And the winner is....Mock Newbery results post

Well, it was an interesting first Mock Newbery overall. At first, I had no idea which way it would go. Orphan Island was the first to fall by the wayside, with The Ethan I Was Before following close behind. Spirit Hunters slowly lost traction, but The Warden's Daughter held on almost to the end. Finally, See You in the Cosmos pulled ahead to win the day, even though there was a strong The Hate U Give contingent. It got an honor, as did Restart.

Here are photos of the short list voting and the final voting. Numbers look a bit funny because of strange voting practices employed by various factions throughout the discussion.

A Few Good Comics: The Dam Keeper, Spinning and Pashmina

    
November was a good month for youth comics reading for me. Grant there were some duds (Constantine vol. 2, I'm looking at you), but overall they were fairly grand. So here are the ones that rose to the top.

The Dam Keeper by Robert Kondo and Dice Tsutsumi
A quick flip through and perusal of the cover leads one to believe that this is a simple story with farm animals standing in for people. But don't be fooled! This is one of the darkest dystopians I came across this year.

Pig's father invented and maintained the dam that protects the walled city of Sunset Valley, until one day when he walked outside and gave himself over to the dark mists. Now Pig tries to maintain everything while continuing to go to school without letting anyone know that he is alone. One day his friend Fox and her friend Hippo are visiting when the fog rolls over the windmill that controls the dam and sweeps all three of them over the wall and into the wilds. They survive but have no idea where they are or how to return home.

The first thing I noticed with this book was the atmosphere. The soft edges and overall smudginess lends itself well to a world where the greatest threat is a random fog. Even the characters are kind of muted with some, like Fox, coming into sharp focus at specific times. There is a definite steampunk feel to it and I love that about it. By the end of this first volume the story is shaping up to be deeper and darker than you expect.

Spinning by Tillie Walden
Walden relates six years of middle/high school and the experiences as a figure skater, details her struggles with parents, bullies, and her own lesbian identity. Manga-esque style art using purples with some touches of yellow create an almost hypnotic effect. I really like the use of lots of quiet panels with people but no words and single zoomed in images. Dark panels with yellow light effectively capture the early morning world.


Walden's life is frantic in a quiet, desperate way and her story and style clearly communicate that. Disturbing scenes both affect the reader and reveal the feelings of the author. Her pain and isolation practically leap off of the page at times.

This one was also interesting to me for purely personal reasons. It is set in Austin, Texas at a time I was living there. So, of course, I had to look for familiar things. I used to work near the mall with the skating rink and left shortly before it was replaced by other stores. It was kind of fun to see a familiar place in a comic.

Pashmina by Nidhi Chanani
Priyanka's mom moved to the United States when she was pregnant and raised her alone, with the help of friends. Now Priyanka is a teen and wants to know more about India, but her mom refuses to talk about it. But a pashmina in her mom's old luggage allows Priyanka to travel to a seemingly perfect India with an elephant and a peacock as her guides.  However, Pri is this the real India or some kind of dream?

This was such a strong book, a great ownvoices book with some striking fantasy elements. I like the art style and the way color is used to represent the two worlds. The characters are amazingly detailed and the plot is well-paced and feels authentic. No one is stereotypical here and the message is fantastic, timely, and needed.

So, have you read any good graphic novels this year? What should I check out?

So Many Choices: A Review of Jane, Unlimited by Kristin Cashore

Summary: When Jane accepts an invitation to her former babysitter's fancy island home, she is presented with a variety of mysteries and must choose which path to follow.

So I was a little skeptical of what amounts to a Choose Your Own Adventure for teens. But the beginning pulled me in with an Agatha Christie meets Doctor Who vibe. And it delivers. Jane is a fascinating character and the house and the people who live in it are equally intriguing. The set up works and explains itself in one of the plot lines.

The different worlds work well, too. I don't want to reveal too much, but be prepared for Jane Eyre, Rebecca, and Bradbury with spies, art thieves, possession, and a bit of romance (although maybe not with who you expect). And the dog! Who doesn't love a cool and lovable dog?

If you are expecting Cashore's previous work, this is not it. However, if you like mysteries, complex characters and a setting that is almost a character itself, this is your book. I would tell you more, but no spoilers.

What I Read in November

A Lot!!!! Granted a good portion were graphic novels and picture books, but it was a busy month. There were quite a few good ones, too. So I think I'll review the best ones over the next few days.

1. Skulduggery Pleasant by Derek Landy
2. Give Me Back My Book! by Ethan Long
3. Why Am I Me? by Paige Britt
4. The Wolf, the Duck and the Mouse by Marc Barnett
5. Wee Sister Strange by Holly Grant
6. It Takes a Village by Hillary Rodham Clinton
7. Fallingwater: the Building of Frank Lloyd Wright's Masterpiece by Marc Harshman
8. Baabwaa and Wooliam: A Tale of Literacy, Dental Hygiene and Friendship by David Elliott
9. Be a Star, Wonder Woman! by Michael Dahl
10. When's My Birthday? by Julie Fogliano
11. I'm Just No Good at Rhyming: And Other Nonsense for Mischievous Kids and Immature Grown-Ups by Chris Harris
12. Jane, Unlimited by Kristen Cashore
13. Pashmina by Nidhi Chanani
14. Fire Dancer by Ann Maxwell
15. Spinning by Tillie Walden
16. The Long Way Home in the Night by Akiko Miyakoshi
17. Accident! by Andrea Tsurumi
18. Spirit Hunters by Ellen Oh
19. On a Magical Do-Nothing Day by Beatrice Alemagna
20. The Dam Keeper by Robert Kondo
21. Strange Fruit: Billy Holiday and the Power of a Protest Song by Gary Golio
22. Mama Africa!: How Miriam Makeba Spread Hope with her Song by Kathryn Erskine
23. Costantine vol. 2: Blight by Ray Fawkes
24. Ruth Bader Ginsburg: The Case for R. B. G. vs Inequality by Jonah Winter
25. The 57 Bus: A True Story of Two Teenagers and the Crime That Changed Their Lives by Dashka Slater
26. Goldie Vance vol. 2 by Hope Larson
27.  Superbat by Matt Carr
28. Maresi by Maria Turtschaninoff
29. Scooby Apocalpse vol. 1 by Keith Giffen
30. Dad and the Dinosaur by Gennifer Choldenko
31. Crown: An Ode to a Fresh Cut by Derrick Barnes
32. Scooby Apocalypse vol. 2 by Keith Giffen
33. The Ghost and the Lady Book 1 by Kazuhiro Fujita
34. The Inexplicable Logic of My Life by Benjamin Alire Saenz
35. There's a Pest in the Garden! by Jan Thomas
36. Zoey and Sassafras Book 1: Dragons and Marshmallows by Asia Citro
37. Lockwood & Co. 4: The Creeping Shadow by Jonathan Stroud
38. Escape from Mr. Lemoncello's Library by Chris Grabenstein
39. Gone Camping: A Novel in Verse by Tamara Will Wissenger
40. Alfie by Thyra Heder
41. Rapunzel by Bethan Woollvin
42. Windows by Julia Denos
43. La Princesa and the Pea by Susan Middleton Elya
44. Muddy: The Story of Blues Legend Muddy Waters by Michael James Mahin
45. A Pig, a Fox, and Stinky Socks by Jonathan Fenske
46. King & Kayla and the Case of the Missing Dog Treats by Dori Hillstad Butler
47. Grandma's Tiny House: A Counting Story by Janay Brown-Wood
48. Green Pants by Kenneth Kraegal
49. Jabari Jumps by Gaia Cornwall
50. Bob, Not Bob!: *to be read as though you have the worst cold ever by Liz Garton Scanlon
51. I Want That Nut! by Madeline Valentine.

Mock Newbery Madness

So, for the first time, I'm running a Mock Newbery group at a public library. The members of the group are 6-10 graders who volunteer for hours earned. I started with two separate groups this summer with around 8-10 teens and I'm ending the Fall with 16 teens. We voted for our short list last week and will be discussing and choosing our winners on December 13.

Here's our list! After the vote I'll post again with everyone's responses.

The Ethan I Was Before by Ali Standish
Following a tragic accident involving his best friend, Ethan and his family move from Boston to the Gulf coast of Georgia to live with a grandfather he has never met in a small town he has never visited. Through a series of mysteries, Ethan faces what happened, makes a new friend, and discovers strengths he never knew he possessed.

The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas
When Starr's childhood friend is shot and killed by a police officer in a random stop, she must confront racism in a way she never has before, as well as deal with her own place as a minority student at a private, mostly white school 45 minutes from her neighborhood. She must decide whether she will testify, who she can trust and how she will make a difference in the community.

Orphan Island by Laurel Snyder
On the island, everything is provided and the nine children live in perfect harmony. Every year the oldest one leaves and a new young one arrives in the boat. This year Jinny is the oldest and, while she misses her friend Deen, she thinks she is ready to be the Elder. But what will happen when it is her turn to leave?

Restart by Gordon Korman
When Chase falls off the roof and hits his head, he loses his memory. As he tries to return to school and life, he discovers that he wasn't a very nice person. Now he has to decide if he wants to return and remember who he was or decide to begin as a new and better person? And what if everyone else doesn't want to accept the new Chase?

See You in the Cosmos by Jack Cheng
Alex loves space, rockets and his dog, Carl Sagan; and he has decided to record a Golden iPod and launch it into space on a rocket for aliens to find. But his destination and purpose keep changing and what started as a simple mission changes into a discovery about himself and his family.

Spirit Hunters by Ellen Oh

Harper's family moves to a new house that seems to be haunted and she's also missing some memories after a fire at her old school. When her little brother starts acting weird and mean, she seeks help in some unlikely ways.

The Warden's Daughter by Jerry Spinelli
Cammie and her dad live in the women's prison where he works. But since her mother died when she was a baby, Cammie feels like she must find her own "mother" and her choices are among the inmates of the prison. Will she find someone by her thirteenth birthday?

What I Read in October

Surprisingly, the best of the bunch was a re-read on audiobook: The Diviners by Libba Bray. In preparation for the newest book in the series, I decided to relisten to the first two. And boy, I was not disappointed! This is a great audiobook.

I've posted about this series before, so I'll just reiterate: it is spooky, it is fun, and I highly recommend it. Now I just have to wait my turn to listen to book 2 and check out book 3. 😔

The other October read that I recommend was a complete surprise to me:

Olive and the Backstage Ghost by Michelle Schusterman


Olive loves to sing but experiences extreme stage fright when her famous and controlling mother are in the room. So when she fails another audition, she runs out and finds an old vaudeville theater called Maudeville, which just happens to be looking for a singer for their new show. As Olive sneaks out to rehearse, she quickly discovers that the theater and its performers are not quite what they appear to be and her very life may be in danger.

The cover doesn't really do it justice but I like the spiders. Beginning like a take off on Glee or Sing, Olive finds a theater tucked in a back alley and discovers a varied and exciting new family. This is especially important since her own is not doing so well.

Surprisingly the true theme of the book is recognizing and dealing with grief. Also unexpected was the truly scary and Coraline-esque ending. Give this one to your 4-6 graders who adore scary books.

Everything else I read this month:

1. The Turning by Francine Prose
2.  I Am Bat by Morag Hood
3. All's Faire in Middle School by Victoria Jamieson
4. Thornhill by Pam Smy
5. Chugga Chugga Choo Choo by Emma Garcia
6. The Darkest Part of the Woods by Ramsey Campbell
7. Jonesy vol. 2 by Sam Humphries
8. In Your Hands by Carole Boston Weatherford
9. A Different Pond by Bao Phi
10. Older Than Dirt: A Wild But True History of Earth by Don Brown
11. Life by Cynthia Rylant
12. Bunnicula by James Howe (writing about made me want to reread it)
13. Fruits in Suits by Jared Chapman
14. Ghosts of the Triangle: Historic Haunts of Raleigh, Durham and Chapel Hill by Richard Jackson
15. This is How We Do It: One Day in the Lives of Seven Kids from around the World by Matt LaMonthe
16. Skulduggery Pleasant by Derek Landy

'Tis the Season for Spooky Books - Comics Edition

Well, there is no way I'm going to do all these posts about horror books and not cover comics. So here are my favorites by age group.

Children's Comics

Scary Godmother and Magic Trixie by Jill Thompson
Both of these series focus on witches and magic in the best way possible. Scary Godmother came first and was highly successful, winning an Eisner and leading to a stage show and animated spin-offs. Hannah Marie's Scary (instead of Fairy) Godmother has come to convince her charge that Halloween is more fun than scary. She enlists the help of several fun friends, including Bug-A-Boo the boozle and Skully Pettibone. The full color panels make this one especially attractive to young readers.

Later on, Thompson gave us Magic Trixie, a young witch just learning about her powers and the spooky world around her. But even though she lives in a magical world, Trixie faces many of the same problems as her readers--baby sisters, not-so-favorite foods, friend issues, and show-and-tell anxiety. Just with dragons, werewolves, and other supernatural things. Again the colorful illustrations will quickly pull in even the pickiest kids.

Anya's Ghost by Vera Brogol
Not only is she upset about her family, her changing body and her lack of friends at school, but now Anya has fallen down a well. Strangely enough, that is where she finally finds a friend-in the form of Emily, a ghost. And life is now great...until it isn't. Because Emily is not telling Anya the whole truth and bad things could come from her lies.

The art style is clean and inviting, using muted purples and blacks as the main colors. It makes the story appropriately spooky without going too far. I am especially fond of how body image is handled in this book, since Anya is not your stereotypical slim, blonde heroine, but is very pretty in her own form.

The Dreadful Fate of Jonathan York: A Yarn for the Strange of Heart by Kory Merritt
In classic folktale style, Jonathan York sets out on a journey through the woods and meets several strange adventures along the way. After all the dangerous and creepy things that befall him, he defeats a monster and finds his way home. This book is more like an older picture book than a comic but it definitely borrows from a comic style. Characters are exaggerated and almost goofy-looking while still be a bit creepy. The setting stylized and often in silhouette. Oh, and it is poetic and funny, too.


Teen Comics
The Faceless Ghost and Other Macabre Tales from Ancient Japan by Lafcadio Hearn and Sean Michael Wilson; illustrated by Michiru Morikawa
This book features a collection of the stories originally collected by folklorist Lafcadio Hearn during his time in Japan in the 19th century. Each story is illustrated in classic Japanese styles and Wilson does his best to keep Hearn's writing style throughout. It is well-paced and beautifully balances "telling and showing" as is best in comics, in my opinion. "Hoichi" and the title story are especially chilling.


Tokyo Ghoul by Sui Ishida
In an alternate universe, ghouls live alongside regular humans, some preying upon them and some finding alternative sources of food. After a ghoul attack, our hero Ken "accidentally" receives an organ transplant from his assailant and becomes a half-ghoul. Luckily he finds a coffee house run by ghouls who wish humans no harm and take him in to teach him how to deal with his affliction. But when the human ghoul-hunters and other, less friendly ghouls close in, how will he survive?

Now also an anime and live action version.

The Woods by James Tynion V; illustrated by Michael Dialynas
What would you do if your high school was suddenly relocated to a harsh planet (or possibly a moon) full of monsters? In the middle of a deep, dark forest? When even the teachers are panicking? Well, that is what happens to the teens in this series and it is not pretty. Although, I must say, you do find out who your friends are when the monsters are also human--and some of them came with you.

Ghost Hunt series by Shiho Inada and Fuyumi Ono
Once again an adaptation, this time of a "light novel," the term for young adult books in Japan. In this series, a group of paranormal investigators take on cases that may or may not be actual hauntings (they usually are). The team includes a telepath, a Shinto priestess, a Buddhist Monk, an Onmyoji (Taoist sorcerer), a Catholic priest, a medium and a teenage girl who may have psychic gifts of her own. The cases are often very disturbing and creepy, especially "The Blood-stained Labyrinth" story arc. And of course, there is some hints of romance and humor throughout.

Adult Comics


The Clean Room by Gail Simone; illustrated by John Davis-Hunt
Okay, so if you like your horror seriously psychological, along the lines of Lovecraft or Hellraiser, here is your book. Chloe Pierce is investigating an apparent cult after her fiance kills himself after reading their book and joining their group. It has something to do with a "clean room" and the things it shows you when you are in it. And possibly the things that follow you out.





Harrow County by Cullen Bunn; illustrated by Tyler Crook
Emmy knows that the woods contain monsters and ghosts; and she's heard the witch story...or has she? At first this seems like you run-of-the-mill evil witch story. Then she seems very innocent and you think that is the twist. And then it keeps changing and you are left not know what story you are reading or who to trust. Messes with you in the very best way.

Monstress by Marjorie M. Liu; illustrated by Sana Takeda
Now this one you will want to pour over for hours, both the story and the gorgeous artwork. In an alternate version of early 20th century Asia, society is controlled by a matriarchal cult of witch-like women and anyone monstrous is either a slave or killed. Enter Maika, a teen who is traumatized by the recent war and the pact she has made with a monster, now living inside her body. BTW, this is a steampunk world and the scholars are multi-tailed cats, so there is also that to recommend it. And it does not shy away from nudity, violence or language in furtherance of the plot. Come for the art, stay for the complex world-building and nuanced characters.




Locke & Key by Joe Hill; illustrated by Gabriel Rodriguez
Finally, a return to Lovecraft and haunted houses, as well as the son of a horror icon as the writer. Joe Hill outdoes himself in this story of a strange house with an even stranger guest, a family struggling with dark secrets of their own and the keys, which can lead to so many great and horrible things. And that is all Imma going to tell you. Read it!



And that's the lists. Any horror comics you want to add? Next time, I'll tell you about the great (and not so great) horror books I read in the month of October. And then we are in award list season, so we'll talk over best books for 2017 for a while.