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The Book Tree is a fun story about what can happen when all books are taken away. Arlo accidentally drops a book on the mayor of his town's head while he is reading in a tree and as a result, the mayor takes all of the books in town and tears them up into tiny pieces. One tiny piece is all that is left of them and Arlo watches it get buried in the dirt. Arlo observes his town fall apart as there are no books left. There are no cookbooks, so the restaurant can only serve dry cereal, the actors at the theatre have no plays to act out, and the library-Arlo's favorite place in town-is completely empty. Finally, Arlo decides to write his own stories and grow his own book tree. Arlo saves the town as it flourishes once again thanks to books! This book is gorgeous! The illustrations are like I've never seen before as they are whimsical and the people are not drawn as "white." I really enjoyed this picture book and I think that it will be welcome in all libraries. It would be especially fun to read during Banned Books Week in September. The Book Tree will be published September 30, 2018 by Barefoot Books. The second Spill Zone picks up right where the first one ends, and while we still don't REALLY know the exact cause of the Spill, many questions were answered in this sequel. Addie must save her sister, Lexa, from whatever Verspertine is, while the Koreans want to know more about the Spill in P-Town. This time, though, Vespertine needs to make a choice, and the Koreans need to learn more for the "Brilliant Comrade." With the help of a Korean boy who has also been changed by the Spill, Addie has much bigger problems than just taking pictures.
There is much more action in this book than the first one, and definitely much less confusing. I gave it 5 stars for the action and even more gorgeous drawings this time. While some of the monsters look like they were drawn quickly and hastily, the use of colour was beautiful and something I haven't seen in another graphic novel. I really hope that this isn't the end of the series! This is officially one of the coolest comics that I have ever read solely because it has a CULINARY CONSULTANT as part of the creative team! They create a world where food is a part of the story-although we aren’t there yet because this is only the first issue! So far, we know that the main character, Xoo, has two disabled parents and she runs their restaurant with her talking dog. Her uncle has come to live with them as her caregiver because the state says that she can’t run a restaurant as an underage and undocumented chef. This was a recommendation from Austin Books and Comics that I’m glad I purchased! I expect big things from this comic! :)
A wonderful graphic novel that illustrates the life and teachings of Gandhi. I really enjoyed that the story of Gandhi's life is shown not just through his own speaking but through those around him that were influenced by him. When I originally approached this book, I did not expect it to be as captivating as it is, but it truly is a great and quick read. Twenty-eight different illustrators worked on the illustrations and they are AWESOME!
This graphic novel was a lovely, well written, and beautifully drawn memoir of a girl's adventure to visit her family's homelands. Using a guide, old photos, and her grandmother's memoir, she leaves France to explore Algeria where she learns (and teaches the reader) a lot about Algerian political history as well as her family's history and influence on the country.
OOMMGGG!! THE POET X is everything that Hispanic girls need right now. Elizabeth Acevedo tells the story of Xiomara (See-oh-MAH-ruh),a twin born fighting angry. Her mother constantly gets after her for the way that men look at her (which she can't help) and wants X to be a devout Catholic, like she is. The interaction between X and her mom felt familiar in not just a Hispanic family dynamic but with any teenage girl and her mother. X keeps a journal where she writes poems that are never meant to see the light of day.
X has never been interested in the attention that she gets from boys, but when she meets her lab partner, Aman, who is quiet but listens to her poems and doesn't push her to do more than she is ok with, X starts to develop feelings that make her question everything that she's ever been taught. Xiomara's English teacher, Ms. Galiano notices X's potential and invites her to a poetry club and eventual poetry slam. After some catastrophic events, X finally gives in and allows herself to be heard. This book will leave everyone teary-eyed and wanting more from X. Her poems are honest and full of life that you can't help but feel what she is feeling and cheer for the outcome that X deserves. This book is a perfect reflection of those crazy mixed-up feelings that we have as teenagers and is a light in what seems like a dark time for Hispanic girls.
This graphic novel is awesome! It is Diverse, Inclusive, magical, and fun! Moonstruck is set in a universe where centaurs and lesbian werewolves work together in coffee shops that serve everyone. Two werewolves, Selena and Julie are in the very beginning stages of a relationship and are still getting to know each other when they go on a date that includes Chet, their centaur friend, who ends up becoming human in an evil magic show and loses his horse butt. While funny, the graphic novel does an amazing job of showing how disastrous and emotionally traumatizing this is to him. The girls and their friends have to help find the evil magician that put on the magic show, get Chet’s butt back, and stop him from hurting others all while trying to figure out their feelings and new relationship!
The main character, Julie the werewolf, is pretty whiny and emotional, but she is a great representation of how feelings of others need to be respected and how to be kind. Overall, this was a great book! The world has been invaded by aliens that abduct teenagers and children from their families, people who are identified as "strong," and loaded up into robots that are taken to other planets (I assume). In this particular graphic novel, the two main characters, Sam and Wyatt, are twins who are trying to help other people from their town while searching for their parents. Wyatt, who has autism, classifies the aliens and helps Sam escape them. The two deliver food and supplies to other people under the code name "Bird One." When the aliens trick them by using a video of their parents to lure them to them, one of them is taken and the other has to find a way to save them on their own.
While the plot took a while to pick up, I enjoyed this graphic novel. The theme of working together and looking past weaknesses is one that really shines through the illustrations. The people of Elizabethtown learn to work together despite their differences to rally against the aliens that are ripping their families apart. |
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