graphic novel

Book Review: The Crossover Graphic Novel

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The Crossover Graphic Novel
The Giver series
by Kwame Alexander
illustrated by Dawud Anyabwile

My rating: 4 / 5
Genre: Middle grade graphic novel

Josh and Jordan bell are 12-year-old basketball stars and sons of a man who was a player in his own time. Told from Josh’s perspective in a mixture of free-verse poetry and prose, their lives are all about basketball until Jordan gets a girlfriend. Then it seems like things only get worse from there.

I was recommended this book by a friend and had no idea what it was about, other than clearly a heavy focus on basketball. I’m sure I’m the completely wrong audience for it, being in my 40s with not much connection to basketball and not much of a poetry person either. Yet the basketball and poetry combinations appealed to me quite a bit, and when the greater story began to take shape, I was drawn into it. Josh struggles with the changes in his life and can’t really put words to his feelings, and I feel the author handled everything really well.

I have not read the original book that this was adapted from, so I can offer no comparison in that regard. But I believe this story in general and the graphic novel in particular would appeal to a demographic that might not be as interested in reading. And the poetic sections could definitely give some early exposure to an art form that is definitely not as widespread as it used to be. Overall, I recommend this book for preteens, male or female, and they don’t even have to be into basketball.

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Book Review: Mr. Lemoncello’s Library Olympics, the Graphic Novel

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Mr. Lemoncello’s Library Olympics, the Graphic Novel
Mr. Lemoncello’s Library series
by Chris Grabenstein
illustrated by Douglas Holgate

My rating: 4.5 / 5
Genre: Children’s adventure, graphic novel

Spoiler notice: The following review will contain some spoilers for the first book in the series, Escape from Mr. Lemoncello’s Library.

After their big win in Mr. Lemoncello’s escape game, Team Keeley is challenged by basically every kid in the country. They all want their chance at stardom (starring in commercials for Mr. Lemoncello games) and are unhappy that the contest was so localized. So Mr. Lemoncello grants them their wish, because hey, that means he gets to create more games! The top teams in each region of the country are chosen and invited to Ohio to compete for full college scholarships—against Kyle’s team. The only problem is that Kyle isn’t so sure he’s up to the challenge this time.

I read and reviewed the original book (see review here), so this review is less about the story and content than it is about the graphic novel format. That being said, I enjoyed the story a little more this time than the previous, and I think that might just be because the graphic novel format lends itself so well to this series! Mr. Lemoncello is such a character as it is, and he’s really brought to life in images. (Maybe they should have gone with animation when they made a movie out of the first book.) It’s fun to see the library itself, as well, and being shown the puzzles feels more natural this way (not that I’m complaining about Grabenstein including visual puzzles in the original books). As for this book, though, I think that fans of the series will enjoy this new format, but I’d imagine that the idea for it is more to encourage kids who don’t care to read regular books to pick up this illustrated version and enjoy the story. Since I had already read the original book, I can’t say for sure how the story will come across to a newcomer, but I think it would be a fun read for 8-12-year-olds!

Thank you to Netgalley and Random House Children’s Books for providing me a copy of this book to review.

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Book Review: Lava

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Lava
by E.B. Roshan

My rating: 4 / 5
Genre: Children’s sci-fi graphic novel

Lava is a short graphic novel the E.B. Roshan made with her kids in mind. It’s the story of a  medical doctor from a large organization trying to earn the trust of the locals on an out-of-the-way planet, but an unfortunate turn of events causes a rift. I have to admit, I wish the author delved a little more deeply into the background of the doctor or shown more of an ending. I don’t know if there will be a continuation for Kone or not, but I hope so. The interesting thing about the story is that, though there seems to be a villain and a victim, it’s not really that simple. And I might have wished for more in a reconciliation, but what is shown here is probably much more realistic. I do wonder if Roshan intends for kids to choose sides, and if so, which side. The graphics were well-done, especially when taking into account that this graphic novel is self-published. I appreciated the way that flashbacks were made clear with a sort of hazy look to the panels. It allowed the author to show more in a smaller space of time. I could definitely see this being a book that young readers (maybe around 8-10 years old?) would enjoy and a nice early delve into space-based sci-fi.

I received a copy of this book for free from the author in exchange for an honest review.

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Book Review: World of Warcraft, Vol. 4

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World of Warcraft, Vol. 4
written by Walter & Louise Simonson

My rating: 3 / 5
Genre: Fantasy graphic novel

I cared about this 4th and final graphic novel in the series less than the rest. Since nostalgia of my time playing World of Warcraft has had a lot to do with my enjoyment of the previous books, it makes sense that this would be of less interest to me. I don’t believe Med’an, the powerful young magic-user that is the focus of this last book, ever made an appearance in the game. The main setting in this book, outside of Theramore, is Ahn’Qiraj, and though I did raid AQ plenty, I was never very attached to it. Karazhan was briefly visited here, and I was excited about that, but it ended up being barely anything. The story in this book seemed light overall, and I was never very invested in it. Then after the main story wrapped up, there were a few pages at the end that confused me. Since this was the end of the series, I didn’t know what was going on or how to ever find out.

I will again say that those who do or have played the game, especially back in vanilla days, this might be worth checking out, but I really couldn’t say whether anyone who hasn’t played WoW as much as me would appreciate this graphic novel series at all.

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Book Review: Free

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Free
by E.B. Roshan

My rating: 5 / 5
Genre: Children’s sci-fi graphic novel

Rex was once a bodyguard whose career came to an end when he was crippled. His new life as a fruit picker isn’t fulfilling, but when he gets a chance to put his bodyguard skills to use again, he isn’t so sure that’s what he wants either.

This is a short, well-crafted sci-fi story for kids. It took me only about 20 minutes to read it, but in that time, I managed to grow attached to Rex and appreciate his misgivings. Roshan doesn’t delve too deeply into the immoral nature of the man that Rex works for, but she shows enough that the age range it’s meant for can understand. The graphics were well-done, especially when taking into account that this graphic novel is self-published. One of the things I liked the most is the amount of creativity the author put into the different alien creatures, both in the foreground and the background of the illustrations. I could definitely see this being a book that young readers (maybe around 8-10 years old?) would enjoy and a nice early delve into space-based sci-fi.

I received a copy of this book for free from the author in exchange for an honest review.

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Book Review: World of Warcraft, Vol. 3

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World of Warcraft, Vol. 3
written by Walter Simonson & Louise Simonson

My rating: 4 / 5
Genre: Fantasy graphic novel

I found the continuing storyline after King Varian Wrynn was “re-united” more interesting than I expected. New characters and locations that I remember from my earlier WoW days were brought into the story, which I’m sure had a lot to do with my interest. It didn’t hurt that both the Alliance and the Horde are now beginning to make plans to go to Northrend and fight the Scourge. WotLK was my favorite expansion, so I can’t pretend that didn’t make a pretty big impression on my reaction to the book as well.

I also enjoyed continuing to see Prince Anduin stretch his peacemaking muscles. Other new arcs and characters that came up in this book had me running to the Wowpedia website to try to remember what I should know about these characters and situations from the game. I’m now finding myself wanting to know more about the backstory and things that I’ve forgotten or never knew. I have a feeling this graphic novel series will be a launching point for me into diving into more WoW lore, but in the meantime, I will again say that those who do or have played the game, especially back in vanilla days, this might be worth checking out, but I really couldn’t say whether anyone who hasn’t played WoW as much as me would appreciate this graphic novel series at all.

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Book Review: World of Warcraft, Vol. 2

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World of Warcraft, Vol. 2
written by Walter Simonson

My rating: 4 / 5
Genre: Fantasy graphic novel

I enjoyed reading the conclusion to the story set up in volume 1, with some epic moments and things that I remember from playing the related questline back in the day. Anduin shines in this story and shows the beginnings of what makes him a wise prince/king when he’s older. Valeera’s magic addiction issues got a little repetitive to me, but overall, I liked this installment. I have to say, though, (spoiler alert) I don’t remember any of these people being there when I killed Onyxia…any of the times. I’m not sure where the story is going to go from here, since it’s clear that the Lo’Gosh storyline, which is what I read this for, is over, but I’ll continue on and see how I feel.

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Book Review: World of Warcraft, Vol. 1

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World of Warcraft, Vol. 1
written by Walter Simonson
illustrated by Ludo Lullabi

My rating: 4 / 5
Genre: Fantasy graphic novel

I have not played the MMORPG World of Warcraft in a while, but for many years, I played it a ton. One early quest line I’ve always remembered was “The Missing Diplomat,” which (spoiler alert) ended up being a search for clues about the missing king of Stormwind! I also remembered that it didn’t really have a satisfying ending, though it may have continued at a later time that I somehow missed. Of course, King Varian Wrynn is eventually reinstated and plays a role in later expansions, but I only ever heard bits of what happened to him while he was missing. Then we found a series of graphic novels at a library sale that tells that entire story. I’m not normally a graphic-novel reader (I struggle to follow the action), nor do I normally want to dive very deep into the lore of WoW that takes place outside of the game. But some of the storylines involved in quests in the game have intrigued me in the past, and this is one of the biggest ones, so I gave it a go.

All of that being said, I enjoyed my time reading this graphic novel. This is only part of the story, 1 of 4 volumes, and the mystery of why Varian is in this situation (far from home with a lost memory) is barely touched on in this volume. However, the end promised more to come. I think a lot of why I liked the book, though, is because of the references to and images of people and locations that I remember from my days playing the game. Though I’m an Alliance player and this was mostly on the Horde side, it still brought up a lot of nostalia. There are quite a few fight scenes that were difficult to follow (though based on other reviews, that might have been an issue with the book, not me), so I generally scanned until the end to see who won, who lost, and who was injured. And while I know this is common for this genre/game, that doesn’t mean I don’t still dislike the way females are portrayed (seriously, the harpies are practically naked).

Overall, though I can’t say whether anyone who hasn’t played WoW as much as me would appreciate this graphic novel at all, for those who do or have played the game, especially back in vanilla days, this might be worth checking out.

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Book Review: The Giver, Graphic Novel

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The Giver, Graphic Novel
The Giver series
by Lois Lowry
adapted & illustrated by P. Craig Russell

My rating: 5 / 5
Genre: Children’s dystopian, graphic novel

I read and reviewed the original book (see review here), so this review is less about the story and content than it is about the graphic novel format. My first impression when glancing through the book was that the use of pseudo black and white (it’s sort of more like blue black and white) for most of the novel was perfect for the story. The flashes of color here and there heighten the difference between Jonas’s view of the world and everyone else’s (besides the Giver). The visuals of the memories Jonas is given bring the story to life and highlight the blandness and sameness of the rest of the community. Certain graphics that I won’t specify to avoid spoilers are much more emotional than simply reading about them. Though in this format, the ending strikes me as even more ambiguous as it did the first time around, or maybe it’s just knowing the rest of the series now that makes me view the ending differently. All in all, I’d say the idea of converting The Giver to a graphic novel was a success, and I can see this being a good way to introduce the thought-provoking story to more reluctant readers.

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Book Review: Tasty

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Tasty: A History of Yummy Experiments
by Victoria Grace Elliott

My rating: 3.5 / 5
Genre: Middle grade nonfiction, graphic novel

This history of certain foods told by “food sprites” in a colorful graphic novel is a fun, unique book for kids. It may work better for the age group it’s intended for than it did for me, not that I didn’t enjoy it overall. However, I had hoped for a little more of the science promised at the beginning of the book, especially at certain points when a statement is made that leaves me wanting to know more (like how does the wheel shape help cheese stay dry and avoid spoiling?). It makes sense that this wouldn’t be a comprehensive look at the foods chosen to be included—cheese, pickles, gelatin, etc., but some of the information goes by so fast, it’s hard to absorb it all.

Outside of the history told, there’s (sort of) a story going on with the sprites, but it’s really confusing to me. The main sprite, Peri, seems to have some kind of rivalry with a water sprite that pops in to talk about liquids sometimes, but why? I have no idea. I guess the author felt that giving the sprites a little of their own story would make it more engaging to kids, but I paid little attention to their little asides, other than the bizarre contention between Peri and Maia, which stuck out quite a bit. And there’s a place in the pickles section where the characters cry, “THE SAUCE” like a battle cry, like something we’re supposed to “get”…but I don’t. Maybe some of this connects back to the pervious book by this author, Yummy: A History of Desserts, but not having read that one, I can’t say for sure. While I do think that kids who are interested in food or cooking would probably enjoy this graphic novel, I don’t know that I’d recommend it for adults, unless they’re really into food history. Though in that case, they probably already know all of, or more than, what this book provides.

Thank you to Netgalley and Random House Children’s Books for providing me a copy of this book to review.

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