Saturday, August 14, 2010
Graphic Novels
My first Foray into Podcasting
Here are my podcasts in no particular order, just click on the link to go to the cast:
Cameron and His Dinosaurs by Scott Christian Sava.
The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick.
Owly: The Way Home by Andy Runton.
Adam Wreck and the Kalosian Space Pirates by Michael S. Bracco.
Maus: A Survivors Tale by Art Spiegelman
Babymouse
"Babymouse: Our Hero" by Jennifer and Matthew Holm is about a young mouse named Babymouse who is afraid of facing the mean and excellent dodgeball playing cat, Felicia, in gym class. Babymouse has always been able to get out of dodgeball, but this year there is no escape. Her best friend, Wilson, a weasel, helps her practice, but she doesn't get any better and the day of the game she is still scared. However, when Wilson needs her help, Babymouse faces her fears and becomes a hero.
Hilarious. Clever. Imaginative. Endearing. How else can I praise this book? Tween girls would eat these up, and several of the boys as well. I love the black and white illustrations with pink as the one and only splash of color. Very fitting for Babymouse. The narrative bubbles are really, really funny. I loved how they are almost another character in the book. Babymouse's dialogue and quirks are also memorable and, you guessed it, really funny. I laughed out loud throughout the book. Also, the Babymouse character just seemed so genuine. Her plights are all very relatable--the desire to sleep in, missing the bus, forgetting your gym shoes, having an enemy, feeling dumb in class, wishing you could be somewhere else, avoiding chores--all kids experience these things. Babymouse makes those daily struggles and desires a little more conquerable, and a lot more funny. Two thumbs up, particularly for their target audience of tween girls.
Bond, James Bond.
"Silverfin: A James Bond Adventure" by Charlie Higson and Kev Walker tells the story of a teenage James Bond. After his parents are killed in a tragic mountain climbing accident, James is adopted by his loving aunt and uncle. He is sent off to school in England where he quickly becomes enemies with Randolf Hellebore. James and Randolf compete bitterly in school athletic competitions where James publicly humiliates Randolf. James then leaves for Scotland to spend time with his dying uncle. On the train he meets a boy named Red who is going to investigate the death of his cousin in the same town of James' relatives. It turns out Randolf lives in the same town in a castle on the loch. James and Red suspect the loch has something strange going on and they sneak into the castle to discover that Mr. Hellebore, Randolf's father, is trying to create genetically enhanced humans but is just making monsters out of people. James and Randolf team up to destroy the lab.
Silverfin had an exciting story that was filled with twists and turns throughout. The story was well told and the pictures did well to supplement the text. Many of the events of the book seemed forced, however, and it felt like there was just a bit too much coincidence bringing James and Randolf together. It seemed that whenever they wanted to get away from each other fate brought them to the same getaway. The character development, however, was exciting as Randolf came around to realize the villainy of his father. Overall, Silverfin was pretty entertaining.
Wow... that is cute.
"Owly: A Time to be Brave" written by Andy Runton tells about Owly, and owl, and his friends. The story begins with Owly telling a scary story about a dragon. Owly's friend, Wormy, is very frightened by the story. Owly suggests everyone go outside and play ball. Outside, Wormy sees a baby possum, who had been observing the friends play ball. Wormy mistakes the possum for a dragon and subsequently misses the ball, which flies into and breaks a sapling that wormy planted. Owly comes out and puts a protective fence around the tree. During the night the possum gets stuck in the fence while playing with the ball. Owly wants to help the possum but the possum is too scared. Wormy is less imposing than Owly and he musters up the courage to help the possum. They then become friends.
Owly is an interesting read because there are virtually no words. It is told almost completely in pictures. One would think that this style of storytelling would make for some quick reading. Not so! Phrases were expressed as pictures in word bubbles with arrows and exclamations. It was a very interesting and unique way of telling the story. I found myself having to really concentrate and study the expressions to fully understand what was going on. I found it refreshing. However, a tween might find it frustrating and bewildering. There were some parts of the book that even I couldn't quite understand. In any case, the story was whimsical and engaging and I found myself feeling like I really knew the characters, which is quite the accomplishment for the author.
The Storm in the Barn
"The Storm in the Barn" by Matt Phelan is set during the 1930s in the Dust Bowl. Jack Clark is our protagonist and he faces a host of challenges-- bullies, a disappointed and hard to please father, two sisters, one who is seriously ill from all the dust, and one who tends to go places she shouldn't be. But when Jack wanders into an abandoned barn and discovers a man who looks like rain, he must decide if he is strong enough to protect the people he loves and bring back the rain.
What a great mixing of genres. This book had historical fiction, folk lore, and adventure--all in a graphic novel format! And it did them all well. The showdown between the eerie Rain king and Jack was intense and creepy. The wordless panels in this section were well used as they increased the tension and drama of the fight. However, this same ploy didn't work so well elsewhere. There were times where I thought, "This is the third time in a row he's used that picture and I'm not sure why." That is a small complaint compared to the praise I have for this book, though. The pictures captured perfectly the dry, dusty setting of the dust bowl and the down trodden nature of those who lived there. The self discovery and redemption of Jack in the end was very satisfying and the journey to the end was both poignant and exciting. I would especially recommend to boys. See the trailer here! I didn't make this trailer, so the recognition goes to the author.
The Worst Graphic Novel Ever!
"Into the Volcano" by Don Wood follows brothers Sumo and Duffy as they are taken suddenly from school and shipped off to an island to stay with an aunt they've never met while their mother is doing research in another country and their father is called away on business. What is supposed to be a "culturally rewarding experience" turns into a dangerous fight for their lives as the brothers battle nature, their family members who are not what they seem, and their own weaknesses and fears.
I didn't get this book. I didn't get the story, I didn't think it was very interesting, I didn't care for any of the characters, and the illustrations were not my taste. But I must be the exception because I only found very positive reviews, both for the story and the drawings. Although I didn't love the drawings, I was able to see how they might appeal to others; however, the story just plain didn't make sense at times. I kept thinking everything would be explained and it would be as awesome as everyone said it was, but the ending just confused me more. I was impressed with the idea of setting the adventure inside an erupting volcano and I think the volcanology terms and explanations were correct, so you could probably learn some interesting facts about volcanoes and the people that study them. However, these things didn't make it worth my while, and I wouldn't recommend it to anyone, let alone a tween. You may find this video more interesting than the book.