Graphic Novel Friday : "The Runaways-dead end kids"

This is so late but today was very busy at work. We have grades due, comments to right, helping students finish projects and prep for finals, plus, I had to substitute and did not have that much time to sit in front of my computer.

I ordered a number of graphic novels for the library that have been on a number of YALSA, Booklist, and Publisher Weekly lists and this was one of them. Plus, I heard from my friend, RAPatton, that this was a good series. So, this Friday's graphic novel pick is The Runaways: Dead End Kids by Joss Whedon, Michael Ryan and Christina Strain. Published by Marvel. ISBN: 978-0-7851-2853-3.

In this comic, the kids have made a deal with one of the most evil villains in New York City, a deal that they will regret. In order to escape, the end up jumping back in time, to a time where unions were beginning to form, where kids still worked in factories and married, and where there were other "Wonders." The runaways have also traveled to a time where different factions of those wonders are close to war. Though these other groups are trying to manipulate them for each groups purpose, the runaways stay true to the family. The story moves quickly and is filled with really amazing images that you would expect from Marvel. The different styles that separate each chapter compliment each other well though they are strikingly different. The pages devoted to each chapter are softer and less stylized than the main sections of each chapter which adds to the transitions in the story.

I was not disappointed by this series. All the recommendations were worth it. I would say that this is not for children but appropriate for middle and high school. I am happy that it is now part of our collection. Even if we don't own every part of this series, at least students who like graphic novels will be able to read it and have an introduction to this series.

Book Drops: "The Knife of Never Letting Go" by Patrick Ness (rated 4 stars)

The Knife of Never Letting Go: Chaos Walking: Book One

by Patrick Ness

Book 1 of the Chaos Walking series by Patrick Ness is an incredible space adventure. A couple of things I associated with it while reading – the Firefly series (hello, Nathan Fillion) because of the space cowboys feel and the Disney movie, “Up”, because the dog “talks” and in one seen, a giant bird, like Kevin, briefly makes an appearance.
Todd Hewitt, is turning 13. He’s finally going to be a man. In Prentisstown, 13 is the year boys transition to manhood. The thing is, Todd, is the last boy in Prentisstown. There are no women. The other thing about Prentisstown is that you can hear everyone’s thoughts, or noise, including the animals. For the past couple of months, Todd, has pretty much been alone, well, he does have a dog, Manchee, who he never wanted. Men do not talk to boys in Prentisstown. Why that is Todd does not know. He just accepts it because that is how it has always been.
One day Todd is wandering around the swamps, the only place a person can get away from the noise, when he stumbles upon a weird patch of silence. Silence does not exist…or does it? This “silence” will lead to the destruction of all that Todd knows about Prentisstown and the New World.
This book moves very quickly. It also brings up questions of what would happen if you could not block out all the information that is constantly floating out at you, or how do you keep a hold of your own identity, and also how far would you go to protect your self? There is a lot of violence (against women, boys, animals and aliens) so I would say this is for middle school and high school. Also, the only drawback is that this is NOT a stand alone book. You will have to read Book 2 to find out what happens next – The Ask and the Answer will be out in Sept. 2009.

See more about The Knife of Never Letting Go: Chaos Walking: Book One

Book Drops: "Alligator Bayou" by Donna Jo Napoli (YA) (rated 5 stars)

Alligator Bayou

by Donna Jo Napoli

Calogero is running. Running to get help. Running to get away. His uncle, Giuseppe, just shot Dr. Hodge, who was beating his Uncle Carlo with a pistol. This is bad. This is the worse thing that can happen. Uncle Francesco told them all to not cause trouble because of what happened in New Orleans. But how long can someone sit and take the hate, take the ignorance, take the lies? Calogero runs and runs.

The story of the Italian immigrant experience in the south is not something I have been exposed to. The things we usually read about are the Italian immigrants who settled in New York. We watch movies like the Godfather and television shows like the Sopranos but do we ever learn about the ones who settled in the South? Do we learn about the Sicilians who were farmers and not part of the mafia? Not really. Here is a fictional story about the Sicilian experience in the South, specifically Tallulah, Louisiana. Based on real life events, Donna Jo Napoli creates a believable novel about the bigotry, alienation, friendships, and lives of 6 of those immigrants.

The whites tolerate their presence until they start losing money, the blacks are wary but eventually open up their homes to them, and they are away from most of the other Sicilians in the area. Calogero and his family do not understand why they cannot serve the blacks and do not understand the animosity of the whites. They are just trying to live their lives but it seems that in 1899, confrontations could not be avoided when a group hates your people so much and believes you are lower than a dog.

“Alligator Bayou” is a very powerful novel. It introduced a story that we rarely hear about and lets us not forget that ignorance, prejudice and bigotry can lead to violent ends.

If you are interested in more about the Italians in the Southern states, Napoli has a good afterword that has some links to articles she read and other information about resources she used.

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Book Drops: "The Rock and The River" by Kekla Magoon (YA) (rated 5 stars)

The Rock and the River

by Kekla Magoon

This book deserves awards and I hope it wins for YALSA’s “Best Books for Young Adults” this year or next year. Actually, I hope it wins most of the awards out there for teen/ya books. Yes, it is THAT good!

“You can’t be the rock and the river” Stick says to Sam. Sam Childs is a son of Civil Rights leader, Roland Child, and younger brother, to Stick, who at 17 decides to join the emerging Black Panther party in Chicago, Illinois. Roland Childs represents the “old way” of thinking (pacifism) and protesting for civil rights, while Stick is the new way. Sam is caught in-between wanting to be both “the rock and the river.”

The novel starts off with Sam at another rally. You can feel his apathy. He is young, he has always gone to these things but does he really understand why? At one point, Sam thinks, “I was tired of marking, of protesting. Of leaning my back against a wall and expecting the wall to move. I wanted to rest.” He knows it is important but as you go along further in the story, you can see that he does not fully grasp the importance of what his father is doing and later, what his older brother is doing.

Kekla Magoon vivid writing brings out the tension between a son struggling to find his own way in a time of intense transition at home and the world at large. She does not sugar-coat anything and there is some graphic violence. It is very powerful and ties how both movements goals were the same but the approaches were different and how a kid can figure out the right thing to do and come to his own no matter how angry, frustrated, sad and torn he feels.

This is for middle schoolers and high schoolers. You could use it in a history class. Also use it with Christopher Paul Curtis’ “The Watsons Go to Burmingham.” I cannot rave enough about this book. Excellent. Fantastic. Worthy of any school and public library collection. I seriously better see some of those award stickers on this book!

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Book Drops: "after the moment" by Garrett Freymann-Weyr (YA) (rated 3 stars)

After the Moment

by Garret Freymann-Weyr

Leigh Hunter was in love. Love that was so intense all he wanted to do was take care of the girl, Maia Morland. It has been 4 years since he last saw her and now there she is at a cocktail party standing before him.

The novel goes through recollections of those months he fell in love with Maia and how it ends to 4 years later at the cocktail party. Maia is strange. She is not conventionally pretty but something about her pulls Leigh to her. He wants to protect her. He wants to fix her.

However, in fixing her, he ends up destroying her and what they had. Sad, intense and at times graphic, this shows how doing things for love can sometimes break things.

I think, if you like Laurie Halse Anderson, you might like this. It is definitely milder than Speak or Wintergirls.

More on Garret Freymann-Weyr here

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Book Drops: "Simon Bloom: the Octopus Effect" by Michael Reisman (Children's/YA) (rated 4 stars)

Simon Bloom: The Octopus Effect

by Michael Reisman

This is Book 2 of the Simon Bloom series by Michael Reisman. I have not read the second but it is good as a stand-alone from the series. Reisman places a list of characters at the beginning as well as a glossary at the end to help keep new readers up to speed with what happened in the first book.

Simon Bloom, is a twelve year old kid, who has to save the world! Again! from the evil Sirabetta (aka Sara Beth). Along with his friends, Alysha and Owen, Simon must stop Sirabetta, who has some how regained her powers, which are activated by tattoos of various scientific formulas that cover her body. Along the way, Simon, Alysha, and Owen meet more people from the various scientific orders that were formed to help keep science moving forward. Some of these people are friends and of course, some of them are foes.

I love how this book is filled with science references, covering things from physics, biology and chemistry. There is also a little history spread in and as a kid reading it, there are lots of different things to learn, like the scientific name of saber-toothed tigers and characteristics and habits of octopi.

It is interesting how individuals are given their powers from “super” books, like the Book of Physics, which Simon becomes the Keeper of or the Book of Biology. The Books are linked to the universe and can transfer powers to the individual in charge of them. Some of the great fun of this book, is the scenes when people try out their new powers. For example, on pg. 167, Simon is given some traits of the octopus and his transformation is pretty gross. He has the flexibility trait and can stretch and shrink his arms and body. The way Reisman describes it is pretty nasty but I’m sure a boy and even girl reading it would find it hilarious and fascinating. Who doesn’t want powers?!? Even if they are weird and gross.

The fight scenes (yes, multiple! the kids and their friends get attacked by giant mammoths at one point) are really fun to read and you can feel the tension between the characters. There are really funny moments as well that had me laughing out loud. Fun read especially for those kids who love science.

Definitely good for 5th – 8th grades depending on the level of the reader. Good stuff!

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Book Drops: "Living Dead Girl" by Elizabeth Scott (YA) (rated 5 stars)

Living Dead Girl

by Elizabeth Scott

If you like “Speak” by Laurie Halse Anderson or “Lovely Bones” by Alice Sebold, you will probably like (though I am not sure “like” is the proper word) “Living Dead Girl” by Elizabeth Scott.

This book is written mainly as “Alice’s” thoughts. She has just turned 15 and is no longer looking like a “little girl,” which is what her kidnapper, Ray, craves and needs. It is really uncomfortable to read but you cannot put it down. She blocks him out when he touches her and disappears into her mind when he beats her. She replays the moments when she was kidnapped and how he keeps her as “his little girl.”
She lives in an apartment and is invisible. Or she feels invisible. No one knows and no one cares or questions why she is not in school. She wants to escape. But in order to escape, she would need to find a new “Alice.” Can she do that? She is empty and doesn’t care. She wants to be free. She really just wants to die. For the 5 years to end. 5 years of raping, abuse and death threats…

This book is 170 pages of uncomfortable intense moments. It is not for a young reader but for a mature middle schooler and high schooler. Though, it could be used as a discussion point with a younger reader (6th grade maybe 5th if they are mature). It covers issues of abuse and safety and survival. But it is disturbing so if you do have it in your collection and see a younger reader checking it out, I would warn them.

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YA Book Review: "How To Ruin A Summer Vacation" by Simone Elkeles

Amy is on a plane with a man she barely knows. Well, she doesn't barely know him, he IS her biological father. But all of sudden, after years of barely being there, she has to go to Israel with him. Israel to meet a grandmother she never knew she had and family she's never met. Plus, the only thing she knows about Israel is what's on the news and that's that Israel is a war zone. A WAR ZONE! Her absent father is taking her to get killed!

Amy doesn't know what to expect and all she can think of is the worst case scenario.

How To Ruin A Summer Vacation is a humourous coming-of-age story about a teenage girl who comes to terms with her father, her Jewish heritage and her ignorance of her own heritage. Amy is annoying in the beginning but in the end she does grow up.

This book wasn't on All Consuming but if I had to rate it, I would give it 3 stars. Definitely good to have at the beach.

YA Review: "Graceling" by Kristin Cashore (rated 5 stars)

Graceling

by Kristin Cashore

Kasta is a killer. At 8 years old, she started training with the king’s guards. At 8 years old, she killed a cousin with one strike.

For years, Katsa has done the bidding of her king, maiming or killing those who crossed him. But now in her teens, she no longer blindly executes orders. She questions their validity and has begun going out on her own to right those that have been wronged. She is graced, born with two different colored eyes that mark her as someone with a gift. Her gift is killing, or is it?

After years of working for the King Randa, Katsa finally draws enough courage to leave the kingdom and those she loves. She sets out to help another graceling find the truth behind an unexplained kidnapping. Along the way, she finds out more about herself and what she is capable of.

It is a great, fast-paced story. It is good for boys and girls. It is a romance but that does not take away from the intense fight scenes and the suspense of figuring out why the kidnapping happened. It is great for a summer read and you will not want to put it down.

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YA Review: "Speak" by Laurie Halse Anderson (rated 5 stars)

Speak

by Lauriel Halse Anderson

It is the 10 year anniversary of the publication of “Speak” by Laurie Halse Anderson. It is a National Book Award Finalist and was awarded the Printz Award for Excellence in 1999. This book deserves the praise and recognition it received. A television movie was aired on Showtime and Lifetime in 2005 and stars Kristen Stewart, of Twilight.

This intense novel deals with the issue of rape. Melinda Sordino is an outcast. The only thing that her ex-friends and others know about that night is the Melinda called the cops. As she climbs into the bus that first day of school, no one talks to her. No one sits with her. Someone throws a Ho-hos wrapper at her head. As the year goes on, Melinda gets tormented, she becomes more of a loner, her grades drops and she ditches school. She loses her voice. She stops caring.

Anderson does an amazing job of portraying Melinda and the tension and torture she feels after her ordeal. It is a year long journey in which Melinda finds her voice, finds her strengthand power.

It is a fitting read given the media attention to Rihanna and Chris Brown, though that is about domestic abuse. It will make you uncomfortable but maybe it will help someone find their voice if this is happening to them.

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YA Review: "How Not To Be Popular" by Jennifer Ziegler (rated 3 stars)

How Not to Be Popular

by Jennifer Ziegler

Sugar Magnolia Dempsey, aka Maggie, has hippie nomadic parents. She just started settling into life in Portland, Oregon. She has a best friend but better still, she has a boyfriend, Trevor. Now they have to move…AGAIN! And this time, they’re going to Austin, Texas.
This time, there’s more heartache because she is in love. How can they move when she’s finally found someone? Parents can be so clueless!
Maggie vows to not make friends, not be social and become complete nobody to protect herself from the pain of moving and losing friends. She vows to be unpopular. However, that plan fails. In her attempt to be unpopular, Maggie draws more attention to herself and ends up getting more than she bargained for.
This a a great summer read for a middle school and even a high school girl. It’s funny and times and Ziegler starts each chapter with a “rule” or “observation” about the unpopular. It’s a very quick read and is pretty predictable but if you want something light and feel good this is one to pick up. There is a nice twist at the end that made it much better but still it’s a pretty predictable romantic comedy read.

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YA Review: "Mystic & Rider" by Sharon Shinn

Mystic and Rider (Ace Fantasy Book)

by Sharon Shinn

Mystics are being murdered. There is a strange tension that is building up as Senneth and her companions are traveling south in the country of Gillengaria. Some thing dreadful is happening in this country that is broken up into Twelve Houses, which are ruled by King Baryn, who lives in Ghosenhall. King Baryn has sent Senneth, a mystic on a mission to find out what is happening in this vast kingdom.

Mystics and Riders are different groups. Mystics have powers, for example, Senneth can control fire. Riders are the most elite group of warriors, who serve and are loyal only to the king. Senneth’s diverse group is made up of 2 Riders, one born to it and one introduced to it after being found on the streets surviving, and 4 mystics, one who just discovered his power, one who controls fire and 2 who can shape shift.

As they journey south, they encounter friends but more foes. The people’s views on mystics is changing. They see them as evil and some begin to feel that they need to be destroyed. Why is this happening? Who is fostering and proselytizing the destruction of this specific group of people? However, the mistrust and suspicious is not only outside the group but it is also amongst the companions even though they share the same mission.

Will the in-fighting stop amongst the companions long enough for them to discover the menace that is rising in Gillengaria? Will they make it back alive to the king to report on what they discover?

“Mystic and Rider” is book 1 of the Twelve Houses fantasy series by Sharon Shinn. It is filled with wonderful imagery of a land filled with strange people and strange creatures. Full of adventure and intrigue, as well as a bit of romance, “Mystic and Rider” will leave you wanting to know more about Gillengaria and its people.

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Book Bistro Pick - "The Neddiad" by Daniel Pinkwater

This month's Book Bistro pick was Daniel Pinkwater's The Neddiad published by Houghton Mifflin, April 2007. I wrote a review about it on Shelfari so I am just going to write about the book club meeting.

This is my second year being one of the coordinators of the school book club and I am still having trouble drawing a good crowd. A lot of our students read tons of fiction but they do not seem to be to interested in discussing it within the book club setting.

I still am not quite sure how to draw them into the meetings but activities seem to be working. For the "Dangerous Book for Boys" and the "Daring Book for Girls," we had a paper airplane contest. We talked about the books but the students really enjoyed competing against each other. For today's meeting, I thought that carving turtles out of soap would be fun way to talk about the book, which references the creation story about how a turtle carried the Earth on it's back. I am butchering it with that description but it is a great story.

The students had a great time carving but most did not really like the book. They were a little put off by Pinkwater's "random" writing style. A couple liked it because it was quirky and they also loved the references to early Los Angeles. I know, that the reference to the Brown Derby peaked my interest and I looked it up. Unfortunately, it no longer exists except for the top of the hat is on a building that now looks like a strip mall.

For our next Book Bistro pick, we will be reading Brian Selznik's "The Invention of Hugo Cabret." I cannot wait! I love that my MIAS studies are not going to waste because this book does focus on film. YAY!

YA Review: Cecil Castellucci's "The Plain Janes" (rated 4 stars)

The Plain Janes

by Cecil Castellucci

“There was a pop and then nothing,” Jane states on the first page of this graphic novel. The next panel is black with the text “I didn’t know what was happening.”

Cecil Castellucci’s “The Plain Janes” follows Jane after she has moved to the suburban town of Kent Waters. Before she leaves Metro City, she cuts off her hair and dyes it black. She changes her outward appearance to reflect the changes in her after that day – the day of the bomb explosion.

Jane is a reluctant loner. She wants friends but not the kinds of friends she had before. She is drawn to the nerds, benchwarmers, theater kids and the outsiders. In this short graphic novel, the reader follows Jane as she copes with what happened in the city, her relationship with “John Doe”, her move to the suburbs and the fear the engulfs her family through art and humour and a little help from her new friends, who all happen to be named “Jane.”

Fast-paced, humourous, inspiring, empowering – this is definitely a great book to give to that girl or boy who just fits a little bit outside the “norm.” It is a great g.n. and highly recommended.

See more about The Plain Janes

Links to:
Cecil Castellucci's Webpage
Cecil's Crush Library blog
Jim Rugg, illustrator