Tag Archives: YA Graphic Novel

Book Review: Lumberjanes, Vol 1: Beware The Kitten Holy And Vol 2: Friendship To The Max by Noelle Stevenson

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Book: Lumberjanes, Vol 1: Beware The Kitten Holy, by Noelle Stevenson, Grace Ellis, Brooke A Allen (Illustrator), Shannon Watters, Kat Leyh, Brooke Allen (Illustrator), Carolyn Nowak (Illustrator), Various (Illustrator), Carey Pietsch (Illustrator)

Published April 2015 by BOOM!Box|128 pages

Where I Got It: I borrowed the paperback from the library

Series: Lumberjanes Collected Editions #1

Genre: YA Fiction/Graphic Novel

FRIENDSHIP TO THE MAX!

At Miss Qiunzilla Thiskwin Penniquiqul Thistle Crumpet’s camp for hard-core lady-types, things are not what they seem. Three-eyed foxes. Secret caves. Anagrams. Luckily, Jo, April, Mal, Molly, and Ripley are five rad, butt-kicking best pals determined to have an awesome summer together… And they’re not gonna let a magical quest or an array of supernatural critters get in their way! The mystery keeps getting bigger, and it all begins here. 

Collects Lumberjanes No. 1-4.

I feel like I’ve heard a lot about Lumberjanes, and I really wanted something that wouldn’t take forever to read, so it seemed like time to pick it up.  I’m glad I finally did, because it’s really cute!  I know I’m late to the Lumberjanes bandwagon, and if you haven’t picked it up, you really should!

So, I wasn’t sure if I’d like it or not, so I only requested the first one from the library.  I ended up liking it so much that I requested the rest of the series from the library.  I kind of wish I had done that in the first place, because right now, I’m wishing I could just read all of the volumes that are out, instead of having to wait to read it.

I didn’t love it, and I think it’s because it seemed so short!  I don’t normally go for graphic novels (I know I’ve read the March series and a couple of the Mouse Guard ones, but that’s about it), and while I really liked the story, the characters and the illustrations, I also felt like I didn’t have enough time to really get into it.  It didn’t seem like enough story, but it does seem like graphic novels are pretty short, so maybe I’m just not that used to it.  I’m much more used to novels, so it’s probably just me, and not actually the book.

I’m torn, because on the one hand, I want to read each one and let it sink in before starting the next one.  But at the same time, I feel like I’ll like it a lot better if I just binge-read them- maybe that will make it easier to get into.

I liked the setting- it’s summer camp for a Girl Scout type organization, and I like that each chapter (or section, whatever you want to call it) has a little introduction about different badges and that at the end of each chapter, you get photographs of the different adventures these girls have.  It definitely has a summer camp feel to it, and I can’t wait to see what hijinks ensue for this group of girls.

I liked the artwork as well.  I liked the colors, and it’s very summer camp.  Not surprising, with that being the setting- there’s a lot of greens and blues and browns, and it all comes together very nicely.

It’s definitely great for middle grade and up, but I think everyone would like it.  Actually, now that I’m thinking about it, it had more of a comic book feel to it instead of a graphic novel, but since I’ve never picked up a comic, I think I just automatically jumped to graphic novel.

I loved the friendships the girls had with each other, and it’s nice seeing them be friends and getting along.  Not that we don’t see it in middle grade and YA, because we do.  There’s just something nice about friendships, where one of them doesn’t leave the others behind for the more popular crowd.  And it’s nice to see a group of friends, instead of a character with, like, one friend.  Maybe it’s just on my mind because I’ve read a few books recently where I’ve encountered a friend making friends with someone in the more popular clique, or books where someone’s trying to figure out what happened to their only friend, who happens to be missing.

Anyway, I didn’t love it, but I did really like it!  I don’t know if I’ll get the strong feelings for this series that everyone else seems to have, but maybe I just need a little more time than everyone else.

4 stars.  I really liked Lumberjanes, and I loved the friendships the campers have with each other.  I just think I need a little more time with Lumberjanes to really get into it.

Book: Lumberjanes, Vol 2: Friendship To The Max by Noelle Stevenson (Writer, Creator), Grace Ellis (Writer, Creator), Shannon Watters (Creator), Maarto Laiho (Colorist), Brooke A Allen (Illustrator)

Published October 2015 by BOOM!Box|126 pages

Where I Got It: I borrowed the paperback from the library

Series: Lumberjanes Collected Editions #2

Genre: YA Graphic Novel

What a mystery!

Jo, April, Mal, Molly, and Ripley are not your average campers and Miss Qiunzella Thiskwin Penniquiqul Thistle Crumpet’s Camp for Hardcore Lady-Types is not your average summer camp. Between the river monsters, magic, and the art of friendship bracelets, this summer is only just beginning. Join the Lumberjanes as they take on raptors and a sibling rivalry that only myths are made of.

This New York Times bestseller and Eisner Award-nominated series is written by awesome all-star Noelle Stevenson and brilliant newcomer Grace Ellis, and illustrated by the tremendously talented Brooke Allen.

Lumberjanes, Vol. 2: Friendship to the Max includes issues 5-8 and the first fourteen pages of Giant Days, Vol. 1 by John Allison.

I really liked The Lumberjanes so far!  It’s really cute, and I love the friendships between all of the girls.  There are a lot of hijinks and shenanigans, and it was a fun volume to read.

I did enjoy it more than the first volume, and I think it’s because I was more into the story and the characters.  Some characters, we see more than others, and while I’m not sure who is who, this group of campers definitely seem to find trouble.  I liked seeing Jen, and she has her hands full with this group.  I am getting used to the characters, and they all have their own personalities.  I’m sure I’ll get to know them more in the volumes to come.

I am glad we learn what was going on the first volume.  The craziness makes a lot more sense now than it did in the first volume, and I’m glad it was explained.  Considering how things seem to go for these campers, it’s not surprising that weird and crazy seems to follow them.  Things are calm and peaceful one minute, and the next…something bizarre happens.  It makes it fun, because you never know what’s going to happen next, but at the same time, the story doesn’t exactly seem…coherent.  It works, though, and I’m starting to like how calm things are one minute before they veer off into something weird.

I also like that each chapter is a different badge.  It does connect, and it makes it seem more Girl Scout-type summer camp.  I love the polaroid pictures at the end of each chapter, and those have a scrapbook feel to them.  Overall, I love that’s a field guide sort of format, and sometimes, it seems like each adventure the girls have is a different chapter in the field guide.

The campers are such good friends, and I really like that about Lumberjanes.  Things aren’t always perfect, but they are there for each other, and they know they can rely on the other girls to help them out.  It’s weird how little you see awesome friendships in YA (at least in my experience, but maybe it’s because I tend to gravitate towards things with at least a little romance in them), but it’s fun to see friends having adventures and good times.

The setting is perfect for all the weird things that happen, and there are a lot of possibilities.  It’ll be fun to see what else these campers have to deal with.

4 stars.  I didn’t love it, but I still really enjoyed Lumberjanes, Vol 2  I think it’ll keep getting better as it goes on.

Book Review: American-Born Chinese by Gene Luen Yang

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Book: American-Born Chinese by Gene Luen Yang

Published December 2008 by Square Fish|233 pages

Where I Got It: I borrowed the paperback from the library

Series: None

Genre: YA Graphic Novel

 

Jin Wang starts at a new school where he’s the only Chinese-American student. When a boy from Taiwan joins his class, Jin doesn’t want to be associated with an FOB like him. Jin just wants to be an all-American boy, because he’s in love with an all-American girl. Danny is an all-American boy: great at basketball, popular with the girls. But his obnoxious Chinese cousin Chin-Kee’s annual visit is such a disaster that it ruins Danny’s reputation at school, leaving him with no choice but to transfer somewhere he can start all over again. The Monkey King has lived for thousands of years and mastered the arts of kung fu and the heavenly disciplines. He’s ready to join the ranks of the immortal gods in heaven. But there’s no place in heaven for a monkey. Each of these characters cannot help himself alone, but how can they possibly help each other? They’re going to have to find a way—if they want fix the disasters their lives have become.

I really liked American Born Chinese!  After reading his Boxers And Saints series, I knew I wanted to read this book, since I’ve heard a lot of really good things about it.

We see three different stories in this graphic novel- Jin, Danny, and The Monkey King.  I really liked The Monkey King’s story, and I also really liked Jin’s.  I felt so bad for Jin when we first meet him in American Born Chinese, and how his classmates and teachers made assumptions about him.  I also loved the story of The Monkey King, and I really want to know more about that story, because I really liked it.

Danny’s story was my least favorite of the three.  I still liked it, but…I’m not sure what it is about his story, but it just didn’t appeal to me the way the others did.  I wasn’t sure how Danny fit into the book at first, because he seemed really entitled and I wasn’t sure why his story was included for most of the book.  It did become clear at the end, and I honestly didn’t see it coming.  Now that I think about it, I might re-read it, because knowing how all three stories connect would definitely help me see Danny’s story in a completely different way.

One of my favorite things was how it all tied together, and I really liked how the book was about liking yourself and being true to yourself, no matter what.  And I loved how well-plotted the book had to be, because everything was so detailed and thought out so well for everything to work together so well.  I can’t imagine American Born Chinese being told in any other format, and I think, if it were told more traditionally (i.e., a novel) it would lose something. Somehow, it works beautifully as a graphic novel.  I think the illustrations are what really bring the book to life.

4 stars.  Unfortunately, my initial dislike of Danny’s story is what is lowering my rating of the book.  Even though his story made more sense at the end of the book, it didn’t work for me at the beginning.  Still, American Born Chinese is a great read because it’s a really good starting point for talking about a lot of different issues.

Book Review Round-Up: Saints And Dream Chaser

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I’ve read quite a few books lately, and thought I’d do several short reviews of some of them!

Saints CoverBook #1: Saints by Gene Luen Yang

Published September 2013 by First Second|170 pages

Where I Got It: I borrowed the paperback from the library

Series: Boxers & Saints #2

Genre: YA Graphic Novel/Historical Fiction

What It’s About: China, 1898. An unwanted and unwelcome fourth daughter, Four-Girl isn’t even given a proper name by her family when she’s born. She finds friendship–and a name, Vibiana–in the most unlikely of places: Christianity.

But China is a dangerous place for Christians. The Boxer Rebellion is in full swing, and bands of young men roam the countryside, murdering Westerners and Chinese Christians alike. Torn between her nation and her Christian friends, Vibiana will have to decide where her true loyalties lie…and whether she is willing to die for her faith.

What I Thought: This is another one I’m not sure about.  I like the idea of history being told in the form of a graphic novel, because it’s definitely different, and it’s an interesting way to see what actually happened.

However, I was sort of confused about what was going on.  The Boxer Rebellion sounds really familiar, but I wasn’t quite sure what it was.  It wasn’t until after I read the book that I realized it was the 2nd book in a series.  I think you can still understand what’s going on, and I don’t know that Boxers, the first one, will necessarily explain the events of the 2nd, but for now, I kind of wish that I had read it in order.

I did like Four-Girl, and I felt really bad for her, having no name.  I did like that she found friendship and a name in a very unlikely place, and that she realized she had a purpose in life.

My Rating: 3 stars.  I like the idea of history being told in a graphic novel, but I also wish I had read Boxers first, because I did feel a little confused about what was going on.

Dream Chaser CoverBook #2: Dream Chaser by Angie Stanton

Self-Published by Angie Stanton in December 2011|323 pages

Where I Got It: A copy of the paperback was given to me

Series: None

Genre: YA Contemporary

What It’s About: Willow Thomas has a bad habit of running away from things that scare her. And most recently, she quit her high school cheerleading squad after a terrifying fall. With time on her hands, she auditions for a musical production directed by a Broadway choreographer. Just as things are looking up, Willow discovers she will be performing opposite Eli McAvoy, the best friend she abandoned three years before. To make matters worse, the kids in the musical hate her, her singing sucks, and her dog is sick. Eli has grown up during their years apart and now possesses confidence and good looks, as well as a giant chip on his shoulder. He is in no hurry to play nice with Willow, but their entwined roles in the musical lead to entwined bodies in the backseat of his car. Just when Willow finally has her life under control, another surprise is delivered in the form of her greatest challenge yet. Will she run or finally stand and face her fears? And will Eli be there to help or turn his back on her for good?

What I Thought: Dream Chaser was really cute!  I needed some cute and fluffy and light, and this book was definitely what I was looking for.  I really liked Willow, and I don’t blame her for being scared after the cheerleading accident- I would be too, if I were her.  I felt like her best friend was really shallow, and while I get that she wanted Willow to at least think about going back to cheerleading, I also thought she could have been more understanding of what happened to Willow.

Willow does run away/quit things when she gets scared, and I think that made her really easy to relate to.  I like that she does face her fears in the end, and I think she grows a little bit throughout the book, because she finally realizes the consequences of not facing her fears.  I find her choice between dance and cheer interesting, and it seems like a lot of it had to do with fear and losing people, but I wonder if maybe there was something else too.  Eli and Willow are great together, and I wish there was a sequel, because I really want to know what lies ahead for both of them.

My Rating: 4 stars.  It’s cute and sweet, and I loved that it was about dance and theater…and why do I not read more books about the performing arts?  I always end up really liking them!  It was predictable, but I didn’t care, because I really liked Willow and seeing her change.