Cats and the Sea: Graphic Novels for Kids

Posted on September 13, 2019 by Katy K.

I’ve found myself reading a lot of graphic novels lately.  Here are some for the elementary to middle grade set.  Curiously enough, they all have either cats or the sea as central themes – or both, in the case of Sea Sirens.  

Sea Sirens: a Trot and Cap'n Bill Adventure by Amy Chu and Janet K. LeeSea Sirens: a Trot and Cap’n Bill Adventure by Amy Chu and Janet K. Lee. Viking, 2019. 978-0451480163.
Trot is an enthusiastic surfer girl of Vietnamese ancestry, who loves to spend afternoons on the beach with her grandfather and her beat-up cat Cap’n Bill while her mother is at work.  When sneaking off after it’s been forbidden one day, Trot and Cap’n Bill find themselves in the underwater kingdom of the Sea Sirens, which is at war with the sea snakes. Trying to resolve this conflict leads her to learn more about both her grandfather and her cat, with whom she is able to talk thanks to Sea Siren magic.  This is a short and sweet story with a non-violent resolution, told with ink and watercolors. The only issue that I had was that the faces are odd, never quite looking the same. My daughter decided based on the face on the cover that the book was creepy, though she did enjoy it once I convinced her to overlook that.  The adventure and the elaborate costumes of the sea sirens make this one with lots of appeal for young readers.

Queen of the Sea by Dylan MeconisQueen of the Sea by Dylan Meconis. Walker Books/Candlewick, 2019. 978-1536204988
I’m tempted to use the hackneyed phrases “sweeping historical” to describe this beautifully detailed graphic novel, set in a very recognizable alternate 16th century, based around the rivalry between Elizabeth and Margaret, even if the time span and character count are both shorter/lower than that term usually implies.  

Eleanor is the exiled queen of Albion, whom we meet in the first pages of the book, but most of the book is told from the point of view of young Margaret, growing up in an Elysian convent on a tiny island off the coast.  Margaret’s first friend is William, son of a noblewoman seeking refuge in the convent, but after he leaves, Eleanor herself arrives, prickly and arrogant. But as Margaret learns chess from Eleanor and both of them learn more of the history of the nuns and servants on the island, disillusionment and growth for both are the result.  The art here includes changes in art and lettering style between the main narrative and stories from the past. This is one that got passed around between most of the many children on my summer camping trip, but has plenty of substance for adults to enjoy as well, definitely one of my favorites this year.

Catwad: It's Me and Catwad: It's Me, Two covers by Jim BentonCatwad: It’s Me by Jim Benton. Graphix, 2019. 978-1338326024
Catwad: It’s Me, Two! by Jim Benton. Graphix, 2019. 978-1338326031
I only realized after I got the second of these books from the publisher (thank you!!) that I’d never reviewed the first book… because my daughter fell in love with it and spirited it away.  This time, she brought both books back to me with strict instructions to read them. Both books consists of shorter, mostly four panel gag sequences, telling stories of life with grumpy, often mean Catwad and his dim but kind friend Blurmpf.  The art is simple but conveys the emotion well, and filled with bright, appealing colors. The pranks and body fluid jokes definitely appeal more to kids than adults, as evidenced by my daughter’s reaction. It reminded me of the classic Garfield, while she recommends it to fans of Big Nate or Captain Underpants.

Posted in Books, Fantasy, Graphic Novel, Historical, Middle Grade | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

We Want You to Be a Cybils Judge !

Posted on September 7, 2019 by Katy K.

Just in case you missed it earlier – the call for Cybils judges for this year went out a few weeks ago, but you still have one week left to apply to be a Cybils judge yourself!

Cybils - Children's and Young Adult Bloggers' Literary Awards 2019 Logo

Though the Cybils have been in existence for more than a decade now, I have been a judge for just the past five of them.  I highly recommend the experience!  I have always been a Round 1 panelist, which means I spend a couple of months trying to read all the nominated books in my category.  I really love the broad view of the category, the intensive discussions with my fellow panelists, and coming up with a list of stellar choices for any kid interested in the category.

But, if the thought of trying reading dozens of books in a couple of months feels like too much for you, you could also apply to be a round 2 judge, and select a winner from the much shorter list of finalists.

Though I really recommend the Cybils judging experience, and new judges are always needed, if you aren’t able to be a judge at all, now is still a good time to start looking at the different categories and think about what you might want to nominate, because the Cybils works by having a very large pool of people nominating all those books for the judges to read! But, please do consider being a judge as well…

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Blended by Sharon Draper

Posted on August 30, 2019 by Katy K.

Blended by Sharon M. DraperBlended by Sharon Draper. Simon and Schuster Kids, 2018. 978-1442495005
11-year-old Isabella’s parents divorced when she was 6.  It’s always been hard, but since her dad moved back to Ohio and she’s splitting her time between two houses, it’s even harder.  It feels like she’s being asked to be two separate people. Izzy lives in a small house with her pale blond mother, spending time at the Waffle House where she works and at the bowling alley her mother’s boyfriend manages and plays a Casio keyboard set up on the dining room table. Isabella  lives in a large house with her African-American lawyer father, his girlfriend, and her (super cool!) teenage son. Isabella has music room with a baby grand piano all her own and lessons twice a week.  

If my friend Nakenya hadn’t warned me otherwise, I would have expected this book to be mostly about Isabella’s mixed-race identity.  There is some of that, as people ask her whether she considers herself white or Black (yes), and is treated differently in stores at the mall when she goes in with just her Black best friend Imani, rather than in a group with Imani and their other best friend, who is white, as well as some racial incidents.

But a lot is just about the conflict of two parents who fight over her and don’t realize that they are pressuring her to be different people, and the feelings that come up when she realizes that her parents getting more serious about their new partners meaning that they will never get back together again.  And the musician in me was very happy as Isabella comes to embrace playing both Clementi and more modern, swinging African-American music. This is one for any kid who struggles with multiple identities, and I had to wait several months to read it because it’s been so very popular at my library. 

This would pair well with So Done by Paula Chase or New Kid by Jerry Craft.

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Riverland by Fran Wilde

Posted on August 28, 2019 by Katy K.

Though Fran Wilde apparently didn’t make my list of Top 10 Fantasy Authors I’ve Never Read, she has been on my radar but unread for quite a while. Good thing she came out with a middle grade book, rather than the purely adult books that tend to languish on my TBR lists!  

Riverland by Fran Wilde.Riverland by Fran Wilde. Amulet Books, 2019.
Eleanor and her sister Mike live in a house with lots of rules.  If they follow the rules – things like not “bringing trouble home” by talking to people outside the house about what happens at home – the “house magic” will work, replacing things that their father has broken while they sleep.  These rules have worked to keep them safe so far, even though the girls hide under the bed telling stories to each other when their father starts throwing things. But now, the rules are getting harder and harder to follow, and even following them isn’t working the way it has in the past.  

One part of the change is not unexpected – Eleanor’s neighbor and best friend Pendra begs to visit her house, instead of Eleanor always going to visit Pendra. But even aiming for a visit short enough that the adults won’t notice isn’t enough.  They are decidedly unamused, especially because Pendra’s mother, Mrs. Sartri, is the school guidance counselor.  

The other change is decidedly unexpected – a river appears under the bed as they’re hiding, sweeping them into Riverland, a country beset by nightmares and in need of their help.  They’ll have to figure out the rules of this new country quickly, because the nightmares of Riverland are getting strong and bold, flooding over into the ordinary world.  

There is a lot here about sisters, obviously, as Eleanor tries to protect Mike.  And though their “house magic” may not have been real magic, there is real magic here, both in Riverland and in the real world.  Here again we have a fantasy novel tackling some really tough subjects, including Eleanor recognizing that her father’s behavior is abusive even if it isn’t the kind of abuse she recognizes from TV.  (Read more about this in Fran Wilde’s column at the Book Smugglers.) I loved that the children had choices and agency here, and that they’re shown as middle class white family, wealthy enough to replace all the frequently broken things, showing the truth that abuse is an abuse issue, not a race or class issue, however uncomfortable that is.  And though I’m focusing on that tough issue, there is enough time in the magical world and away from the abuse that the book as a whole didn’t feel weighed down to me. I could write more about the coolness of the magic and of Riverland, but I think I’ll let you discover it for yourself.

Posted in Books, Fantasy, Middle Grade, Print | Tagged , | 2 Comments

Game of Stars by Sayantani DasGupta

Posted on August 21, 2019 by Katy K.

gameofstarsGame of Stars. Kiranmala and the Kingdom Beyond 2 by Sayantani DasGupta. Scholastic, 2019.
New Jersey middle schooler Kiran – aka Princess Kiranmala of the Kingdom Beyond – returns in the second volume of the series that began with The Serpent’s Secret. This is another one that I read first on my own and then listened to with my daughter, who is very much interested in anything with that Rick Riordan, modern-day kids interacting with mythology feel.  

Kiran has been home wondering why her friends from the Kingdom Beyond haven’t been contacting her, and bothered by nightmares of her friend Neel’s mother, the Demon Queen.  Then, she finds out that it isn’t a nightmare – the Demon Queen really wants her help. Neel has been taken captive to be used as target for a new reality TV show, “Who Wants to Be a Demon Slayer,” which also turns out to be using a stylized but recognizable picture of Kiran herself as its mascot.  Of course her parents forbid it – but Kiran still finds herself headed through space in a golf cart-like auto rickshaw, accompanied by an extremely chipper newcomer to her school, Naya, who just might have secrets of her own.

Once there, Kiran finds that things are not as she expects.  Neel’s brother, Prince Lal, isn’t the ally she expects, and her cousin Mati, who spent most of book one transformed into an inanimate sphere alongside Lal, is now the leader of an all-girl protest gang that zips around on skateboards wearing pink saris.  They are protesting the fact that rakkosh of all ages are being rounded up to be slaughtered by would-be demon slayers, whether or not they’ve done anything wrong.  

There are still lots of elements from traditional Bengal folk tales here, including giant messenger birds Bengomi and Bengoma, in a fast-moving plot with both tense and silly moments.  But there are also thoughts on deeper issues here, including colorism (skewered here in ads and explained more fully in the afterward) and a call to judge people by their actions over their exteriors.  

I had first read this series in print on my own and then listened to it (on hoopla) with my daughter.  It’s read by the author, who used extra-animated expression and shorter phrasings that would probably work well reading aloud to a crowd but felt a little over-the-top as an audiobook.  Still, especially when reading for kids, over-expressions is much, much better than the flat reading more often given by authors I’ve heard reading their own work.  

This is a series that both my daughter and I are enjoying and that I’m happy to continue to readers looking for Rick Riordan read-alikes. 

Posted in Audiobook, Books, Fantasy, Middle Grade, Print | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

The Lost Girl by Anne Ursu

Posted on August 19, 2019 by Katy K.

I am breaking a trend – I just realized my last three books reviewed all had “dragon in the title.  Here’s another book that I was really looking forward to this year.  I first listened to it on my own in April, and am now listening to it with my daughter, who’s going into fifth grade, just like the main characters here. (We had enjoyed listening to Breadcrumbs earlier this year, my third time through the book.)

The Lost Girl by Anne UrsuThe Lost Girl by Anne Ursu. Narrated by Kathleen McInerney. HarperAudio, 2019.
Iris and Lark are twins who are “identical but not the same.”  Their family mythology tells how they have better outcomes together, with preemie baby Lark breathing better next to Iris, and baby Iris crying nonstop until Lark came home from the hospital somewhat later.  They’ve grown up covering for each other since then, with fierce and organized Iris speaking up for Lark and more sensitive, artistic Lark helping Iris regulate her feelings and telling her when to let go of a fight.  

This year – even though their father is working abroad and their mother newly working full time – it’s been decided that the twins will be in separate classrooms and after school activities for the first time ever.  (This seemed a really poor parenting choice to me, but we have all seen worse fictional parents.) Iris is horribly afraid that she won’t be able to protect Lark, and also really unhappy about being made to join a club rather than being allowed to hang out at the library.  

So Lark is in art club at school with a beloved teacher, while Iris has joined the Awesome Girls club at the library, run by a college student.  Though she’s very resistant to it, the girls, a beautifully diverse mix, eventually come to be friends. 

Meanwhile, our unnamed narrator is also telling us about a new store in town Treasure Hunters, and the cryptic messages that appear on its sign board, as well as its creepy owner, and many odd and seemingly unconnected events that happen around town.  

I saw a lot of myself and my daughter in both Iris and Lark, and they seemed like the kind of creative and loyal kids you’d want to be friends with. I loved the descriptions of their doll house, which has been Lark’s ongoing creative project, and changes in which display Lark’s changing moods – especially the attic made to look like the surface of the moon, with a campfire for the dollhouse kids to roast marshmallows over.  I also really enjoyed references to current children’s literature throughout, from Barnhill Elementary and Nurse Baptiste, to the Awesome Girls giving their counselor a lesson in the best recent female superheroes, including Ms. Marvel.  

Like the twins, identical but not the same, this book has two themes that play off of each other. It is, as it appears from the beginning, the story of two sisters who are each others’ best friends being pushed to stand on their own.  But the story that starts off mostly realistic with just a few odd happens gets increasingly darker and creepier, looking at the systemic way girls and women are encouraged to be quiet and pretty and just fit in, until it gets truly terrifying.  This is definitely one of my favorite books of the year so far.

Posted in Audiobook, Books, Fantasy, Middle Grade | Tagged , , , , | 6 Comments

Dragon Pearl by Yoon Ha Lee

Posted on August 18, 2019 by Katy K.

Science fiction mixes with Korean mythology in this book by acclaimed adult SF writer Yoon Ha Lee.  Of course I had to read it!

dragonpearlDragon Pearl by Yoon Ha Lee. Read by Kim Mai Guest. Rick Riordan Presents/Listening Library, 2019.
13-year-old Min has grown up on the dusty, backwater planet of Jinju, trained not to use her forbidden fox magic, which gives her the power of transformation.  She idolized her older brother, Jun, who joined the Space Forces and hoped to find something to bring back to improve the planet for its impoverished residents.  So when an investigator shows up at their house claiming that he deserted, Min is shocked enough not only to reveal her powers but to attack the investigator.  

Determined to prove his innocence, Min runs away and joins the Space Forces herself, using the form of a recently deceased ghost she meets on board ship (this is vastly simplifying her getting here!)  The ghost is understandably upset to be dead and wanting answers, so Min has to try to investigate that mystery as well as finding out the truth about what happened to her brother.  

Both answers are bound together with the possibly mythical, possibly real Dragon Pearl, which could make rich worlds richer, save Jinju, or destroy worlds, depending on who’s wielding it.  The adventures and close escapes fill up most of the story, though there’s still some time for introspection and trying to make friends with the best friends of the person she’s impersonating – naturally fraught!  Kim Mai Guest as narrator reads expressively, with fluid pronunciation of both English and Korean. 

This had so many elements that I look for in a book that I should have loved it.  Somehow, it fell a little flat for me – maybe because (spoiler alert) Min’s brother turns out to be dead, but it’s still treated like it should be a happy ending.  Probably partly also the usual problem I have with Riordan-style books, of things just moving too quickly. This is reminding me, though, that I should finish reading Yoon Ha Lee’s adult sci-fi trilogy, whose opening book, Ninefox Gambit, I very much enjoyed.  

Here are some other Korean-American speculative fiction books for kids I’ve enjoyed: 

Posted in Audiobook, Books, Fantasy, Middle Grade, Sci-Fi | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

Dragonfell by Sarah Prineas

Posted on August 14, 2019 by Katy K.

Dragonfell by Sarah Prineas

Sarah Prineas’s Magic Thief series is one I’ve loved enough to listen to multiple times, so I was very excited to read her new book, the pages going quickly and happily by after a period where it felt like I was dragging through every book. 

Dragonfell by Sarah Prineas. HarperCollins Childrens, 2019. 978-0062665553
Red-haired and pale-skinned Rafi Bywater has always considered the small village of Dragonfell, where he lives with his weaver father and their goat, home.  The dragon for which Dragonfell was named collected blue-patterned china, but every dragon collects something different, and no one knows for sure what happened to Dragonfell’s dragon. 

Rafi has a spark in his eyes that sets people on edge, so when the decidedly unfriendly Master Flitch comes to the village blaming Rafi for some local fires, the village matriarch tells him to run away and find out what happened to their dragon.  New books may be saying that dragons are always dangerous, but she remembers their dragon protecting them. The world has been changing, and factories and coal mining are making it less friendly for dragons. So Rafi sets off, making friends with a young dragon scientist named Maud along the way.  

Happily, as Charlotte noted in her review at Charlotte’s Library, while industry that is willing to destroy everything in its path thoughtless is definitely portrayed as bad, it’s also clear that trying to go back to pre-industrial times is not going to happen – what’s needed is a whole new way of approaching the problem, a timely and welcome message.   This is a story of self-discovery and hard-won friendships, as well as the clash of magic and industry, with, yes, plenty of dragons, and also comical goats.

Posted in Books, Fantasy, Middle Grade, Print, Reviews | Tagged , | 2 Comments

City Kids: Thank you, Omu! and Dragons in a Bag

Posted on August 2, 2019 by Katy K.

Here are some short takes on books with city settings for kids on the younger end of the spectrum.  Side note: both of these authors were at KidLitCon this year, and I had a lovely conversation with Zetta Elliott.  

Thank You, Omu! by Oge MoraThank You, Omu!  by Oge Mora. Little, Brown Young Readers, 2018.
Omu is Igbo for queen, according to the author’s note, but also what she called her grandmother growing up.  In this story, Omu is making “thick red stew” for dinner, the wonderful smell of which brings one person after another to her door begging for a taste of it, from a little boy to a police officer, a hot dog vendor, and even the mayor.  There’s a nice variety of skin tones and genders across jobs and a feel-good community ending. The art is truly worthy of its Caldecott honor, collage made of printed and painted papers, books and newsprint, and even, especially delighting my mother, vintage sewing patterns.  This is great for reading aloud, and was a hit with everyone I showed it to from kid through teen to adult.  

dragonsinabagDragons in a Bag by Zetta Elliott. Illustrated by Geneva B. Random House, 2018.
Formerly mostly self-published author Zetta Elliott was finally picked up by a major publisher in this not quite middle grade book.  It does, however, continue in the vein of other stories the author has set in the neighborhood. Jax’s mother has left him with “Ma” while going to court to try to keep their house.  He doesn’t quite know who Ma is, but he learns pretty quickly that she has plenty of secrets. When a squirrel tries to open a box that turns out to contain baby dragons, Jax and his friends must set out on a journey through space and time to bring them to a safe place.  More time is spent on the adventure of travel than on the dragons, but the characters are engaging and clearly set up for more books in the series. This is a great book for readers who may not have seen themselves reflected in fantasy before. The core of the story is one that resonates with me – “Magic will find you if you believe.”

Posted in Books, Middle Grade, picture books | Tagged , , , , | 3 Comments

Getting Ready for KidLitCon 2020

Posted on July 31, 2019 by Katy K.

Dear friends,

I know I have been writing less than usual here – but I have had some big news that I’ve been waiting to share with you.  Hopefully I’ll be able to squeeze in some more review writing time soon as well!

I will be running KidLitCon 2020 in Ann Arbor, Michigan, with my friends Nakenya Yarbrough (whom you’ve seen mentioned here before, as we’ve presented together at Detroit Allied Media and Michigan Library Association’s Spring Institute in the past), and my friend Maggi Rohde, who, like me, works on the Cybils Awards.

KidLitCon 2020 - Seeing Clearly - Ann Arbor, March 27-28

Take a look at my blog post about it on the KidLitCon website – and please do contact us if you have any session ideas!  Hoping to see you in Ann Arbor in March of 2020!

 

Posted in Books, Conference Notes | Tagged , | 2 Comments