It was all about graphic novels last week
as I managed to finish reading the Cybil's finalists in the graphic novel
category. Whew! Deciding on a winner is going to be
challenging because they are all fabulous in different ways!
I managed to find a bit of time to do some
knitting, but it was pretty much a read and work week. I made sure to carve
out time so I could go singing. My choir doesn't perform. We
just get together and sing for the joy of making music together.
Clicking on the titles of the books will take you to Goodreads where you can add it to your list.
Clicking on the titles of the books will take you to Goodreads where you can add it to your list.
BLOG POSTS LAST WEEK
PICTURE BOOKS
Much thanks to TL extraordinaire, Miranda Hounsell for introducing me to the first two books here.
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| 5 stars |
This beautifully illustrated book tells
the story of a young refugee. It's perfect for primary students because it
reveals the main ideas of what she has been through without details that would
make it too disturbing. It's a book for fostering empathy for refugee
students in classrooms.
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| 4 stars |
Oh this book is just delightful! One day
while Z, a little robot, is out adventuring it finds a note in a bottle. The
writing is blurred but it is signed, Love, Beatrice. Love does not compute to Z
or the robots who look after him. The next day Z sets off to find the meaning
of love. If you are looking for a feel good book that shows all the ways people
and robots show their love, look no further.
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| 5 stars |
This book just gobsmacked me. Poor cranky
Little Brown. To be honest, the ending shocked me. I don't know why I expected
anything else from the author of The Farmer and the Clown. The first time I
read it, I was alone. I had to go back for another read to make sure I hadn't
missed anything.
Then I read it to a group of grade 1's and
2's.
They responded with, "Wait! Huh?
That's not the ending? How could that be?"
The skits that followed presented
brilliantly simple solutions for what to do tomorrow.
Got a big problem? Ask a kid what to do.
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| 4 stars |
This delightful book has brightly coloured
pictures that compare growing friends to growing flowers. There is minimal text
on the page which makes it ideal for younger readers. The primary aged group I
was with this week were easily able to make the connections between the two
ideas. Sara Gillingham is a Canadian author.
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| 4 stars |
Through the perspective of a young girl,
Okpik, we become acquainted with a northern community learning about the ways of the white
people. Even though the pages are text heavy, young readers will connect with
Okpik who has a puppy she is trying to come up with a name for.
I started reading this to a group of grade
1's and 2's without having read it first. Don't do that. It uses Inuit
vocabulary that you will want to rehearse. I showed the students the glossary
of words at the end of the book and we tried to sound them out and learn them
together, but it definitely interrupted the flow of the story.
Susan Aglukark is an Inuk Canadian. (She
is also an amazing musician.) Danny Christopher and Amanda Sandland are also
Canadian.
GRAPHIC
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| 4 stars |
There is some drop dead gorgeous art in
this graphic novel. The landscape and nature scenes are truly spectacular. I
like the characters except that where the backgrounds are realistic, the people
have a cartoon look to them that makes them look our of place in that context.
Melanie Gillman is trying to get across a lot in this graphic novel. Charlie, a
young black girl is attending an otherwise all white summer camp. She
experiences all kinds of microagressions from the leadership and other campers.
The feminism espoused by the group leadership is definitely privileged. It all
felt a bit too preachy to me, but I could have lived with it because the
friendship that grows between Charlie and Sydney, a transgendered girl, is
delightful. However, I really hated that ending, which wasn't really an ending
at all. The story just stopped without any resolution of any kind.
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| 5 stars |
I realio trulio love this book so much!
Lupe's quinceañera is special in more ways
than she anticipated. Not only is it her coming of age into womanhood, it's the
day her superpowers manifest. Luckily, her abuela, who's been through it all
herself, is there to mentor and guide her. It's a wild and wonderful year for
Lupe as she saves her community over and over and experiences fan adoration.
It's also hard work and stressful! It isn't easy living two separate
lives. When her grades start slipping she has to work with a tutor. Still,
everything is fine until it is discovered that there is another teen
at her high school with superpowers, and he's full of evil.
While there is some romance in this book,
it's nothing that would keep me from handing it off to a ten year old to read.
In fact, Lupe is the ideal role model. She's strong, independent, compassionate
and kind. Sebastian Kadlecik wanted to create a comic book with a superhero
his Latino nieces would want to emulate, and who would be a mirror for them to
see themselves and their families in. Not only have the creators accomplished it,
they have created a superhero for all girls (and even boys) to look up to.
Even if the ending almost made me cry,
this book still makes me happy!
I appreciated the diverse cast of
characters at the school Lupe attends. I love Lupe's Latino family, but most
especially her abuela! Their relationship is a highlight of the book for me. I
especially love that this book makes pink a power colour!
I had problems with some text being too
small to read but because I was reading it on my iPad, I could enlarge it. I'm
not sure if that is a problem with me or the book though, since I have trouble
with text in graphic novels on a regular basis.
Check out this video interview with the creators.
Check out this video interview with the creators.
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| 4 stars |
I loved meeting Mr Wolf's students
in their beds the night before school starts. Not only do we get to know them
all a bit, we see that each of them is a unique individual. What makes the book is this collection of diverse animals coming together in this classroom. I
know many students will love the fart/icecream joking around. When a student
goes missing though, usually there is a whole lot more hullabaloo than in this
story. However, students will probably find it hilarious that Penny fell asleep in a
box in the library.
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| 4 stars |
In this semi-autobiographical novel Vera
tells the story of life at a summer camp in America that celebrates and fosters
Russian culture. It isn't easy. She struggled with fitting in at her school and
then again while she was at camp. There are hilarious scenes where the boys and
girls try to steal each other's flags. The outhouse also provides comic
moments. In spite of the hilarity, there are lonely, painful and embarrassing
components as well. I loved the scenes where Vera found a friend and accepts
who she is. The artwork is charming!
In the afterward Vera Brosgol explains
that the story is a compilation of friends and family members experiences of
camp. To this she added a dose of creativity to make the narrative more
exciting.
I enjoyed this as much, if not more, this second time.
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| 4 stars |
This fictional graphic novel follows a
family of four as they are forced to leave their home in Aleppo and travel to
Lebanon. There they live as refugees before finally making it to Canada.
Although the characters themselves are fictional, they represent the very real
experiences of ordinary Syrians.
This important book will educate readers
about what it means to be a refugee. This is my second time reading this. It is
worth the reread.
Samya Kullab is a Canadian Journalist.
NONFICTION GRAPHIC
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| 5 + stars |
What a story!
I connected deeply to this book.
Jarett's mother reminded me of my sister, who had addiction and mental health
issues but nonetheless, loved her children with everything she had. The other
character who jumped out at me was the grandmother. Although she often comes
across as a cantankerous old crone, she too has moments of tenderness.
Ultimately the thing about all the characters in this book is that I can't help
but feel like I know all them. How can our hearts not ache for the little boy
who didn't understand what was happening with his mother? My heart ached for
his mother too. The research tells us that there is a correlation between early
childhood trauma and drug addiction. I am deeply moved by how this book is full
of love for all of the characters, including himself.
The art is brilliant. I won't say it's
beautiful, although there are some parts that are. What it is, is powerful and
profound. It feels like a journey into memory.
I appreciated the note in the back matter
where Krosoczka talks about what happened after this book.
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| 5 stars |
I had to work hard to find a copy of this
book, but it was worth all the effort!
If you, or someone you know is into
horses, get this book. It's based on the true story of the author's cousin,
Gail Ruffu, who lost everything to save the life of a horse she was part owner
of. Gail Ruffu is an inspirational role model. What you learn about horse
racing in America is appalling. "In American horse racing, twenty-four
racehorses (on average) die every week on racetracks." This doesn't
include the thousands who are sent to slaughterhouses to be killed because of
injuries caused by reckless trainers and breeders.
At first I had mixed feelings about the
black and white art, but within a few pages, I was lost in the story.
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| 4 stars |
This book troubles me, but as I go through
my criteria for a quality graphic novel, I find myself giving it top marks for
almost all aspects. Everything related to the art is stunning. The use of
Anne's own words fills it with authenticity. The more I wonder what it is about
this book that doesn't work for me, the more I wonder if it's me. It has been a
long time since I read the original novel, but the story and ending is well
known. Perhaps I'm just anxious because the creators have done their job so well
that I am deeply invested in this young girl, and know what is in store for
her. That might be it. I also think that partly what troubles me has to do with
the large junks of written text interspersed in the graphic novel. When a GN
works, my brain combines the image and text so they seamlessly roll out the
story. These larger chunks interupt this flow. All that aside, I do think this
is an invaluable addition to school libraries as It will enable more readers to
become acquainted with Anne's story, one that seems more and more relevant
given the existing political climate.
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| 4 stars |
This graphic novel continues the story of
Echo, a young Métis girl living in a foster home. She travels back and forth in
time to the time of Louis Riel and the Metis Red river Rebellion. It brings a dark
part of Canadian history to life. The reality is that the Canadian
government has never dealt fairly with indigenous peoples and reading this
novel makes it all very clear. This is created by a Canadian Indigenous team.
NOVELS
CURRENTLY
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| 5 stars |
Louise Wolfe, (Lou) a suburban Muscogee (Creek) girl, is in her last year of high school. She's a journalist on the school newspaper and getting into a serious romantic relationship. A dark underbelly of the school and community is revealed when diverse students get starring roles in the school production of The Wizard of Oz. Lou's brother, Hughie, gets the part of the Tin Man. A group calling themselves Parents Against Revisionist Theater (PART) get their knickers in a knot and cause all kinds of grief. Lou's family along with the other actors' families receive nasty notes and other people in their community are threatened with losing their livelihoods if their children continue writing for the paper. Their journalism teacher is suspended.
Until I read this book I had no idea that Frank Baum was racist, never mind vociferously so. I appreciated the dilemma It put Hughie in when he discovered this.
There is so much to love about this book. I loved the positive extended family relationships. I loved that Lou became more reflective as she realizes her mistakes and tries to fix them. Hearts Unbroken is the kind of solid, coming of age YA novel I adore.
I'm still listening to Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind by Yuval Noah Harari. I need to finish it soon since my book club meeting is next week. I am rereading On A Sunbeam by Tillie Walden since I've finished up the rest of the Cybil finalists and want to make sure my initial response stands up compared to all the rest of them. I have just begun reading First and Then by Emma Mills.
UP NEXT
I will be trying to deal with all the books I've put aside while I finishing the graphic novels.
PROGRESS ON MY READING GOALS
#MustReadIn2018 3/25
#MustReadNFIn2018 2/12 1 in progress
25 Books by Canadian Indigenous Authors 2/25
25 books by Canadian Authors 10/25
Goodreads Reading Challenge 38/333
