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Cupcake Diaries: Mia in the Mix
3 out of 5 stars
Mia had to move from the big city of Manhattan to a smaller place after her mom fell in love with someone who lived there and they moved in with him. She has started to make friends like the ones in the Cupcake Club where they've started to figure out that they can make cupcakes to earn money. She also has started to make friends with the PGC (Popular Girls Club) who has similar interests like fashion. It's causing a bit of strife with her Cupcake Club friends because some of them were bullied by the PGC, but Mia wants to see the good in people. She's in the mix of all of the drama and she doesn't know what to do about it. However, she finds out who her true friends are after her mother, who worked for a fashion magazine, has a big fashion show in the small town.
This was the second in the Cupcake Diaries series that I'd read and I enjoyed it just as I did Emma on Thin Icing The Graphic Novel. It shows some stress that young girls face as they grow up in Middle School. There is friendships that form and some that fall apart, though of no fault of any of the kiddos. Readers of The Babysitter's Club books would like these.
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Belle of the Ball by Mari Costa
5 out of 5 stars
Regina is the head cheerleader who has it all, the great grades, the popularity and the on-again, off-again athletic star partner, Chloe. Hawkins, who is the team mascot, has a MASSIVE crush on Regina and decides to shoot her shot by asking Regina out because her and Chloe broke up... except they didn't. Annnnddd cue the embarrassment from Hawkins.
Regina doesn't show that she has a 10-year plan and there can be absolutely no deviating from it. She knows that she is going go to Harvard Med, graduate with honors, get married at 27 (to Chloe, of course) and at 28, close on their first decently sized house. Chloe, however, is failing classes, which won't allow her to get an athletic scholarship if she doesn't pass. And Regina cannot marry a person who didn't go to college; it will ruin her 10-year plan. So... she hatches a plan to get Hawkins to tutor Chloe by banking on Hawkins's crush on her.
But Chloe starts to think Hawkins is kinda cute... wait, no, she doesn't. Cause that would be so bad! Especially if Regina finds out!
I really loved this graphic novel. It was so cute on all levels. The art, the characters, the just overall adorableness of the crushes. It was a good way to show that you may have this plan of how your life is going to go in high school, but then you figure out who you are, or find things that you tamped down to fit in and remembered that you liked, and realize that you may not want to be with your high school sweetheart for the rest of your life.
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Ember and the Island of Lost Creatures by Jason Pamment
4 out of 5 stars
Ember wants nothing more than to fit in, but there's a little problem... and it's Ember. He is a tiny person that is the size of spiders and beetles, so Ember is having a hard time making friends and even going to school like he wants. Ember winds up being swept away and crosses paths with a sea turtle named Lua who says that she also felt small and couldn't find her place in the world when she was younger, but then she came across The Island of Lost Creatures and it helped her and now she wants to help Ember.
Lua takes Ember to the island where Ember is excited to make friends, but it doesn't exactly turn out how Ember wants, nor how Lua described the island. The other creatures make fun of him for being a "weird little turtle" and his only friend is a rolling boulder that doesn't talk. But then, strange things start happening and Ember isn't sure how what's going on...
This was a really cute graphic novel. The characters were adorably drawn, even the grumpy school teacher. It didn't exactly become a "found family" sort of book, but maybe a "found friendship"?
It dealt with not being able to fit in, trying to make friends, and bullying. It also dealt with the hardships of learning how to speak to someone who may not know your culture or even your language. Ember was open-minded and it helped him discover new friends and solve a mystery, while also helping others. I really liked this and would suggest it to others.
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Charisma's Turn by Monique Couvson
3 out of 5 stars
Charisma is a teenage Black girl who seems to have anger issues. She is often going to the principal's office and getting told what to do and how to act while no one is listening to her or acknowledging here when she is doing well. She's just so frustrated about it that she lashes out even more. However, the school counselor sees this and understands that Charisma isn't bad, she just doesn't know how to work through her emotions without being labeled as an 'Angry Black Girl'.
Thankfully, the counselor helps set her down a path where she can acknowledge her frustration without letting herself be filled with negative emotions. She turns her emotions into a positive outlet by joining a group that's focused on social justice.
I really wanted to like this more, but it felt disjointed. The timeline was so quick that I felt like could've been explored better. Also, the art style reminded me a little of ventriloquist dummies and creeped me out a little. But that's just a stylistic choice and not one that affected my rating. I enjoyed Charisma's story because you don't see a lot about black girls dealing with their anger, getting help with it, and turning it into a more positive experience--especially when speaking up against environmental racism. I hope more stories like this get told.
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Lo & Behold by Wendy Mass and Gabi Mendez
4 out of 5 stars
The book starts with Addie and her parents secretly planting a tree behind their apartment that she had won in class. We see the family taking photos by the tree as it grows until her mother had to have major surgery and "things went downhill slowly" until they stopped taking yearly pictures by the tree. Something happens to her mom to where she's no longer in the picture--literally. Addie knows her dad tries hard to cheer her up, but it's hard. Even when he tells her that they're going to a summer job miles away so he can help work on a Virtual Reality project at a college.
Addie is very hesitant to enjoy anything at the college, even when she realizes that a kid her age lives across the hall in another apartment and he seems kinda cool? Slowly, about the speed of a tortoise, Addie makes friends with the other kid, starts exploring and having a good time. They also become testers for the Virtual Reality projects that her dad is helping with and discover a way to give back to the community.
I really enjoyed this book. It deals with some pretty heavy issues that seem to be just glossed over at first, but as we see Addie with her character arc of growth, we see these issues become more visible. Addie avoids the subjects less as she works with the VR group and is able to confront her worries and fears. I think this book did it in a great way. We also see that other people are dealing with heavy problems as well and how they're attempting to cope. It's a good read on how to deal with grief and when bad things happen.
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Grace Needs Space! by Benjamin A Wilgus , Rii Abrego
3 out of 5 stars
Grace lives with her mother,Evie, who is divorced from her other mother, Ken, that Grace calls Ba. Grace is absolutely ecstatic because she's going to get to travel with Ba away from the space station she calls home to Titan, a moon surrounding Jupiter that is a major hub. There is going to be so much to do there and she's going to have so much fun spending time with Ba! At least, that's what Grace thought would happen. What actually happened was a lot of time sitting around and waiting for Ba to show up as she had to deal with shipping logistics stuff so she can continue to do her job... will Grace even get to go to the Kraken Mare telescope like she's been begging to?
The art was adorable. Grace herself was a cutie patootie. I loved the world building of living on other planets and the science that was dabbled here and there. However, the plot itself seemed to glaze over a lot of things. We get the idea that there's definitely some reason as to why Mom and Ba divorced and we even see a little of that when an issue occurs towards the end of the book. This is a middle grade graphic novel that scales towards the younger ages, so maybe that was a choice to get the viewpoint of kids who may not know exactly what's going on between their divorced parents, but I also feel like there are other works geared toward the same audience that do very well at dealing with these emotions.
It just felt a little lacking. But! I still say read it because it was a good read.
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Codex Black (Book One): A Fire Among Clouds by Camilo Moncada Lozano
5 out of 5 stars
I really enjoyed this book! Not only was the story a great read, but I learned a bit about the culture of the Mesoamerica area. I also loved the artwork and the outfits of all of the characters.
The story starts with a forbidden ritual where we get a view of what I can only assume is going to be the Big Bad as the volumes progress. Then, we meet Itzcacalotl, a Mexca warrior who becomes separated from his group and winds up in a forgotten temple where he gains magical powers. There's also Donají, a Zapotec girl who has a poncho that gives her great strength as it is inhabited by a god.
Itzcacalotl and Donají cross paths as Donají is on a quest to find her father, who vanished 11 years ago. Together, they start to uncover unrest amongst the tribes and the demons that are attacking villages while finding small clues about Donají's father.
There's a name glossary in the back to help you pronounce the names and places that are throughout the pages, as well as information about the gods and mythical creatures that show up.
It was quite a long graphic novel, packed with laughs, adventure, and more, so I was surprised that this was a volume 1. Can't wait to pick up the next one.
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Hi'iaka and Pana'ewa by Gabrielle Ahuli'i
3 out of 5 stars
This is a simplistic retelling of a Hawaiian legend that is a great introduction to this culture for young readers. It contains a pronunciation guide, discussion questions, as well as writing prompts to learn even more about Hawaiian history and legends. For that alone, it's a good read for younger children to learn about people and cultures that they may not know anything about.
It is the story of Hi'iaka and her friend, Wahine'oma'o, along with Pele, Hi'iaka's older sister. Their wonderful island is turning dark and scary, due to the lizard Pana'ewa. Hi'iaka takes it upon herself to confront Pana'ewa. She has the protection of a lightning skirt gifted to her by her sister and she is able to defeat Pana'ewa.
This is very short, but that's to be expected of an early chapter book. I think children who love Moana would enjoy picking up this book, not only because of the content, but because the art style is reminiscent of Disney.
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Paul Bunyan: The Invention of an American Legend by Noah Van Sciver
3 of 5 stars
I knew Paul Bunyan was made up as a part of some attempt to create "Americana" folklore on par with what European countries had, but I had no idea that Bunyan was created by a timber advertiser to help spin a "positive" light on the destruction of old growth forests. That was interesting to learn. I also enjoyed the text introduction and additional information after the graphic novel part that spoke even more about the Indigenous peoples that were in the heavily wooded areas and how they were removed from the land that they respected.
Will kids read these parts on their own or will they skip right over the information and go straight to the graphic novel part? If they're anything like me when I was as a kid, they'll devour the text and try to go looking for more facts about the Indigenous people in other books.
The graphic novel section was something that I would've skimmed over. I get that more and more kids are reading comics and graphic novels and it's a great way to introduce history to them, but the information at the beginning and the end was more intriguing. The story was of the advertiser who just made up the story of Paul Bunyan when comparing stories of other lumberjacks. He is chastised by others for the destruction of the old forests and for trying to make Paul Bunyan as some wonderful person, which ties in to the pieces by the Indigenous authors surrounding the graphic novel.
I wavered between giving it 3 or 4 stars and, ultimately, I gave it 3 because of the graphic novel part.
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Four Eyes by Rex Ogle
3 out of 5 stars
Rex is moving up into sixth grade. He thought it was going to be a great adventure and, well, it's not. He's getting constant headaches and can't see the front of the classroom to write notes. He's become the target of a bully and his best friend, Drew, won't even stick up for him! And then, his biggest nightmare happens, he has to get glasses. On top of that, he can't even get cool ones because his mom and stepdad can't afford to pay for them.
Middle school is a frightening place where kids who have been friends start to drift away from each other and sometimes that can hurt. They start to get different interests or just think that they have to be cool and their old friend isn't seen as cool. We see that happening in this graphic novel through Rex's eyes.
Rex is reasonably upset about being bullied and losing his best friend. He's also upset at his family life because his mother re-married and they are struggling financially. It can be very overwhelming for a kid.
There is a point where he speaks about this to his grandmother and his grandmother basically tells him that his problems are small in comparison to what hers were when she was a child. That rubbed me the wrong way because Rex is struggling and his problems are big to him because that's all he's experienced. People shouldn't tell kids that their problems don't matter and that other people have it worse.
There were a couple other things like that that made the book not as good as it could be for me. I did, however, like that Rex met with his friend who had been his best friend before sixth grade and he came to the understanding that they were going to part ways because their interests have changed. He was very mature to say goodbye, but left the friendship available if his friend decides to reach out.
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Hungry Ghost by Victoria Ying
5 out of 5 stars
This is a heavy read that can be triggering for some that may struggle or have struggled with Eating Disorders.
Valerie Chu has grown up with her mother constantly projecting toxic ideas of how being skinny is the ideal form. Her mother constantly makes comments on her body and the body of her best friend, Jordan, who is a girl that is bigger. It has lead to Valerie counting her calories, purging after she eats, as well as unhealthy mindsets about food and how being skinny means that she is a "good daughter."
Her whole world turns upside down after her father dies unexpectantly and her extended family, particularly an aunt, start to notice Valerie's obsession with food. The tipping point in the book is when Valerie explodes and yells fatphobic things at Jordan as her friend is trying to comfort her.
There was a part of me that wanted this to be longer, to see Valerie's journey, but I think it also ended at a good spot as well. Valerie was on a path to turning her life around, which was good.
Though this book is presented as fiction, the author states that she experienced similar things with Eating Disorders and this was both a challenge to write as well as cathartic to let it out. It is basically her story that she's telling through a fictional lens.
The color palette was simplistic with only about 4 colors, but it was almost gentle to help deal with a difficult topic.
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Monstrous: A Transracial Adoption Story by Sarah Myer
5 out of 5 stars
Sarah Myer's graphic novel memoir was filled with lots of emotions.. There was so much love from her parents, who tried their best to raise two adopted Asian children in a rural town in Northern Maryland. I loved the scenes where young Sarah spoke with her father and he told her about how others perceive him. I also loved that they started to share a bond over anime and cosplay conventions. He didn't seem to understand it at first, but he loved all of the creativity that went into costumes.
But in the memoir, there was also the racism, homophobia, and other bigotry--along with a multitude of slurs that were more "accepted" in the 90s and early 2000s, which is something to keep in mind for readers. Sarah talks about how, no matter how hard she tried, many people in her school just wouldn't accept her. She was passionate about things, but she was labeled "weird girl" from a very young age. When Sarah thought she'd found people who liked her, friendships would fall apart as the pressure to fit in with the crowd reared its head, which made her feel like she wasn't wanted.
Sarah also talks about all of the anger and hurt that she felt and how she lashed out, which made her feel like she had a monster inside of her.
This was quite a read. It was the story of a young woman who was adopted and dealt with the wondering of why her birth parents abandoned her, the anxiety of not fitting in, and the fear of the monster she felt like she was becoming bigger. However, her tale is one that many could relate to, especially if they were bullied in school.
The art was fantastic and Myers did a great job at portraying the "monster" inside of her as a sentient being. I loved the ending of how she decides to protect that younger version of herself who was so full of fun and hope and how, by doing so, she would also protect her current and future self.
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Bizard the Bear Wizard by Chrissie Krebs
3 out of 5 stars
Bear becomes a wizard, specifically Bizard the Bear Wizard, after a tornado rips a magic wand out of the hands of an ordinary wizard and the wand winds up stuck on Bear's head! He is then able to grant wishes of the whole forest, including the bully, Wolf which... doesn't turn out to be a good idea.
I didn't like the art style, but I can see how it would appeal to children. It was squiggly and all the animals seemed to be a bit misshaped. The story was entertaining as Bear is an exhausted and exasperated dude who just wants to nap and not grant wishes. I did like the part at the end where Bear is able to right the problem with Wolf the bully and states that turning them into slugs would just be another form of bullying and he wasn't going to do that.
This would probably be a great read for kiddos ages 6-10.
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Zooni Tales: Keep It Up, Plucky Pup by Vikram Madan
4 out of 5 stars
This was a cute book for early readers that reminded me of Dr. Seuss as it had lots of rhyming in each chapter. Zooni, the plucky pup, goes on adventures and loses a shoe, goes on a boat, and tries to save his friend Cat who fell down a whole! His friends help him as best they can--though, sometimes they cause more problems. Zooni takes it all in stride and is glad to have his friends around him.
It would be a great book to readaloud to young ones who may not be ready to read by themselves to help them learn new words.
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School Trip by Jerry Craft
3 out of 5 stars
Jordan and Drew, two main characters from the previous books in the series, are going on a school trip.... to Paris! There's a lot of excitement and anxiety as well as several in the group are leaving the country for the very first time. Not to mention, there's a bit of a mishap as teachers get swapped for chaperones, so chaos occurs with who will pay their fares and such. Thankfully, it smooths itself out and the group has a trip to remember with famous works of art, wonderful skyline views, and pivotal moments where they stand up to bullies.
It did seem like the third book in this series suffered from a similar case as the second. There are too many little plotlines. I'm glad the kids were able to try and get the bully, Andy, to understand how harmful his words are. Despite the fact that Andy consistently says he's joking, his jokes are always at others' expense. If the person you're "joking" with isn't laughing along with you, then it's not a joke. I did like that this book tried to emphasize that, even though you may think your words aren't harmful, they can be.
The rest of the book sort of bounced around from scene to scene, touching on famous locations in Paris. Overall, I think this is still a good book to read, especially if you liked the others, but the first one remains my favorite.
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Clock Striker, Vol 1 by Issaka Galadima with Frederick L. Jones
4 out of 5 stars
A young girl named Cast is growing up in a small, podunk town that doesn't have a lot of resources. She wants to be out there putting things together, tinkering with science and magic, but her teacher consistently tells her that her dreams of becoming a SMITH will never come true because 1) no one in her town is worth anything and 2) she's a girl. But Cast is determined to prove her teacher and everyone else wrong. She's given a prosthetic hand to tinker with and she manages to make it work just as a real-live SMITH comes to town. And not just any SMITH, a woman named Ms. Clock who is absolutely impressed by Cast's skill and takes her on as an apprentice.
Chaos is unleashed as Cast and Ms. Clock proceed to take down villains who are working real hard to try and uncover deadly weapons that were hidden long ago during the robot wars.
There was a really fast pace to the story that reminded me of anime that I watched in the TOONAMI days. It was reminiscent of Bleach and Fullmetal Alchemist with the over-the-top characters and fight scenes. There was some worldbuilding dabbled throughout, but you got the sense that there is definitely more to explore, which I'm glad they didn't just try to infodump the whole world in one volume or do a really boring lead up to the action.
Reading up on the Saturday AM company that produced this manga-inspired comic was really neat. The group of people found that, even though there is a large swath of people of color who love anime and manga, there wasn't a lot of representation in the genre. So, they decided to make it happen, which is really awesome. I will definitely be picking up the next in the series and also looking into more being published by Saturday AM.
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Tig and Lily: Tiger Trouble by Dan Thompson
4 out of 5 stars
Lily the tiger wakes up one day to a housecat making themselves at home. Tig says that he is a tiger and proceeds to make Lily have an existential crisis about whether or not SHE is a tiger. She's ready to tell Tig that he absolutely is not a tiger when he comes up to her and says that some other tigers were bullying him and saying that he's not a tiger. Lily isn't going to have any bullying going on and sets the other tigers straight.
I'm sure Tig and Lily will get into lots of other shenanigans as this is just volume 1. This was an amusing read with lots of little noises off to the sides of the panels that could make for a funny readaloud book.
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