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STACKED

books

  • STACKED
  • About Us
  • Categories
    • Audiobooks
    • Book Lists
      • Debut YA Novels
      • Get Genrefied
      • On The Radar
    • Cover Designs
      • Cover Doubles
      • Cover Redesigns
      • Cover Trends
    • Feminism
      • Feminism For The Real World Anthology
      • Size Acceptance
    • In The Library
      • Challenges & Censorship
      • Collection Development
      • Discussion and Resource Guides
      • Readers Advisory
    • Professional Development
      • Book Awards
      • Conferences
    • The Publishing World
      • Data & Stats
    • Reading Life and Habits
    • Romance
    • Young Adult
  • Reviews + Features
    • About The Girls Series
    • Author Interviews
    • Contemporary YA Series
      • Contemporary Week 2012
      • Contemporary Week 2013
      • Contemporary Week 2014
    • Guest Posts
    • Link Round-Ups
      • Book Riot
    • Readers Advisory Week
    • Reviews
      • Adult
      • Audiobooks
      • Graphic Novels
      • Non-Fiction
      • Picture Books
      • YA Fiction
    • So You Want to Read YA Series
  • Review Policy

YA Horror Comics To Enjoy All Year Long

August 23, 2021 |

I’ve been on the hunt for great YA horror comics lately. Part of it is my desire to read comics — I’m still having some trouble immersing myself in prose alone, postpartum — and part of it is my desire to seek out some potential contenders for future Summer Scares titles. I was quite bummed to read one I’d remembered liking in 2011 and discovering how fatphobic it was now, 10 years later, and it hit me how few YA horror comics I’d read. As I made my way down the list of options at my local library, I realized rather than just put holds on everything, it’d be worth making a book list for others. We know spooky season is upon us, so for those who work in libraries or schools (or other places where you provide book recommendations), having these handy will be so helpful.

I’ve included manga, comics series, and stand alone titles here. Some are from well-known publishers, while others are from smaller presses. A few of these began their lives as webcomics and have either companion or compilation volumes in print. I did not include franchise titles (think Archie or Stranger Things) nor did I include adaptations of classics (like Frankenstein).

All descriptions come from Goodreads, as I’m still working my way through these titles. I’d love any other recent-ish title recommendations you may have, from, say, the last five years or so. This list is sticking to titles published 2016 and forward. Some of these titles might veer more middle grade than YA, but I wanted to include them anyway.

As always, a reminder horror is a mood, not a genre, so these comics are across a wide range of genres. All that’s required for a title to be horror is that it brings about dis-ease, disgust, or fear for the reader.

 

YA Horror Comics and YA Horror Manga

 

YA Horror Comics for All Types of Thrills and Chills

 

alienated book coverAlienated by Simon Spurrier and illustrated by Chris Wildgoose 

Three teenagers discover an unearthly creature with incredible powers who needs prey to survive – but as they try to use his powers for good, it may be these humans who pose the greatest threat to the world.

THREE KIDS CALLED SAM.
ONE ALIEN BIOWEAPON.

Three teenagers, each an outcast in their own ways, stumble upon an unearthly entity as it’s born. As they bond over this shared secret and the incredible abilities of their new discovery, the trio soon realizes the truth: this creature is dangerous…and in need of prey.

But as each of them tries to decide how they can use this newfound power to do some real good in a broken world, they’ll find that the greatest threat to humanity may not come from the stars – but from the truth behind their seemingly good intentions.

 

artie and the wolf moon book coverArtie and the Wolf Moon by Olivia Stephens

After sneaking out against her mother’s wishes, Artie Irvin spots a massive wolf–then watches it don a bathrobe and transform into her mom. Thrilled to discover she comes from a line of werewolves, Artie asks her mom to share everything–including the story of Artie’s late father. Her mom reluctantly agrees. And to help Artie figure out her own wolflike abilities, her mom recruits some old family friends.

Artie thrives in her new community and even develops a crush on her new friend Maya. But as she learns the history of werewolves and her own parents’ past, she’ll find that wolves aren’t the scariest thing in the woods–vampires are.

 

 

 

by night book coverBy Night by John Allison, illustrated by Christine Larsen, colored by Sarah Stern, and lettered by Jim Campbell

After discovering a mysterious device, Jane and Heather decide try their hand at documentary filmmaking… in another dimension!

There’s something strange going on in Spectrum, South Dakota.

Home to high school best friends Jane Langstaff and Heather Meadows, Spectrum is a boomtown that’s long since stopped booming, with nothing to show for its former glory but the abandoned Charleswood Estate, its dwindling sprocket millions, and the story of the disappeared industrialist who founded the place… But deep within Charleswood, unbeknownst to anyone, there is a device called the Eidolon, which can open up a doorway to an otherworldly dimension. And Heather and Jane are about to go knocking.

 

 

creepy cat book coverCreepy Cat by Cotton Valent

Flora has just moved into an old house with a gothic flare and a hint of mystery. She soon realizes that she’s not alone in this place: a weird cat already lives there, and it’s not leaving. It behaves like no cat she’s ever seen, phasing through solid objects and attempting to eat a police officer. As Flora cozies up to her new creepy yet adorable roommate, she learns there are more spooky surprises in store!

 

 

 

 

 

dead dudes book coverDead Dudes by Christopher Sebela and illustrated by Ben Sears 

Trev, Kent, and Brian are allegedly friends, but are best known as the backbiting hosts of the popular ghost hunting show, Ghost Bros. With ratings falling and competition rising, they gamble it all on the Chernobyl of haunted locations: Edgeway Penitentiary.

Armed only with a bag of cameras, some sick tattoos and absolutely zero scientific knowledge, the Ghostbros find conclusive proof of the afterlife at Edgeway… After they die and come back as ghosts themselves, trapped there with the angry ghosts who killed them!

A year later, as film crews arrive for an anniversary memorial special hosted by their most hated rivals, the Ghostbros have to be the best DEAD DUDES they can be, in order to prove to the world that ghosts exist (Oh yeah—and to save the living from a ghostly armageddon, but whatever).

 

 

flying witch book coverFlying Witch by Chihiro Ishizuka, translation by Melissa Tanaka (series)

Prepare to be Bewitched!

Makoto Kowata, a novice witch, packs up her belongings (including a black cat familiar) and moves in with her distant cousins in rural Aomori to complete her training and become a full-fledged witch.

 

 

 

 

 

ghostly things book coverGhostly Things by Ushio Shirotori (series)

Things That Go Bump

With her father off overseas, Yachiho is left to move into a new house all by herself…and it’s a genuine haunted mansion, full of ghosts and spirits! But Yachiho is determined to tough it out. To learn her family’s secrets, can she brave all that lurks in the dark of night?

 

 

 

 

 

the gift book coverThe Gift by Zoe Maeve

The Shining meets Sophia Coppola’s Marie Antoinette in this gripping debut from an award-winning talent.

The Gift opens on the snow-blanketed grounds of the Alexander Palace in Western Russia where a moth has come to attend the birth of the fourth Romanov princess, Anastasia. She and her siblings grow up in a gilded world, isolated from the society beyond the palace walls despite their dominion over it. After mysteriously receiving a camera on her fifteenth birthday, she begins to document her world, but the gift carries with it a weight she can’t yet see. A creature moves on the edge of her vision and stalks her dreams. As the revolution unfolds, the confines of Anastasia’s world keep closing in. Something is following her, and it might not be human.

 

 

 

a gift for a ghost book coverGift for a Ghost by Borja González

In Borja González’s stunning graphic novel, two parallel stories reflect and intertwine in a tale of youthful dreams and desires. In 1856, Teresa, a young aristocrat, is more interested in writing avant garde horror poetry than making a suitable marriage. In 2016, three teenage girls, Gloria, Laura, and Cristina, want to start a punk band called the Black Holes. They have everything they need: attitude, looks, instinct . . . and an alarming lack of musical talent. They’ve barely started rehearsing when strange things begin to happen. As their world and Teresa’s intersect, they’re haunted by the echo of something that happened 160 years ago.

 

 

 

 

graveyard wars book coverGraveyard Wars by A J Lieberman, Andrew Sebastian Kwan, and Darren Rawlings (series)

There are those among us, all of whom have had near death experiences, who now have an ability called a Soul-Skill which allows them access to the skill-sets of the dead; fighter, mechanic, sniper. Anything. This ability connects them in this realm to the soul, and its skill, in the next. Pilot. Hacker. Assassin. Anything. While not everyone who touches death is able to retain this ability those who do have formed two warring guilds: Caretakers and Dark Hearts. The Caretaker’s mission? To use the power of the dead to protect the living. Welcome to Graveyard Wars.

All his life Ethan Noble felt he was different; unstable, crazy. How else to explain his ability to master so many different skills only to have them vanish time after time. All her life Carter Noble has tried in vain to help her brother. Raise him, shield him, understand him. An impossible task, even for a twin, because no matter how hard Ethan tried to explain his behavior Carter was never able to understand and any attempt to enlist help from Sebastian, their father, was met with an icy stare and stony silence.

What all three Nobles will soon learn is that in a world where the secrets someone takes to their grave are no longer safe you need family more than ever. The problem? When Ethan and Carter uncover a web of lies that led to their mother’s death they’re lead straight to their father.

 

grimoire noir book coverGrimoire Noir by Vera Greentea, illustrated by Yana Bogatch 

Bucky Orson is a bit gloomy, but who isn’t at fifteen?

His best friend left him to hang out with way cooler friends, his dad is the town sheriff, and wait for it―he lives in Blackwell, a town where all the girls are witches. But when his little sister is kidnapped because of her extraordinary power, Bucky has to get out of his own head and go on a strange journey to investigate the small town that gives him so much grief. And in the process he uncovers the town’s painful history and a conspiracy that will change it forever.

 

 

 

 

kim reaper book coverKim Reaper by Sarah Graley

Like most university students, Kim works a part-time job to make ends meet. Unlike most university students, Kim’s job is pretty cool: she’s a grim reaper, tasked with guiding souls into the afterlife.

Like most university students, Becka has a super intense crush. Unlike most university students, Becka’s crush is on a beautiful gothic angel that frequents the underworld. Of course, she doesn’t know that.

Unaware of the ghoulish drama she’s about to step into, Becka finally gathers up the courage to ask Kim on a date! But when she falls into a ghostly portal and interrupts Kim at her job, she sets off a chain of events that will pit the two of them against angry cat-dads, vengeful zombies, and perhaps even the underworld itself. But if they work together, they just might make it… and maybe even get a smooch in the bargain.

 

 

 

mary book coverMary: The Adventures of Mary Shelley’s Great-great-great-great-great-granddaughter by Brea Grant, illustrated by Yishan Li , lettered by Tom Orzechowski

Angsty teenager Mary Shelley is not interested in carrying on her family’s celebrated legacy of being a great writer, but she soon discovers that she has the not-so-celebrated (and super-secret) Shelley power to heal monsters, just like her famous ancestor, and those monsters are not going to let her ignore her true calling anytime soon.

The Shelley family history is filled with great writers: the original Mary Shelley, author of Frankenstein, the acclaimed mystery writer Tawny Shelley, cookbook maven Phyllis Shelley…the list goes on and on. But this Mary Shelley, named after her great-great-great-great-great grandmother, doesn’t want anything to do with that legacy. Then a strangely pale (and really cute) boy named Adam shows up and asks her to heal a wound he got under mysterious circumstances, and Mary learns something new about her family: the first Mary Shelley had the power to heal monsters, and Mary has it, too. Now the monsters won’t stop showing up, Mary can’t get her mother Tawny to leave her alone about writing something (anything!), she can’t tell her best friend Rhonda any of this, and all Mary wants is to pass biology.

 

the montague twins book coverThe Montague Twins by Nathan Page, illustrated by Drew Shannon

Pete and Alastair Montague are just a couple of mystery-solving twins, living an ordinary life. Or so they thought. After a strange storm erupts on a visit to the beach, they discover there is more to their detective skills than they had thought. Their guardian, David Faber, a once prominent professor, has been keeping secrets about their parents and what the boys are truly capable of.

At the same time, three girls go missing after casting a mysterious spell, which sets in motion a chain of events that takes their small town down an unexpected path. With the help of David’s daughter, Charlie, they discover there are forces at work that they never could have imagined, which will impact their lives forever.

An exciting new graphic novel from innovative creators Nathan Page and Drew Shannon that is at once timely and thrilling.

 

 

mooncakes book coverMooncakes by Suzanne Walker, illustrated by Wendy Xu

A story of love and demons, family and witchcraft.

Nova Huang knows more about magic than your average teen witch. She works at her grandmothers’ bookshop, where she helps them loan out spell books and investigate any supernatural occurrences in their New England town.

One fateful night, she follows reports of a white wolf into the woods, and she comes across the unexpected: her childhood crush, Tam Lang, battling a horse demon in the woods. As a werewolf, Tam has been wandering from place to place for years, unable to call any town home.

Pursued by dark forces eager to claim the magic of wolves and out of options, Tam turns to Nova for help. Their latent feelings are rekindled against the backdrop of witchcraft, untested magic, occult rituals, and family ties both new and old in this enchanting tale of self-discovery.

 

nightmare in savannah book coverNightmare in Savannah by Lela Gwenn, illustrated by Rowan MacColl 

Alexa moves to Savannah to get away from her past. Too bad her past is a Google search away and her parent’s criminal acts quickly make her an outcast. Good thing Fae, Chloe, & Skye aren’t high on the social ladder and give Alexa a group to feel comfortable in. But after a long night of debauchery they transform into the town’s worst nightmare; Fairies.

 

 

 

 

onibi book coverOnibi: Diary of a Yokai Ghost Hunter by Atelier Sentō, translated from French by Marie S. Veld

Part fantasy, part travelogue, Diary Of A Yokai Ghost Hunter follows the adventures of two foreign visitors as they tour Japan. When they buy an antique camera along the way, they discover they can capture images of Japan’s invisible spirit world. The forgotten spirits they meet can be kindly, mischievous, and some, downright dangerous.

 

 

 

 

 

the phantom twin book coverThe Phantom Twin by Lisa Brown

Isabel and Jane are the Extraordinary Peabody Sisters, conjoined twins in a traveling carnival freak show—until an ambitious surgeon tries to separate them and fails, causing Jane’s death.

Isabel has lost an arm and a leg but gained a ghostly companion: Her dead twin is now her phantom limb. Haunted, altered, and alone for the first time, can Isabel build a new life that’s truly her own?

 

 

 

 

 

sadako at the end of the world book coverSadako at the End of the World by Koma Natsumi, Kōji Suzuki, Caleb D Cook, and Lys Blakeslee

After the world comes to an end, a pair of sisters play a certain infamous video tape-but Sadako appears, they’re just happy to meet another girl in this post-apocalyptic world.

 

 

 

 

 

 

something is killing the children book coverSomething Is Killing the Children by James Trnion IV, Werther Dell’Erera, and Miguel Muerto

When the children of Archer’s Peak—a sleepy town in the heart of America—begin to go missing, everything seems hopeless. Most children never return, but the ones that do have terrible stories—impossible details of terrifying creatures that live in the shadows. Their only hope of finding and eliminating the threat is the arrival of a mysterious stranger, one who believes the children and claims to be the only one who sees what they can see.

Her name is Erica Slaughter. She kills monsters. That is all she does, and she bears the cost because it must be done.

 

 

 

 

squad book coverSquad by Maggie Tokuda-Hall and illustrated by Lisa Sterle

When Becca transfers to a high school in an elite San Francisco suburb, she’s worried she’s not going to fit in. To her surprise, she’s immediately adopted by the most popular girls in school. At first glance, Marley, Arianna, and Mandy are perfect. But at a party under a full moon, Becca learns that they also have a big secret.

Becca’s new friends are werewolves. Their prey? Slimy boys who take advantage of unsuspecting girls. Eager to be accepted, Becca allows her friends to turn her into a werewolf, and finally, for the first time in her life, she feels like she truly belongs.

But things get complicated when Arianna’s predatory boyfriend is killed, and the cops begin searching for a serial killer. As their pack begins to buckle under the pressure—and their moral high ground gets muddier and muddier—Becca realizes that she might have feelings for one of her new best friends.

 

summer spirit book coverSummer Spirit by Elizabeth Holleville

Being a teenager is hard enough without finding out your new best friend is a 60 year old ghost…

Louise spends every summer at her grandmother’s house with her older sister and their cousins. But this summer, Louise realises her relatives are fast growing up, without her. While they’re concerned with boy drama, Louise is suddenly left alone. But then one day she meets Lisa, who will never, ever become a teenager.

 

 

 

 

thornhill book coverThornhill by Pam Smy

Parallel plotlines, one told in text and one in art, inform each other as a young girl unravels the mystery of a ghost next door.
Mary is an orphan at the Thornhill Institute for Children at the very moment that it’s closing down for good. But when a bully goes too far, Mary’s revenge will have a lasting effect on the bully, on Mary, and on Thornhill itself.

Years later, Ella moves to a new town where she has a perfect view of the dilapidated, abandoned Thornhill Institute. Determined to befriend the mysterious, evasive girl she sees there, Ella resolves to unravel Thornhill’s history and uncover its secrets.

Ella’s story is told through striking, bold art; Mary’s is told through diary entries. Each informs the other until the two eventually intersect to reveal the truth behind Thornhill’s shadowy past, once and for all. Strikingly told and masterfully illustrated, Pam Smy bends genres and expectations alike.

 

watersnakes book coverWatersnakes by Tony Sandoval

Mila is a solitary teenager ready to put another boring summer vacation behind her until she meets Agnes, an adventurous girl who turns out to be a ghost. And not just a regular ghost, but one carrying the essence of an ancient fallen king and a mouth full of teeth that used to be his guardian warriors.    Three-time Eisner Award–nominated writer/artist Tony Sandoval presents a wondrous world of secret places and dreamlike magic hidden in the everyday corners of our sleeping imagination.

 

 

 

 

 

witchlight book coverWitchlight by Jessi Zabarsky, with coloring by Geov Chouteau

Jessi Zabarsky’s lushly illustrated shoujo-adventure comic that introduces Lelek the witch as she blows through town one day, kidnapping the peasant girl Sanja. The unlikely pair grow more entangled as they travel together, looking for the missing half of Lelek’s soul – the source of her true magical abilities. Both women are seeking to learn, in their own ways, how to be whole again. This book collects the serialized story all into a single volume, including the heart-gripping conclusion and other all-new material.

 

 

 

 

 

witchy book coverWitchy by Ariel Slamet Ries (series)

In the witch kingdom Hyalin, the strength of your magic is determined by the length of your hair. Those that are strong enough are conscripted by the Witch Guard, who enforce the law in peacetime and protect the land during war. However, those with hair judged too long are pronounced enemies of the kingdom, and annihilated. This is called a witch burning.

Witchy is a comic about the young witch Nyneve, who is haunted by the death of her father and the threat the Witch Guard poses to her own life. When conscription rolls around, Nyneve has a choice to make; join the institution complicit in her father’s death, or stand up for her ideals?

 

Filed Under: book lists, Graphic Novels, ya fiction, Young Adult, young adult fiction

Graphic Novel Roundup

January 15, 2020 |

2019 was a great year for middle grade graphic novels. Here are two recent ones I enjoyed and will often recommend to kids, particularly when their favorites aren’t on the shelf.

 

Sea Sirens: A Trot and Cap’n Bill Adventure by Amy Chu and Janet K. Lee

Vietnamese American surfer girl Trot is surfing with her cat, Cap’n Bill, when she’s pulled beneath the waves into the sea kingdom below. There, Cap’n Bill’s ornery nature manifests in an unexpected way: he can now talk! Trot and Cap’n Bill find themselves caught up in a battle between the Sea Siren mermaids and the Serpent King. Even if they survive, will they be able to make it back to the surface, where Trot’s ailing grandfather waits for them? What’s more – will Trot even want to?

This is a graphic novel after my own heart. I’ve written before about how I learned to read in part from The Wizard of Oz, and its influences upon Amy Chu and Janet Lee’s book are easily noticed. (In fact, it was directly inspired by one of Baum’s other stories, The Sea Fairies, which started out as separate from Oz, but later overlapped.) Kids who have read a few of the Oz novels beyond the first may recognize Trot and Cap’n Bill from The Scarecrow of Oz, Baum’s ninth book in the series, who originally appeared in The Sea Fairies and whose names Chu borrows for her story. Lee’s character designs and costuming are reminiscent of the illustrations by John R. Neill, who illustrated most of the Oz series, including recognizable hairstyles and headpieces. Her vivid art lends itself well to the myriad strange and curious creatures Trot finds in the sea kingdom, creatures with which Oz fans will feel right at home. And the story uses one of the most popular fantasy tropes that Baum visited frequently – that of a girl swept away to a magical land, where animals can talk and adventure awaits. Chu infuses Vietnamese mythology into her story, effectively blending multiple points of inspiration into a unique and compelling graphic novel. A sequel, Sky Island, is due out this summer.

 

Queen of the Sea by Dylan Meconis

Meconis’ book is something a bit different from the usual middle grade graphic novel fare. For starters, it’s alternate historical fiction – based upon the childhood of Queen Elizabeth I – that even adults may find difficult to parse without some research or an author’s note. It’s also quite long at almost 400 pages. This may not be a book a kid (or even an adult) could finish in a single sitting. But for the right kind of reader, the ones who like their stories a bit slower and more contemplative, who are fascinated by the past and how different people used to live, this will hit the spot.

The star of Queen of the Sea is Margaret, an orphan who lives in a convent on a tiny island off the coast of Albion. Her only companions are the nuns who run the convent – some kind, some not – and a boy around her own age, William. Then a mysterious woman arrives, and though her identity is supposed to be a secret, Margaret learns that she is Eleanor, the exiled queen of Albion. Eleanor’s arrival throws Margaret’s life into upheaval, revealing secrets about the convent and bringing the world beyond the island very close to home.

Meconis takes her time with her story, fully developing Margaret and her place on the island, as well as her relationships with the nuns, before bringing in Eleanor to shake things up. Margaret’s relationship with Eleanor is particularly fascinating, both in terms of how they interact with each other and how close Margaret discovers her own story is to Eleanor’s. The world-building is a real treat for historical fiction fans, peppered with little details about what life was like at a convent in the 16th century (for example, the many different times of day the nuns – and Margaret – were required to pray, and what each time for prayer was called). Meconis complements her intriguing, slow burning story with muted full-color art in a mostly realistic style, occasionally breaking away for asides in which Margaret explains convent life to the reader. These parts are reminiscent of an illuminated manuscript in style, a nice touch that adds to the sophistication and design of the entire work of art.

Filed Under: Fantasy, Graphic Novels, Historical Fiction, middle grade, Reviews

Graphic Novel Roundup

September 18, 2019 |

Little Girls by Nicholas Aflleje and Sarah DeLaine

I mentioned looking forward to this one after picking it up at TLA, but it was kind of a mess. The basic storyline is that there is a monster attacking a town in Ethiopia, killing people and animals. Two girls – one white and new to Ethiopia, one black and born there – decide to investigate it on their own. The synopsis promised some Ethiopian folklore, which manifests here in the monster called Kerit, but it was pretty difficult to decipher. I found it hard to follow the story, even on repeated reads. I’m still not entirely sure what happened, and even less sure about why, and it doesn’t seem intentional. It’s definitely not successful in delivering a traditional story (or really, a twist on a traditional story) to readers who are ignorant of it, but it doesn’t seem seem like it would be that interesting to readers who do know something about the monster already, either. This has the kernel of a good story, but the execution is a miss.

 

Fever Year: The Killer Flu of 1918 by Don Brown

Don Brown does a really good job of distilling complicated historical events into the graphic novel format. He includes first-person accounts, adding that level of detail that really personalizes something that may at first seem remote. He manages to keep the length in check, too, so the books never seem intimidating. I’m always impressed by how much information he packs into the slim volumes. His newest, Fever Year, is no different. While his book comes a year after the huge wave of books about the flu pandemic (including Albert Marrin’s excellent prose account Very, Very, Very Dreadful), it shouldn’t be overlooked – his signature artistic style adds a depth of emotion to the tragedy that is difficult to achieve in another non-graphic format. As usual, his facts are on point and he helps readers see how something like this – an event they may not have even heard about before – reverberates today.

 

Are You Listening? by Tillie Walden

This is Tillie Walden’s third graphic novel, but it’s the first one of hers I’ve read. Set in West Texas, it’s a story grounded in realism that slowly turns more and more fantasy as it goes on – much like a drive through the wide open spaces and mountains of West Texas itself. I have a soft spot for that part of the world, having driven through it alone a few times myself. It’s got a unique kind of beauty that I haven’t seen anywhere else, and it’s the perfect setting for Walden’s novel about two lost souls – a teenage girl running away from something terrible that happened at home, and a slightly older woman running from her own different demons. They fall in together for a while, eventually deciding to head to the (fictional) town of West to bring home a cat they rescued on the side of the road. But strange things start happening: the landscape seems to shift the closer they get, and dangerous people seem to be following them, looking for the cat. Walden’s art is great at showing the disruption of the landscape, which serves as a metaphor for the two young women’s respective traumas and how they’ve disrupted their lives. It’s an artistic and storytelling choice that feels perfect for West Texas. Walden treats her subjects with care. Her characters are prickly (understandably so), hurting, and in need of the friendship each can offer. The dash of magic is a great hook and deepens the story. This is an introspective novel for thoughtful teens. Plus, Walden gets bonus points for one of the two female leads being a car mechanic.

 

 

Filed Under: Graphic Novels, Reviews, Young Adult

Scarlett Hart: Monster Hunter by Marcus Sedgwick and Thomas Taylor

July 4, 2018 |

Apparently I have a thing for graphic novels featuring plucky heroines who fight monsters and other scary creatures. Curiously, all five of these, including Scarlett Hart, are written and illustrated by men. Is it the archetype of the “strong female character” – meaning physical strength and a lot of fighting rather than force of personality or conviction – that so appeals to male creators? It also appeals to me, and certainly did so when I was a kid too. And I’m sure there are graphic novels featuring this kind of girl created by women too, I just haven’t read enough of them. (This is a longer discussion for a different post.)

Scarlett Hart is tons of fun. It’s set in an alternative Victorian England that’s been overrun by actual monsters: mummies, ghosts, killer dogs, and more. Scarlett’s parents, wealthy aristocrats, were the best of the monster hunters, but they were killed during a fight while Scarlett was a little kid, leaving her an orphan. Scarlett is a bit older now, but not old enough to legally fight monsters. That doesn’t stop her, of course – she just has her faithful butler/sidekick, Napoleon White, take the credit. Scarlett and Napoleon have a nemesis in Count Stankovic, who steals their monsters and constantly tries to turn Scarlett in for underage monster hunting. When they discover the Count is involved in a conspiracy to – well, if I told you, that would be spoiling things – they know they must stop him.

The book doesn’t break new ground in terms of the adventure comic, but it retreads existing tropes well. It’s funny throughout: Scarlett has a lot of inventive and innocuous “curse” words that will make young readers giggle, and sometimes Scarlett and Napoleon are just comically bad at monster hunting, which they acknowledge by repeating the phrase “we stink” at well-timed parts of the story. Scarlett uses Napoleon’s beloved car, which he’s named Dorothy, to travel around to find monsters, and Napoleon’s fear that Dorothy will be irreversibly harmed in the course of the hunt is a recurring theme (you can imagine how well a car survives a fight against a twenty foot tall monster). The monsters themselves are creatively depicted, and Scarlett has a number of contraptions to fight them that echo those of Bruce Wayne or James Bond.

Thomas Taylor created the cover art for the original UK edition of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s  Stone, and his art is well-suited to the graphic novel format here (it differs slightly in style from the image in the link). Scarlett is characterized by large, expressive eyes and a red braid that always flips out to the side. The determination on her face contrasts humorously with Napoleon’s facial expressions, which usually communicate “This is a very bad idea but I suppose we’re doing it anyway.” Taylor’s monsters are delightfully detailed, toeing the line between silly and scary. Colors are bold with an emphasis on reds, lending a gothic/steampunk atmosphere to the story.

This is the first Marcus Sedgwick book I’ve actually finished. After trying a few, I’ve learned his prose novels just aren’t my speed. But I appreciated his weirdness here, and he certainly knows how to tell a fun, fast-paced story. He wraps up the main storyline in this volume while leaving plenty of stories to tell in subsequent ones, which I hope we’ll get. This is a good pick for older middle grade readers who like their comics a little spooky but don’t want to be truly terrified.

Filed Under: Fantasy, Graphic Novels, middle grade, review, Reviews

A Pair of Mock Printz Reviews

June 6, 2018 |

I’ve been reading steadily for my workplace’s Mock Printz challenge this year. So far, the crop of books we’re considering is much stronger than last year’s; I think we might have a difficult time narrowing down our list to a reasonable length! The two books I review in this post both feature extraordinary female artists who actually exist/ed, and both books will encourage young readers to learn more about these talented and important women and their work.

Blood Water Paint by Joy McCullough

This is one of the best books I’ve read this year. It’s about Artemisia Gentileschi, a real painter from 17th century Rome who was raped as a teenager by a painter her father hired to tutor her. She  chose to prosecute her rapist, participating in the trial – an even more rare and difficult thing then than it is now. The transcripts of the trial survive to this day. Blood Water Paint is mainly a verse novel, but McCullough skillfully threads prose sections featuring Artemisia’s mother, who died when she was a small child, telling her the stories of Biblical heroines Susannah and and Judith throughout. The real Artemisia painted these two women many times, in ways that show their strength and autonomy rather than their victimhood or vulnerability. The technique is successful, placing Artemisia in a context where she believes she, too, can choose to embrace her power where she can find it.

The book is not all about the rape, though. It’s also about art, specifically painting, and about Rome in the 1600s and how women and girls navigated the limited paths available to them. Artemisia’s voice is young, sometimes naive, but never oblivious. She’s intelligent, angry, unsure, and enormously talented. McCullough never makes her too “modern;” she was really as remarkable as the book makes her out to be. McCullough’s verse is a just reflection of Artemisia’s artistic ability: technically excellent, expressive, and innovative. Readers who finish the book wondering what happened to Artemisia afterward will be happy to know that she lived a long time, that she continued to paint, and that her work hangs in museums all over the world.

 

Photographic: The Life of Graciela Iturbide by Isabel Quintero and Zeke Peña

I had never heard of Graciela Iturbide, an accomplished photographic artist from Mexico. Her work is interesting and arresting, in particular her project featuring the women of Juchitán, an indigenous Zapotec city in Oaxaca, Mexico that is traditionally matriarchal. (You can learn more about the project from this Smithsonian article.) Her photography as a whole explores cultural identity, whether it’s that of indigenous peoples in Mexico or Mexican-Americans in an East Los Angeles barrio. Her photographs are often described as magical or surreal by those who view them, but Iturbide herself rejects this label: the images she presents are stark reality, intentionally so. A couple of her most famous photographs are Mujer Ángel and Nuestra Señora de las Iguanas.

Quintero’s words used to describe Iturbide’s life and her work are poetic, a good match for the few reproductions of Iturbide’s photographs that are included. Peña does a fine job of reproducing some of these photographs with his own art, but they pale in comparison to the real thing. When his art is used to depict Iturbide’s life, it’s more successful, though as a biography, the book is pretty slight. This should send teens straight to the internet (or even the many museums and galleries that feature her work) to look up more of Iturbide’s photographs.

 

 

Filed Under: Graphic Novels, Historical Fiction, Reviews, ya, Young Adult, young adult fiction, young adult non-fiction

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