The Great Gatsby: A Graphic Novel Adaptation by K. Woodman-Maynard

The Great Gatsby: A Graphic Novel Adaptation by K. Woodman-Maynard

This graphic novel adaptation is a stunning way to revisit The Great Gatsby. Woodman-Maynard’s watercolor illustrations seamlessly blend with Fitzgerald’s words, capturing both the extravagance and the eerie, dreamlike quality of the original. 

The imagery takes on a life of its own—sometimes literally—which adds a fresh layer to the classic. 

That said, it’s an adaptation, so while it beautifully distills the novel’s essence, it’s best enjoyed alongside the full text. The author’s note explains this well, but if you’re just looking for a visually rich Gatsby experience, this one’s a treat.

Walk Me to the Corner by Anneli Furmark

Walk Me to the Corner by Anneli Furmark

I'm in a novel workshop where five of us are writing young adult novels, workshopping them a chapter at a time. As often happens when you get writers together, the book recommendations fly faster than I can write them down!

One of the writers is revising a graphic novel. Interestingly, she only has the text, as she's not an artist. Still, the story and the way she laid it out is so visual - I can definitely imagine how amazing this would look as a finished book!

I mentioned that it made me think of Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi and Fun Home (and others) by Alison Bechdel, and she mentioned Walk Me to the Corner.

I requested it from the library without reading what it was about. Sometimes I like a hint of what's to come, especially with suspense books, cozy mysteries, and thrillers. But sometimes I like going in with no expectations - especially if someone personally recommended a book.

This book was really sparse; I found this appealing in a way because the reader can overlay their own emotions. Even with images, it was difficult to understand what each character was feeling deep down, which made me feel a bit disconnected from the story, though it was an interesting premise.

Allergic by Megan Wagner Lloyd and Michelle Mee Nutter

Thanks to Scholastic and @kidlitexchange for the ARC of this book, which is out now! All opinions are my own.

Maggie has wanted a puppy for so long, and her parents finally say she can get one! Her parents are preoccupied with the baby that's on the way, and her younger twin brothers have each other, so Maggie is ready to have her own friend in the family.

When Maggie is meeting different puppies at the shelter, she starts to itch. After a visit to the allergy center, Maggie learns she's allergic to animal dander, so no puppy for her. She can't even be around the class pet, so all of her classmates blame her for her allergies! Maggie starts a list of other pets she could get, but nothing seems quite right. Luckily she makes friends with her neighbor, so she has someone to play with, but friendships can be hard to manage...

I love graphic novels for kids because they're engaging, regardless of the reader's level or "reluctance." I especially love when they tackle tougher topics, and allergies are one I've never thought much about. I liked Peanut by Ayun Halliday, but it's about a girl faking an allergy to be interesting. Allergic deals with how allergies can distance you from others and it's an important topic that is often overlooked. 

Best Middle Grade Fiction Read in 2020

Wayside School Beneath the Cloud of Doom by Louis Sachar (2020). This book came out right as the pandemic hit the US, so the title alone made it seem perfect. I loved Wayside School as a kid, and have read it with book clubs and school groups a lot recently. I was so excited to see a new title being released but was also a little nervous that it wouldn’t be as good as the originals after so long. I was so surprised when it was better than I remembered the others being! It’s so humorous and dry and I loved it so much, I can’t wait to read it again! Re-reading this whole series might be a 2021 goal...

The Canyon's Edge by Dusti Bowling (2020). Nora and her father go on a hike for Nora’s birthday. They’re trying to get away from it all, to forget what happened last year on Nora’s birthday, when her mother died. The whole family has always loved hiking and rock climbing, and Nora wants them to keep it up even though they’re a family of two instead of three. After climbing down into a slot canyon, Nora and her father are caught in a flash flood. Her father pushes her to safety, but as Nora watches, her father and all their supplies are swept away.
    This is a verse novel bookended by a straightforward narrative, which totally immerses the reader into the action. Nora is impressive in her fight for survival, but the book is very realistic about her situation, which adds some great suspense. This is so powerful and so emotional, and I can’t recommend it enough for middle-grade readers and up.

The Lonely Heart of Maybelle Lane by Kate O'Shaughnessy (2020). Maybelle Lane uses a tape recorder as a journal. She records quiet sounds that other people don't notice, sounds that say a lot to Maybelle. Maybelle's momma is a musician and is about to go away on tour for one long month. Mrs. Boggs, a neighbor in the trailer park, will be watching Maybelle while her mother's away. But Mrs. Boggs doesn't realize that Maybelle has plans to travel from Louisiana to Nashville.
    There's a singing contest in Nashville, and Maybelle not only entered but is determined to win. She hasn't sung for a long time, but she wants to impress the judges. One of them is her father, a man she's never met. A man she only recognizes by his laugh, which she heard on the radio one day, just by chance.
    Maybelle's momma told her not to go looking for her dad because she'd only end up getting her heart broken. But when Maybelle listens to him on the radio, he sounds kind, and Maybelle already has a lot in common with him. She knows if she can make it to Nashville and meet him, he'll want to be involved in her life.
    Mrs. Boggs is surprisingly eager to take Maybelle on a road trip. The trip is full of trouble and adventure, and even a stowaway! Maybelle learns a lot about herself and her travel companions along the way, but she can't stop worrying about what's at stake when she gets to Nashville.
    This book was beautifully written and very touching. The details about sounds Maybelle noticed and recorded inspired me to start listening more than I typically do. I love the idea of keeping a journal of sounds, and I love the library activities this brings to mind! This book is great for middle-grade readers and up, and I think it would be an excellent book club pick for small groups in classes.

Rick by Alex Gino (2020). Rick is starting middle school with one friend, but he’s starting to realize Jeff might not be the best friend. Jeff is judgmental and teases Rick for everything he is or isn’t. But when Rick decides he wants to join the school’s Rainbow Spectrum club to figure out who he really is, he realizes that Jeff is flat-out hateful. While Rick learns to accept others as they are, his relationship with his grandfather blossoms in a beautiful way. This is a wonderful middle-grade book about acceptance, questioning who you are, and finding yourself.

BenBee and the Teacher Griefer by K.A. Holt (2020). I love K.A. Holt's verse novels, but this one is a whole new ball game! Four students, Ben B, Ben Y, Jordan J, and Javier, are in summer school because they failed their state assessment, and Ms. J is the teacher who's tasked with bringing them up to speed. These four students don't know it at first, but they have a lot in common. They hate to read. They have never finished reading a book on their own. And, most importantly, they all love the game Sandbox. After making an agreement with Ms. J, the students are allowed to read a Sandbox-themed Choose Your Own Adventure-type book, and even earn time to play Sandbox at school if they meet their time quota for reading aloud. The four students start to become friends as they open up about their struggles in the Sandbox game, along with their real lives.
    This is billed as a verse novel, but I'm excited at how many students it will appeal to because one character's chapter is told in drawings. I've known many students like this - hate reading, hate writing, but have so much to express if you let them draw. I think most middle-grade readers will be able to see themselves in at least one of these four characters while feeling empathy for them all. The characters and their struggles are real, relatable, and most of all - incredibly interesting to read about! This is definitely one to get for your home, classroom, school library, or middle-grade section of the public library - it's going to be a hit!

I can't let a middle-grade post go by without also recommending some graphic novels. These two series were big hits in the school library this year - including the Baby-Sitters Club graphic novels. The Mr. Wolf series is set in a classroom with diverse students and is a quick and engaging read. Like the Baby-Sitters Club graphic novels, the Baby-Sitters Little Sister series is a graphic novel adaptation of the chapter books, so it's a great way to hook readers and then transition them into chapter books if they want to read "ahead" of when the graphic versions are released.

NAT ENOUGH by Maria Scrivan

Thanks to the KidLitExchange network and Scholastic for the review copy of this book - all opinions are my own. Nat Enough by Maria Scrivan releases on April 7, 2020.

This graphic novel is about Natalie, who starts middle school to find her best friend has dumped her to be part of the popular crowd. Natalie tries to get Lily back, but while trying, she meets new classmates who show her she might not have been experiencing friendship before. Natalie has a lot to learn about being herself and finding true friends.

This book reminded me of Terri Libenson books, and also maybe a bit of the comic strip Luann? Something about the cat and dog jokes on the new chapter pages made me think of comic strips, but I liked it, and that humor and style definitely worked for this book. I can’t wait to get a copy for the school library - these kids LOVE graphic novels, and when these characters go through the same problems the students face, those books don’t stay on the shelf. I think this will be a hit.

Fun Home on Stage

I was excited to see the Fun Home play because I wanted to see how a graphic memoir would translate to stage. I've see picture books as plays, and other "classics" like Peter Pan and Lord of the Flies. But for some reason it wrinkled my brain to imagine the little boxes of a graphic memoir on stage.

It wasn't until after I saw the play that I broke it down further in my mind and thought about how it was a graphic memoir - based on real life, so of course it would easily transfer to a play, because the action was done by real people in the first place.

I did love how it was done, though. The artist Alison Bechdel stood at her art table and watched the action of younger Alisons interacting with her family. After something happened, she would say "Caption..." and brainstorm possible explanations to put with her drawings.

I wasn't a huge fan of the songs. They were gorgeous but I think there was so much action and emotion to explore in the story itself without it being turned into a musical. That being said, the kids' song about the funeral home was definitely my favorite part of the night!

Fun Home

Fun Home: a Family Tragicomic by Alison Bechdel

This is a graphic novel about a girl who finds out her father is gay only after she comes out as a lesbian. He dies shortly after, and she remembers her strange relationship with him, as well as her childhood growing up in and around funeral homes. There could have been a lot more emotion to the story, but I think telling it as a graphic novel kind of diminished that possibility. The drawings didn’t add much depth or insight, but it would have been a sparse story without them.

I've also read Are You My Mother? by Bechdel and had a similar reaction regarding the emotion in the book. I can see how both books were therapeutic for Bechdel to write and illustrate, but I didn't get much of that from the drawings or even the story. They were both interesting, but dragged a bit with the navel-gazing, heavy literary references, and other stuff that could have been cut out to make a snappy, impactful graphic novel.

Fun Home is going to be performed as a play at Playhouse on the Square in May, so I'm excited to see how it translates to the stage. If you've read much of this blog at all, you know I love comparing books to movies and play versions of themselves, so we'll see how Fun Home turns out!

Best Graphic Novels Read in 2016

I felt like I read a lot of graphic novels this year. More than previous years, because I didn’t really think I liked graphic novels at one point. I also felt like I read a lot of great graphic novels this year, but only 4 stood out to me, so I don’t have a full top 5 for this category.

In order from most recently published to oldest:

Awkward by Svetlana Chmakova (2015). This is a middle grade graphic novel about a girl who is nervous about attending a new school, and fails to follow the rules she made for herself to fit in. Peppi joins the art club but can’t bring herself to speak up and share her ideas, and can’t bring herself to apologize to the boy she hurt on the first day. This is one of the most developed stories I’ve read in graphic novel form, and I’ve been recommending it to a lot of young readers in the library.

Roller Girl by Victoria Jamieson (2015). Another middle grade graphic novel (I’m seeing a trend…) about 12-year-old Astrid who finds a new hobby in roller derby. She expects her best friend to come along with her, since they’ve always done everything together, but instead they are growing apart. Loved this book, and can’t wait to read more by Jamieson. The story was really compelling, and the illustrations are gorgeous. Check out my rave review in A BOOK A MINUTE.

Honor Girl by Maggie Thrash (2015). I really loved this graphic memoir - the story was really compelling, even if the art wasn’t the best. That was before I learned that the author isn’t an artist - she taught herself to draw just to tell this story! It’s basically her coming out story - how she fell in love with a girl at summer camp and realized she was a lesbian. I rave a bit more about this book here.

Same Difference by Derek Kirk Kim (2011). I love graphic memoirs, and this is a great moment in time, with flashbacks showing how much small things can stick with you through the years. It was a great story, but I also really appreciated how much it made me think of small moments in my own life that related to a bigger picture. A quick read, but I really recommend it, especially if you like reflecting on your own life. (Does that sound narcissistic?)

Honor Girl

Honor Girl is a compelling graphic memoir that you will want to finish in one sitting, so be warned. Graphic memoirs just might be my favorite type of "graphic" book, like El Deafo by Cece Bell, Smile by Raina Telgemeier, and Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi.


Maggie has always gone to the same girls' camp every summer, but during her fifteenth summer, she falls in love. With a girl. (Because it's a girls' camp.) Maggie is shocked to find this vital piece of information she didn't know about herself, and spends the summer trying to deal with her feelings. The book is framed by seventeen-year-old Maggie looking back at the summer.

Besides the main storyline of coming out to herself, the side stories in this book are wonderfully, and completely embody the timeless feeling of summer camp. I loved the book for the story, because the people looked a little too much like anime drawings for me to relate to, but then I looked more into Maggie Thrash herself.

It turns out, she isn't an artist at all. She wanted to share the story of her fifteenth summer and coming out, but didn't want to tell it in a traditional way, so she decided to try making it a graphic novel. She looked up illustrations of people and trees and kept practicing until hers looked good. From an interview with MTV:

It’s sort of important to me to let kids know you don’t have to have art school cred to do this. Just do it. Anyone can do it. Not to devalue the medium, but don’t be intimidated by it. Just try it.

Also worth sharing are her thoughts on diversity in young adult fiction:

I’m really excited for the day when you can no longer presume that the protagonist is straight, or that they’re white, or that they have all their arms and legs. There’s this unwritten rule that the protagonist has to be a tabula rasa for you to be able to relate to them, and that a tabula rasa equals straight, equals white, and just that — it needs to, and everyone wants to, be able to relate to other kinds of protagonists and other kinds of stories.

March Favorites

The Road to Little Dribbling by Bill Bryson. Bill Bryson is always a treat, but he’s gotten better with age. Now he detests stupid people more than he used to, and it comes across in his writing. His informative prose is very well-written, but the glimpses into his thought process are more hilarious than ever.

Roller Girl by Victoria Jamieson. A middle grade graphic novel about 12-year-old Astrid who finds a new hobby in roller derby. She expects her best friend to come along with her, since they’ve always done everything together, but instead they are growing apart. Loved this book, and can’t wait to read more by Jamieson.

If You Find Me by Emily Murdoch. Very emotional, dark young adult book, but not overwhelmingly dark. There is just enough hope and brightness to balance the book perfectly - not too depressing, not too overly perky. Carey has been living in a camper in the woods for year, taking care of her little sister while their mom leaves them alone for weeks at a time. When Carey and her sister are rescued, they have to fit in to a normal society they’re not familiar with.

Pretending to Be Erica by Michelle Painchaud. I really loved the concept of this young adult book. The jacket blurb didn’t really explain much so I wasn’t sure what the story was about, but I started it and loved the writing so I kept going and was SO thrilled with the subject matter and how it was written. LOVE. Highly recommend. Can’t wait for more from this author.

The Single Feather by Ruth F. Hunt. Rachel is a thirty year old woman who uses a wheelchair, and after escaping from a heavily-guarded home, she lives independently in a new town in England. To try and get her old life back, she joins a local art group and makes friends with some of the locals. The story is really compelling, and I was very drawn in to find out what happened in Rachel’s past as her disability was caused by an accident, and she doesn’t reveal much about the home she escaped from. The ebook I read had a lot of punctuation errors, especially with quotation marks, which occasionally took me out of the story, but overall it’s a great book.

A Blind Guide to Stinkville by Beth Vrabel. I started this book as an audiobook, and it was wonderfully read - I highly recommend it to those who have time to listen to audiobooks! My 2-year-old doesn’t give me much of a chance to listen peacefully, so after trying for a month I checked out the hardback so I could finish it - which I did in less than a day! I loved Pack of Dorks but I think I might have loved this one more… Alice has albinism so she is practically blind. When her family moves from her familiar Seattle to a new town called Sinkville (but it stinks from the paper mill, so it’s totally Stinkville), she has to try and be independent. Alice has always relied on a friend to help her get around, but now she has to make new friends and fit in, which is hard when you have albinism. Alice is a great character with a great voice, and the book is so realistic I’m still wondering how the characters are doing! Highly recommended.

Demon Dentist by David Walliams. I love David Walliams in Little Britain so I was excited to find out he has written loads of books (that’s me, late to the game as usual). I’m just happy that I’ve started reading his books, because this one was great! A strange new dentist moves to town, one who gives kids candy and makes her own toothpaste that burns through concrete. She's got to be up to something, right? Alfie is determined to uncover the tooth truth (sorry, couldn't resist!). Walliams cites Roald Dahl as his literary influence and I definitely see that, but in a good way, not a cheap imitation way. Can’t wait to read more of his, which I plan to buy since my library system only has two titles.

February Favorites

I read eighteen books this month - how did I find the time? I was so busy with schoolwork, my student association duties, and writing STEM programs for a rural library (more about that later). I'm only highlighting six of them, but you can find all my reviews on Goodreads. I'm thinking of doing an annual "Duds" post of books I read and then hated myself for reading, or books I started and couldn't finish. But let's not think about that type of book - let's focus on the great ones!


Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson. I’m not a big poetry fan, but I LOVE verse novels. Woodson’s story of her childhood is so beautiful, with exquisite imagery and emotion. I think this is the first book I’ve ever read by her, but now I’m eager to read more. I highly recommend this book.

George by Alex Gino. This book tackles an interesting, contemporary issue, and it does so in a way that pretty much every age level can understand, which I really appreciate. As someone who was born female and identifies as female, I wish there were prequels and sequels to this book, because I am very curious to know how and when George realized she was a girl, not a boy, and I really want to see how things progress in her life. I think this is a great subject for younger books to be written about, and look forward to more in general, and from this particular author.

Awkward by Svetlana Chmakova. Middle grade graphic novel about a girl who is nervous about attending a new school, and fails to follow the rules she made for herself to fit in. Peppi joins the art club but can’t bring herself to speak up and share her ideas, and can’t bring herself to apologize to the boy she hurt on the first day. I love middle grade fiction, and when it's also in graphic novel form, it's so fun to read! You really get sucked into the story with the illustrations.

The Opposite of Everyone by Joshilyn Jackson. Joshilyn Jackson is one of my favorite authors, and her books keep getting better and better. Paula is a divorce lawyer who has had countless identities in the past, thanks to her mom, who lived wherever she could find a boyfriend. Paula has been sending her mother money every month to “make good” on something that happened in the past - and that’s been all the contact she’s had with her mother. When she finally gets something from her mother, it’s not what she expected, and she has to deal with her past catching up to her rich (literally) present.

The Rag and Bone Shop by Robert Cormier. Robert Cormier was writing dark YA fiction before it was mainstream, and his last book doesn’t disappoint. Jason is twelve years old when he’s questioned in the murder of his seven-year-old friend. Most of the story is in the suspense between the interrogator and Jason, but the ending has an excellent twist, then another twist, then a knife to the gut. Amazing!

Violent Ends by Shaun David Hutchinson. A collection of short stories about a school shooting, told in 17 different points of view by 17 different YA authors. A few of the stories fell flat, but most were amazing and interesting and emotional. Makes me want to re-read Columbine by Dave Cullen. This book has been popping in to my mind randomly since I read it, so I think that makes it a powerful read. I could see myself re-reading this one in a year or two.

January Favorites

On a previous blog, I would post monthly recaps of my favorite reads. I've decided to start doing it on this blog. Each post will have a variety of books I really enjoyed reading, whether they are children's or young adult, fiction or nonfiction, graphic or prose.


Through the Woods by Emily Carroll. I love this beautifully creepy collection of short stories. I wasn’t sure what to expect when I picked it up - I’d heard a lot of buzz about it, but thought it was just a fairy tale graphic novel. I was pleasantly surprised! The stories aren’t outright scary, but they’re delightfully unsettling, and quick and easy to read.

The War that Saved My Life by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley. Ada was born with a clubfoot, and her mother is ashamed of it. Because of that, Ada has never been out of the house, never learned anything, even though she is…or at least THINKS she is, 10 years old. Her little brother Jamie, on the other hand, is their mother’s favorite, and can play outside and attend school. As the war gets closer to London, Jamie is going to be sent to the country to stay safe. Ada sneaks out with Jamie, and they get on a train with the other children from London. People who live in the country are going to take in children until World War II is over, but what if no one wants Ada and Jamie? This was a very engrossing book, and I don’t usually enjoy historical fiction. The ending of this book is one of the most satisfying I’ve read in a long time, with a perfect last line. Highly recommended! Check out my video review: A Book a Minute.

Someday, Someday, Maybe by Lauren Graham. I love Lauren Graham, mostly as Lorelai Gilmore, so I was worried I was going to imagine her as the character in this book. Luckily the story is about Franny trying to make it as an actress in New York, and she’s silly and funny, so imagining Lauren Graham as the character totally fit. I love reading about people trying to make it as actors, so I loved this book. The overall resolution was a little obvious, but there were nods throughout the book that Graham knew what was going on, so it seemed a little less hokey. The ending itself was very well-written. I’d love to read more from her.

Jane, the Fox, and Me by Fanny Britt. This graphic novel is beautiful. Overall it looks very simple, with scratchy pencil drawings, but there are so many details in the images. The story is about a girl who used to have friends, until they abruptly turn on her and she is the class loner. It’s a story that’s been told over and over again (and I feel like most of the books I’ve read recently deal with this issue), but it’s well-done, and worth a read since it’s quick.

FAVORITE RE-READS Matilda by Roald Dahl. I haven’t read this book since childhood, and I was delighted that it’s still just as entertaining to read as an adult! I’m a huge Roald Dahl fan so it was fun to start reading his works again. I read this right as I saw Matilda, Tim Minchin’s musical, so it was nice to compare the book to the musical (which actually stayed fairly true to the story)!

One Step Too Far by Tina Seskis. I previously read this in February 2013 and loved it - the review from my now-defunct blog is actually in the paperback version! I loved it just as much re-reading it now. I remembered the biggest plot point, but had forgotten a lot of the little twists along the way so it was a lot of fun to read again. Still highly recommend this book if you want a fast-paced, suspenseful read.

Favorite Young Adult Books of 2015

For favorite picture books, I recommended only books that were published this year. For favorite young adult books, I'm highlighting my five favorites, but... none of these books were published in 2015. None. I read books that were published this year, but I read a lot of books this year, so I decided to go with my gut and post raves about my favorites, with no publishing constraints. (Next year, I vow to be more timely with my reading list so I can pull exclusively from 2016 books. Funnily, this list has 4 books that were published in 2014, and one in 2013, so I'm not TOO dated.)


El Deafo is a graphic memoir by Cece Bell. In really cute, bright illustrations, she tells the story of how she had to get hearing aids at a young age, and how she coped with being different from everyone else. I love graphic memoirs and Bell has a great style.

I'll Give You the Sun by Jandy Nelson is about twins who used to be best friends. Their mother wants them to attend a fancy art school, and when one twin is admitted and one isn't, it starts tearing them apart. The book is told in alternating chapters from each twin's point of view, across the span of three years. It's hard to summarize without giving the good stuff away, so let's just say there's a reason this book is an award-winner! I read and reviewed this for a class, and loved it so much I created a book trailer for it!

Girls Like Us is an amazing and emotional story about two teen girls with disabilities who graduate from high school and become roommates. They live with an old lady on the condition that they help her around the house. This book is so real and honest, and so moving. It was so good that I already want to re-read it; I think it'll stay on my list of all-time favorites.

Good Kings Bad Kings is another book with characters who have disabilities. The story is told from different points of view of teens living in the institution, as well as employees who work there. It's an interesting story, but due to the institutional setting, it's especially effective as a way to bring about change.

Popular: Vintage Wisdom for a Modern Geek is a memoir by Maya Van Wagenen, a girl who found an old popularity guide and decided to implement it in her modern middle school life. Her writing is easy to read, with touches of humor and emotion. I've previously reviewed this book on the blog after I read it for a class. I loved it so much, I even developed an "If You Liked..." display based off of it, so you can check out some of those book suggestions as well!

Read them for yourself!
Bell, Cece. El Deafo. New York: Harry N. Abrams, 2014. Print.
Nelson, Jandy. I’ll Give You the Sun. New York: Dial Books, 2014. Print.
Giles, Gail. Girls Like Us. Somerville, MA: Candlewick, 2014. Print.
Nussbaum, Susan. Good Kings Bad Kings. Chapel Hill, NC: Algonquin Books, 2013. Print.
Van Wagenen, Maya. Popular: Vintage Wisdom for a Modern Geek. New York: Dutton Books,
     2014. Print.

This One Summer

Plot Summary
Rose and her family stay at a lakeside cabin every summer, where Rose hangs out with the slightly younger Windy. Together the two girls roam the small town, renting scary movies to appear more mature to the boys who work at the local convenience store. Rose’s crush consumes her, but younger Windy doesn’t understand and wants to still play and be silly, like the kid she is. While Rose struggles with her own feelings, her parents are fighting so much that her father goes home, and only returns to the cabin on weekends. Rose can’t relate to her mother, who seems wrapped up in her own sadness, so she struggles to find her place between the contrasting worlds of childhood and adulthood.

Critical Analysis
The panels in this novel are realistically drawn, so the characters show relatable emotions in their expressions and actions. The whole book is printed in dark blue ink, calling to mind the water of the lake Rose and Windy swim in. The whole approach to the book’s style and layout give it the importance necessary for such a coming of age story.
     The story of the summer is interesting and accessible for teens of all ages and backgrounds, but one is left with a feeling of sadness at the end of the book. Just like in real life, all the loose ends are not neatly tied up. This is a strength AND a weakness, because books that have a happy ending just because don’t seem genuine, and won’t satisfy most teens. Then again, the overall sadness of this story could bring teens down at a time when their emotions are easily influenced. That doesn’t mean that the book should be avoided, but I don’t think it would be as popular as some more light-hearted graphic novels, especially with graphic novels holding so much appeal to reluctant readers.
     Though Rose is going through puberty, and Windy a year behind her, this book seems best for older teens. The underlying stories of Rose’s mother’s sadness and the town’s teens’ drama are better suited for an older audience. All ages of young adults could enjoy the book, however, because the experience of spending summer at the lake with a friend seems timeless and relatable: letting loose with someone you don’t see too often, in a place where no one really knows you and no routine holds you down. Adults and older teens might feel a bit of nostalgia as they read, while younger teens might currently be experiencing a lot that Rose does.

Related Activities
This One Summer focuses on a specific vacation Rose and her family take. Many other graphic novels are about a short period of time as well. Have teens think of an experience in their life that was particularly monumental, difficult, or even funny. Have them tell that story in concise panels that depend more on illustration than narrative or dialogue. If the teens aren’t artistic, offer a selection of magazines they can cut images from to make collage panels. The panels can be pasted on a larger sheet of paper and folded into a book or zine, or if the stories are too personal to share, collect them all about fifteen minutes before the program ends. Shuffle them together, lay them face down on a table, and let teens pick seven to ten frames. See if they can put these assorted panels together into a new story, or let them keep those panels and add more of their own creation to make a cohesive story.

Resources
Books about a certain time in a teen’s life are popular because the emotions are so raw, and everyone can relate to these coming-of-age stories. Telling these stories in graphic novel form adds another layer to the story, because the emotions can be clearly expressed in illustration beyond what words alone make us feel.
+       Halliday, Ayun. Peanut. Illus. Paul Hoppe. New York: Schwartz & Wade, 2012. Print.
Sadie is starting a new school, and she’s not sure how she’s going to make friends - so she pretends to have a peanut allergy. This gets her plenty of attention and sympathy from her peers, but when the teachers and nurse get involved, Sadie’s not sure she can keep up her lie.
+       Telgemeier, Raina. Smile. New York: Graphix, 2010. Print.
Raina knocked out her two front teeth, resulting in years of dental experiments and braces during the crucial time of middle and high school.
+       Mucha, Corinne. Freshman: Tales of 9th Grade Obsessions, Revelations, and Other
               Nonsense. San Francisco, CA: Zest Books, 2011. Print.
Annie is a freshman in high school dealing with a crush, delicate friendships, and trying to learn how to act at parties.

Professional Review
Marcus, Leonard S. “Some Vacation: This One Summer.” Horn Book Magazine 91.4 (2015): 61-64. Academic Search Complete. Web. 26 Jul. 2015.

Read it for yourself!
Tamaki, Mariko. This One Summer. Illus. Jillian Tamaki. New York: First Second, 2014. Print.

Otto’s Orange Day

Plot Summary
Otto’s favorite color is orange. He colors with orange crayons and sings songs about orange. When his aunt sends him an orange package, Otto is thrilled with the orange lamp - even though it’s a little dusty. When Otto cleans off the lamp, a genie appears! Otto wishes for everything in the world to be his favorite color, but when everything is orange, trouble starts! Can Otto save the orange day?

Critical Analysis
Graphic novels for children are a great idea because the heavily-illustrated books are appealing, and are a great stepping stone from picture books to chapter books. There is a fair amount of dialogue that can be read aloud, but it is still easy for the young reader to follow along with the text. Even if the reader doesn’t know many letters or words, the context clues in the illustrations can help them tell the story and guess what might happen next. It’s also great that graphic novels teach young readers to read panel to panel. Traditional reading is limited to left to right, top to bottom - and of course that’s a crucial thing to know, but learning how to read a panel and take in all that is being told and shown to you is really important, also. It shows young kids that they need to look around and take everything in to get the whole story, instead of just focusing on a word or sentence at a time.

Personal Response
My five-year-old stepson picked this book out on his own, and loved hearing it read aloud. I think it was read to his two or three times in a single visit! It’s a book he can look through himself because the pictures are appealing. Since graphic novels depend so much on illustrations, he can tell the story to himself just by looking at the pictures.
     I thought this book was really cute, too; it’s something I could definitely see as an animated short. There are other Otto books that we’re looking forward to reading, but Toon Books are definitely something we’ll be looking for, regardless of the main character!

Reviews & Awards
Booklist’s top 10 graphic novels for youth, ALA’s core collection of graphic novels, Graphic Novel Reporter’s core list of graphic novels for kids, and ALSC’s best graphic novels for children.

Connections & Activities
The back of this book is a great resource for reading graphic novels and comics aloud with children. The book itself is cute and entertaining, but I recommend it for the end pages alone! Tips include: pointing to the character speaking, so the kid can follow along with the expressions and text; get into the story and read the dialogue like a play; talking about the pictures and letting kids guess what’s happening and what will happen next.
     The TOON Books website has great resources for parents/educators as well as kids. Their book list is broken down according to reading level, so you can make sure you’re getting the best books for your beginning readers! Check it out at toon-books.com, but be prepared to spend a LOT of time exploring!

Read it for yourself!
Lynch, Jay and Frank Cammuso. 2008. Otto’s Orange Day. New York: TOON Books, an imprint of Candlewick Press. ISBN 9780979923821

Lunch Lady and the League of Librarians

Plot Summary
Lunch Lady is passionate about her job, wanting the school children to get proper nutrition from her lunches, as well as learn about what they’re eating. Because of this dedication, it’s no surprise that she’s also an undercover superhero, protecting the school from evil! She has a variety of food-related gear and weapons at her disposal, like Sonic Boom Juice Boxes, Hover Pizzas, and Taco-vision Night Goggles. When the librarians steal other departments’ funds and plot to take over the world, the Breakfast Bunch seek out Lunch Lady for help. Will they be able to keep the librarians from destroying all the video games?

Critical Analysis
     Character.
Lunch Lady is the main character, but it’s hard to really identify with her. Then again, she is a superhero, and it’s hard to ever really know the truth about superheroes. Betty is her sidekick, both in the lunchroom and when fighting evil. Dee, Hector, and Terrence are the students who know Lunch Lady is a superhero, and they make up the Breakfast Bunch. The kids are fun and realistically portrayed, and I think young readers could easily see themselves in these characters.

     Plot.
The Breakfast Bunch has a feeling the librarians are up to something, so they tip off Lunch Lady, who starts investigating on her own. The librarians have been stealing money from the school’s other departments, like the cheerleaders, and want to destroy all video games so children will have to read books. Can the Lunch Lady and her lunch-related gadgets beat the librarians and their book weapons?

     Setting.
Most of the book takes place in the school, which will draw in readers because they can identify with the setting, and picture the events occurring in their own school. Lunch Lady’s turf is, of course, the lunchroom, and the Read-a-thon takes place in the library. The showdown between Lunch Lady and the librarians takes place on the docks, where the video game shipment is delivered. The illustrations really bring the settings to life, without being so detailed that readers can’t use their own imaginations.

     Theme.
Since Lunch Lady is a superhero and the problems she faces are a bit fantastical, it’s hard to pinpoint a theme in these graphic novels. Lunch Lady is fighting for what is right for the school and the students, but she does so by using weapons - clever, lunch-themed weapons, sure, but weapons nonetheless - and violence.

     Style.
Graphic novels have more illustrations than typical illustrated novels, and the pictures actually help move the story along. I think young readers, whether they enjoy reading or not, would like picking up extra elements to the story that are somewhat hidden in the illustrations. Krosoczka uses black and white drawings with minimal shading and color - only yellow inside the book, and yellow, green, and purple on the cover. I think the lack of color and matte pages make this book stand out over more traditional comic books. It looks more like a novel, which probably makes kids feel more accomplished reading it than they do with flimsier comic books.

Personal Response
I have read Lunch Lady books #2 and #5. They seem to be very popular in our library system, because I haven’t been able to get my hands on book one! Luckily, the early books seem easy to pick up and read without the overall context of the series, though I’ve seen that they get more involved as the series progresses. I intended to start from the beginning and read them all, because they’re quick, amusing reads.
     In all fairness, I have to say this wasn’t my favorite Lunch Lady book, just because I’m biased - I prefer print books! I’m not saying that people shouldn’t play video games, but I was more on the side of the “evil” librarians than Lunch Lady in this case!

Reviews & Awards
Booklist gives the series a rave review, saying “This tongue-in-cheek superheroine graphic novel will hit the spot for chapter-book readers. […] Little details invite and reward repeat readings with visual as well as verbal punning.” The books have been “Inspired Recommendations for Kids from Indie Booksellers” by Kid’s Indie Next List, a “Cooperative Children’s Book Center” choice, and repeatedly nominated for the New York State Charlotte Award.

Connections & Activities
Graphic novels are a great way to get kids interested in reading. Because they have panels like comics, I feel like kids will be drawn to them (no pun intended!) because they look fun. Many graphic novels for children and young adults are series, so once readers get to know a character, they can follow along for many different adventures! Be sure to check out:
     The rest of the Lunch Lady series by Jarrett J. Krosoczka
     Babymouse by sister-brother team Jennifer Holm and Matthew Holm
     Squish also by Jennifer Holm and Matthew Holm
     The Baby-Sitters Club Graphix by Ann M. Martin and Raina Telgemeier (Thrilled one of my childhood favorites is back - now as a graphic novel!)

Read it for yourself!
Krosoczka, Jarrett J. 2009. Lunch Lady and the League of Librarians. New York: Alfred A. Knopf. ISBN 9780375946844