4 stars Delightfully spooky and surprisingly heartwarming. I never read Mary Downing Hahn’s novels growing up, but I just might after finishing this graphic novel adaptation. An interesting way to revive an older tale and make it more appealing to a modern audience. A new house, a blended family, and sinister secrets. This story had…
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4 stars A nice graphic novel adaptation of I Survived the Attack of the Grizzlies, 1967. This story has been one of my favorites so far in the series (You can read my review here ). Nice balance of showing the dangers of grizzly bears, but also what humans can do to avoid dangerous interactions. There is a…
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5 stars A heartfelt book recounting Omar Mohamed’s experiences growing up in Dadaab, a refugee camp in Kenya. The book goes through Mohamed’s daily life and long-term struggles including taking care of his brother, arguments with friends, trying to get an education in the camp, learning English, coping with food shortages, fighting for resettlement in…
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2 stars Okay read. I’ve since gone back and read the original novel and found the original to be a less sensationalized account. The artwork in this is too over-the-top. The incorporation of historical facts into a fictionalized story was interesting. Tarshis gives Chet a whole backstory and his own struggles outside the shark storyline,…
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4 stars Another winner from Brosgol! In this part-memoir graphic novel, Brosgol tackles her time at Russian summer camp, complete with mean tent-mates, horrific outhouses (aka the Hollywood), new friends, run-ins with wild animals, camp competitions, reluctantly getting caught up in drama, and the desire to belong. Brosgol doesn’t shy away from some of the…
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4 stars Ten authors pair up with Chad Sell to create interconnected stories from the world of the Cardboard Kingdom. Sell does the artwork throughout, giving it consistency while letting the characters and authors shine. Reality and fantasy converge as the neighborhood kids play their way through summer, making new connections and learning lessons along…
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3 stars TenNapel’s world building never disappoints. In this case it’s an island with strange plants, a mysterious origin, and an overabundance of creatures that want to kill you. This may go down as the worst family vacation ever, but at least it brought them closer in the end. Danger, adventure, humor, and fast-paced fun….
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5 stars I’ve found when I really like a book, it’s hard to put into words how great it is. Hence, this will be a relatively short review. Non-stop adventure. I was hooked from page 1. This gripping tale features fantastic artwork and a cast of characters that stick with you. A missing Pig Wizard,…
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3 stars An interesting twist on mermaid legends featuring a full-building aquarium, a motherly octopus, and a young mermaid with a mysterious past. This one was a bit difficult to get into at first. It follows an unnamed mermaid, referred to only as “Fish Girl”, who teases guests with glimpses of herself at the aquarium…
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5 stars I wasn’t intending to spend all day reading this, but here we are. Once I started, I did not want to put this book down. I forced myself to take breaks so I wouldn’t speed through and miss out on the great storytelling and wonderful artwork. Still, I read the whole thing in…
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