Graphic Novel

Big Nate: Great Minds Think Alike By Lincoln Peirce

Big Nate: Great Minds Think Alike by Lincoln Peirce
is reviewed by Dornel Cerro.

9781449436353_frontcover

That mischievous boy with a winning personality is back in a new compilation of colorful comic strips called Big Nate: Great Minds Think Alike (Amp! Comics for Kids/Andrews McMeel Publishing, 2014, $9.99 paperback, Ages 8-12). Nate has a lot of big ideas for fun and achieving greatness and tries his hand at Sudoku, life skills coaching, painting, business, and a world record holder of anything (the only record he holds is for detention).

Big Nate fans will be pleased to see favorite characters from past volumes: his clueless dad; Mrs. Godfrey, his strict teacher; teacher’s pet, Gina; and Nate’s best buddies, Frances and Teddy.

Hilarious vignettes include a planned YouTube video of Nate jumping off a shed onto a trampoline while dunking a basketball into a hoop ends in a flop. Attempting to form his own lawn mowing business, he works during a heat wave and is unable to finish even one lawn. Turning to something less strenuous, Nate offers to cool people off with his water hose for $1.00. Unfortunately, he doesn’t adjust the nozzle spray, creating very unhappy customers.

 

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Interior spread from Big Nate: Great Minds Think Alike by Lincoln Peirce, Amp! Comics for Kids/Andrews McMeel Publishing, 2014.

Nate also tries to propel his friend Frances to greatness by competing against Nate’s archenemy “brainiac” Gina for “Outstanding Scholar” medal (p. 100). Unfortunately for Nate and Frances, Gina is one step ahead of them.

Nate’s instructions to Teddy on how to write a three page report on the Boston Tea Party in just one page are an absolute riot. Many teachers are on to student tricks like these: large font and dragged out sentences and words. Here’s an example: “When King George III received news of the Boston Tea Party, he flew into a rage.” A super-long “ARRRRRRRRRRRRR” fills up three panels of the strip, and of course, several lines on Nate’s paper.“Just call me Dr. Filler’!” quips Nate (p. 72).

Finally, my favorite: Nate’s outburst in the (quiet) library when teased about reading a comic strip popular with the girls catches the attention of the librarian. “The life of a school librarian is never dull, “ she muses stoically ( p. 79). Amen, sister.

Big Nate fans, those who enjoy comic anthologies, and reluctant readers will appreciate this collection. Also steer them to Peirce’s well-illustrated Big Nate novels. Big Nate is a growing hit at my school library and I look forward to putting this book into eager hands. Recommended for ages 8-12.

Visit Lincoln Peirce’s Big Nate website www.bignatebooks.com for info on his books, videos about the author, games, a link to the comic strip, and more. See Lincoln Peirce discuss how he works in this YouTube video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7TOTYCrLKSM

 

 

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Comics Squad: Recess! Review and Giveaway

IN HONOR OF SAN DIEGO COMIC CON WE BRING YOU A REVIEW & GIVEAWAY!!

Comics Squad: Recess! written and/or illustrated by Jennifer L. Holm and Matthew Holm, Dan Santat, Gene Luen Yang, Jarrett J. Krosoczka, Raina Telgemeier, and Dave Roman, Ursula Vernon, Eric Wight, Dav Pilkey. (Random House Books for Young Readers, July 8, 2014, paperback $7.99, Ages 7-10) – reviewed by Dornel Cerro.

“WARNING: this book may cause excessive laughter and possible silliness.”

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Comics Squad: Recess! from Random House Books for Young Readers, 2014.

This lively and humorous collection of eight novellas that is Comics Squad: Recess! features comic strip style stories by well-known author and/or illustrators such as Gene Luen Yang, Dav Pilkey, Jarrett J. Krosoczka and Raina Telgemeier. Popular characters like Babymouse and Lunch Lady make their appearance and new characters are introduced. All the stories are tied together by one theme: recess, one of the high points of the school day (second only to dismissal time!).

The stories feature a lively variety of styles, characters and situations from the geeky boy who struggles to join a recess ninja club in Yang’s “Super Secret Ninja Club” to two squirrels who find a rather unusual acorn in Vernon’s “The Magic Acorn.” Pilkey’s “Book ‘em, Dog Man,” features the hero, Dog Man (and lots of invented spelling), who sets out to stop the diabolical Petey from destroying all books in order make the world “supa dumb.” In Telgemeier and Roman’s “The Rainy Day Monitor,” a restless 5th grade class, confined to their classroom on a rainy day, is pleasantly surprised when a “boring” student finds a way to engage her classmates. Two boys struggle to complete an assignment during recess in Santat’s “300 Words” with hilarious and poignant results. Babymouse’s daydreaming makes her late for classes and lands her inside for recess where she takes off on an imaginary quest in the Holms’ “Babymouse: The Quest for Recess.”

Highly recommended for grades 3-6, this anthology serves as a great way to attract new fans and will be enjoyed by those already familiar with the authors’ and/or illustrators’ characters.

GIVEAWAY DETAILS: We’re delighted to be giving away two copies (value $7.99 each) of COMICS SQUAD: RECESS!.

RULES:

1. Please send an email to Ronna.L.Mandel at gmail.com and write COMICS SQUAD: RECESS! in the subject. Please supply your name and address, too!

2. Be sure to LIKE US on either Facebook and/or Twitter to be eligible and let us know you have. You must be a US or Canadian resident to enter.

3. Contest ends at midnight on August 5, 2014, and (2) winners will be notified on August 6, 2014.

GOOD LUCK!
See Random House’s awesome trailers–and meet the authors and illustrators — at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UiTRmUGRAeA and https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3jHXAvpd-9I

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Looking at Lincoln by Maira Kalman

Looking at Lincoln, written and illustrated by Maira Kalman (Nancy Paulsen Books, $17.99, ages 5-8), is reviewed by Rita Zobayan.

Looking at Lincoln by Maira Kalman
Looking at Lincoln written and illustrated by Maira Kalman, from
Nancy Paulson Books.

AMERICA’S 16th PRESIDENT, THE CIVIL WAR AND THE GETTYSBURG ADDRESS

Abraham Lincoln is probably one of the most recognizable American presidents, and with little wonder. His profile is on the penny, his portrait on the $5 bill, and his legacy is taught in both language arts and history classes at an early age. With today being the 150th anniversary of the Gettysburg Address, Maira Kalman’s non-fiction picture book Looking at Lincoln is a perfect introduction (or curriculum supplement) to this venerable leader.

The book features many details about Lincoln, ranging from his birth through his assassination. For example, Lincoln only attended school for a year and a half and was mostly self taught; as a youth, he was kicked in the head by a mule; he always had an apple on his desk; he loved Mozart’s music. These details on the intimacies of his life help humanize Lincoln, so that he seems more of a person as opposed to a figure. Children will be intrigued to know that Lincoln liked to argue a lot and to eat vanilla cake. He stuffed notes in his stovepipe hat.

To her credit, Kalman presents the difficult subjects— slavery, the ensuing Civil War, and, of course, Lincoln’s assassination—delicately but realistically.

Terrible things happen in a war. The Civil War ground on. Lincoln went to Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, the site of a big battle. Thousands of soldiers were buried there. Many with just a number on their grave. On that sad land, Lincoln gave one of history’s greatest speeches, The Gettysburg Address. It was short—only 272 words—ending with “…government of the people, by the people, for the people shall not perish from the earth.” The war finally ended in 1865. Almost a million people had been killed or wounded. The North had won.

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Odd is the New Normal: Meet Cecil Castellucci

Ronna Mandel interviews Odd Duck author Cecil Castellucci. Odd Duck, published by :01 First Second Books, $15.99, ages 6-10, is illustrated by Sara Varon.

mail-3Cecil Castellucci, an L.A. author, has written everything from picture books to young adult novels. Her latest projects are Odd Duck and Letters for Kids, a bi-monthly subscription program through The Rumpus. In Odd Duck we meet Theodora and Chad, neighbor ducks who both waddle to the beat of a different drum yet actually have tons in common. Although the two become BFFs each one thinks the other is the strange one. Upon overhearing someone call one of them, odd, Theodora and Chad clash over which duck was being referred to. This winning picture book is a salute to individuality and uniqueness, a recurring theme for Castellucci.

mail-2How much of you is in Theodora?

I think all of me is in Theodora and Chad. It took a long time for me to figure out that my oddness was also what made me interesting.

Why do you think opposites Theodora and Chad attract?

I have always been a big fan of opposites. Some of my favorite friendships are the ones where we see the world in a similar way but we like radically different things. In Odd Duck, Chad and Theodora might move through the world very differently, but I think fundamentally they feel the same way about things.

Why do people shy away from what they don’t consider “normal”?

It’s hard to be odd. I’m no psychologist, but I think that we tend to gravitate toward groups to feel safer and that is what “normal” means. But I think that being odd is normal to other odd people. So I say, find your odd tribe and you will be “normal”! Because I think really there is no such thing as normal. And I think that everyone on the entire planet is a little odd about something.

Learn more about Cecil Castellucci and her other books at misscecil.com. For info about Letters for Kids and more about Odd Duck, read the extended interview at LAParent.com.

Find the extended interview at LAParent.com and remember to pick up their new May issue.

Click here for the link to my review of Castellucci’s First Day on Earth, a fantastic YA novel from 2011.

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A Very Odd Couple Indeed

Bird & Squirrel: On the Run! ($8.99, Scholastic, Ages 7-9) is the humorous story of  a squirrel, a bird and one very aggressive cat.  Author/illustrator James Burks STK466877used his 15 years of animation experience to create this most entertaining, fast action graphic novel for young readers.

Squirrel, who is blue with a square head covered with an acorn top, is busy hoarding acorns to prepare for the long winter ahead. He bumps into goggle-wearing Bird, who wants desperately to befriend Squirrel and even travel together. But Squirrel is just not interested – that is until he has to unload his stash of acorns to save Bird from the big, mean, orange Cat. With no food for winter, Squirrel has no choice but to head south with Bird to a warmer place. So he packs everything he owns (which is a lot!), and the two set out on their way. The entire book revolves around the challenges Bird and Squirrel face while trying to dodge Cat’s attempts to eat them. With one rather frustrating, yet hilarious adventure after another, Bird and Squirrel do all they can to survive.

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The cartoon illustrations are crisp, bold and so much fun to look at. I was happy to discover that both the words and the pictures are of equal importance to the story. Because there are so many illustrations, graphic children’s novels like this can really encourage reluctant readers to get interested in reading a book. The story is entertaining, adorable, and Squirrel and Bird remind me a bit of the unlikely friendship of the amusing characters in the Odd Couple. Despite their differences, they work together to reach their goal, and I promise you will be enchanted by the way this adorable story ends.

-Reviewed by Debbie Glade

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Fridays Featuring Flintridge – An Easter Basket of Books

An Easter Basket of Book Reviews from Hilary Taber …

Recently, I’ve realized that there are a wealth of words that we never use. “Haberdasher”, for example, or “perchance” are words that come to mind.  Certainly, “hodgepodge” falls into this category. During an Easter season when, if one is lucky enough, there are baskets filled to the brimful with a lovely hodgepodge of all sorts of delights, then surely there is absolutely nothing wrong with a literary hodgepodge. Who knows what I might put in this one? In the spirit of the whole thing, I’ve mixed all kinds of books together for this week’s reviews. Old will meet new, and these “introductions” will hopefully lead you to some new book friends. Just think of these reviews as the different kinds of candies you might find separately packed into those colorful plastic eggs in your Easter basket, and you can’t go wrong!

DreamFriends_JKT_mech2_sm_smDream Friends (Nancy Paulson Books/Penguin, $16.99) by You Byun, Ages 3 and up

This exquisite picture book débuted at story time last week at Flintridge Books and my young audience was especially appreciative of how many beautiful things we could find on each page. The main character, Melody, has a Dream Friend that visits every night in her dreams. Is it a huge, white dog? A huge, white bear? While we couldn’t settle on a definite species we all agreed that the Dream Friend is wonderful, and takes Melody on all kinds of adventures through a world filled with opal-like colors, tiny cats that look like potential astronauts, spiral staircases, giant tulips, and paper cranes that sail the sky. Through this dream world, Melody and her Dream Friend fly together. However, back in the real world of the schoolyard, Melody is in need of a friend. Will Melody be able to make a real friend who will understand how important and magical her Dream Friend is?

This is a treasure box of a book that is simply enchanting. Many smaller illustrations make the book fun to explore. On each page my story time pals picked out what illustration they would like to take home to have in their room if such a thing were possible. With a Dream Friend really anything is possible, and that is the charm of the story. With a happily-ever-after-ending this makes a wonderful bedtime story that I’m sure will leave a child wondering if they will make a Dream Friend of their own. Dream Friends is a Publisher’s Weekly starred reviewed winner, and I wholeheartedly agree with that!

TrixieTen-240x300Trixie Ten (Henry Holt & Co., $16.99) by Sarah Massini, Ages 3-7

Ah, poor Trixie Ten’s life is filled with the burden of brothers and sisters! Not just one or two of them, but nine of them. Trixie is the tenth child. All of her siblings are particularly annoying in their very own way. One always sneezes, another always stumbles on things, another always makes a sound like a roaring lion, and so on. How annoying! Trixie Ten can’t take it anymore! One night she grabs a trusty flashlight and leaves to find somewhere that is quiet, and definitely not filled with noisy siblings. Yet, when she finally finds that place, she’s not quite as pleased as she thought she would be. While it’s true that everything is very quiet it’s equally true that Trixie misses her noisy family! While Trixie Ten is gone, her family is busy counting everyone to make sure that the whole family is accounted for. In cozy beds they begin counting, “Wanda One, Thomas Two…” and so on until they get to Trixie Ten. On my! Where is Trixie Ten?! The whole family sets out on an adventure to rescue Trixie.

My young story time audience was just pulled into this book. Annoying brothers and sisters that you wish you could ditch now and then? I could just feel that they totally understood that! Yet it was the question of “Who are we without our family?” (that Ms. Massini cleverly poses) was what kept their attention until the very end. Highly recommended for any child, but can you imagine if you came from a large family how much you would connect with this story? Also, if you are a teacher, well here is a book that begs for some really great discussions about family, counting, and colors. Also, this book is a great basis for a fantastic craft. Every character is a fingerprint of a different color with a little face, making finger and hand print activities ideal. Have fun!

80171Fairy Tales (Liveright, $17.95) by e.e. cummings, illustrated by Meilo So, ages 5 and up

I made the discovery of this book a few years ago, and I can’t tell you how much I enjoyed reading the fairy tales that poet e.e. cummings wrote for his grandson. While a few of the stories would be more suited to a grown-up audience because of the symbolism, most of them are just fine for their intended audience. I especially like “The Elephant and the Butterfly” (these character are meant to be cummings and his grandson), and “The House that Ate Mosquito Pie”. They are both touching, beautifully written stories about unlikely friendships. A few lines just took my breath away. “A bird began to sing in a bush, and all the clouds went out of the sky, and it was Spring everywhere.” This next line just make me shiver it was so pretty, “In a little while the house heard a new sound, which was as if five or six (or maybe even seven) brooks were laughing about a secret; and this sound grew higher and clearer until the house knew that it was somebody singing and singing and singing.”

What can I write about writing like that? e.e. cummings is a poet whose prose in these stories is simple, yet profound. More than that I dare not venture, but I do hope you will find out for yourselves!

TangleKnotsRevisedBasket__2__2_394x600A Tangle of Knots (Philomel/Penguin, $16.99) by Lisa Graff, Ages 8-12

In this finely spun tale told in multiple points of view, almost everyone has a Talent that borders on being magical. Some have a Talent for knitting, for spitting, for whistling, but eleven-year-old Cady has a Talent for cake baking. She can take a good look at any person and match them up with the perfect cake. When Cady was left at Miss Mallory’s Home for Lost Girls, Miss Mallory had no idea that Cady would stay for so long. Having a Talent for matching her girls with the perfect family Miss Mallory has no idea who would be the perfect family for Cady until a series of events begins to unfold, each one mysteriously tied to the other, that reveal a Talent Stealer, a man with a Talent for tying knots, and a certain blue suitcase marked “St. Anthony’s” among other mysteries. Other child and adult characters join Cady with their secrets, Talents, and searches for Talents. This book is sure to please fans of Ingrid Law’s Savvy if what drew them to the book was the idea of people having varying magical talents and gifts. An intriguing puzzle for mystery lovers, and a thoroughly enjoyable book that links the Facts of the characters with their Fate. All through the book there are Cady’s recipes for cakes matched with all the key characters in the book which would be especially pleasing to young bakers. A Tangle of Knots earned a starred review from Kirkus, which was much deserved!

9780060846169Miki Falls: Spring (Book One) (HarperTeen, $8.99) by Mark Crilley, Ages 12 and up

Miki is beginning her final year at high school, and she’s determined that this year will be the best year ever. There is nothing so tempting a fate as to announce that very soon you will be planning to control everything, and Miki soon learns that lesson in the form of a tall, handsome new student named Hiro. There’s definitely something mysterious about this new guy in town, and soon Miki becomes determined to find out exactly what he is up to. Yet, as Miki learns, sometimes knowing someone else’s secret is a pathway to an adventure. This adventure will turn Miki’s life upside down, and challenge everything she ever thought she knew about love.

Although Miki and Hiro are high school students, I think that readers still in middle school would find it very enjoyable. It’s just enough romance (but not too much) for a young girl just beginning to be curious about love, and has enough action to keep the reader engaged for the rest of the series. I would definitely recommend buying at least the first two books in the series because once you’re hooked you can’t wait for the next sequel! I’m just beginning to explore the world of graphic novels for children and teens more thoroughly. “Miki Falls” really caught my attention because it’s so beautiful, and Mark Crilley’s experience as an American living in Japan is evident in every page. This may be seen in the thoughtful attention to detail in the scenery, which is done with an expert touch. Fans of “Fruits Basket” will be sure to enjoy this American foray into manga-inspired graphic novels.

HilaryTaberPlease visit the Flintridge Bookstore & Coffeehouse today to pick up your copy of these great books, buy gifts, enjoy their extensive selection of other great reads  and relax over a great cup of coffee.  Also visit the website at www.flintridgebooks.com to keep up-to-date with story times, author events and other exciting special events. And when you stop by, keep a lookout for Hilary peeking out from behind a novel.

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Dare to Doodle

Debbie Glade gets doodly with today’s review.

The Pirates vs. Ancient Egyptians in a Haunted Museum ($6.99, Nosy Crow, Ages 7 and up) is the fourth book in the Mega Mash-Up series by Nikalas Catlow and Tim Wesson with more due out December. Basically the reader draws his way through the comic-style book to put his own mark on the story. There are a handful of pirate and Egyptian characters living separately. But both groups run into some financial distress, and they each have maps to the city’s abandoned museum where a valuable statue of a Golden Howler Monkey is housed. The real fun starts when the two groups of robbers both search desperately for the treasure and collide inside the museum. Kids can read the book and doodle their way to the end to find out who gets the treasure and what happens after that.

Due to the nature of the subject, this story may appeal to boys more than girls. What works so well in Pirates vs. Ancient Egyptians is that the story is silly, fun and easy to read and stirs the imagination of the reader. Plus readers get to draw and participate in the story. They can create original art and also add to what’s there already. (There are some drawing tips and a picture glossary.) Reluctant readers will have so much fun with this book, they won’t even realize it is helping to hone their reading skills. Another bonus? This humorous book is really affordable and would make a great gift for a themed birthday party.

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Of Moths, Masks and Music

Guest reviewer Rachel Glade shares her take on this unique graphic novel.

On the planet Sirene, everyone wears masks and communicates through an array of musical instruments. Edwer Thissell, an ambassador to Sirene, has to adjust to the strange customs of this new planet while trying to solve a mystery of murder and mistaken identity. But how can he be sure who he’s dealing with when everyone hides behind a mask?

Based on the classic sci-fi short story by renowned author Jack Vance, The Moon Moth ($17.99, First Second Books, ages 14 and up), adapted by Humayoun Ibrahim, captures the intricate beauty of the original in the form of a graphic novel. Breathtakingly unique artwork combined with a fascinating plot make this book stand out among others. While the book contains dialogue and narrative, only the pictures tell the whole story. Though this can make the plot a bit difficult to follow at times, it really pushes the reader to pay attention to the pictures to figure out what’s going on; I found this particularly fun and engaging. Blending themes of foreign culture, social hierarchy, problem solving and courage, The Moon Moth packs a lot of big topics into a short story. This is a book that should be read many times to get the full meaning. Highly recommended for young adult readers.

Rachel Glade is a junior at the University of Pennsylvania, majoring in Geology. Though passionate about science, she is also an avid reader and writer. Rachel enjoys traveling and learning about foreign cultures, and has done science field work in Mongolia and Puerto Rico. Rachel loves books in almost any genre, including classic literature, science, and science fiction.

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