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Graphic Novels 2019: New Directions

1/30/2020

Graphic Novels for the Win

One of the historic announcements at the 2020 American Library Association’s Youth Media Awards was the Newbery Award. Jerry Craft’s New Kid is the first graphic novel to receive this distinction.

Previous award-winning comics include:
2007 Printz award American Born Chinese, 2007 Sibert honor To Dance, 2015 Newbery honor El Deafo, 2015 Caldecott honor This One Summer, 2016 Newbery honor Roller Girl, 2016 Sibert honor Drowned City, 2017 Coretta Scott King Award March: Book Three, 2017 Excellence in Nonfiction Award March: Book Three, 2017 Printz Award March: Book Three, 2017 Sibert Award March: Book Three, 2017 Pura Belpré Award Lowriders to the Center of the Earth, 2019 Morris Finalist Check, Please!, 2019 Excellence in Nonfiction Honor, Faithful Spy (hybrid text and graphics), 2019 Excellence in Nonfiction Finalist Hey Kiddo, 2019 Excellence in Nonfiction Award The Unwanted, 2019 Sibert Honor The Unwanted.

2007 was the breakthrough year with graphic novels capturing the Printz Award and a Sibert Honor. There followed an eight-year gap (EIGHT YEARS!) before graphic novels began to pop up on award lists. Two titles each were awarded in 2015 and 2016. In 2017 one book, March: Book Three garnered top honors with four ALA awards, in addition to the National Book Award for Young People's Literature and an Eisner Award. That's a lot of stickers on one cover! The momentum built in 2019 with four comics winning awards and The Unwanted received two awards.
This year New Kid earned the covetous Newbery Award. Graphic novels for the win. Huzzah!

Worth Noting

Sequential panel format that combines images and text offers an engaging reading experience. In addition to the recognized 2019 titles, many other delightful and informative graphic novels were published during the year. These comics feature a variety of subjects and employ innovative storytelling techniques. They are gems. Take a look.

Young California surfer Trot and her one-eyed cat discover a fantasy underwater world. Inspired by Vietnamese folktales and Frank Baum, they are brimming with stunning design and nouveau style art.

Historical fiction chronicling the life and legacy of African legend Shaka with fascinating insights into Zulu history. Explores the complex role of leadership and chronicles the expanded the role of women in this society. The second of two volumes.

Middle grade tale of witchcraft and magic. It's also a story of three generations of women. Thoughtful contemplation of identity with a unique twist. Bonus: sparkles with wit and visual humor.

A well-researched account of Brontë's struggle to become an author is featured in The Center for Cartoon Studies reality-based series. An independent woman living in the 1880's and supporting herself is a compelling story.

This hybrid combines distinct first person narrative text with emotion-packed images which give life to this story of immigration and sibling rivalry. Bonus: amazing mouth-watering cakes described in each chapter.

Big Ideas That Changed the World recounts this significant historical event in graphic novel format. Excellent pacing enhances the tension culminating in the successful lunar landing of Apollo 11.

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What About the Children?

1/23/2020

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War affects everyone, including children. Three middle grade books written for middle grade explore the devastating effect of World War II on youngsters living in Great Britain. Three very different books: the life-affirming true story of courage in the face of disaster, a thrilling saga filled with danger and intrigue, and heart-filled tale of a disabled girl learning to trust. Three completely different stories. All excellent reading for middle grade.

Torpedoed: The True Story of the World War II Sinking of the Children's Ship
by Deborah Heiligman

Each person had a life, a story, a life worth living and a story worth telling.

When Germany began relentlessly bombing London some parents sought to protect their children by sending youngsters overseas to places of relative safety. A luxury ocean liner, the SS City of Benares set sail on September 12, 1940 departing from Liverpool and bound for Canada. The ship carried 406 people, including over 90 children. Terror struck five days into the journey when a German U-boat fired a torpedo, sinking the ship.

Meticulously researched, the narrative describes the ordeal endured by passengers and crew set adrift in the icy Atlantic. The story of six boys who spent eight days clinging to a lifeboat until they were rescued is particularly harrowing.

Torpedoed: The True Story of the World War II Sinking of “The Children’s Ship” chronicles this catastrophe and the fate of its few survivors. A story of tragedy and suffering. A story of heroism and hope. Narrative nonfiction at its best.

Deborah Heiligman describes her path to becoming an author.

Uncorrected copy provided by publisher.

Pub date: October 8, 2019 Publisher: Henry Holt and Co. (BYR) ISBN: 978-1627795548

Our Castle by the Sea by Lucy Strange

I was very small indeed when Pa first told us the legend of the Wyrm and the Stones

Two sisters, along with their parents live in a lighthouse set on a clifftop overlooking the sea. Nearby are four upright stones, which local lore believes are four girls turned into stone. Petra suspects that she is destined to become a part of this ancient legend.

With the threat of a German invasion, Britain relocates individuals with German heritage and possible enemy sympathies to internment camps. Petra Zimmerman Smith's mother is German. A tribunal determines that this wife of a British citizen may be a threat to security. She is sent to an internment camp.

It is evident that there is a saboteur within the community. Petra is determined to discover the traitor's identity and exonerate her mother. It's a dangerous mission. The enemy is ruthless and will stop at nothing to silence anyone who interferes with plans to aid a German invasion. Petra risks her life to save her family and her country.

Our Castle by the Sea is a fantastic intertwining of mythology, history, and intrigue.

Author Lucy Strange introduces her book.

Audiobook accessed via Audible

Pub date: April 30, 2019 Publisher: Scholastic Audio ASIN: B07PT38ZB6

The War That Saved My Life by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley

There are all kinds of wars.

Neglect and abuse are all that Ada has ever known. She and her club foot are concealed in shame within a small apartment. When the threat of bombing reaches London, she and her brother escape. Posing as evacuees, they travel to Kent and are placed in the home of Susan Smith.

This benefactor offers the siblings a clean warm home with plenty of nourishing food. She arranges a consultation with a doctor who believes that the deformed foot can be corrected. Ada learns to read, makes a friend, and watches for German spies. Most wondrous of all, Ada cares for and rides the beautiful pony in the adjoining pasture.

While the threat of an enemy invasion is constantly on the minds of everyone, within the home of Susan Smith each one is fighting a personal battle.

The War That Saved My Life is satisfying and heartwarming. A story of conquering fear and learning to love.

Kimberly Brubaker Bradley introduces the horses that inspired an important story element.

Uncorrected copy provided by publisher.

Pub date: January 8, 2015 Publisher: Dial Books ISBN: 978-0803740815

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Mi corazón

1/20/2020

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How to Build a Heart by Maria Padian

Isabella Crawford leads a double life. At home she is the daughter of her white father, a Marine killed in action and her Puerto Rican mother, who ekes out a living as a nurse's aide, moving her family from place to place.
Now the family resides in Virginia where Izzy has received a scholarship to attend a prestigious Catholic high school and sing with the school's premier vocal group. She has her father’s green eyes and can "pass" at school, borrowing clothing from her best friend to supplement her meager wardrobe. She informs classmates that her mother is a nurse.

"I’ve been hiding for a long time. Behind my school uniforms, behind my complicated car pool plans, my borrowed clothes, all the stories I made up in every new town we called home."

Isabella's life undergoes a dramatic shift when her family is selected receive a brand new Habitat for Humanity home. The house will be built in an affluent section of town. Izzy befriends Aubrey, a transfer student who lives near the Crawford’s new home. To further complicate matters, Aubrey's good-looking brother and co-captain of the local school’s basketball team is attracted to Izzy. It is becoming increasingly difficult to maintain her elite-private-school-student facade.

"I felt shame for all the times I pretended to be something I wasn’t. Letting people think I was something I wasn’t."

My heart ached for Izzy as she struggled to care for her younger brother, complete assignments by pirating Will-Fi access, mend an broken relationship with members of her father’s extended family, and forgive her best friend. Maria Padian, daughter of an Irish father and Puerto Rican mother, has experienced many of the identity issues that Izzy faces.

"Growing up sometimes felt like having a guest pass to a club I couldn't join."

Poverty is not pretty. It is fraught with the constant need to figure out how to survive, who to trust, and how to protect those you love.
Padian paints a realistic picture of this bicultural, biracial teen. It is easy to empathize with Izzy. She makes mistakes, misjudges. She also takes risks. The narrative is punctuated with Spanish phrases succinctly conveying ideas and emotions in a manner that the English language cannot.
How to Build a Heart: a story overflowing with a generous quantity of heart. "Oh, mija. Te quiero."

When You Don't Fit In

Trying to "fit in" isn't easy. Cultural, racial, and socioeconomic differences can make school tough for young teens. These excellent books explore some of those difficulties.

Uncorrected copy provided by publisher.

Pub date: January 28, 2020 Publisher: Algonquin Young Readers ISBN: 978-1616208493

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Justice is Served

1/13/2020

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Ruth Objects: The Life of Ruth Bader Ginsburg (Big Words)
by Doreen Rappaport ill by Eric Velasquez

I got the idea that being a lawyer was a pretty good thing, because you could do something for your society.

This generously-sized picture book celebrates the life and legacy of the second woman to serve as a Supreme Court Justice.

Using her trademark format, biographical narrative interspersed with appropriate quotations, Rappaport recounts important events in the life of this influential woman.

The U.S Constitution serves as a backdrop for the cover’s close-up portrait of the Associate Justice. Looking directly into the faces of readers, Ruth is clear-eyed and resolute. Opening pages feature Ruth as a young girl, her childhood filled with books and school activities, music and traditional Jewish observances.

Ruth loved her mother, who taught her to work hard, think for herself, and act independently.

My mother was the bravest and strongest person I have known.

The well-researched profile highlights Ginsburg’s scholarship, her efforts to overcome inequities she experienced firsthand and witnessed in the lives of others, her marriage and family, and the crowning achievement of her professional life: nomination to the Supreme Court. Rappaport supports the narrative with interesting details.

Velasquez' stunning images of Ruth begin with a tender girl and conclude with a joy-filled group portrait of the four women who have served or are currently serving as Supreme Court Justices. Intervening pages reveal Ginsburg's developing maturity and gradual aging. Her innate girlish shyness is replaced with growing resolve, and and quiet confidence. Facial expressions and body language reflect her evolving self-assurance.

Rich back matter includes a timeline of events, author's note, illustrator's note, selected bibliography with additional resources, acknowledgements, and source notes. This excellent introduction to a remarkable individual, Ruth Objects: The Life of Ruth Bader Ginsburg is a worthy addition to classroom and children’s library collections.

Big Words: Picture Book Series

A variety of illustrators capture the individual’s essence in each of Rappaport’s beautifully presented biographies. The artist's style is appropriate to the subject. The realistic Frederick Douglass portrait is rendered in somber tones. Helen Keller is positioned in profile, rather than a direct full face. John Lennon’s glasses reveal the title in his left lens and a mirrored reflection of the words in his right lens. Each portrait could be a framed work of art. Discover this glorious series.

Captivating life stories. Memorable quotations. Gorgeous art. Stellar series.

Uncorrected copy provided by publisher.

Pub date: February 11, 2020 Publisher: Disney-Hyperion ISBN: 978-1484747179

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Mallomars, Raccoons, and Sidebars, Oh My!

1/7/2020

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A Girl, A Raccoon, and the Midnight Moon
by Karen Romano Young ill by Jessixa Bagley

Pearl is a book girl, a library girl. Daughter of the head of circulation, born in the Lancaster Avenue Library, and raised by a tightly knit community of staff members, Pearl’s life revolves around the world of the libraries and stories.

The Lancaster Avenue branch of the New York City Library features unique architectural details: mezzanine with a glass floor, spiral staircase with an intricate wrought iron banister, and a beautiful garden. The focal point of the garden is a statue of Edna St. Vincent Millay, affectionately known as Vincent. Sadly, the old building suffers from neglect. Few patrons visit the library, circulation statistics are dismal, and program attendance is dwindling.

Then the unthinkable happens: the head of the Vincent statue is stolen! Pearl is devastated. She devotes her energy, talent, and resources to finding the stone head and restoring it to the garden. Her efforts create new library friendships and alliances within the community, including the local school, a homeless man, and a newspaper reporter.

Without a doubt, her most intriguing relationship is with the resident raccoons, who inhabit the library’s basement. These mammals with dexterous paws have developed the ability to read and write. They even have their own newspaper, the Moon, published and distributed nightly.

Pearl is working against time as some citizens have determined that the best use of the property is to condemn the building, bring it up to code, and repurpose the structure to create an apartment complex. She must justify the existence of the library branch and the valuable role it plays in the community before November 7, the date for a special election to determine the fate of the Lancaster Avenue branch Library. Simultaneously, she must protect the raccoons, who are viewed as vermin by some community members.

One of the interesting aspects of A Girl, A Raccoon, and the Midnight Moon is the unique story construction. The linear narrative begins August twenty eighth and concludes December first. This fantasy, built on a solid foundation of reality, includes a multitude of footnotes referencing adult and children’s literature. It may be the first work of middle grade fiction that I have encountered with footnotes, sidebars, and a bibliographic listing of newspapers, magazines, and over forty books including the works of St. Vincent Millay and many children's literature classics.

Karen Roman Young’s storytelling breaks the fourth wall. She signals the departure from third person narrative with parentheses and sidebars. The sidebars are a particularly distinguishing story element. They are penned by a raccoon and offer commentary on a potpourri of topics relating to library protocols, elaborating on story composition, and offering a differing point-of-view. Each one is a choice little gem. I marked several of them with tiny red hearts. (Yes, I like to mark books with my own personal symbols, often in color.) 👀

Jessixa Bagley's delightful full-page inked black and white illustrations add to the story's charm. Beginning with the initial spot image of a raccoon face peering out of a window, depictions of the animals, while winsome, are anatomically accurate.

This novel for middle grade readers is a a fantasy, a mystery, a realistic portrayal of a New York City neighborhood library. It’s a story of activism. It’s a love letter to New York City neighborhoods, community libraries, the power of stories, and Edna St Vincent Millay.

Fun with Mallomars

The remarkable family of reading raccoons are led by Mrs. Mallomar. She is a skillful writer, editing the midnight edition of the Moon. In addition to news, the newspaper features Rax Rex, a book recommendation section. Meet some Mallomar raccoons and see three of their recommended books. Check out other titles mentioned in A Girl, A Raccoon, and the Midnight Moon.

Uncorrected copy provided by publisher.

Pub date: January 7, 2020 Publisher: Chronicle Books ISBN: 978-1452169521

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It's a Mystery

1/2/2020

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The Body under the Piano: Aggie Morton, Mystery Queen
by Marthe Jocelyn ill by Isabelle Follath

"being quoted by a journalist in reference to a murder is not an accomplishment to please your mother"

Twelve-year-old Agatha Caroline Morton, an inquisitive girl living in nineteenth century England is never without her notebook, recording her observations and penning verses. She lives with her rather eccentric grandmother, her grief-stricken mother still mourning her husband's death, nursemaid Charlotte, and dog Tony.

The drama begins when Aggie discovers a corpse under the dance studio piano. It's the body of obnoxious Mrs. Irma Eversham, mother of Aggie's classmate Rose and sister-in-law to the dance instructor.

Aggie wonders: who would want to murder Mrs. Eversham? (Well, almost everyone.) Why would someone want to eliminate this odious woman? (Possibly anger, revenge, or greed?) How did she die? ( Was it rodent poison?)

Not one to sit around and wring her hands, Aggie sets out to uncover the truth and determine the culprit's identity. She enlists the assistance of a new friend, Belgian refugee Hector Perot.

The murderer could be any of the individuals attending a recital at the dance hall. Mrs. Eversham was not well-liked. She bullied her daughter, alienated her sister-in-law, had little use for the neighboring hotel manager’s son who had his eye on her daughter, and publicly shouted at the young gardener. It's up to Aggie and Hector to piece together the clues and determine the identity of the culprit.

Quiet, shy Aggie possesses a wild imagination. She peppers her account with elaborate flights of fancy. This interior monologue is dripping with melodrama. Great fun to read aloud!

She envisions disposing of a corpse:

"chopped up in a suitcase, shoveled into a well, hurled from a clifftop, locked in a cupboard."

She suspects that an angry acquaintance must be;

"as steamed as a runaway train, as spiky as a hothouse cactus, as fierce as a stampeding rhinoceros, ready to erupt like a volcano..."

Like Agatha Christi, Jocelyn plants several red herrings throughout that will keep readers puzzling. Early on, I identified the person that I was confident was the culprit. Faulty assumption. On rereading, I found that there were numerous clues sprinkled throughout the story that I had overlooked. There is also a carefully disguised identity. Unlike the intrepid Aggie and Hector, I failed to piece all the evidence together. This is one of the joys of classic murder mysteries. One must parse the clues to determine which are worth noting and those that may be misleading,

Jocelyn ratchets up the tension with a nail-biting conclusion. Aggie sets out on a perilous mission, hoping to learn the truth. She uncovers a long-hidden secret that will expose the perpetrator. Things get ugly. Very ugly. Aggie finds herself alone on a dark deserted beach, locked inside a wooden box, and tossed into the frigid sea.

"I only wanted a very small adventure"

The Body Under the Piano: Aggie Morton, Mystery Queen is a classic "whodunit" that will introduce young readers to the thrill of reading a murder mystery with an intriguing plot, an ensemble of possible suspects, and "hidden in plain sight” clues which invite would-be sleuths to join in the search to discover the criminal. More Aggie Morton mysteries please.

Follath captures the personalities of the major players with a deft hand. I frequently referred to these portraits of leading characters. Very helpful.

Meet Agatha Christi

This very British, very charming murder mystery is a clearly a homage to the great detective novelist Agatha Christi. Born in Torquay in 1890, she taught herself to read at the age of five. She was an accomplished pianist. However her shyness prevented her from performing for those she did not know. Christie's books have sold over a billion copies in the English language and a billion in translation.

Uncorrected copy provided by publisher.

Pub date: February 4, 2020 Publisher: Tundra Books ISBN: 978-0735265462

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Graphic Novels 2019: New Directions

Graphic Novels for the Win

Worth Noting

What About the Children?

Our Castle by the Sea by Lucy Strange

The War That Saved My Life by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley

Mi corazón

How to Build a Heart by Maria Padian

When You Don't Fit In

Justice is Served

Ruth Objects: The Life of Ruth Bader Ginsburg (Big Words)
by Doreen Rappaport ill by Eric Velasquez

Big Words: Picture Book Series

Mallomars, Raccoons, and Sidebars, Oh My!

A Girl, A Raccoon, and the Midnight Moon
by Karen Romano Young ill by Jessixa Bagley

Fun with Mallomars

It's a Mystery

The Body under the Piano: Aggie Morton, Mystery Queen
by Marthe Jocelyn ill by Isabelle Follath

Meet Agatha Christi

Category

Archives

Barbara Moon

Graphic Novels 2019: New Directions

Graphic Novels for the Win

Worth Noting

What About the Children?

Our Castle by the Sea by Lucy Strange

The War That Saved My Life by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley

Mi corazón

How to Build a Heart by Maria Padian

When You Don't Fit In

Justice is Served

​Ruth Objects: The Life of Ruth Bader Ginsburg (Big Words)by Doreen Rappaport ill by Eric Velasquez

Big Words: Picture Book Series

Mallomars, Raccoons, and Sidebars, Oh My!

A Girl, A Raccoon, and the Midnight Moonby Karen Romano Young ill by Jessixa Bagley

Fun with Mallomars

It's a Mystery

The Body under the Piano: Aggie Morton, Mystery Queen​by Marthe Jocelyn ill by Isabelle Follath

Meet Agatha Christi

Category

Archives

Barbara Moon

Ruth Objects: The Life of Ruth Bader Ginsburg (Big Words)
by Doreen Rappaport ill by Eric Velasquez

A Girl, A Raccoon, and the Midnight Moon
by Karen Romano Young ill by Jessixa Bagley

The Body under the Piano: Aggie Morton, Mystery Queen
by Marthe Jocelyn ill by Isabelle Follath