It takes after Brian Selznick ( The Invention of Hugo Cabret, Wonderstruck...) in style, with illustrations telling parts of the story, often in full-spread. Baltazar's background, however, is in feature animation, and his illustrations are full-color and have an air-brushed quality to them. So, when you look at this book as an artifact, it's a brick. The pages are glossy and heavy stock. It's colorful, inside and out. Its looks EPIC.
Then you add the setting. The concept is complicated and involves something science-fictiony happening which causes time periods to exist simultaneously. Or maybe people and places from those time periods are transported to the future. Anyway, I never fully wrapped my head around it, but suffice it to say that robots and dinosaurs and hoverboards and 18th century manners all coexist along with late 20th/early 21st century sensibilities. It feels a bit like Baltazar just packed a duffel of a story with everything he thinks looks cool.
And it works, to an extent. Yes, there are some damsel-in-distress moments I could have done without. The writing isn't always awesome. The illustrations, taken alone, occasionally disappoint.
But as a whole, as a sum of its parts, it's a great package. I loved the maps, Volcambria, and the #ownvoices diversity of the piece. Check check check. Will booktalk to middle schoolers in January 2019. ...more
Adorable and fantastic - Clanton's from Tacoma! We gave him the Books for Younger Readers Washington State Book Award for this one. :)Adorable and fantastic - Clanton's from Tacoma! We gave him the Books for Younger Readers Washington State Book Award for this one. :)...more
The story around the edges of this book is melancholy in tone. In the foreword, Wertz reveals that after being illegally evicted from her apartment, sThe story around the edges of this book is melancholy in tone. In the foreword, Wertz reveals that after being illegally evicted from her apartment, she was forced to leave NYC and move in with family on the west coast. She finished this book in the years immediately after leaving the city. That sadness and nostalgia colors the book.
It's an impressive enterprise. Large size, many pages... The content alternates between Then & Now-style depictions of specific blocks or businesses in NYC, and short nonfiction pieces about various people, events, and inventions. I like obscure history, and I really like Wertz' autobiographical work, so I was into it.
It helps to know that this is the bound and published version of, really, a performance piece that Neil did with Eddie Campbell, the illustrator. TheIt helps to know that this is the bound and published version of, really, a performance piece that Neil did with Eddie Campbell, the illustrator. The very last page of the book is an afterword, where Neil describes the provenance of the story. As just a book, it's kind of an odd piece. Kind of like those picture books that we put in the chapter books at my library.
Basically, it's told from the perspective of this guy who gets another guy to be his tour guide to go find this cave in the these legendary mountains. And they go and they find it. And there are secrets and lies and death and creepyness. And there are illustrations throughout.
It was entertaining, and twisty in a way that I like, and coy in the way that I like Gaiman's work. But I'm not sure it would have made me fall in love with the guy if it was the first thing I'd heard....more
A mix of occasionally-illustrated snarky essays and short comics-style works. Feels like a blog collection, though I'm not sure it is.
Basically, she wA mix of occasionally-illustrated snarky essays and short comics-style works. Feels like a blog collection, though I'm not sure it is.
Basically, she walks through the process of having a kid -- conception, choosing a name, the actual birth, post-partum sex, breast-feeding, etc. and gives her take and experience (and curses a lot).
I picked it up because I recently became a stepparent, and wondered if any of her reflections would be therapeutic or illuminating. And I have a general interest in comics-adjacent-works, as Followers will know. And I think I saw one of her short pieces somewhere and it amused me. So, yeah. It didn't really speak to my experience at all (my kid was 5 when he moved into my house), but it checked the other two boxes ok.
It's a little goofy, it's a lotta jaded, it's funny at times, it's definitely crass and out-of-the-box. She took her "pregnancy photos" with a gorilla mask on, for example. Obvs don't read if you're sensitive about any sacred cows in this area.
I like her illustration style (fullcolor!), and would love to read a full-developed graphic novel by the woman.
It didn't break my brain with awesome or anything, but I didn't seriously consider quitting the book, so take that endorsement as you will. :)...more
Fictionalized autobiography. Urban San Francisco in the 70s. Sexual exploration by a teenaged girl. Statutory rape. Diary. Sections in comic-book formFictionalized autobiography. Urban San Francisco in the 70s. Sexual exploration by a teenaged girl. Statutory rape. Diary. Sections in comic-book form.
This book has a LOT going on. In the Foreword to this edition, Hillary Chute writes that this book "Is a book unlike any other you will read; it has no comparison or competitor." This is, of course, untrue. As soon as any "new form" is published, others will be inspired by that work and create their own takes. This may have been a breakthrough for its time (it was originally published in 2002), but 14 years later, I can think of quite a few similar works in style, and others in content. Perhaps this was the first to do all the things at once, though.
I appreciate this work for its illumination of a teenaged girl's sex drive. It is candid and confessional. It muddles the binary construct of "straight" versus "gay." It keys in to a certain, specific, time in amerikan history.
This edition includes not only the Foreword quoted above, but also back matter: photographs of the author at this age, and images of her actual diary entries. This is clearly largely a primary document, and she clearly has no intention of hiding that.
I read all 300+ pages of this over a vacationing weekend, and the vast majority of the book are walls of text, so clearly she writes in an engaging way. The illustrations and comic sections of the book are relatively minor, especially compared to the reputation of the work. I was expecting a lot more integration.
Another thing worthy of note is that there are some cameos by biggies of the comics scene. Minnie Goetze is obsessed with the Crumbs, and her family even spends time with people close to them....more
Don't go into this expecting great literature or feasibility. If you go in looking for what it sets out to be: a high-interest, wacky, fun chapter booDon't go into this expecting great literature or feasibility. If you go in looking for what it sets out to be: a high-interest, wacky, fun chapter book that lives somewhere between Diary of a Wimpy Kid, Alex Rider and Grasshopper Jungle, appropriate for upper elementary and middle schoolers, you will have a great time.
Pete tells his story - and it's one of video games, secret missions, creepy villains, and secret identities.
I used this as my opener for every booktalk presentation I did in 2016 (my booktalk included the most epic "NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!" scream I could muster, and an actual, physically-present NES), and it brought down the house.
I wish this book wasn't so white, in every way (the white President felt particularly weird for a book coming out while Obama is in office), but that is really my only complaint here.
Cute silly illustra-hybrid featuring a Bigfoot and a Cryptozoologist by the author of beloved picture books such as I'm the Biggest Thing in the OceaCute silly illustra-hybrid featuring a Bigfoot and a Cryptozoologist by the author of beloved picture books such as I'm the Biggest Thing in the Ocean. Meant to take it out the elementary schools, but it didn't make the list this year.
The Sasquatch are more monster-like than humanoid. There is an off-duty Santa's elf, too - this isn't taking cryptoscience seriously at all (wink wink). There's a lack of internal logic, which is fine and fun, but didn't scratch all of my itches, coming from the land of the Sasquatch. It's like if The 13-Story Treehouse was combined with something like The Abominables.
Fun, silly, slight, good for the audience. Just wish it was all in color....more
Cute fun illustra-hybrid for younger kids. SUPER like that he integrates Spanish vocab into the story (yay for nonwhite protagonists!).
Story itself iCute fun illustra-hybrid for younger kids. SUPER like that he integrates Spanish vocab into the story (yay for nonwhite protagonists!).
Story itself is not particularly inventive, but it's a fun little romp. And the cover is super strong, so random people keep picking it up off my desk. And a book that begs to be picked up that bad gets my vote, even though, personally, I ultimately found it fairly forgettable.
Update Summer 2015: Promoted this book as part of my school outreach visits this May/June, and the kids went nuts. That may have had to do with the fact that I started my visits by asking if they liked bubblegum. ;) Anyway, we haven't been able to keep it on the shelf, even though my system has seven copies. Can't wait for the second one!
Pro Review: What could you do with a bubble-gum-related superpower? Gabby Gomez is walking down the street, minding her own business, blowing the biggest bubble-gum-bubble ever, when she finds out. This early chapter book will appeal to the hybrid readers and bridge book lovers alike. Montijo uses black, white, and pink to illustrate, and writes a superhero story relatable to everybody. He incorporates Gabby’s culture, sprinkling Spanish words and phrases into the dialog. A sure-fire winner, the main drawback to this title is is that there are only a couple of books in the series. Highly recommended for libraries serving elementary audiences....more
I avoid books about dogs, as a rule. For some reason, stories about animals in pain affect me very strongly. And it seemDO NOT BE AFRAID OF THIS BOOK!
I avoid books about dogs, as a rule. For some reason, stories about animals in pain affect me very strongly. And it seems like every story featuring a dog includes bad things happening to the dog. I'm sure there are good and/or deep reasons for this, but suffice it to say I do not like them. Dislike.
But THIS. This is fine. This is a feel-good, goofy story in the vein of an easy Jeff Kinney-style illustra-hybrid book for the elementary set. The dogs work together to get ahold of hamburgers! Scheming, adorable dogs from the brain of a pretend child. The dogs are silly, and do silly things. I found it amusing, which is saying something for a book like this. :)
I have a vague memory that I liked that the kid says his drawings are really bad but HE STILL DOES THEM! Still uses them to make a story. I wouldn't be such a big fan of the negative self-judgement of his work, but I love that it doesn't stop him.
I also like that the dogs debate methods for gaining the hamburgers - the crazy variety of methods demonstrate innovation/invention/problem solving and that is neat.
I've actually had quite a few kids ask for it since I read it quite a few months ago, which is cool.
Warm, fuzzy, cute, silly. I read it in one sitting. Yes, please. :)...more
I bumped this to the top of my reading pile as soon as I saw it, knowing it was a great candidate for book blurbs as I promoted the Summer Reading ProI bumped this to the top of my reading pile as soon as I saw it, knowing it was a great candidate for book blurbs as I promoted the Summer Reading Program in 2012.
And, yeah, it's pretty darn stellar.
It's a small, softcover book, and it looks like a comic book. There are portions in each chapter where you need to read a page or two in comic form to understand the plot. But most of it is in traditional print.
Schroeder goes through a bunch of major con jobs, laying out the facts in an engaging narrative. We learn about a fake ancient tribe, fake inventions, fake new works by Shakespeare, and on and on.
Totally fun, the only thing I'd add is some color inside the book. :)
Now, can someone PLEASE write a book like this about D. B. Cooper?...more
One thing should be clear. This is not a novel about Killer Koalas Ridiculous, goofy, very bad fun from the author of The Big Fat Cow That Goes Kapow.
One thing should be clear. This is not a novel about Killer Koalas from Outer Space. Instead, it's a grab-bag of short silly fun. There is a series of seriously fractured nursery rhymes, there are several stories about the Dog Poo Family (yes, you read that right), there's a bunch of stories about Bad Mommy and Daddy (Kid: "Can I jump into that volcano?"...Dad: "I suppose so."), there's even a crossword where every single answer is the word Bad. Everything is illustrated, at least a bit by scribbly, black and white, kid-style art. It's in poor taste, and that's all the fun.
Reluctant readers, much?
FYI: The physical cover I have is sparkly (like diamonds) where the blue is on the cover pictured....more
First of all, I think the cover on this is absolutely yummy. Rich teal with colored images of the girl and her philosopher.
The story isn't bad either.First of all, I think the cover on this is absolutely yummy. Rich teal with colored images of the girl and her philosopher.
The story isn't bad either. Fairly standard coming-of-age, girl in a private school, crush on the wrong guy, Indian-American, friend-break-up, cast in a play, teenage story. Personally, I didn't feel the influence of the existentialism much at all, except as a gimmick. But it's an engaging enough story.
The illustration style is the most unique thing about this. Black and white, and not at all panel-driven. The illustrations bleed to the edges and across spreads, or look like doodles alongside paragraphs of text. There are sections told in panels with speech bubbles, but they're more the exception than the rule. These conventions fit with the "Comic Diary" framing, but I did miss the lush coloring of the cover in the body of the book.
I'd booktalk this to high school, because of a plot point involving a staged rape scene. And the philosophical content, even though I didn't feel it dominated.
Don't be freaked out, english-only-speakers, if your library shelves this book in the spanish section. My library does, and I was a bit worried when IDon't be freaked out, english-only-speakers, if your library shelves this book in the spanish section. My library does, and I was a bit worried when I opened it to see entire pages full of spanish text. This book is entirely bilingual. Virtually every caption, and all the bodytext is in both spanish and english.
Something about Peter Kuper's art speaks to me. I don't always enjoy his aesthetic (maybe because he works in almost every style and medium on the books - all on one page!), but every once in a while his imagery just stop me in my tracks. I have one of his strips on my locker at work (see my review of Axe Cop for a poor quality shot of part of it). I felt the need to take a picture of one of the illustrations here (an awesome image of a man cowering in a corner armed only with a spoon, surrounded by an army of bugs - I'll try to remember to upload it when I can).
I really enjoyed the narrative here too. Kuper writes candidly about his struggles, tourism, experiences witnessing the protests while he was there (which doesn't dominate quite as much as you will expect). I was particularly touched by the discussion of the choice to take his daughter to a country other than amerika for a few years, and the picture of her holding the turtles is out of control.
It's a really good travel memoir. Mostly told through captioned full color collage, blocks of typewritten text, and a couple of sequential shorts. Made me want to journey to the place the monarch butterflies go, the giant tree, and maybe an ancient pyramid or two....more
I know, I know - we're all sick of ripoffs of that series about the weak-willed kid. When I picked this up, I was looking for stuff to promote to elemI know, I know - we're all sick of ripoffs of that series about the weak-willed kid. When I picked this up, I was looking for stuff to promote to elementary school students which capitalize on that trend. And this series seemed to have a lot of promise. It takes that illustra-novella, innovative storytelling model and adds something else - monsters and mythology. This journal-writer is researching MONSTERS! Because a CAT told her to! It's not the most well-written, fully-fleshed out story. But the full color pages full of scribbles and illustrations in many styles are extremely appealing. We can tell that the author is a graphic designer first.
In combining a narrative and creature facts, there are some issues - the amount of information about each creature the character researches varies wildly - sometimes we only get a two page spread, sometimes a section on a monster goes for quite a while. It's not like there's not information out there about all these mythical beasts - there are books out there written about them without the structure of the story around them. So it's confusing that the author doesn't choose to standardize the materials on the creatures.
Unfortunately, since it's taken 2ish years for me to write my review, it doesn't appear that there will be a second volume to this series. It is obviously only the beginning to a much larger story, and I'd love to see where Brockway goes with it.
Collects the works of Ted Rall, an awardwinning journalist and comic artist, surrounding his assignment to Afghanistan shortly after 9/11. The book isCollects the works of Ted Rall, an awardwinning journalist and comic artist, surrounding his assignment to Afghanistan shortly after 9/11. The book is split into three parts.
The first part felt like op-ed pieces covering the politics and drama regarding the middle east shortly after 9/11. This part I found difficult to get through, partially because all of the information was so current and is now so dated. I haven't followed these issues too closely, so I often had a hard time remembering what ended up being proved true and false, and what all happened after these events.
The second part is a short sequential art format novella about Rall's time in Afghanistan. I learned a lot about what it's like over there, at least for amerikan journalists.
The essays in the third part were much more accessible after the context of the story in the second part. Much of the content was rehashed from the GN.
I read this as a travelogue, not because I was looking for some nonfiction on Afghan politics. But I'm glad I read the prose parts as well. It gave me a more thorough context for news stories about Afghanistan. And yes, it's a downer....more
--I wish Detorie'd emphasized the Genius part of the title a bit more. The term "Fun, light, realistic, boy fare.
Some random, disconnected thoughts...
--I wish Detorie'd emphasized the Genius part of the title a bit more. The term "Accidental Genius" is defined in the first page or so, and then it's sort of referred back to, but don't expect a lot of plot from the title.
--I liked the use of sequential art, though sometimes it wasn't all that sequential, and some of the illustrations didn't necessarily add anything to the text. But they don't detract, and they do make the page seem a little more accessible, so maybe that's purpose enough.
--I wanted the sister to be redeemed at some point. She's flatout annoying all the way up to the end. Of course, since the whole thing is setup as a journal by the kid, it makes sense that the sister would stay villainized. Using an unreliable narrator in books like this (semi-light, sort of silly) is a delicate thing. How heightened do you make it?
--The story started out really strong (it even made me laugh out loud a few times), and became more and more predictable towards the end.
--I enjoyed the semi-rural/semi-suburban setting, and there were some nice parental moments (though the characters weren't entirely consistent).
I liked this book a lot. The premise is, of course, completely wacky. Giant alien rabbits who survive on candy and can consume and imitate the bodies I liked this book a lot. The premise is, of course, completely wacky. Giant alien rabbits who survive on candy and can consume and imitate the bodies of humans. Two children stuck at a summer camp while their parents are at a Spam cooking championship must find a way to survive and beat the dreaded Fluffs. The book is a small size and there are pages of comic-style illustrations integrated throughout the story. The whole package is designed very approachably and in a totally fun way.
But really, there's a lot more to this than you might expect. It actually took me a while to read, there's some advanced vocabulary; the font is fairly small through most of the book. The story is told through not only linear text, like I said before, but through comic-style illustrations, tables, varying fonts, and joke chapters (i.e. Chapter 23: "With our heroes pursuing mysteries and awaiting rescue in a large lake, let's take a moment to enjoy these messages about our favorite products." Followed by illustrated advertisements for Bob's Life Preservers (Floating Good. Drowning Bad.) and Spam (Unnaturally square. Unnaturally Good.)). So clever and wacky.
The adult characters are all arche-stereotypes (For example, the Craft-Obsessed, Beehived Camp Director; or the Surfer-Dude Slacker Counselor). The heroes include a list-obsessed, nerdy boy named Kevin (who narrowly and mercifully missed being named Kelvin) and athletic, risk-taking girl named Joules (did I mention their Spam-Chef parents are scientists?).
So yeah, a definite booktalk for upper elementary.
Did I mention the cover draws you to it like a chocolate chip cookie?
Or that the Fluffs come from a planet made of marshmallow?
Sped through this in two sittings. Fun, large pages with fun, simple illustrations and many large chunks of text. I enjoyed how Simmonds layered the cSped through this in two sittings. Fun, large pages with fun, simple illustrations and many large chunks of text. I enjoyed how Simmonds layered the chunks of text and the illustrations on each other, so that in some cases, you could read and look interchangably. And when that's not the case, the flow is usually very easy to follow. The illustrations remind me of the work of Stephen Cartwright, who did a lot of Usborne books. But maybe that's just me. Definitely adult, with lots of intrigue caused by the arrival of a very worldly young woman into the English countryside. A little like reading a slightly trashy celebrity gossip novel. In a good way....more
What a great concept. One of the kids in Tommy's class has begun to carry around a small origami figure of Yoda on his finger, dispatching advice to cWhat a great concept. One of the kids in Tommy's class has begun to carry around a small origami figure of Yoda on his finger, dispatching advice to classmates in need. What confuses everyone is that the kid who carries Yoda around doesn't seem to follow his advice or be very streetsmart himself. Tommy has a very important decision to make, and he must decide whether or not to follow Yoda's advice, so he compiles in this book the evidence of Yoda's helpfulness -- or not. I really enjoyed the format of this book. At first glance, it seems like a straight Diary of a Wimpy Kid copycat, with doodles in the margins of most pages. But the "casefile" element translates into a really great example of critical thinking. At the end of each chapter, there is commentary both from a critic who does not believe in Origami Yoda, and by the primary researcher, Tommy, who attempts to analyze the evidence. The doodles are the work of a third source. So it could all be used really fantastically to demo research methods, differing perspectives, persuasive writing, point of view, and of course, critical thinking. Plus, it's a whole lotta fun. The cover and general design of the book is fantastic (see the evolution of the cover in a fantastic blogpost by the designer at http://cwdesigner.blogspot.com/2010/0...). The main thing that drops this down to four stars is that there is a guide in the back for creating your own Origami Yoda, which is a super-cool feature, except that the Yoda you make doesn't match the one on the cover of the book! Major bummer. But really a small issue in the long run, and the kids featured on the book blog don't seem to mind http://origamiyoda.wordpress.com/. ...more
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