Fantasy, Realistic Fiction, and Graphic Novel Book Reviews

 

Gaiman, Neil. 2008. THE GRAVEYARD BOOK. New York: Harper Collins Publisher. Audio Book: Narrated by: Neil Gaiman. Audio Book Released: Sept. 30, 2008.

Plot Summary: This fantasy story starts with a baby, almost two years old, that escapes the murderer who kills his parents and sister.  The baby manages to escape to a graveyard where his mother’s ghost asks the graveyard inhabitants to keep her boy safe.  Two ghosts who never had children in the living world decide to adopt him along with a guardian and other ghosts who watch over the boy. They name him Nobody Owens and call him Bod.  As Bod grows up learning the ins and outs of graveyard living, he encounters a living friend, Scarlett, a witch, and other friends who passed away long ago.  As Bod awaits the chance to live outside in the living world, he must figure out how to escape the man called Jack who killed his family and is still on a mission to find the boy and kill him.  In a surprise ending, Gaiman gives the reader hope that Bod will get to live a full life outside of the graveyard after ending the life of his family’s murderer.

 Critical Analysis: It’s no wonder this story won a Newbery Medal.  Every chapter in the story keeps the reader engaged and wanting to know what happens next.  You’re not just invested in what will happen to Bod and whether he will find the murderer of his family, but you also want to know more about the people who take care of him in the graveyard.  As much as a reader wouldn’t believe that ghosts could take care of a living boy, every event in the plot is consistent with the themes in the book. Gaiman also describes the setting of the graveyard so vividly that the reader is transported there.

            I highly recommend listening to the audio version of this book as it is narrated by the author himself.  Gaiman’s voice walks you through each event with different voices for some of the characters where you feel like you are walking next to the characters in the graveyard.  It seems to be better when the author narrates the audio version because he or she knows the characters and the characters’ intentions better than anyone and can portray the story to the reader in the best way.

            The only concern that might arise from this story is the detailed description of the family murders at the beginning of the story. Depending on the maturity of the reader, a parent might want to read the book first to be sure it is suitable. 

Review Excerpts:

Kirkus Starred Review: “Childhood fears take solid shape in the nursery-rhyme–inspired villains, while heroism is its own, often bitter, reward.”

Publisher’s Weekly Starred Review: “When the chilling moments do come, they are as genuinely frightening as only Gaiman can make them, and redeem any shortcomings.”

 

Connections: Themes in this story that include friendship, learning about one’s family, and finding one’s place in the world will appeal to the young adult readers of today.  Paired with a ghost story, which is very popular for the intended reading age, young readers will be more apt to dive into themes and concerns that they are encountering in their teen years. 

            Students might also enjoy doing some research on local or historical graveyards.  Students could research how headstones are created, different kinds of headstones, and even learn how famous people throughout history have been commemorated at their gravesites.

 

 

Law, Ingrid. 2008. SAVVY. New York: Puffin Books. ISBN 9780329756529

Plot Summary:  Mississippi (Mibs for short) is born into a family that has magical powers.  When each family member turns 13, he or she receives their magical power or “savvy.”  Right before Mibs turns 13, her father is in a terrible car accident.  Mibs wakes up on her 13^th birthday and embarks on an adventure to get to her father in the hospital.  She hops on the bus of a Bible salesman and discovers the bus is going in the wrong direction.  As Mibs travels to reach her father, she thinks her gift is waking people up, which is what she hopes to accomplish to save her father.  As the story continues, Mibs discovers her actual savvy is she can hear people through ink on their skin. This can be done through a tattoo or any writing on one’s skin.  Mibs is able to reach her father in time all while learning more about her gift the power of pushing through when life gets difficult.

 Critical Analysis: Another Newbery Honor, Savvy gives young readers a story in which they can relate despite the magical powers presented.  Even though it would classified as a Low Fantasy book, young readers will enjoy the unexplainable powers of each family member intertwined with themes of friendship and finding out yourself.  Law offers characters that are lighthearted, entertaining, and easily relatable for a young adult audience.  I also found it to be a very easy read and understandable. 

Savvy offers an experience for an older audience as well.  As Mibs battles through a tragic time in her life that she never thought she would encounter, she discovers she can push through the pain.  This appeals to a reader like myself who can recall how I handled and reacted to heartbreaking events in the past.  It led me to dig a little deeper to break apart how I handled those situations.

 Review Excerpts:

Kirkus Starred Review: “There are no serious villains here, only challenges to be met, friendships to be made and some growing up to do on the road to a two-hanky climax.”

The Children’s Book Review: “Ingrid Law’s first novel, Savvy, has many wonderfully colorful characters who collaborate on an unexpected and heartfelt journey.”

 Connections: I think young adults will enjoy the characters and the plot in this story that they will want to know more.  Readers get to continue the story of Beaumont family in Law’s sequel Scumble.

Since the story is set in the Nebraska/Kansas area of the country, this could be a point of research for a lot of students.  This might be an unknown area of the country that students could research and complete a project on.

 

 

 Telgemeier, Raina. 2010. SMILE. New York: Scholastic. ISBN: 9781338740264

Plot Summary: Smile is a graphic novel based on a personal experience of the author.  Raina has a fall when she is in middle school that results in the loss of her two front teeth. She then encounters a four-year long journey of braces, fake teeth, retainers, headgear, and teeth pulling all to fix her smile and make it as close to normal as possible.  Along the way, Raina shares her experiences as a coming-of-age teenager who has crushes on multiple boys, embarrassment due to the way she looks, and friends who don’t treat her as true friends.  In the end, Raina enters high school and finds friends who respect her and love her for who she truly is and begins to enjoy her true passions of art and singing.

 Critical Analysis: As much as I haven’t been a fan of graphic novels, I really enjoyed reading Smile. In a simple form of cartoon drawings and fun speech bubbles, the reader is pulled into Raina’s world where you are immediately sympathetic to what she is going through as a teenager.  Telgemeier relates to her young adult readers with realistic events such as braces, acne, crushes, and friends making fun of her.  I think the young adult readers will be a little surprised, and hopefully inspired, by Raina finally standing up for herself when her friends pull down her skirt in front of the whole school.  Raina realizes a hard lesson that valuable friendship involves respect and love for the person; not a “friendship” where one is trying to change the other person and using their insecurities as jokes. 

            The drawings are very simple, colorful, and eye-catching to the reader.  Each event was easy to follow as you read through the story.  There were also lots of details to enjoy if you pay close attention or read back through a second time like the faded yellow pages when Raina was sharing a memory and pointing out the price tag on a Valentine’s Day gift Raina receives.

Review Excerpts:

Kirkus: “Irresistible, funny and touching—a must read for all teenage girls, whether en-braced or not.”

School Library Journal: “Telgemeier’s book is an excellent addition to middle school literature.”

Connections: Readers will not only enjoy this graphic novel, but will love Guts, Sisters, and Drama all written and illustrated by Telgemeier.  These graphic novels give young adult readers an outlet when navigating adolescent issues.

            The teenage issues presented in this graphic novel are very similar to Judy Blume stories.  Engaging in these graphic novels could be a first step to reluctant readers being introduced to another level of books that address real-life concerns like Frecklejuice or Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing.

 

 

 

 Hale, Nathan. 2021. NATHAN HALE’S HAZARDOUS TALES: COLD WAR CORRESPONDENT. New York: Amulet Books. ISBN: 9781419749513

 Plot Summary: Enjoy a graphic novel that walks the reader through the eyes of Marguerite Higgins who was a reporter for the New York Herald Tribune in 1950.  After WWII, there was a split between the North and the South in Korea and things were tense on the borders.  Marguerite was present when a significant capture happened, which led her to flee with some other refugees.  She ends up risking her life all to make her newspaper story more interesting.  Along the way, she battles being told that women are not allowed on the frontline and she was ordered to leave Korea.  She meets General Douglas MacArthur who lifts the rule of no women on the frontline. Thanks to MacArthur, Marguerite can report on many major events in the Korean War.

Critical Analysis: I’m still learning to understand and even like graphic novels, but I’m starting to appreciate them when it comes to young readers.  Comics are generally filled with action i.e. Superman and Batman saving the city from an evil villain.  This graphic novel not only has action involved due to the nature of the Korean War, but it shares accurate history in a way that young readers can enjoy.  This story also brings to light an issue that has arisen recently, which involves women’s rights.  Young adults have been introduced to women making a difference in our country and this graphic novel is a great way to share some history of how a woman wanted to continue making an impact even though she wasn’t allowed to at first.

            The illustrations were created in black and white, which gives the reader a sense of being transported back to the historical events.  This story might take the reader a little longer to read due to the smaller pictures and smaller speech bubbles attached to each frame, but the comic book feel will still attract a lot of readers.

Review Excerpts:

Kirkus: “Beyond Higgins’ personal, gripping story, Hale coherently and accurately conveys the factors that led to the Korean War, the political gambling by the U.S. and the Soviet Union, and battle strategies.”

Youth Services: “Those wishing to have intricate details, albeit an overview, of the Korean War, who wish to have a first-hand account of the life of a war correspondent, particularly one of the very few women, this is the book for you.”

Goodreads: “Nathan Hale’s Hazardous Tales are graphic novels that tell the thrilling, shocking, gruesome, and TRUE stories of American history. Read them all—if you dare!”

 Connections: This book is a great start to learning about the Korean War.  The fact that this is written from the perspective of not only an American, but a female American, adds more value to the young adult reader.  Scholars could not complete a research project on Higgins and her life story, but scholars could also learn about other events during the Korean War.

            Students who loved learning about history through this graphic novel will enjoy the rest of the Hazardous Tales Series including the Alamo All Stars, The Underground Abductor, and Big Bad Ironclad.