel myths and misconceptions about Neanderthals, Lucy & Andy Neanderthal is a fun story that manages to inform and educate while giving readers a good laugh.

Lucy and Andy have to put up with Margaret and Phil, two teens from their group that either boss them around or ignore them completely; they chase around their baby brother, who tends to run off, make some cave paintings, and watch a mammoth hunt that leaves Andy considering vegetarianism. The group also discovers that they’re not alone: what happens when Neanderthals meet humans?

Join this new modern stone age family on their first (hopefully, of many) adventures. Booktalk this one with Jeffrey Brown’s Jedi Academy books – just tell them that Lucy and Andy lived long, long, ago, in a galaxy not so far away. And then, if you really want to blow their minds, show them an episode of The Flintstones.

Kids love good graphic novels, and kids love prehistory. Lucy & Andy Neanderthal is both.

Graphic Novels, Young Adult/New Adult

Friendship ain’t easy: Friends is Friends

Posted on June 16, 2016August 24, 2019 by Rosemary Kiladitis

Friends is Friends, by Greg Cook, (Aug. 2016, First Second), $19.99, ISBN: 9781596431058

Recommended for ages 16+

A series of short stories portray the complicated relationships between an elephant that’s down and out on his luck, a teddy and a ghost bear that follows him around, taunting him, and a family of pigs. Not a graphic novel for younger audiences (content and language), Friends is Friends is indie author/artist Greg Cook’s first major work in over a decade. The stories border surreal and loaded with dark humor. The artwork is in black and white, with white on black pages denoting the beginning of new vignettes.

I’ll be honest, this just wasn’t my book. I enjoy dark humor, but I just didn’t get into the stories or the characters. There were moments where I chuckled along – the opening short between the elephant and the young pig in particular – but other moments that just didn’t catch me. Friendship isn’t easy – that’s a key message contained in the book – but the characters just weren’t likable enough for me to want to be friends with them, to stick with them through the ups and downs of their relationships.

My teens aren’t the audience for this one. If you have a good YA and adult-level graphic novel collection, give this a read before you choose to add or not to add.

Fiction, Fiction, Graphic Novels, Middle Grade, Realistic Fiction, Teen, Tween Reads, Young Adult/New Adult

Sea Change: Memories of Summers Past

Posted on June 14, 2016August 24, 2019 by Rosemary Kiladitis

Sea Change, by Frank Viva (May 2016, TOON Books), $18.95, ISBN: 9781935179924

Recommended for ages 10+

Twelve year-old Eliot is dreading summer vacation this year: his parents are shipping him off to his great-uncle’s fishing village in Point Aconi, in a remote area of Nova Scotia. Summer starts off pretty rough: his uncle is cranky, Eliot has to crew his fishing boat, which means he’s up before the sun is, and he’s not the most able-bodied crew member. Plus, there are bullies who can’t wait to get him alone and beat him up, just for being from somewhere different. This is a summer vacation? Slowly but surely, though, Eliot starts seeing Point Aconi through different eyes; he starts to see the place that his mother claims changed her life. Is he going to run back to his home in Lakefield when summer’s over, or will Point Aconi leave a little piece of itself in him?

Sea Change is a gorgeous coming-of-age story. It’s a graphic novel, but in a completely different sense from what pops into most people’s heads when they hear the words “graphic novel”: written in prose with quirky, evocative drawings in shades of blue, black, cream, and hot pink, the words themselves become part of the graphics: a curve, coming out of Eliot’s mouth as he describes being sick; following the trajectory of his uncle’s beard; morphing into a fishing line, where a day’s catch is hanging out to dry. The words and illustrations gel beautifully together to create an entire reading experience that will draw you in and leave you thinking of your own summer vacations. It’s all here: going fishing, swimming at the local swimming hole, a group of kids running barefoot and having fun, and the first blush of a summer romance. Skillfully woven into the story are some more serious topics about families in crisis.

This would make a great first book to introduce at the beginning of the next school year – don’t come at me with torches, I know we’re barely into summer vacation! – when the dreaded “what I did on my summer vacation” essays are assigned, maybe ask your readers to create art with their words and pictures. A picnic blanket, with the meal itself marching around the blanket, describing the treats laid out; words wandering up the edge of a beach umbrella or tossed on the sea, describing a day at the beach.

If you’re a kid, you’ll enjoy reading about another kid’s adventures over a summer break. If you’re an adult, read this book and just bask in the nostalgia of summers gone by. Then go create some new ones with the people in your life.

Frank Viva’s illustrations have appeared in the New York Times and The New Yorker. He’s also authored the TOON Book, A Trip to the Bottom of the World. Sea Change has received starred reviews from Publishers Weekly and Shelf Awareness, and Publishers Weekly has also designated it one of the Best Books for Summer 2016. TOON offers a free, downloadable discussion guide for parents and educators.

Fiction, Graphic Novels, Middle Grade, Tween Reads

The Secret Coders are searching for Paths & Portals!

Posted on June 11, 2016June 11, 2016 by Rosemary Kiladitis

Secret Coders: Paths & Portals, by Gene Luen Yang & Mike Holmes, (Aug. 2016, First Second), $10.99, ISBN: 9781626720763

Recommended for ages 8-12

We’re back at Stately Academy for more coding and mystery with with Hopper, Eni, and Josh! The last time we met the gang, they’d just figured out Stately’s secret: it used to be the campus for the Bee School, where kids learning coding and programming. Determined to learn to program and code, our fearless three find ways to get detention – custodial duties – to sneak in some coding time, but when the principal and his rugby team thugs take an interest in them, things get a little tense.

This is the second volume in the Secret Coders series from National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature, Gene Yang, and Bravest Warriors/Adventure Time artist Mike Holmes, and both the action and the coding lessons have increased. The characters learn more complex programming codes and requests now, taking readers along with them – and teaching them a funk prank or two in the process, including wacky names to execute commands, and programming fun ways to foil bullies. There’s some solid programming history in here, too, as we learn that Little Guy – the robot turtle and my favorite character, to be honest – speaks Logo, a programming language designed waaaay back in 1967 (may as well be in hieroglyphics to the kids, amirite?). I’m a firm believer in understanding the past to progress to the future, so giving kids that piece of programming history is amazing. The whodunit mystery adds to the fun and keeps the pages turning.

I loved the first book in this series, and evangelize it to kids right and left. I’ve done coding here at my library, and with our kids so wrapped up in Minecraft, it just seems like the smart choice to seize the opportunity and have programming information and fiction available to them wherever they turn. You can probably create a great Secret Coder program: make sure you get enough copies of each volume to have available to the kids, and introduce them to the Secret Coders website, where they can watch instructional videos and download exercises to sharpen their coding skills. They can upload finished artwork to the gallery on the site.

You’ll love Paths & Portals, and so will the kids in your life. Computer labs should consider introducing these novels to get kids familiar with and interested in coding, and libraries, like mine, that will be getting kids on board with Google CS First this summer should definitely make sure to have the first volume out and promote the second one, which hits stores on August 30: just in time for back to school!

Fiction, Fiction, Graphic Novels, Humor, Intermediate, Middle Grade

Little Knight is back in Ogres Awake!

Posted on May 1, 2016August 24, 2019 by Rosemary Kiladitis

Ogres Awake!, by James Sturm, Alexis Frederick-Frost, Andrew Arnold (July 2016, First Second), $14.99, ISBN: 9781596436534

Recommended for ages 5-10

Little Knight and her faithful steed, Edward, are back for another installment! This time, the two discover that ogres are sleeping in the castle courtyard! Knight rushes to the castle’s defense, but finds out that there’s already an army assembled, and they’re wielding potato peelers and spoons instead of swords and shields. Knight and the gnome army have a LOT of stew to make before the ogres wake up… HUNGRY.

This is the fourth outing for the Drawn and Quarterly gang; the third Little Knight Adventure. I love this series: it’s a great way to introduce graphic novels to young readers and they’re fun stories that have a little bit of drawing instruction, a la Ed Emberley’s old step by step books, that I used to love when I was a kid.

Little Knight is a kid that kids will recognize: she’s excited, she wants to jump right in and be in the center of the action, and learns a valuable lesson in each outing. This time around, she learns that not every confrontation needs to be handled the rough way. Sometimes, an act of kindness is all you need to avoid things getting ugly. It’s a great message, communicated with fun, bold, cartoony art and witty writing. Add this series to your shelves; your kids will love you for it. I read this with my 3 year-old, who thoroughly enjoyed it; if you’ve got preschoolers in your life, curl up with them and read it! It’s a great opportunity illustrate sequencing and talk about doing nice things for people: even ogres.

Make sure to check out Gryphons Aren’t So Great and Sleepless Knight, the other Little Knight books by Sturm, Frederick-Frost, and Arnold, as well as Adventures in Cartooning, where we first meet Little Knight and Edward. Don’t forget to check out Drawn and Quarterly, too! Take a look at a few pages from Ogres Awake right here:

Adventure, Fantasy, Fiction, Graphic Novels, Middle Grade

Eric Orchard’s Bera the One-Headed Troll is great graphic storytelling

Posted on April 1, 2016August 24, 2019 by Rosemary Kiladitis

bera_1 Bera the One-Headed Troll, by Eric Orchard (Aug. 2016, First Second), $17.99, ISBN: 9781626721067

Recommended for ages 8-14

Bera is a happy and solitary troll, living on her little island where she harvests pumpkins and has an owl to keep her company. She finds herself on the run when she saves a human infant – an infant that other trolls and goblins want for themselves! Now Bera has to keep the baby safe until she can find the parents and reunite the family. It’s a big job, but Bera has a lot of heart and is more than up to the task.

Bera’s another great story from Eric Orchard, who gave us Maddy Kettle’s adventure with the Thimblewitch almost two years ago. Now, Orchard gives us the story of a solitary troll who finds herself called upon to stand out when she makes the decision to save a human baby that’s ended up in the land of trolls. This isn’t something she sought out, but she won’t let an innocent be harmed: it’s a great message for kids; don’t worry about standing out from the crowd if you feel something is wrong. Protect and defend those who can’t defend themselves. I love the storytelling, I enjoy Orchard’s art, and once again, great graphic storytelling brings an important message to readers in a powerful yet sweet fashion.

First Second publishes great graphic novels for all ages. This is another great selection to add to graphic novel collections.

Fiction, Fiction, Graphic Novels, Humor, Intermediate, Middle Grade, Tween Reads

Papercutz brings The Sisters to the USA

Posted on April 1, 2016August 24, 2019 by Rosemary Kiladitis

The Sisters, Vol. 1: Like a Family, by Christophe Cazenove/Illustrated by William Maury (June 2016, Papercutz), $9.99, ISBN: 9781629914930

Recommended for ages 8-12

Wendy and Maureen are sisters who adore one another as much as they drive each other crazy – like most siblings. They both have strong personalities, are independent, and have firmly established likes and dislikes. Wendy is a teen who’s discovering makeup, boys, and cute actors, and Maureen is school-age, tries to emulate her sister (even when she thinks she’s a little weird), and can’t stop trying to break into Maureen’s secret diary.

This first volume of stories about Wendy and Maureen features a series of short vignettes about the two siblings, giving us a little look into their life: we meet some of their friends, their parents (whose faces we don’t see), and most importantly, we see the girls together. Even when they’re at their worst and separated by their parents, they want to be together. And that’s the sweetest part about The Sisters: it’s a fun, upbeat look at siblings and family life. The series was originally published in France; Papercutz is giving the girls their U.S. debut.

Give this book to your Raina Telgemeier fans and your Amelia Rules fans. They’ll love you for it. Take a look at some more of the book courtesy of the Papercutz website.

Graphic Novels, Middle Grade, Non-Fiction, Non-fiction, Tween Reads

First Second brings you Science Comics!

Posted on March 23, 2016March 23, 2016 by Rosemary Kiladitis

First Second’s got a line of Science Comics coming to stores beginning in May with the releases of Coral Reefs and Dinosaurs. The books are beautifully illustrated and bring nonfiction to the next level with information, wit, and fun for readers.

Coral Reefs, by Maris Wicks ($9.99, ISBN: 9781626721456) introduces readers to the world of coral reefs! With an adorable fish acting as emcee and guide, readers get a look at the biology of coral, the different types of reefs, sea creatures that live in and around the reefs, and the ecological importance that the reefs play in our world. Maris Wicks, who also gave us the brilliant and informative Human Body Theater last year, is back with her combination of smart and funny writing and eye-catching, bright art.

The science is solid and there are tons of take-away facts for kids and adults alike. Did you know that some reefs take millions of years to grow? That coral reefs are home to a quarter of all the animals found in the ocean? Wicks also discusses climate change and its impact on the environment, with emphasis ramifications like coral bleaching and ocean acidification. Anyone can help in any way; Wicks provides examples that include reducing carbon emissions (take a walk! carpool! bike ride!); reusing and recycling plastics; composting, and planting trees and flowers. There’s a great message about environmentalism and conservation to be told here, and Wicks ends on an upbeat note: “Caring for ourselves and our environment is the first step to caring for the rest of the world.” With a foreword from Randi Rotjan, Ph.D., Associate Research Scientist with the New England Aquarium, a glossary, bibliography, and additional resources, Science Comics: Coral Reefs is a great companion to any unit on the oceans, sea life, conservation, and ecology. Strongly recommended for public, school and home collections.

Check out Maris Wicks’ website for fiction and nonfiction artwork!

Science Comics: Dinosaurs, by award-winning author MK Reed and illustrated by Joe Flood ($9.99, ISBN: 9781626721432) takes an omniscient narrator approach, walking readers through the history of paleontology, including the many rivalries between scientists that led, in some cases, to some major classification errors, like the poor Brontosaurus, a victim of the infamous Bone Wars between paleontologists O.C. Marsh and Edward Drinker Cope, whose bitter rivalry and rush to beat one another to publishing led them to create a dinosaur that didn’t really exist – it was later discovered that an Apatosaurus body had a Camarasaurus head stuck onto the skeleton, in a rush to complete the work.

With a series of repeated timelines that show facts that society “definitely knew” at different times, we see how much we’ve really learned about the true age of the earth, the fossil record, and the origins of dinosaurs themselves. Joe Flood’s art is less cartoony than Maris Wicks, but captures the tremendous scale and brightly colored dinosaurs that we now understand roamed the earth. There are some incredible graphs and charts in here, illustrating common ancestors and evolutions. A foreword by Leonard Finkelman, Ph.D., Associate Professor in Philosophy of Science at Linfield College, plus a glossary, additional charts, and further resources make this a must-have for any dinosaur collection. Buy two – you know kids love their dinosaurs.

So much more than simple graphic novels, Science Comics is a series that deserves a place in any nonfiction section AND any graphic novel section. The next book in the series, Volcanoes, is due out in October. Recommended for ages 8 and up.

MK Reed’s author webpage has more information about the author and her books, including a link to her anthology on women gamers, Chainmail Bikini.

Sneak peek at Coral Reefs:

Sneak peek at Dinosaurs:

Animal Fiction, Fiction, Graphic Novels, Intermediate

Everyone has their purpose. What’s Hippopotamister’s?

Posted on March 22, 2016August 24, 2019 by Rosemary Kiladitis

Hippopotamister, by John Patrick Green (May 2016, First Second), $17.99, ISBN: 9781626722002

Recommended for ages 6-10

Things haven’t been exactly bustling at the zoo. The habitats and the animals need maintenance, the zoo is a little dingy, and no one is really breaking down the rusty gates to get in and see the zoo. Red Panda takes off to see the world, and tells great stories of life on the outside. One day, Hippopotamister decides he’s going to join Red Panda; the two friends set out to find their fortunes. The only problem? They can’t seem to hold a job for long! When the two friends return to the zoo to visit the other animals, Hippopotamister discovers the perfect job for him.

This is a great story about finding your own groove. Hippopotamister is a nice guy who is actually really good at almost everything he sets out to do; Red Panda is a free spirit who wants to does his own thing, his way, but most of the time, his own thing is kind of a mess. Still, Hippo sticks by his buddy, wandering off with him to the next adventure. Once they return to the zoo to visit, though, Hippo sees that all of his adventures have really been training him to take on the job that’s perfect for him: running the zoo.

Hippopotamister is a good friend, always ready with an encouraging word, and a positive outlook: when one job falls through, he’s ready to go find another. He’s flexible, willing to try different jobs and industries, and he’s a smart cookie: he recognizes things he can fix, once he returns to the zoo, and embraces his calling. There are good morals for kids here, the main one being, everyone has their purpose. Sometimes, you need to wait until you discover yours.

This is a great independent read for readers who are ready to take on a little more of a challenge, but it’s a great storytime snuggler, too. My 3 year-old loved it, and was easily able to work out the humor in the story by using the cues in the pictures (patient wrapped in dental floss at the dentist, the bone house vs. the dinosaur skeleton in the museum). I love comics for young learners because it’s a great way to work out sequences and cause and effect, and Hippopotamister is a great book to use for this kind of discussion.

Take a look at some of Hippopotamister below, and make sure to get yourself a copy! Great for young reader graphic novel collections.

Animal Fiction, Fantasy, Fiction, Fiction, Graphic Novels, Intermediate, Middle Grade

Tristan Hunt graphic novel teaser!

Posted on March 8, 2016March 7, 2016 by Rosemary Kiladitis

Tristan Hunt fans! As if you weren’t already excited for the next chapter in the Tristan Hunt and the Sea Guardians series, here’s one more thing to look forward to: The Shark Whisperer graphic novel teaser included in Stingray City!

Illustrated by Molly Murakami, The Shark Whisperer is going graphic – just like the Percy Jackson graphic novels, which bring exciting life to the unputdownable books – and you can find the first chapter on www.teamtristan.com RIGHT NOW. Come May, you’ll find Tristan and his first encounter with the shark tank, lovingly tucked into your copy of Stingray City. Will we get an online comic, or a full graphic novel version of the series? We can hope, right?

In the meantime, take a look at the Shark Whisperer excerpt I’ve got here, or point your browser to www.teamtristan.com and follow Mighty Media on Pinterest for teacher and librarian resources.