Tina's Mouth: An Existential comic Diary by Keshni Kashyap

This week, in a further attempt to catch up my TBR, I read Tin’as Mouth: An Existential Comic Diary.  I loved it.  I simply loved it.  This was the first time in a long time that I have read a whole book, even a comic, in a day.  It was hard to put down, even when I planned on putting it down.

Tina is a fifteen year old at Yarborough Academy.  For her English Honors class final project, she is keeping an existentialist diary which she chooses to write to Sartre.  The idea is that she will explore philosophical questions and her life and her teacher will mail the diary back to her in three years.  Tina sets to work thinking about who she is and learning how to be.

But, like any fifteen year old, she is going to face a lot of changes in the coming year.  It all starts when her best friend Alex, an ex-Mormon whose parents recently divorced, starts wearing tight clothes, gets a boyfriend, and dumps Tina for a whole new group of friends.  Tina suddenly finds herself pretty much completely alone at school.  She begins spending time on her “bench of existential solitude” but before long she finds herself branching out and filling up her life.

Friend fights.  Loneliness.  Family drama.  First love.  School plays.  Tina is about to learn that she is a lot more than she previously thought.

As I said, I loved this book.  I loved it enough that I wrote down a few quotes from it just to keep in mind.  Tina’s feelings were very accurate to my own past experiences and I felt them achingly along with her.

Blankets by Craig Thompson

I was surprised to see that this book came out in 2003.  The way Thomson talks about his teenage years, which I placed vaguely in the early 1990's, made it feel more distant at the time of writing.  You know, I am one of those people who forgets that I graduated 16 years ago so I guess that's not really surprising.

This book, well, it was a bit of an emotional rollercoaster for me.

Thompson tells the story of his coming of age.  I can't think of any better way to describe it.  He tells stories throughout that are memories of his childhood, when he shared a bed with his little brother.  Craig says that he was not a very good older brother, that he was sometimes mean to his brother and that he didn't protect him.  He touches on the inappropriate conduct of a babysitter, a trap that he let his brother fall into and that sent him headlong into religion and the striving for heaven.

Craig takes religion seriously, seriously enough that his pastor asks if he has considered going into the ministry.  Craig hasn't really considered anything about his future.  Then he meets Raina at winter church camp and he is instantly smitten.  When he goes to stay with Raina and her family in Michigan for two weeks in the winter, he begins to see that he may have missed out on some of life.

This book touched on a lot of sensitive and emotional subjects: religion, abuse, first lover, doubt.  However, I felt like all of these things were handled very well.  I can promise that I was invested in this story after my initial doubt that it was for me.  Craig's experience of first love and his realization that he may not have been invested enough in the real world felt like legitimate experiences to me.  They felt real.

This was a touching tale but one which I can see not fitting for everyone. -RYQ

Archie, vol 4 by Mark Waid

It is no secret that I am in love with the new Archie, sometimes called "hot Archie."  When the newest in the series lands on my desk, I have been known to squeal and hug it.  This updated comic has branched out into other things, too.  I love CW's Riverdale, though I am watching on Netflix so don't ruin the second season for me!  The revamp of The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina is also pretty great.  I even saw an Archie Diegest the other day that was a special Riverdale edition that I did not buy and have been beating myself up about ever since.

This new volume is more serious than the last and it was a roller coaster ride for me.

Now that Veronica has returned to Riverdale, her relationship with Archie is strained.  Veronica has matured slightly, at least on the surface, and she's starting to talk like the future heir of her father's billions while Archie is the same old Archie.  Things already shaky between them, Archie is worried about Veronica finding out that he could be cut from the football team so when Reggie threatens to tell her if Archie doesn't drag race him in Betty and his newly restored 1969 Mustang Mach 1 Cobra, Archie feels trapped.  He takes off in the car without telling Betty where he is going but when she finds out there are dire consequences.

Even though this was a much more serious run than the previous volumes, it was still loads of fun.  Plus, cliffhanger!  I can't wait to see what happens next.  (Also, so much fun to read the car stuff out loud to my husband. Ha ha.)

A-Force: Rage Against the Dying Light by Kelly Thompson

I read the first A-Force trade and liked it a lot more than I expected.  When I finished reading, I noticed that it was by G. Willow Wilson and I really liked her Ms. Marvel so I felt less surprised and also very excited to start the second trade.  Then I checked it out and I realized another reason that I get so ticked off about comics.  New writers.  New artists.  I know Kelly Thompson from her work on Jem, the first trade of which I really liked.  I decided to give it a try.

I liked it.  I did.  Again.

Which has left me in a kind of conundrum.  Am I going to have to admit that maybe I DO like superhero comics, if they are the right ones?  Am I going to have to trust Marvel's choice in writers and artists?  (I don't think I can do that because we all know they have a tendency to do stupid stuff constantly.  Though I do like that both writers for this series were women.)  And, you know, is there ever going to be more A-Force because I kind of need it?

We join the team this time in the midst of a battle that is going poorly.  It goes poorly enough that She Hulk ends up in the hospital, in a coma.  Meanwhile, Captain Marvel has heard a prophecy that Nico will kill a woman named Alice.  Cap wants to arrest Nico in order to prevent this murder until they can figure out what is going on.  Nico is not a fan of being arrested by her teammate and runs away (ha) to a safe house she has in Colorado.  However, when she gets there she finds that the townspeople are being turned into giant insects.

Another fun run!  I want more, Marvel. -RYQ

Phoebe and Her Unicorn by Dana Simpson

I just finished reading the fourth installment in this series and it is so wonderful that I wanted to give you all a little overview.

Phoebe is a normal girl who one day sees a unicorn transfixed by her own reflection in a lake.  The unicorn, Marigold Heavenly Nostrils, grants Phoebe one wish and after the customary wish for infinite wishes, Phoebe wishes for the unicorn to be her best friend.  At first, Marigold seems too selfish and vain to be much of a friend but eventually she grows attached to Phoebe too.

Then there are all of the great side characters.  There's Dakota, the popular mean girl who always picks on Phoebe and somehow ends up with sentient hair.  There are goblins, who want Dakota's magical sentient hair.  There is a candy dragon named Todd.  Phoebe has a guy friend named Max who is kind of a nerd.  There is even a lake monster named Ringo.

These comic strips are funny enough to make me giggle out loud like a weirdo.  Plus, who doesn't love unicorns?  Look for the books in our youth department.

Chilling Adventures of Sabrina

I've really been enjoying the revival of Archie Comics.  I absolutely adore the new Archie.  I can't wait for CW's twisted take on Riverdale, which has been described as "dark" and "noir."  I tried Afterlife with Archie, which fell flat because I'm not a big fan of zombies.  When I heard about the new Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, I could not wait.  Witches are totally one of my things and this was hyped as playing back to old school horror.

The hype was exactly right.  Warning, this is a comic more suited to older teens.  There is blood and witchcraft and horror.  It's not the sunny Sabrina that I grew up with.  It is aimed at a specific kind of horror fan but definitely at a horror fan.

That being said, I ended up really enjoying this one after a slow start.  It takes place in the 1960's and really does pull from those classic horror movies.  The first issue, learning about Sabina's birth, could be Rosemary's Baby.  It hit so many of the horror tropes: teen witches, succubi, funeral homes, raising the dead, and insane asylums.  It also used the history of New England and the Salem witch trials in the story line.  Sabrina is part witch and part human and she walks the line between these two worlds.  When she starts human high school, she falls for Harvery, an all-American boy.  Sabrina's cousin offers to help her do a love spell to attract Harvey's attention and for a while everything seems perfect.  But as her sixteenth birthday approaches, little does she know that something is being summoned in the woods that will ride into town on a wave of revenge.

I liked this one but, again, it is only going to work for older teens who like horror. -RYQ

Giant Days by John Allison

This graphic novel has been floating around the library for a couple of months now and I decided to pick it up on a whim the other day.  I'm so glad that I did!  I wasn't expecting much from this comic but it was fun and funny and I loved the characters.  I actually really want to hang out with them...

These comics are about three roommates at college in England.  They manage to be similar enough to get along and different enough to stand out.  Susan, the strong, feminist of the group who runs her own paper zine; Daisy, the innocent one of the group who was home schooled and experiencing most things for the first time; and Esther, the emo girl who seems fated to attract drama wherever she goes.

When we meet the group, we learn that their first weeks together have been eventful.  First they helped Esther fight off the head of a snooty group of private school girls.  Then they helped Esther deal with a painful break up.  After that they saved Esther from some mystical society she accidentally joined.  Susan bets Esther that she can't be drama-free for three whole days.  Of course, that seems to be the key to attracting even more drama.

Soon, Susan is faced with her arch-nemesis, a good-looking guy named McGraw who sports a fantastic mustache.  Daisy is being introduced to the kind of feelings she's not particularly experienced in.  Even Esther attracts a more common kind of drama when she is voted 3rd Hottest Freshman on a misogynistic website.

Giant Days was just a quick, fun little read and I can't wait for the next collection to come out. -RYQ

Jem and the Holograms #2: Viral

I am absolutely loving this graphic novel reboot of the old 1980s cartoon. Jem and the Holograms #2: Viral picks up where Showtime left off. 

Despite being disqualified from the Misfits Vs. competition for starting a food fight with the hosts, the Holograms' popularity is steadily rising. Unfortulately, not all is well with with the ladies of the band. Jerrica is feeling overwhelmed by all the duties that go along with managing (and also fronting) her sisters' band while trying to keep her identity as Jem a secret. This is becoming increasingly difficult with her investigative reporter boyfriend, Rio, poking around for an exclusive story. Kimber is depressed because things have not panned out so well with her starcrossed love interest (and also Misfits member), Stormer. Aja is caught up in a romance with Craig and Shana is (secretly) considering applying for a fashion school internship that will take her far from her sisters (and her band). Tensions are high in Camp Hologram. Seems the sudden fame may be taking its toll...

Meanwhile, at Camp Misfit, things are no better. The band's popularity has plummeted since the Food Fight Incident and they are taking the heat for everything that went down that day (even though it kind of was their fault, indirectly). The ladies are fighting amongst themselves and diva frontwoman, Pizzazz, is not dealing with her anger and frustration in the most constructive way. In attempt to turn the band's failing reputation around, the head of FiveByFive records assigns the ladies a new manager who definitely does not play by the rules (and is pretty much pure evil-at least so far).

Things come to a head when the two bands learn they will be sharing the bill of an upcoming tour. The Misfits crash a Halloween party hosted by the Holograms, hoping to dig up some dirt on their rivals, but end up fighting amongst themselves instead. Pizzazz storms off, Roxy and Jetta bicker about petty things, and Stormer finds Kimber and they have a very adorable make-up (and make-out) session. Meanwhile, Techrat snoops where he doesn't belong and discovers some very disturbing news about Synergy. 

The whole drama cumulates with Pizzazz getting into a car crash and sustaining potentially career-ending injuries to her vocal chords.

Can you say Cliffhanger?!?!?!

OMG!!! How can I wait until the third volume comes out?!?!?!?!?

What I really love about this series, aside from the colors (OMG, the colors! so pretty!!), is the character development. Unlike the old cartoon, where good and evil was very distinct and one-sided, these characters have actual depth. They're like real people. The "good guys" have flaws, make mistakes, get angry, and say/do things they regret. The "bad guys" aren't all bad and, actually, have a lot of heart (they just don't always show it). I especially liked the development of the Misfits in Viral, and look forward to getting to know their characters better in future volumes. In fact, they're quickly becoming my favorite part of the series.

Another great thing is the humor. I loved all the little jokes and quips. And the pop culture references (the Karate Kid bit was one of the best things about this book)!

This series just gets better and better! And I'm very excited for #3! --AJB 

Lumberjanes #3: A Terrible Plan

Telling campfire stories, going on a quiet picnic, spending the day earning the most boring scouting badges possible... Sounds pretty ordinary, right? Not if you're a Lumberjane!

In the third awesome installment of Lumberjanes: A Terrible Plan, Mal and Molly's date goes terribly awry when they follow Bear Woman through the Out Of Order outhouse (which is really a portal to another dimension). Here, they get chased by a pack of hungry raptors and must help Bear Woman complete a quest of utmost importance (for which they will earn their "Oldie But Goodie" badges for assisting the elderly). Meanwhile Jo, April, and Ripley spend their free day fumbling through seemingly-boring stuff like cake decorating, ballroom dancing, and scrapbooking in the hopes they will be that much closer to earning their bronze axes. You'd think such mundane tasks would be no problem for the girls of Cabin Roanoke. After all, they have outsmarted angry gods, bested zombie scouts, and successfully navigated deadly booby traps. As it turns out, ordinary stuff is easier said than done. Adventure and shenanigans abound for everyone, making for an extremely entertaining read.

The Lumberjanes series just keeps getting better and better. There are different artists this time around, so the book has a slightly different look to it. But the storyline and characters are still true to what made me love this series in the first place. I am anxiously awaiting Lumberjanes #4, which comes out in August. 

Lumberjanes: A Terrible Plan comes very, very recommended! But do yourself a huge solid and read the first two volumes first (you'll enjoy #3 a lot more with the background #1 & #2 provide)! --AJB

Simon's Cat in Kitten Chaos, by Simon Tofield

Literally stumbled upon Simon's Cat: Kitten Chaos whilst straightening the Teen Area last night (some careless kid had left it on the floor) and, today, decided it must be a message from the Universe that I should review it on the blog. 

Ok, truthfully I was maybe feeling a smidge lazy last night and just didn't feel like walking the book allllll the way back to the To Be Re-Shelved area (to be fair, it had been a long day). This morning it was still on the Teen Desk, so I figured, "What the heck. I'll review it"

Most of you probably know Simon's Cat from artist Simon Tofield's clever YouTube videos detailing the misadventures of an always-hungry feline and his hapless owner. But did you know there were comic books to accompany the videos? There are. Several, in fact. And OPL owns a few. Notably, Kitten Chaos, in which our feline friend gets a new roommate: a frisky and feisty kitten. Wordless black and white illustrations tell the tale (tail?) of how our hero adjusts to going from an "only cat" to having a little sibling to pick on (and get picked on by). At first, he's annoyed. The  Kitten steals his toys, frames him for scratching what shouldn't be scratched, eats his food... Then comes the fateful day where Cat witnesses Kitten getting bullied by a larger neighborhood cat. And from that point on, things change. After the Neighbor Cat Incident, Cat and Kitten team up for some feline shenanigans. And, of course, Cat teaches Kitten how to beg for food.

Kitten Chaos wasn't as funny as the original Simon's Cat comic book, which I read in one sitting and laughed out loud (yes, literally) at until I cried. Mainly because a lot of the jokes had been done before. But it is still cute and humorous read. A great choice to pick up to pass the time. --AJB

Archie, vol. 1 by Mark Waid

Boy, it had been an exciting book week for me.  When this little gem came in yesterday I immediately confiscated it and set it aside to be devoured right before I went home.  I have been waiting for this one for months.  I love Archie comics.  I loved them when I was growing up and I love them still.  When this landed on my desk I almost did a happy dance.  I did a happy dance inside.

I was not let down.  The art is great.  It's completely my style, bright and crisp.  The characters are truly updated versions of their old selves.  The best part about this book was finally having a background story to work with.  You know what you're getting with an Archie comic.  You're getting this great slice of life, this idealized high school world that you only see in teen movies.  I will buy into it every single time.

If you've read any of the Archie comics, you know that Betty and Veronica are always fighting over Archie.  You don't really know why.  They seem to like each other alright.  Archie's kind of, well, a bumbling boy with no real charm.  This book right here starts at the beginning and it is so nice to have a beginning.  Archie doesn't seem like just some idiot and there is finally a reason for all of the fighting over him. It's a great start and I cannot wait to see more.

In the first issue in this collection, Archie tells us that he's just gone through a breakup with Betty.  Everyone at school is surprised.  Obviously, Archie and Betty were the power couple, the couple that everyone looked up to.  Archie and Betty have been together forever, like since they were five.  They did everything together.  Now they aren't even talking.  All we know is that the break up has something to do with #lispstickincident which Archie doesn't want to talk about.  Right away everyone starts scheming on how to get them back together and they all decide to vote them in as Homecoming King and Queen.  Only, Jughead has different ideas and Betty ends up queen with someone else while Archie gets to play his guitar in front of an audience for the first time.

I bet you can't guess who shows up next!  There's a new girl in town: Veronica Lodge, millionairess and realty show star.  And she has something to hold over Archie's head.

I really, really enjoyed this.  I don't know how I'll survive until the next volume comes out!

P.S.  In case you missed it, CW has announce a new Archie TV show, Riverdale.

P.P.S.  If you're looking for something a little darker, you can always give Afterlife with Archie a shot.  In these comics, Riverdale battles zombies.  Oxford doesn't own these but you can request them from other libraries.  -RYQ

Jem and the Holograms: Showtime, by Kelly Thompson and Sophie Campbell

Reading Jem and the Holograms: Showtime, a graphic novilization of the popular late-80s cartoon by writer Kelly Thompson and artist Sophie Campbell is akin to eating a gourmet cupcake from a fancy bakery. A gourmet cupcake frosted with an inch of sugary pink icing, generously drizzled with edible purple glitter and raimbow sprinkles, topped off with a squirt of whip cream, and crowned with a shiny candied cherry. It's sweet (sooo sweet), you can taste its absolute (squee!) adorableness in every bite, and for the rest of the day you can almost feel sparkly pink glitter seeping from all your pores, proving the accuracy of the "you are what you eat" theory.

Yeah...that's about right. 

I'll start by saying I've been hearing A LOT of positive buzz lately about this graphic adaption: Strong female characters, diverse characters (both in ethnicity and body type), LGBTQ appeal, a romance that's NOT a love triangle...all wrapped up in a colorful (literally and figuratively) and fun storyline. All good things (Hello! I am SO there!). Plus I'm a fan of both the old TV show and the more recent movie (Sign me up to read this thing! Like, yesterday!). So heck yes I was thrilled to finally get my hands on this book! Even more so than the second issue of Lumberjanes! 

All that said, I am so happy to report that Jem and the Holograms: Showtime is every bit as awesome as hype/buzz/hoopla reported it to be-and then some. Unlike the movie, which veers off in some different (but still so cute) directions, the graphic novelization sticks fairly close to what I recall of the original storyline. With some modern adaptions, of course:

The plot centers around a group of musically talented sisters who are trying to get their band, The Holograms, off the ground. Trouble is, their lead singer, Jerrica, has some major performance anxiety issues. How to solve this? Enter Synergy, a super-cool, super-fututistic, Avengers-worthy audio/visual supercomputer designed by Jerrica's late father. This allows the shy, mousy Jerrica to transform into the uber-pink, uber-sparkly Glamazon, Jem. Wearing this disguise, our heroine has no trouble conquering her stage fright. Soon the Holograms' video goes viral and attracts millions of fans. It also attracts the jealousy of current "It" band, The Misfits. So you can probably guess where things go from there. To complicate things, a squeedorable star-crossed romance starts up between Kimber of the Holograms and Stormer of the Misfits (OMG! those two are SO cute!). To complicate things even more, Jerrica starts dating Rio, a hunky music journalist who is determined to find out who Jem really is. The drama escilates, cumulating in a food fight that disqualifies the Holograms from participating in a Battle of the Bands against The Misfits...and then ends on a cliffhanger where our heroines crash the show anyway. Right in the middle of The Misfits' set. There's motorcycles shaped like guitars, holographic T-Rexes, lots of big colorful hair, diabolical plots, cute romances, humor, music, and lots and lots of action. 

I can't wait for the next book to come out!

So do I recommend this one? ABSOLUTELY!! --AJB

Tales from Outer Suburbia, by Shaun Tan

A family hosts a peculiar exchange student who chooses to sleep in the pantry, asks unusual questions, and departs mysteriously one day... leaving behind a most spectacular thank you gift.

An elderly man entertains his grandchildren with the story of his wedding day. But if you're expecting a tale of dancing, cake, and fancy parties, think again. Back in those days, weddings were much more complicated affairs.

A family, down on their luck and weary of their dreary existence, discovers a secret passage within their own home... A secret passage that leads to a kind of perfect paradise. Maybe there's one in your home?

Welcome to Outer Suburbia, where a blind reindeer visits once a year to take peoples' most valued possessions, where endangered sea creatures appear (quite suddenly) on the front lawn, where mandatory government-issued missiles become a thing of beauty, where turtles need to be rescued and there exists a magic formula for growing a beloved pet out of every day random discarded objects. 

Shaun Tan's (The Arrival) bizarre and beautiful book, Tales from Outer Suburbia is packed with such stories. Some are several pages long, while others are no more than a couple sentences. Still others are mostly told through bright illustrations. Each is fantastical in a way that it will transport you the way a great story should. It's a memorable book, and I'm very happy I finally picked it up.

This one is memorable, guys! Don't pass up the chance to read it! --AJB

The Graveyard Book #2 (graphic novel adaption), by Neil Gaiman

Previously, when I reviewed the first installment of the graphic novel adaption of Neil Gaiman's The Graveyard Book, I bemoaned the fact the graphic format had taken an awesome stand-alone book and split it into two parts. As of late, Hollywood has made this into a nasty trend with book-to-movie adaptions and, well, let's just say I'm not a fan of that concept. I hate waiting. Especially when there's a cliffhanger involved.

Fortunately, I didn't have to wait long before The Graveyard Book vol. 2 was in my hands. When book one ended, Bod, the boy raised by graveyard ghosts, made a few ill-fated attempts to venture out into the world. He met a witch--or at least the ghost of one. He visited the ghoul city of Ghulheim and was rescued by a legendary Hound of God. And, of course, The Man Jack begin to plot how to find (and dispose of) the child who escaped him years earlier.

Book 2 picks up where Book 1 left off. Here, we find Bod older, but not necessarily wiser, about the world outside the Graveyard he calls home. Still, Bod's previous adventures have made him curious. He wants to attend school and make friends his own age--friends who are not ghosts. Unfortunately this opens the door to more trouble...and that trouble leads Bod into the worst sort of danger. Yes, he has his friends and family to help, but ghosts can only do so much when one is faced with mortal danger. Can Bod figure out how to outsmart The Man Jack when the two come face to face? Will he ever get out of the graveyard? And, more importantly, will he want to? Read the book to find out. 

As with vol. 1, each chapter in The Graveyard Book vol. 2 is illustrated by a different artist. This time, however (with the exception of the first chapter), the artistic styles are more similar, so this second installment doesn't feel as disjointed as the first. 

Together, these two books pay spectacular homage to Gaiman's original story. The dialogue stays true to the original story, and the illustrations are beautiful, colorful, and detailed. These two books are definitely worth checking out! 

--AJB

Through the Woods, by Emily Carroll

Don't go into the woods. There are things waiting there. Strange things. Monstrous things. Hungry things. Things waiting to pounce on the unsuspecting traveler foolish enough to wander off the path.

Artist and writer Emily Carroll's Through the Woods is a collection of five deliciously creepy stories about things that happen to those who dare to venture into the woods. 

A young woman trapped in her house during a snowstorm does the only thing she can: Wait for the thing that took her sisters to return for her

After marrying a wealthy man, a new bride learns too late the awful truth her husband's last wife. A fate that will soon be hers as well?

Two brothers enter the woods to stop a monster that has been terrorizing their village. One brother comes out. The monster is not what the reader first believes.

Two young women make a living fooling people into thinking they can communicate with the dead (they can't really). Then one of them really does become haunted. 

A young girl, home from school for the summer, visits her brother and his pretty new fiancee in their pretty new home. Then the girl wanders into the woods...and learns the horrible truth.

The girl walked safely through the woods at night. It was lucky the wolf didn't find her. Or did it?

Through the Woods is shivery, creepy, and lots of fun to read. The illustrations are gorgeous and vivid. Pick it up and read the stories all in one sitting, or savor them one by one. Either way, you've got a treat in store.

And maybe next time you're faced with the choice of taking the shortcut through the woods, you'll think twice and take the long way around. Because there are things in the woods. Strange things. Monstrous things. Hungry things.

Waiting to pounce.

On YOU! --AJB

The Graveyard Book, by Neil Gaiman (graphic novel adaption)

I've been waiting for the release of the graphic novel adaption of Neil Gaiman's award-winning The Graveyard Book for the better part of 2014, and it finally arrived in my hands. YAY! I'd read the actual book a few years back when it was a selection for our annual Middle School Battle of the Books competition. It was quirky, creepy (ish), weird (in a good way), 100% creative, and unlike anything I'd encountered in the past. It had a certain Tim Burtonesque quality about it..and I loved it!

So of course I was excited to hear there would be a graphic novel adaption!

I hoped it would do the story justice. 

For the most part, the graphic adaption was true to the book. Bonus points. Unfortunately, though, it only covers the first half of the book (unlike the graphic adaptions of Gaiman's Coraline and Stardust, both of which contained the complete story). This has become an unfortunate and annoying trend with book-to-movie adaptions, and book-to-graphic adaptions are no less annoying. It's the main reason I refused to read the graphic adaption of the Twilight series, which, I hear, is still in the works. 

Back to The Graveyard Book adaption. Each of the six chapters is illustrated by a different artist. While it is interesting to see how each interprets the characters and settings, it breaks up the continuity and distracts from the story. This is especially jarring when a particular artist's (or artists') style differs drastically from that of the others. Or when an artist's take on a character (or setting) wasn't what I imagined when I read the book. For example, I didn't like how Silas was portrayed. The artists made him way, way too Count Dracula-ish. This was not at all how I imagined him to be when I read the book. Also, I pictured Eliza (the witch from Chapter 4) as being much older (in her 20s), and in the graphic she didn't look much older than Bod. ...but I'm aware that this is a risk the reader takes when reading a graphic adaption of a beloved book (or seeing the film adaption, for that matter).

Fortunately, neither quirk ruined my enjoyment of the book. 

The verdict: A solid effort by the artists to rework this new classic. After all, they had a huge task to tackle. I'll probably end up reading #2 when it crosses my desk. --AJB

Sisters by Raina Telgemeier

Ever since that family reunion 10 years ago when she and her cousin, Lindsay, were inseparable, Raina has wanted a sister. Someone to have fun with, someone to share adventures and secrets with, someone who would be a built-in best friend. So naturally she is thrilled when her parents finally, finally bring home baby Amara.

But having a sister isn't at all like Raina imagined. From the start, Amara is grouchy, argumentative, and prone to tantrums when she doesn't get her way. And she doesn't share any of Raina's interests. Except art. And, worse, Amara is the better artist. Naturally, none of this sits well with Raina. Or Amara, for that matter. And when a brother is introduced into the equation, things at the Telgemeier household go from bad to worse. And the years don't improve the situation any.

Sisters, by Raina Telgemeier, is an autobiographical graphic novel that illustrates Raina's summer before high school when she, her mother, Amara, and brother Will road trip it from California to Colorado for a family reunion. As the story (told partly in present day and partly in flashbacks) unfolds, the reader gets a better picture of Raina and Amara's stormy relationship and also of the drama that's going on within their family. Sure, the sisters fight and annoy each other. All. The. Time. But when life throws an unexpected curve ball their way, they're also are willing to be there for each other. Not that that'll admit to that, though. 

Over the years, I've become a big fan of Telgemeier's books. Smile, where we first meet Raina and her family, was (and still is) my favorite of the author's. And Drama was a cute and fun departure from the autobiographical books. Sisters is being promoted as a sequel/companion book to Smile, but you don't have to read one to fully enjoy the other.

Highly recommended! --AJB

Where's The Doctor?

Waldo? Yeah...you've already found him. Been there, done that. Or have you?With Where's The Doctor, llustrator Jamie Smart puts a whole new (and timely) spin on Waldo-esque books. In this fun and colorful volume, The Doctor, Amy, and others are hidden among Daleks, Judoon, Weeping Angels (don't blink!), and more. You don't even have to be a "Whovian" to appreciate this book. So.... Where's The Doctor? You won't know until you find him.

What It Is, by Lynda Berry

"Do You Wish To Write?" Cartoonist and writer Lynda Berry poses this question in her visually stunning how-to guide that's almost impossible to put down or fit into any genre or category. Part collage/scrapbook, part autobiography, part graphic novel, What It Is uses memories, imagination, dreams, hopes, fears, past experiences, future maybes, and the mundane-ness of day-to-day life to stimulate the mind inspire writing ideas. Read it cover to cover or open it at random. Either way, you're sure to find that cure for writer's block.

If nothing else, What It Is makes for a very entertaining read.

This One Summer, by Jillian Tamaki

This One Summer, a graphic novel by Jillian Tamaki, is a brilliant story about friendship, family, and all the confusing and fascinating feelings that go along with growing up.

Each summer since they could remember, Rose and Windy's families met up at Awago Beach where the girls would spend two carefree weeks swimming, watching movies, eating sugary snacks, and just being kids. Needless to say, Rose has been looking forward to summer all year long. But this summer things have changed, and not for the better...and Rose would give almost anything to get back that innocence of those past summers. Rose, now almost a teenager, finds she's occasionally annoyed by Windy's childish behavior (Windy is a couple years younger). Why did these things about her old friend never bother her before? What's more, Rose's mother is constantly angry about something mysterious, something she won't talk about, and this is causing nearly constant tension between her parents. Nothing about Awago Beach is the same anymore, and this worries Rose. 

Then, when things couldn't get any more complicated, they do! Rose and Windy suddenly find themselves in the middle of some very grown-up drama involving a group of local teens. And they are forced to open their eyes to the reality that Awago Beach may not be (and may never have been) the idyllic sanctuary they always believed it to be.

I don't read a lot of graphics, preferring print books, but This One Summer caught my eye--and I'm glad I picked it up. Characterization is phenomenal and the theme (the struggle and confusion of being caught between childhood and adolescence) is something that's universally understood. I'd definitely recommend this one! --AJB