2018 Best Graphic Novels!

January 10, 2019December 19, 2018 | Tasha

It was a great year for graphic novels, particularly for those showing diversity in authors and content. Here are my picks for the best of 2018:

Be Prepared by Vera Brosgol Brazen by Penelope Bagieu

Be Prepared by Vera Brosgol (9781626724457)

Brosgol is such a gifted book creator, moving skillfully from picture book to graphic novel. – My Review

Brazen: Rebel Ladies Who Rocked the World by Penelope Bagieu (9781626728691)

The book is a delight to read, each chapter focused on one woman and told briefly and yet in a way that honors them and makes readers want to learn even more about them. – My Review

Cardboard Kingdom by Chad Sell Deadendia The Watcher's Test by Hamish Steele

Cardboard Kingdom by Chad Sell (9781524719371)

There is a real spark here that demands creative thinking by the reader, looks beyond the cardboard and tape and sees the magic of imagination happening. – My Review

Deadendia: The Watcher’s Test by Hamish Steele (9781910620472)

Steele has created one of the zaniest, twistiest and most demonic graphic novels around. – My Review

Fake Blood by Whitney Gardner Grace for Gus by Harry Bliss

Fake Blood by Whitney Gardner (9781481495561)

A great pick for fans and haters alike, this one would make a great graphic novel to book talk to middle-schoolers and teens. – My Review

Grace for Gus by Harry Bliss (9780062644107)

An empowering read that makes the quiet child the hero and the star. – My Review

Hey, Kiddo by Jarrett J. Krosoczka Illegal by Eoin Colfer

Hey, Kiddo by Jarrett J. Krosoczka (9780545902472)

Personal, painful and profound, this graphic novel is honest and deep. – My Review

Illegal by Eoin Colfer (9781492662143)

Smartly written, deftly drawn and plotted to perfection, this graphic novel is a powerhouse. – My Review

On a Sunbeam by Tillie Walden Peter & Ernesto by Graham Annable

On a Sunbeam by Tillie Walden (9781250178138)

An impressive graphic novel both for its content and its art. This one is unique and incredibly beautiful. – My Review

Peter & Ernesto: A Tale of Two Sloths by Graham Annable (9781626725614)

A great early graphic novel for elementary-aged readers. – My Review

Photographic by Isabel Quintero The Prince and the Dressmaker by Jen Wang

Photographic: The Life of Graciela Iturbide by Isabel Quintero and Zeke Pena (9781947440005)

One of the best biographical graphic novels I have read, this one is a stunning look at an impressive woman. – My Review

The Prince and the Dressmaker by Jen Wang (9781626723634)

Beautiful, layered and modern, this graphic novel embraces gender identity and gorgeous dresses. – My Review

Sanity & Tallulah by Molly Brooks Speak The Graphic Novel by Laurie Halse Anderson

Sanity & Tallulah by Molly Brooks (9781368008440)

The story is fast paced and a delightful mix of STEM and girl power. – My Review

Speak: The Graphic Novel by Laurie Halse Anderson, artwork by Emily Carroll (9780374300289)

It’s a groundbreaking novel made into one of the most powerful graphic novels I have read. – My Review

The Unwanted Stories of the Syrian Refugees by Don Brown

The Unwanted: Stories of the Syrian Refugees by Don Brown (9781328810151)

A strong and important look at the Syrian refugee crisis in a format that makes the content very readable. – My Review

2018 Best Youth Nonfiction!

January 8, 2019December 19, 2018 | Tasha

What a year for nonfiction! It was filled with looks at math, science, art, music and much more. Here are my picks for the best nonfiction for children and teens in 2018:

Before She Was Harriet by Lesa Cline-Ransome Carlos Santana Sound of the Heart, Song of the World by Gary Golio

Before She Was Harriet by Lesa Cline-Ransome, illustrated by James R. Ransome (9780823420476)

An important and lovely book about Harriet Tubman that belongs in all libraries. – My Review

Carlos Santana: Sound of the Heart, Song of the World by Gary Golio (9781627795128)

A great pick for libraries looking for quality biographies of musicians. – My Review

Countdown 2979 Days to the Moon by Suzanne Slade Do Not Lick This Book by Idan Ben-Barak

Countdown: 2979 Days to the Moon by Suzanne Slade, illustrated by Thomas Gonzalez (9781682630136)

A glorious look at the Apollo missions. This belongs in every library. – My Review

Do Not Lick This Book by Idan Ben-Barak and Julian Frost (9781250175366)

A smart choice for libraries looking for great STEM reads. – My Review

Drawn from Nature by Helen Ahpornsiri Life Inside My Mind

Drawn from Nature by Helen Ahpornsiri (9780763698980)

Throughout there is a grace of line and delight. An organic look at nature in all of its beauty. – My Review

Life Inside My Mind: 31 Authors Share Their Personal Struggles edited by Jessica Burkhart (9781481494649)

Reading this book is an exercise in opening your heart. It belongs in every public library serving teens. It will save lives. Period. – My Review

Lovely Beasts by Kate Gardner Nothing Stopped Sophie The Story of Unshakable Mathematician Sophie Germain by Cheryl Bardoe

Lovely Beasts: The Surprising Truth by Kate Gardner, illustrated by Heidi Smith (9780062741615)

A beautiful and fresh look at some of the most misunderstood animals in the world. – My Review

Nothing Stopped Sophie: The Story of Unshakable Mathematician Sophie Germain by Cheryl Bardoe, illustrated by Barbara McClintock (9780316278201)

The book shows again and again the resilience and determination that it took for Sophie to succeed. – My Review

One Day a Dot by Ian Lendler Otis and Will Discover the Deep by Barb Rosenstock

One Day a Dot by Ian Lendler, illustrated by Shelli Paroline and Braden Lamb (9781626722446)

A great look at the science of the Big Bang and evolution for small children, this is a cleverly designed book. – My Review

Otis and Will Discover the Deep: The Record Setting Dive of the Bathysphere by Barb Rosenstock, illustrated by Katherine Roy (9780316393829)

A winner of a science read. – My Review

Pass Go and Collect 200 by Tanya Lee Stone So Tall Within Sojourner Truth's Long Walk Toward Freedom by Gary D. Schmidt

Pass Go and Collect $200: The Real Story of How Monopoly Was Invented by Tanya Lee Stone, illustrated by Steven Salerno (9781627791687)

A very intriguing tale that is a mix of women’s rights, ingenuity and economics. – My Review

So Tall Within: Sojourner Truth’s Long Walk Toward Freedom by Gary D. Schmidt, illustrated by Daniel Minter (9781626728721)

This book aches with pain, loss, and grief. – My Review

The Sockeye Mother by Hetxw_ms Gyetxw Water Land Land and Water Forms around the World by Christy Hale

The Sockeye Mother by Hetxw’ms Gyetxw (Brett David Huson), illustrated by Natasha Donovan (9781553791395)

The book is deep and lovely, the tone unique and lush. – My Review

Water Land: Land and Water Forms around the World by Christy Hale (9781250152442)

A brilliant book that will have young readers looking at water and land in a new way with plenty of terms to name what they are seeing. – My Review

We Rise, We Resist, We Raise Our Voices edited by Wade Hudson

We Rise, We Resist, We Raise Our Voices edited by Wade Hudson (9780525580423)

A call to action for young people, this book is an anthology that belongs in every library in our country. – My Review

Review: The Book of Boy by Catherine Gilbert Murdock

January 2, 2019December 11, 2018 | Tasha

The Book of Boy by Catherine Gilbert Murdock (9780062686206)

Boy has always been bullied and ignored in his village. He is different than the others with his humped back and ability to communicate with animals. When Secondus, a pilgrim searching for relics of Saint Peter, first notices Boy’s climbing ability, he decides to take him along on his journey for a few days. As Boy proves his usefulness and also realizes that he feels accepted for the first time in his life, Boy insists on continuing to help Secondus in his pilgrimage. But they aren’t really rescuing the relics of Saint Peter, they are stealing them in the hopes of getting Secondus into heaven. As their travels continue, they grow more and more perilous. Boy begins to figure out where he came from and realize that though he isn’t a regular boy he may be something all the more special.

I’ve heard so much glowing praise for this book and I thought I had tried to read it earlier in the year, but I got it mixed around with another book. So many books! When I started this, I was immediately swept into the medieval world that Murdock has created. She doesn’t shy away from the filth, the pestilence, and the violence of this world. Yet she also weaves a rich mystical Christianity into the novel that lifts it up out of the reality and into something more.

The two main characters could not be more different from one another, so their unique friendship is all the more rewarding as it emerges. Boy is open and honest to a fault, often failing to understand the nuances of what is happening around him. Secondus is filled with secrets and guilt. Both of their full stories are shared and they serve as two sides of a coin.

A fascinating look at medieval religion, pilgrimage and life, this book is rich and rewarding. Appropriate for ages 9-12.

Reviewed from copy provided by Greenwillow Books.

Review: A Story Like the Wind by Gill Lewis

December 17, 2018November 20, 2018 | Tasha

A Story Like the Wind by Gill Lewis, illustrated by Jo Weaver (9780802855145)

A haunting look at the plight of refugees, this short piece of fiction will work well for children and adults alike. Rami floats in the water in a small dinghy with seven other people. All of them are fleeing their homeland in the hopes of finding shelter elsewhere. But the boat motor has broken down and they are now adrift. Rami is alone except for his violin, and he begins to weave a tale filled with music to keep their spirits up. It is a tale of a young man who rescues an orphaned colt from the snow and grows to be able to ride the stallion because he respects the horse’s freedom. As the tale is woven, it is not just a story about horseriding, but also one about power, brutality and the cost of freedom.

Lewis has written a book that dances the line between children’s book and adult book very nicely. It can also seem almost a picture book as the illustrations sweep across the pages. Lewis’ writing is beautiful and filled with emotion. The dangers of the refugee experience are shown tangibly on the page, as are the stories of what they have lost from war. The story of the stallion is given equal weight in the book, rounding out the book and offering another angle from which to view the same story in the end. It is a story that arcs around and creates a whole out of two separate tales wrapped in song.

The illustrations by Weaver are breathtaking, woven from blues and whites. They fill with light and dark, playing against one another and revealing images built from luminescence, music, and wind. The illustrations suit the dark tale so perfectly that the book is one cohesive story.

A dramatic and human look at the refugee crisis and its many victims. Appropriate for ages 9 and up.

Reviewed from ARC provided by Eerdman’s Books for Young Readers.

Kirkus Best Middle-Grade Books of 2018

November 28, 2018November 27, 2018 | Tasha

Kirkus has released their list of the Best Middle-Grade Books of 2018. On their website, they list them in categories, but I will list them alphabetically here. Here are the titles:

The Adventures of a Girl Called Bicycle Akissi: Tales of Mischief

The Adventures of a Girl Called Bicycle by Christina Uss, illustrated by Jonathan Bean

Akissi: Tales of Mischief by Marguerite Abouet, illustrated by Mathieu Sapin

All Summer Long Amal Unbound

All Summer Long by Hope Larson

Amal Unbound by Aisha Saeed

Ana María Reyes Does Not Live in a Castle Aru Shah and the End of Time (Pandava Quartet, #1)

Ana Maria Reyes Does Not Live in a Castle by Hilda Eunice Burgos

Aru Shah and the End of Time by Roshani Chokshi

The Assassination of Brangwain Spurge Baby Monkey, Private Eye

The Assassination of Brangwain Spurge by M.T. Anderson and Eugene Yelchin

Baby Monkey, Private Eye by Brian Selznick and David Serlin

37570583 The Beloved World of Sonia Sotomayor

Backyard Bears: Conservation, Habitat Changes, and the Rise of Urban Wildlife by Amy Cherrix

The Beloved World of Sonia Sotomayor by Sonia Sotomayor

The Book of Boy Calling All Minds: How to Think and Create Like an Inventor

The Book of Boy by Catherine Gilbert Murdock, illustrated by Ian Schoenherr

Calling All Minds: How to Think and Create Like an Inventor by Temple Grandin

Camp Panda: Helping Cubs Return to the Wild Can I Touch Your Hair?: Poems of Race, Mistakes, and Friendship

Camp Panda: Helping Cubs Return to the Wild by Catherine Thimmesh

Can I Touch Your Hair?: Poems of Race, Mistakes, and Friendship by Irene Latham, Charles Waters, illustrated by Sean Qualls, Selina Alko

Capsized!: The Forgotten Story of the SS Eastland Disaster The Cardboard Kingdom

Capsized!: The Forgotten Story of the SS Eastland Disaster by Patricia Sutton

The Cardboard Kingdom by Chad Sell

A Dash of Trouble (Love Sugar Magic, #1) The Dragon Slayer: Folktales from Latin America

A Dash of Trouble by Anna Meriano

The Dragon Slayer: Folktales from Latin America by Jaime Hernandez

Dragons in a Bag (Dragons in a Bag #1) Eat This!: How Fast Food Marketing Gets You to Buy Junk (and how to fight back)

Dragons in a Bag by Zetta Elliott, illustrated by Geneva B

Eat This!: How Fast Food Marketing Gets You to Buy Junk (And How to Fight Back) by Andrea Curtis, illustrated by Peggy Collins

Everlasting Nora Facing Frederick: The Life of Frederick Douglass, a Monumental American Man

Everlasting Nora by Marie Miranda Cruz

Facing Frederick: The Life of Frederick Douglass, a Monumental American Man by Tonya Bolden

Fake Blood The Faithful Spy: Dietrich Bonhoeffer and the Plot to Kill Hitler

Fake Blood by Whitney Gardner

The Faithful Spy: Dietrich Bonhoeffer and the Plot to Kill Hitler by John Hendrix

Finding Langston First Generation: 36 Trailblazing Immigrants and Refugees Who Make America Great

Finding Langston by Lesa Cline-Ransome

First Generation: 36 Trailblazing Immigrants and Refugees Who Make America Great by Sandra Neil Wallace, Rich Wallace, illustrated by Agata Nowicka

Front Desk The Ghost Road

Front Desk by Kelly Yang

The Ghost Road by Charis Cotter

The Girl Who Drew Butterflies: How Maria Merian's Art Changed Science Gone to Drift

The Girl Who Drew Butterflies: How Maria Merian’s Art Changed Science by Joyce Sidman

Gone to Drift by Diana McCaulay

The Great Googlini Harbor Me

The Great Googlini by Sara Cassidy, illustrated by Charlene Chua

Harbor Me by Jacqueline Woodson

The House That Lou Built The House With Chicken Legs

The House that Lou Built by Mae Respicio

The House with Chicken Legs by Sophie Anderson

Hurricane Child 35721253

Hurricane Child by Kheryn Callender

The Hyena Scientist by Sy Montgomery, photographed by Nic Bishop

Illegal The Island at the End of Everything

Illegal by Eoin Colfer, Andrew Donkin, illustrated by Giovanni Rigano

The Island at the End of Everything by Kiran Millwood Hargrave

It's Up to You, Abe Lincoln Ivy Aberdeen's Letter to the World

It’s Up to You, Abe Lincoln by Leila Hirschfeld, Tom Hirschfeld, illustrated by Lisa Weber, Neal Swaab

Ivy Aberdeen’s Letter to the World by Ashley Herring Blake

The Journey of Little Charlie Knights vs. Dinosaurs

The Journey of Little Charlie by Christopher Paul Curtis

Knights vs. Dinosaurs by Matt Phelan

The Language of Spells Look at the Weather

The Language of Spells by Garret Weyr, illustrated by Katie Harnett

Look at the Weather by Britta Teckentrup

Love Like Sky Martin Rising: Requiem For a King

Love Like Sky by Leslie C. Youngblood

Martin Rising: Requiem for a King by Andrea Davis Pinkney, illustrated by Brian Pinkney

Meet Yasmin! Merci Suárez Changes Gears

Meet Yasmin! by Saadia Faruqi, illustrated by Hatem Aly

Merci Suarez Changes Gears by Meg Medina

The Miscalculations of Lightning Girl The Night Diary

The Miscalculations of Lightning Girl by Stacy McAnulty

The Night Diary by Veera Hiranandani

North to Benjamin Otherwood

North to Benjamin by Alan Cumyn

Otherwood by Pete Hautman

Out of Left Field The Parker Inheritance

Out of Left Field by Ellen Klages

The Parker Inheritance by Varian Johnson

Sanity & Tallulah The Science of Breakable Things

Sanity & Tallulah by Molly Brooks

The Science of Breakable Things by Tae Keller, illustrated by Alexandria Neonakis

The Season of Styx Malone The Sky at Our Feet

The Season of Styx Malone by Kekla Magoon

The Sky at Our Feet by Nadia Hashimi

Small Spaces 35804743

Small Spaces by Katherine Arden

Snowy Owl Invasion!: Tracking an Unusual Migration by Sandra Markle

So Done Stanley Will Probably Be Fine

So Done by Paula Chase

Stanley Will Probably Be Fine by Sally J. Pla, illustrated by Steve Wolfhard

Struttin' with Some Barbecue: Lil Harden Armstrong Becomes the First Lady of Jazz Thirteen Ways of Looking at a Black Boy

Struttin’ with Some Barbecue: Lil Harden Armstrong Becomes the First Lady of Jazz by Patricia Hruby Powell, illustrated by Rachel Himes

Thirteen Ways of Looking at a Black Boy by Tony Medina

Tortot, The Cold Fish Who Lost His World and Found His Heart The Truth as Told by Mason Buttle

Tortot, the Cold Fish Who Lost His World and Found His Heart by Benny Lindelauf, illustrated by Ludwig Volbeda

The Truth as Told by Mason Buttle by Leslie Connor

The Turnaway Girls We Rise, We Resist, We Raise Our Voices

The Turnaway Girls by Hayley Chewins

We Rise, We Resist, We Raise Our Voices edited by Wade Hudson

You Don't Know Everything, Jilly P! You Go First

You Don’t Know Everything, Jilly P. by Alex Gino

You Go First by Erin Entrada Kelly

Zenobia

Zenobia by Morten Dürr, illustrated by Lars Horneman

Review: Snow Lane by Josie Angelini

November 28, 2018November 5, 2018 | Tasha

Snow Lane by Josie Angelini (9781250150929)

Annie doesn’t live in the type of family that lets them take tropical vacations during school breaks like some of the kids she goes to school with. She is the youngest of nine children in her family and money is tight. Her father works so much that she barely sees him at all unless it is while she is helping out at their family farm picking berries. Her mother doesn’t pay much attention to any of the children except the two talented ones. As Annie returns to school for a new year, she realizes that she is very different than the other kids and it goes a lot deeper than her having to wear hand-me-downs from her older brother and wait to get new shoes that don’t have a huge hole in them. Annie is consistently resilient and cheerful in the face of everything she has to deal with, something that is all the more impressive as her family secrets are revealed.

Angelini has drawn from her own family history to create one of the most heart-wrenching books of the year. Readers will immediately know that there is something wrong in Annie’s life as they witness her older siblings being cruel to Annie and her closest sister. Annie struggles with dyslexia and one older sister who is physically violent and also emotionally abusive, telling Annie that she is stupid all the time. As the book steadily reveals the truth about the family, things fall into place and leave Annie to find a way forward using her optimism and intelligence.

Angelini writes beautifully here. She allows the story to play out in front of the reader with Annie herself living in denial about what is actually happening in her family. That denial is even explained clearly towards the end of the book, which gives readers hope that Annie will not just survive but start to thrive. Angelini gives Annie two critical friendships at school that allow her to be successful. Both friends clearly have some ideas of what might be happening to Annie, but neither push that too hard, offering instead friendship, food, and safety.

Heartfelt and painfully honest, this book will speak to so many children living in similar circumstances and allow them to know they are not alone. Appropriate for ages 9-12.

Reviewed from library copy.

Review: Sanity & Tallulah by Molly Brooks

November 26, 2018November 5, 2018 | Tasha

Sanity & Tallulah by Molly Brooks (9781368008440)

Living on Wilnick, an outdated and aging space station at the end of the galaxy could be dull, but not for best friends Sanity and Tallulah. Sanity, who has always wanted a pet despite rules against having one, decides to create one herself. It turns out to be a very cute three-headed kitten with a taste for meat. The kitten manages to escape soon after Tallulah’s mother finds out that she exists. The girls set out to find out whether the problems that are happening across the space station are the fault of one cute kitten or maybe it’s something else. Meanwhile, there seems to be a very large monster on the loose and the coolant tank appears to have been drunk dry. As disaster looms aboard the space station, it’s up to Sanity to save the day thanks to the technology she explored when creating her illegal pet.

Brooks sets exactly the right tone in this graphic novel. The girls best friends who tend to talk one another into getting into even more trouble while trying to fix what they have already done. Add in a three-headed kitten and mayhem follows. The two girls could not be more different, which makes for an odd-couple chemistry between them. The story is fast paced and a delightful mix of STEM and girl power.

The art in the book is done in a limited color palette with pinks and deep blues. The art brings to life the space station and its size, conveying the hazards of keeping it functional while giving the girls a lot of space to run into trouble. The cast of characters is wonderfully diverse and that extends to all of the people who live aboard the space station.

A strong graphic novel with plenty of appeal. Appropriate for ages 9-12

Reviewed from library copy.

Review: Small Spaces by Katherine Arden

November 19, 2018November 9, 2018 | Tasha

Small Spaces by Katherine Arden (9780525515029)

This shivery novel for middle-grade readers will give just the right amount of creepiness for kids reading Goosebumps. Ollie’s mother died in an accident last year, and Ollie found solace in her books, withdrawing from the kids who were her friends and not talking in class. Her father continues to create a warm home for her filled with fresh-baked bread and other treats. When Ollie meets a strange woman about to throw a book into the lake, Ollie rescues the book and runs away. She reads the book, learning about the “smiling man” and the deal that a local man made with him. When she heads out on a field trip with her class, Ollie is surprised to find herself on the farm in the book that has graves for the people in the story. On their way back home, the school bus breaks down and Ollie escapes with two other students from the clutches of the scarecrows and the smiling man himself. Can they avoid capture and find a way back home before nightfall?

There is so much to love about this book. It is so readable for kids, a story that is well-paced and actually frightening, but at just the right level for young readers. The scarecrows are particularly effective as they pivot to watch the children go by and come to life at night. The ghosts are eerie as is the hungry gray bus driver. Young readers will also appreciate Ollie’s growing connection to her mother through her mother’s broken watch, something that tells her what to do and by when. It’s a clever addition to the story, offering a sign of hope and a way out of grief.

Throughout the book, there are characters who will surprise readers by going directly against stereotype. First, there are Ollie’s parents with her domestic father and adventurous mother. Then the two children who accompany Ollie through her adventure are a jock who reads and quotes literature at just the right time and a girl who looks tiny and frail but can climb almost anything and is actually brave and strong. These unexpected little touches add up to a team that is unbeatable as they face real demons.

Written with rich prose that is a delight to read, this eerie tale will be enjoyed by any young reader looking for some spine tingles. Appropriate for ages 9-12.

Reviewed from ARC provided by G. P. Putnam’s Sons Books for Young Readers.

Publisher’s Weekly Best Middle Grade & YA Books

November 15, 2018November 13, 2018 | Tasha

PW has released their list of the top books of the year for children and teens. The list includes the top 50 books out of the 1700 books reviewed in PW this year. Here are the top picks for Middle Grade and YA readers:

MIDDLE GRADE

Amal Unbound The Book of Boy

Amal Unbound by Aisha Saeed

The Book of Boy by Catherine Gilbert Murdock

Dactyl Hill Squad Front Desk