Graphic novels

Mabuhay! by Zachary Sterling

~ Janet Dawson ~ 1 Comment

Published by Graphix

Summary:  JJ and Althea are both trying to navigate middle school, JJ by trying to fit in even if it means hiding who he really is, and Althea by pretending not to care that she’s lost her closest friends.  To make matters worse, the kids are expected to help out with the family food truck on weekends and school vacations.  Their mother uses Filipino folklore to teach them lessons about hard work and discipline.  But when strange things start happening to both kids, they realize that their family has magical powers and that the folktales are based on truth.  When a monster from the stories threatens the world, it’s up to their family to summon their powers and save the universe.  Along the way, JJ discovers his own worth, Althea learns to value her true friendships, and they both come to appreciate their quirky family and their heritage. Includes an author’s note, a recipe for adobo chicken, and a glossary.  240 pages; grades 4-7. 

Pros:  An excellent blend of middle school angst, Filipino culture, and magical battles against evil forces, with outstanding artwork and a memorable family.

Cons:  While I appreciated the pronunciation guides and definitions footnoted at the bottom of many pages, the font was so tiny that I finally gave up on them.

Slime Shop created by Karina Garcia with text by Kevin Panetta, illustrated by Niki Smith

~ Janet Dawson ~ 1 Comment

Published by Versify

Summary:  Bailey, Sophia, and Jayden run a successful slime shop called BSJ.  What they don’t know is that when they leave the kitchen, their slimes have a life of their own.  Those slimes have been noticing that other slimes are being shipped off to unknown destinations, and they’re determined to stay in their home.  Adding another complication is Boris, a green slime who’s always been grumpy, but has suddenly gotten worse, transforming innocent slimes into his zombie minions.  When Bailey’s off for a weekend at her dad’s house, a few of the slimes stow away in her backpack, determined to get some answers from the Original Slime, who’s rumored to live in Bailey’s dad’s garage.  The action shifts between their adventures on the road and the battle continuing to unfold back at home as the slimes get some answers and learn some important lessons about themselves in the process.  Includes slime recipes and a cast of characters guide.  208 pages; grades 3-7.

Pros:  I wasn’t sure I would enjoy a graphic novel featuring a bunch of slime characters, but it turned out to be unexpectedly charming and cute with a satisfying storyline.  Kids will undoubtedly enjoy heading over to Karina Garcia’s slime-based YouTube channel after reading this.

Cons:  I struggled a little to keep the slimes straight and would have appreciated the cast of characters at the beginning instead of at the end.

Wildfire by Breena Bard

~ Janet Dawson ~ 1 Comment

Published by Little, Brown Ink

Summary:  Julianna’s heading home from a 4-H meeting near her home in rural Oregon when she runs into her ex-friend Carson with a group of boys bragging about some fireworks they have.  She tells them not to set them off due to the fire warnings in the area, but they ignore her.  Later, she and her family face a sudden evacuation from their home when wildfires sweep into the area.  They escape with their pet cat and goats, but their home is destroyed.  Weeks later, they’re starting over in Portland, Julianna starting eighth grade at a new school.  She finds new friends through an environmental club but is dismayed when Carson shows up.  As she and her family work through their anger and grief about all that they’ve lost, she begins to talk to Carson and discovers his guilt and shame about his role in the fire.  While she can’t bring herself to call him a friend, she’s able to understand and forgive him for what happened that day and to figure out a way to make a difference in a scary and uncertain world.  Includes an author’s note about her own experiences with Oregon wildfires and climate change and a list of additional resources.  288 pages; grades 3-7.

Pros:  An excellent graphic novel that deals with issues that are unfortunately timely and shows the emotions that go with facing the destruction of climate change.  Julianna and Carson have a lot to deal with, and Carson is portrayed sympathetically despite his disastrous choice.

Cons:  I started to get a bit frustrated with Julianna’s parents who seemed slow to recognize how devastating an experience this was for her.

Things In the Basement by Ben Hatke

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Published by First Second

Summary:  When Milo’s mom sends him to the basement to find baby Lucy’s missing sock, a journey of epic proportions unfolds.  Milo hasn’t been to the basement of his new house, and he is in for an adventure as he discovers different rooms and floors deep underground, populated by all sorts of ghosts and monsters.  Some are helpful while others want to eat him and/or steal the sock, and it’s up to Milo to figure out the difference between friend and foe.  He learns to value those true friends and find ways to help them even when his own life is at stake.  Milo completes his hero’s quest to loving praise from his mother, who then asks him for something from the attic…book 2?  240 pages; grades 2-5.

Pros:  There aren’t many words in this graphic novel, but Ben Hatke has created an artistic masterpiece that kids (and adults) will want to pore over to make sure they take in all the sumptuous details.

Cons:  I’m afraid to do my laundry.

Saving Sunshine by Saadia Faruqi, illustrated by Shazleen Khan

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Published by First Second

Summary:  Pakistani American twins Zara and Zeesh are constantly fighting, despite sharing scientific passions, Zara for animals and Zeesh for astronomy.  When their parents take them to Key West for a medical conference where their doctor mother will be honored, the two bicker the entire way down.  Exasperated, their parents take away their phones, telling them that they must spend some time together.  Without the distractions of technology, the two eventually find and help rescue a stranded loggerhead sea turtle.  Woven into the main story are incidents of prejudice and racism, including flashback scenes showing Zara’s decision to start wearing hijab, and the bullying that led to Zeesh’s quitting the space club.  224 pages; grades 3-7.

Pros:  This graphic novel seamlessly incorporates the experience of being Muslim and Pakistani American into a universal tale of sibling rivalry and devotion that many readers will connect with.

Cons:  When Zeesh gets annoyed at people always asking where he’s from (he was born in the US), both his dad and later, the white vet dismiss his feelings.

Two books about mindfulness

~ Janet Dawson ~ 1 Comment

Enlighten Me by Minh Lê, illustrated by Chan Chau

Published by Little Brown Ink

Slowly Slowly by Toni Yuly

Published by Atheneum Books for Young Readers

Summary: Binh and his family are off to a silent Buddhist retreat in Enlighten Me. During meditation times, Binh struggles with a recent memory of racist bullying at school. When he fought back, he ended up being the one to get in trouble. In between meditation sessions, a monk named Sister Peace shares stories about the Buddha with the kids that teach Binh some lessons about dealing with his issues. Those issues don’t get resolved, but by the time the family is heading for home, it’s clear that Binh is seeing things in a new light.

“When you slow down…you see more,” begins Slowly Slowly, as a child and dog explore the natural world. They observe winter turning to spring, and a persimmon tree slowly, slowly, slowly, slowly, slowly, slowly, slowly, slowly makes persimmons. With each page of “slowly”, readers can look for other changes going on in the child’s world. Enlighten Me is 140 pages; grades 4-7; Slowly Slowly is 40 pages; ages 4-8.

Pros: Both books focus on mindfulness through beautiful artwork and kids’ experiences. Minh Lê uses Binh’s story and love of video games to tell some tales of the Buddha while offering some kid-friendly insights Binh has about meditation and enlightenment. Readers of Slowly Slowly will want to take the time to notice all that is happening in the busy yet peaceful illustrations and to reflect on how slowing down can help us notice the world around us.

Cons: Both books are pretty spare, offering more of an opportunity for reflection than a fleshed-out story.

Paul Bunyan: The Invention of an American Legend by Noah Van Sciver and Marlena Myles

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Published by TOON Books

Summary:  A logging executive is traveling west when his train breaks down, stranding him and the other passengers in the middle of a snowy forest.  Someone manages to build a fire, and everyone gathers around to hear stories of famous lumberjacks.  The logging man tops them all with his tales of Paul Bunyan and his blue ox Babe.  Most of the audience loves the stories, but another man who’s spent his career working in the lumber industry tells of the devastation of clear-cutting forests, then moving west.  He describes how the land was taken from the Native Nations, whose people honored the spirits of each tree.  Includes a foreword and two afterwords by indigenous scholars about their experiences with Paul Bunyan stories and Native stories about trees.  48 pages; grades 3-6.

Pros:  Some interesting context is given to the Paul Bunyan tall tales so many of us grew up with, offering insights into the logging industry he was created to promote and its impact on indigenous lands.  

Cons:  I’m guessing that many in the intended audience will skip the foreword and afterwords, which is too bad, because they contain a lot of interesting information. I wish that the graphic novel part had been expanded on to include more of that information.  The tall tales were well done, but the ending felt rushed.

Two Tribes by Emily Bowen Cohen

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Published by Heartdrum

Summary:  Mia lives with her mother and stepfather, observing her Jewish faith both at home and at her Jewish day school.  When a boy at school tells her she’s not a “real Indian,” Mia goes on a quest to discover her Muscogee culture, passed down to her from her father’s side.  She and her best friend hatch a plan in which Mia uses some of her bat mitzvah money to take a bus from L.A. to Oklahoma.  She manages to pull it off and spends a few days with her dad and his family, learning more about her heritage, before her mother discovers where she is and flies down to get her.  Back home, Mia must face the consequences of her actions, but her new discoveries have given her courage to talk to her mother and stepfather about making some changes to allow her dad and her Muscogee family to be part of her life.  Includes a note from the author about her own Jewish-Muscogee heritage, a glossary of Muskvoke terms used, and a note from Heartdrum author-curator Cynthia Leitich Smith.  256 pages; grades 4-7.

Pros:  This debut graphic novel offers an interesting look at a unique heritage and the difficulties of embracing that when divorce separates a family.  Readers will empathize with Mia and enjoy learning about her Jewish and Muscogee cultures alongside her.

Cons:  I was a bit stressed about Mia’s secret 24-hour bus trip on her own.

Ghost Book by Remy Lai

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Published by Henry Holt

Summary: July has “yin-yang eyes”, meaning that she can see ghosts, but she feels as invisible as a ghost most days.  Her mom died when she was born, her dad is too preoccupied with work to pay much attention to her, and teachers and kids at school often overlook her.  Desperate for a friend, she tries to summon a ghost.  William shows up instead–a boy who is in a coma, and whose spirit is wandering around trying to figure out if he is dead or alive.  As the two kids do some investigating, they discover that they have a life-long connection, and that only one of them is meant to be alive.  Their explorations take them into the underworld, where they hope to change fate so that they can both live.  There, they are pursued by a variety of spirits bent on their destruction, but their friendship saves the day and helps them to figure out a way forward for both of them.  320 pages; grades 3-6.

Pros:  I’m a big fan of Remy Lai’s graphic (and semi-graphic) novels, and her latest one does not disappoint.  Part ghost story, part friendship story, part adventure, this will keep kids turning the pages until the surprising but totally satisfying conclusion.

Cons:  This is a bit darker than Lai’s previous books.

Buzzing by Samuel Sattin, illustrated by Rye Hickman

~ Janet Dawson ~ 2 Comments

Published by Little, Brown Ink

Summary:  The bees swarming around Isaac’s head represent the thoughts brought on by his obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD).  They’re constantly reminding him that if he doesn’t tug his ear five times or keep the foods on his plate from touching, his house may burn down, or his car may crash.  When another kid at school makes friendly overtures, the bees remind Isaac how worthless and weird he is.  His overprotective mom keeps him on a strict regimen of therapies, causing his older sister Miriam to feel ignored and resentful.  Isaac’s talent for drawing fantasy creatures catches a classmate’s eye, and Micah invites Isaac to join a group playing Swamps & Sorcery, a role-playing game (think Dungeons & Dragons).  Isaac loves the group immediately, but his mother is less sure.  When she eventually prohibits him from playing the game, Isaac’s world goes into a tailspin.  Fortunately, Miriam is perceptive enough to see what is happening, and the siblings work together to finally break through to their mother and help her to accept Isaac exactly as he is.  Includes an author’s note about his own OCD and neurodivergence. 224 pages; grades 5-8.  

Pros:  This graphic novel perfectly captures the vibe of a group of middle school outsiders who have fully embraced their weirdness (their word).  Isaac’s joy at finding the group is shown by the switch from monochromatic illustrations at home to full color when he’s with his friends.  

Cons:  RPG fans will undoubtedly enjoy the fantasy subplot based on the kids’ game that’s woven throughout the main story, but I found those sections to be more of a distraction.