Teen Review: March: Book Two

March: Book Two
by John Robert Lewis and Andrew Aydin, artist Nate Powell

Overall Rating: 5/5
Plot: 5
Characters: 5
Writing: 5

This title is the second in a planned trilogy of nonfiction graphic novels following the life of Congressman John Robert Lewis and his activities during the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s. The story progresses through flashbacks with Lewis' narrative descriptions and storytelling interspersed with flash-forward sequences centered on President Barack Obama's inauguration ceremony.

I am wildly in love with this series for a variety of reasons. I am personally very much a product of my culture and time period. I grew up in the 80s and 90s in an entirely white area of northern Michigan. My American history was focused mostly on the Civil War and WWII. I have a smattering of information about what happened during the Civil Rights Movement, but mostly, I admit that I have no idea. None at all.

This graphic novel series has helped me realize how little I actually know. I didn't know about the Freedom Riders. I didn't know what they went through, the choices they made, the way political and social decisions shaped the movement. I don't know anything about it and reading this and it's predecessor makes me both ashamed that I know so little and ravenous to learn more. This is part of American history that we should not be ignorant of and I am profoundly grateful that these graphic novels are making that history easily accessible to the public, both young and old.

The artwork is fantastic, the writing is accessible and easily understood. The subject matter is graphic in the violent and bloody sense of the word, but there's a reason for that: this period of history was violent and bloody; people called each other horrible words and they are present in this book. But to remove those aspects from this history would be to make the struggle pretty, take away the gritty reality that was a real life-and-death struggle for black Americans.

I can't wait for the next book. And while I wait, I'm going to do more reading. I feel that I owe the Freedom Riders that much.

Teen Review: Nimona

Nimona

By Noelle Stevenson

Overall Rating: 4.5/5

Plot: 5/5

Characters: 4/5

Story: 5/5

Every villain needs a sidekick. And that is what Nimona says she is, when she appears suddenly in Lord Ballister Blackheart's dungeon hideout. But she is more than she says she is and the science-obsessed bad guy must discover the truth while fighting his nemesis, Sir Ambrosius Goldenloin. 

I loved this graphic novel. The artwork is fun and funky but still deeply important to the character development and WOW is there character development. The ending sort of indicates a closing to the story, which breaks my heart because I want to spend volumes following Nimona and Ballister around. They are absolutely perfect.

One thing I really love about Nimona is that she doesn't look like a typical female heroine. She isn't tall. She isn't blonde. She isn't skinny and perfect. She's short and realistically shaped, funky and punky and in your face. She doesn't act like a good little sidekick, either, in spite of what she tells Ballister at the beginning. She does what she wants, when she wants, and however she feels like doing it. Her truth is THE truth, regardless of what anyone thinks of her. And I love her for that.

Non-fiction Review: Fun Home

Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic
by Alison Bechdel

Overall Rating: 4/5
Plot: 4/5
Characters 5/5
Writing: 4/5

Alison Bechdel is also the author and illustrator of Dykes to Watch Out For. This graphic novel follows Bechdel through her early life and details her relationship with her father, who ran a funeral home and died when she was in college. It also maps her coming-out story and how her relationship with her family affected the person she became.

Fun Home is funny, discomforting in places, and honest. While this bills itself as a "family" tragicomic, it is more about family than it is family-friendly. There is nudity and content that would probably make most parents think twice about allowing a younger teen read it, though it is a stellar offering for adults and older teens.

I really enjoyed this insightful examination of family dynamics and how they can affect us, personally and formatively. I did find the story to wander a bit aimlessly, though, which happens sometimes in memoirs. A great read, though, and one I would highly recommend.

Children's Review: The Intergalactic Adventures of Queen Bea

Based on a promotional eBook received from NetGalley in exchange for a review.



The Intergalactic Adventures of Queen Bea
Written by Jeanne Gransee Barker

Overall Rating: 3/5
Plot: 3/5
Characters: 3/5
Writing:  3/5

This coming-of-age story is set against the backdrop of winter in a small town as Bea Parker tries to understand why she's the last girl in her class to reach puberty, why her world seems so small, and who her real parents are after she discovers paperwork in her "aunt's" closet which indicate that Bea was left there as a baby by someone not actually related to them. The sudden and unexpected delivery of a high tech device in her bedroom only further complicates her life, throwing her together with the class jerk/nerd as they try to figure out what this object is and what it has to do with Bea. Interspersed in this narrative is the story of the alien man who was charged with protecting Bayatrice as a baby and had to leave her behind when he was discovered by the opposition. 

Bea interests me, but she didn't start to interest me until two-thirds of the way through the book. Before that point, she is a stubborn teenager with little interest in actually making friends with Calvin, the geek who is mean because people pick on him and he's had enough of it (I identify strongly with Calvin, personally). She only wants to be around him because he might help her figure out the alien technology and he only agrees to look at it with her because it's nothing like anything he's ever seen before. 

This novel was horribly slow to get started and the interesting parts didn't start to really pop until late in the story. Character development felt clumsy and forced (suddenly, Bea is a good person! and there's romance! and things are going to be okay!) and while Bea has greatness thrust upon her, her sudden outpouring of grace under pressure really has very little to do with anything she might have learned earlier in the novel. I'm hoping for more books in the series where we might get to explore the character of Bea and Calvin, especially now that we no longer have the overarching "spoiler" that Bea is really a queen. 

Tip for authors: don't make your main plot point part of the title. It kind of kills the suspense. Also? She barely leaves the planet for most of the book. She has one off-world adventure. This would have been a better title for a series rather than a single book.

Adult Review: Saga vol 4

Saga, volume 4
by Brian K. Vaughan

Overall Rating: 4.5/5
Plot: 4/5
Characters: 5/5
Writing: 4/5
Artwork: 5/5

The next installment of the comic collection which follows the lives of a pair of renegade lovers from opposite sides of a planetary civil war. Easily on par with the rest of the series and I've been rabidly checking our catalog for it since I heard it had been released.

I adore this series. Definitely not for children and even parents of young adults should be wary due to language and the sexual nature of some of the imagery. But the story of these vital characters fascinates me and I want to know where they're going. I want to know how their daughter grows up and what will happen next. I'm breathless with anticipation at every turn of the page and the artwork is absolutely stunning. The characters are complex and powerful on many levels. And I totally want a Lying Cat of my own.