YA Takes on Young Journalism

July 11, 2016 |

Have you been as taken with the story of the 9-year-old girl who broke the story of a local murder as I have? Hilde Lysiak got a lot of slack for the whole thing, in part because of her age and in part because the old school thinking about journalism and reporting meant that The Establishment was not really on top of it. Lysiak has scored a book deal, and I am so excited to see this young girl grow into a hell of a successful person.

Growing up, my dream was journalism. I wanted to work on my high school’s paper, and I wanted to edit it. I took on roles as an Opinions editor, then as a Features editor, and my senior year, I applied for — but did not become — the editor-in-chief. Instead, I was second in command of the paper, and used that “loss” to strengthen my writing, my reporting, my storytelling, and applied to a college where I knew I could get great experience on a paper for a future career.

Of course, life happened, journalism changed, and while I did eventually succeed as becoming an editor-in-chief of my college’s paper, my career in the field shifted a bit. I love what I do and absolutely credit my journalism background for where I am.

It’s interesting to me that despite the changes in the field at large, journalism remains an interest for so many teens and tweens. Moreover, it’s a fantastic narrative device in the sense that it allows teenagers to become investigators with a purpose; they aren’t super sleuths or interested in mysteries on their own, but rather, they’re seeking answers to an assignment. For me, that almost makes it more interesting than a straight-forward mystery, as the main character is exploring so much more than a single story.

I thought, in honor of Lysiak, as well as teens who are driven to make a name for themselves in newspapers, magazines, and other word-based media outlets, it’d be fun to round up some of the YA featuring journalists. This won’t be comprehensive, so feel free to add other titles to the comments. I’m sticking to YA, though it would be easy to do an even larger round-up of middle grade titles featuring young journalists. I’ve also opened it up to titles that might be a bit down the backlist, in part because it would be interesting to see how they hold up in today’s journalism era.

All descriptions are from Goodreads or WorldCat. And for fun*, I didn’t put these in any order (*I didn’t even think about it until after I put the images together).

Ink is Thicker Than Water by Amy Spalding

For Kellie Brooks, family has always been a tough word to define. Combine her hippie mom and tattooist stepdad, her adopted overachieving sister, her younger half brother, and her tough-love dad, and average Kellie’s the one stuck in the middle, overlooked and impermanent. When Kellie’s sister finally meets her birth mother and her best friend starts hanging with a cooler crowd, the feeling only grows stronger.

But then she reconnects with Oliver, the sweet and sensitive college guy she had a near hookup with last year. Oliver is intense and attractive, and she’s sure he’s totally out of her league. But as she discovers that maybe intensity isn’t always a good thing, it’s yet another relationship she feels is spiraling out of her control.

It’ll take a new role on the school newspaper and a new job at her mom’s tattoo shop for Kellie to realize that defining herself both outside and within her family is what can finally allow her to feel permanent, just like a tattoo.

The New Guy (& Other Senior Year Distractions) by Amy Spalding (she writes teens with such great interests!)

A ridiculously cute, formerly-famous new guy dropping into your life? It’s practically every girl’s dream.

But not Jules McCallister-Morgan’s.

I realize that on paper I look like your standard type-A, neurotic, overachiever. And maybe I am. But I didn’t get to be the editor of my school’s long-revered newspaper by just showing up*. I have one main goal for my senior year-early acceptance into my first choice Ivy League college-and I will not be deterred by best friends, moms who think I could stand to “live a little,” or boys.

At least, that was the plan before I knew about Alex Powell**.

And before Alex Powell betrayed me***.

I know what you’re thinking: Calm down, Jules. But you don’t understand. This stuff matters. This is my life. And I’m not going down without a fight.

—-

* Okay, I sort of did. But it’s a sore subject.

** I mean, I guess everyone knows about Alex Powell? Two years ago, you couldn’t go anywhere without hearing about viral video boy band sensation Chaos 4 All. Two years ago, Alex Powell was famous.

***Some people think I’m overreacting. But this. Means. War.

Fake ID by Lamar Giles

Nick Pearson is hiding in plain sight…

My name isn’t really Nick Pearson.

I shouldn’t tell you where I’m from or why my family moved to Stepton, Virginia.

I shouldn’t tell you who I really am, or my hair, eye, and skin color.

And I definitely shouldn’t tell you about my friend Eli Cruz and the major conspiracy he was about to uncover when he died—right after I moved to town. About how I had to choose between solving his murder with his hot sister, Reya, and “staying low-key” like the Program has taught me. About how moving to Stepon changed my life forever.

But I’m going to.

So Not Happening by Jenny B. Jones (series)

Bella Kirkwood had it all: A-list friends at her prestigious private school, Broadway in her backyard, and Daddy’s MasterCard in her wallet. Then her father, a plastic surgeon to the stars, decided to trade her mother in for a newer model.

When Bella’s mom falls in love with a man she met on the Internet–a factory worker with two bratty sons–Bella has to pack up and move in with her new family in Truman, Oklahoma. On a farm no less!

Forced to trade her uber-trendy NYC lifestyle for down-home charm, Bella feels like a pair of Rock & Republic jeans in a sea of Wranglers.

At least some of the people in her new high school are pretty cool. Especially the hunky football player who invites her to lunch. And maybe even the annoying–but kinda hot–editor of the school newspaper.

But before long, Bella smells something rotten in the town of Truman, and it’s not just the cow pasture. With her savvy reporter’s instincts, she is determined to find the story behind all the secrets.

How can a girl go on when her charmed life is gone and God appears to be giving her the total smackdown?

Lois Lane: Fallout by Gwenda Bond (series)

Lois Lane is starting a new life in Metropolis. An Army brat, Lois has lived all over—and seen all kinds of things. (Some of them defy explanation, like the near-disaster she witnessed in Kansas in the middle of one night.) But now her family is putting down roots in the big city, and Lois is determined to fit in. Stay quiet. Fly straight. As soon as she steps into her new high school, though, she can see it won’t be that easy. A group known as the Warheads is making life miserable for another girl at school. They’re messing with her mind, somehow, via the high-tech immersive videogame they all play. Not cool. Armed with her wit and her new snazzy job as a reporter, Lois has her sights set on solving this mystery. But sometimes it’s all a bit much. Thank goodness for her maybe-more-than-a friend, a guy she knows only by his screenname, SmallvilleGuy.

Sophomore Undercover by Ben Esch

For fifteen-year-old, adopted Vietnamese orphan Dixie Nguyen, high school is one long string of hard-to-swallow humiliations. He shares a locker with a nudist linebacker, his teachers are incompetent, and he’s stuck doing fluff pieces for the school newspaper. But Dixie’s luck takes a turn when he stumbles across one of the jocks using drugs in the locker room; not only does he finally have something newsworthy to write, but the chance to strike a blow against his tormentors at the school as well.

However, when his editor insists he drop the story and cover homecoming events instead, Dixie sets off on his own unconventional-and often misguided-investigation. He soon discovers that the scandal extends beyond the football team to something far bigger and more sinister than he ever thought possible. Once he follows the guidelines of his hero, Mel Nichols (journalism professor at Fresno State University and author of the textbook Elementary Journalism) this high school reporter just might save the world. That is, of course, if Dixie can stay out of juvenile hall, the hospital, and new age therapy long enough to piece it all together.

Hell Week by Rosemary Clement-Moore (series)

MAGGIE QUINN IS determined to make her mark as a journalist. The only problem? The Ranger Report does not take freshmen on staff.

Rules are rules. But when has that ever stopped Maggie?

After facing hellfire, infiltrating sorority rush should be easy. It’s no Woodward and Bernstein, but going undercover as the Phantom Pledge will allow her to write her exposé. Then she can make a stealth exit before initiation. But when she finds a group of girls who are after way more than “sisterhood,” all her instincts say there’s something rotten on Greek Row. And when Hell Week rolls around, there may be no turning back.

If there is such a thing as a sorority from hell, you can bet that Maggie Quinn will be the one to stumble into it.

These Shallow Graves by Jennifer Donnelly

Jo Montfort is beautiful and rich, and soon—like all the girls in her class—she’ll graduate from finishing school and be married off to a wealthy bachelor. Which is the last thing she wants. Jo secretly dreams of becoming a writer—a newspaper reporter like the trailblazing Nellie Bly.

Wild aspirations aside, Jo’s life seems perfect until tragedy strikes: her father is found dead. Charles Montfort accidentally shot himself while cleaning his revolver. One of New York City’s wealthiest men, he owned a newspaper and was partner in a massive shipping firm, and Jo knows he was far too smart to clean a loaded gun.

The more Jo uncovers about her father’s death, the more her suspicions grow. There are too many secrets. And they all seem to be buried in plain sight. Then she meets Eddie—a young, brash, infuriatingly handsome reporter at her father’s newspaper—and it becomes all too clear how much she stands to lose if she keeps searching for the truth. Only now it might be too late to stop.

The past never stays buried forever. Life is dirtier than Jo Montfort could ever have imagined, and the truth is the dirtiest part of all.

The Rivalry by John Feinstein (series)

The Black Knights of Army and the Midshipmen of Navy have met on the football field since 1890, and it’s a rivalry like no other, filled with tradition.

Teen sports reporters Stevie and Susan Carol have been busy at West Point and Annapolis, getting to know the players and coaches—and the Secret Service agents. Since the president will be attending the game, security will be tighter than tight. Weeks and months have been spent on training and planning and reporting to get them all to this moment. But when game day arrives, the refs aren’t the only ones crying foul. . .

Diplomatic Immunity by Brodi Ashton (September 6)

Aspiring reporter Piper Baird decides to write a scathing exposé on the overprivileged students at an elite Washington, DC, school, only for her life to change when she begins to fall for the story’s main subject, in this new realistic contemporary romance from Brodi Ashton, the author of the Everneath trilogy.

Raucous parties, privileged attitudes, underage drinking, and diplomatic immunity…it’s all part of student life on Embassy Row.

Piper Baird has always dreamed of becoming a journalist. So when she scores a scholarship to exclusive Chiswick Academy in Washington, DC, she knows it’s her big opportunity. Chiswick offers the country’s most competitive prize for teen journalists—the Bennington scholarship—and winning will ensure her acceptance to one of the best schools in the country.

Piper isn’t at Chiswick for two days before she witnesses the intense competition in the journalism program—and the extreme privilege of the young and wealthy elite who attend her school. And Piper knows access to these untouchable students just might give her the edge she’ll need to blow the lid off life at the school in a scathing and unforgettable exposé worthy of the Bennington.

The key to the whole story lies with Rafael Amador, the son of the Spanish ambassador—and the boy at the center of the most explosive secrets and scandals on Embassy Row. Rafael is big trouble—and when he drops into her bedroom window one night, asking for help, it’s Piper’s chance to get the full scoop. But as they spend time together, Piper discovers that despite his dark streak, Rafael is smart, kind, funny, and gorgeous—and she might have real feelings for him. How can she break the story of a lifetime if it could destroy the boy she just might love?

Throwing Stones by Kristi Collier

When Andy Soaring’s older brother, Pete, died in World War I, Andy’s life changed forever. Now, five years later, Andy is fourteen and beginning to feel the weight of his brother’s legacy, especially when he holds Pete’s basketball in his hands. Andy dreams of leading his high-school team to the Indiana state tournament, as his brother did before him. If only Andy could be a basketball star, maybe he could ease his parents’ sadness, and, more important, feel like he truly belongs to his family. But when Andy lets pride get in the way–over a girl, no less–all bets are off.

Sophomore Year is Greek to Me by Meredith Zeitlin

High school sophomore Zona Lowell has lived in New York City her whole life, and plans to follow in the footsteps of her renowned-journalist father. But when he announces they’re moving to Athens for six months so he can work on an important new story, she’s devastated— he must have an ulterior motive. See, when Zona’s mother married an American, her huge Greek family cut off contact. But Zona never knew her mom, and now she’s supposed to uproot her entire life and meet possibly hostile relatives on their turf? Thanks… but no thanks.

Paper Daughter by Jeanette Ingold

Maggie Chen was born with ink in her blood. Her journalist father has fired her imagination with the thrill of the newsroom, and when her father is killed, she is determined to keep his dreams alive by interning at the local newspaper.

While assisting on her first story, Maggie learns that her father is suspected of illegal activity, and she knows she must clear his name. Drawn to Seattle’s Chinatown, she discovers things that are far from what she expected: secrets, lies, and a connection to the Chinese Exclusion Era. Using all of her newspaper instincts and resources, Maggie is forced to confront her ethnicity—and a family she never knew.

The Kayla Chronicles by Sherri Winston

Kayla Dean, junior feminist and future journalist, is about the break the story of a lifetime. She is auditioning for the Lady Lions dance team to prove they discriminate against the not-so-well endowed. But when she makes the team, her best friend and fellow feminist, Rosalie, is not happy.

Now a Lady Lion, Kayla is transformed from bushy-haired fashion victim to glammed-up dance diva. But does looking good and having fun mean turning her back on the cause? Can you be a strong woman and still wear really cute shoes? Soon Kayla is forced to challenge her views, coming to terms with who she is and what girl power really means.

Famous Last Words by Jennifer Salvato Doktorski

In Famous Last Words by Jennifer Salvato Doktorski, sixteen-year-old Samantha D’Angelo has death on the brain. Her summer internship at the local newspaper has her writing obituaries instead of soaking up the sun at the beach. Between Shelby, Sam’s boy-crazy best friend; her boss Harry, a true-blue newspaper man; and AJ, her fellow “intern scum” (aka the cute drummer for a band called Love Gas), Sam has her hands full. But once she figures out what—or who—is the best part of her summer, will she mess it all up?

As Sam learns her way around both the news room and the real world, she starts to make some momentous realizations about politics, ethics, her family, romance, and most important—herself.

Since You Asked by Maurene Goo

No, no one asked, but Holly Kim will tell you what she thinks anyway.

Fifteen-year-old Holly Kim is the copyeditor for her high school’s newspaper. When she accidentally submits an article that rips everyone to shreds, she gets her own column and rants her way through the school year. Can she survive homecoming, mean-girl cliques, jocks, secret admirers, Valentine’s Day, and other high school embarrassments, all while struggling to balance her family’s traditional Korean values?

Social Suicide by Gemma Halliday (series)

Twittercide: the killing of one human being by another while the victim is in the act of tweeting.

Call me crazy, but I figured writing for the Herbert Hoover High Homepage would be a pretty sweet gig. Pad the resume for college applications, get a first look at the gossip column, spend some time ogling the paper’s brooding bad-boy editor, Chase Erikson. But on my first big story, things went . . . a little south. What should have been a normal interview with Sydney Sanders turned into me discovering the homecoming queen–hopeful dead in her pool. Electrocuted while Tweeting. Now, in addition to developing a reputation as HHH’s resident body finder, I’m stuck trying to prove that Sydney’s death wasn’t suicide.

I’m starting to long for the days when my biggest worry was whether the cafeteria was serving pizza sticks or Tuesday Tacos. . . .

Conjoined Twins: A (Brief) Reading List for Teens

June 29, 2016 |

Two books about conjoined twins in two years isn’t a trend, but it does make me take notice. In 2015, Sarah Crossan’s One was published, and this year at TLA, I spotted Sonya Mukherjee’s Gemini. Both books are about teenage conjoined twin girls, and both are about the sisters contemplating surgery to separate them. I wondered how many other books for teens have been written about conjoined twins, so I went looking. Answer: not many. There are a few other novels from the past 10 years, but all nonfiction written for teens (I expanded my search to include tweens as well) that touch specifically on conjoined twins are over 10 years old and out of print. I even looked for books on twins in general, hoping I’d find something that addressed conjoined twins in a chapter or a few paragraphs, but I found nothing in print. It’s possible your library may still have some of the titles. It’s a shame there aren’t more recent and in print titles, though, since I expect both of these novels will lead teens to seek out factual information on the topic. There are a few adult nonfiction titles that may suffice, but it’s always much nicer to direct teen patrons to books written for their own age group.

If your teens want to read more about conjoined twins, here’s a brief list of books that feature them in some way or another. I can’t speak to the way each author treats the conjoined characters since I haven’t read any of them yet, though all have received good critical reviews and Kelly reviewed One positively. Synopses are from Worldcat unless indicated otherwise.

Fiction

One by Sarah Crossan (2015)

Despite problems at home, sixteen-year-old conjoined twins Tippi and Grace are loving going to school for the first time and making real friends when they learn that a cardiac problem will force them to have separation surgery, which they have never before considered.

BZRK by Michael Grant (2012)

Set in the near future, BZRK is the story of a war for control of the human mind. Charles and Benjamin Armstrong, conjoined twins and owners of the Armstrong Fancy Gifts Corporation, have a goal: to turn the world into their vision of utopia. No wars, no conflict, no hunger. And no free will. Opposing them is a guerrilla group of teens, code name BZRK, who are fighting to protect the right to be messed up, to be human. This is no ordinary war, though. Weapons are deployed on the nano-level. The battleground is the human brain. And there are no stalemates here: It’s victory… or madness.

Gemini by Sonya Mukherjee (July 26)

In a small town, as high school graduation approaches, two conjoined sisters must weigh the importance of their dreams as individuals against the risk inherent in the surgery that has the potential to separate them forever.

The Secret Twin by Denise Orenstein (2007)

Born a conjoined twin, thirteen-year-old Noah bears the secret guilt of being the only survivor, and now finds himself in the care of a stranger with a secret of her own.

Under Shifting Glass by Nicky Singer (2013)

Jess is grieving for her beloved aunt, and when she finds a mysterious flask hidden in a antique bureau that belonged to Aunt Edie on the same day that her conjoined twin brothers are born, she begins to believe that the flask is magic and that their survival depends on it.

Nonfiction

Eng and Chang: The Original Siamese Twins by David R. Collins (1994, out of print)

Born near Bangkok but ethnically Chinese, Siamese twins Eng and Chang acquired U.S. citizenship in 1839 and assumed the surname Bunker. They not only survived for 63 years attached by a five-inch long ligament, but also led versatile and fulfilling lives. Collins presents a lively portrait of these unique brothers who traveled throughout the world, met heads of state, settled down as farmers in North Carolina, married sisters, fathered a total of 21 children, and even worked for P.T. Barnum. – School Library Journal

Twin Tales: The Magic and Mystery of Multiple Births by Donna Jackson (2001, out of print)

Twins: they’re miracles of nature, sharing the most intimate of bonds. Scientists have captured them on sonograms hugging, kissing, and reaching out to each other in the womb. What makes twins so fascinating? Find out as you read about real-life twins such as: Kyrie Jackson, the preemie who saved her twin sister’s life soon after birth; Eng and Chang Bunker, the world’s most famous conjoined twins; and Eva and Miriam Mozes, twin sisters whose special bond saved their lives at Auschwitz. – Goodreads

Double Take: The Story of Twins by Daniel Jussim (2001, out of print)

An in-depth introduction to the lives of twins, multiples, and conjoined twins. Readers will learn why twinning takes place and meet five sets of twins. They will read amazing stories about twins who were separated at birth only to meet years later, stories about twins who marry twins, and profiles of families with bigger broods, including the famous McCaughey Septuplets and the Dionne Quintuplets. Readers also have the special opportunity to meet a set of conjoined twins, Brittany and Abigail Hensel, who, despite a rare and challenging condition, have developed into down-to-earth and very happy young ladies. – Goodreads

5 Reasons To Pick Up The V Word (Out Today!)

February 2, 2016 |

I’m so, so excited to share that today is the big day that The V-Word: True Stories About First Time Sex, edited by Amber J. Keyser is out in the world. It was two years ago, almost exactly, I got the email that it would be happening, and I was honored when Amber asked me to take part in this collection.

I’ve read the entire book cover-to-cover and think it’s a powerful look at virginity and sexuality for teen girls. It’s mature and honest and raw, but it’s not explicit or sensationalized by any means. Not only are the stories themselves good and cover a wide range of experiences, voices, and sexualities, but the back matter on this book is killer (I say that not just because I contributed to part of that).

In honor of The V-Word‘s release, here are my top five reasons why you should pick it up and put it on your shelves, especially if you work in a library, a school, or with teenagers in some capacity.

1. You can read about the first time I had sex (unless you’re family and I am telling you don’t do it).

Writing this essay was one of the hardest things I’ve ever done. And it wasn’t so much hard from the standpoint of knowing that a lot of people would know about the first time I had sex and all of the details of it, but more, it was scary because I unpacked a lot of baggage surrounding sex and more specifically my body.

My essay is about the importance of choice and choosing when it is you’re ready to have sex. It’s about how when you think you’ve made a decision and then deciding it’s not the decision you really want to make. It’s also about how you can believe you’ll never be a person who has sex and then one day … you do.

I’ve been told that my essay is “unexpectedly funny,” which might be the best phrasing I’ve ever heard used to describe my writing. I’m proud of this piece, and I like to think it’s going to be relatable to many, many girls; it’s a piece of work I wish I could have given to my 14 or 15 year old self and in many ways, it’s a love letter to me as a teenager saying that things will be good and work out.

2. A Question & Answer section about female sexuality and the media, especially YA books.

I’m so proud of this contribution I got to make to the back matter of this book. Amber and I had a great back-and-forth exchange about how sex is represented in the media, and I talked at length about the kinds of books that are showcasing female sexuality well, as well as what we might be missing.

These were not easy questions, and I spent a lot of time researching, reading, and writing at length about what we’re doing well and what we suck at when it comes to talking about teen girls and sexuality. I spent a good chunk of time talking about choice (and how it’s just as valid to choose not to have sex as it is to have it), about masturbation (can we talk about why it’s “female masturbation” when referring to girls doing it and just “masturbation” when referring to boys?), and much, much more.

3. This is a female space.

Something I am passionate about is girls stories and girls voices. No one would say otherwise, of course, but this book truly highlights the importance of both. I grew up without any kind of resources like this, and one of the things I talked about in my essay was how a lot of my sex education came from living in a dorm room. I met girls and guys who knew way more than me, who were much more experienced than me, and who also opened my eyes to how girls are viewed sexually (my piece, not to give too much away, begins with a male friend and I coming close to having an experience and him talking to me about how he valued me too much as a virgin to take that from me — so much to unpack in that statement, right?).

Here’s the thing: we don’t talk with and to girls about sex enough, and when we do, it’s too often from the context of “do it and be safe” or “don’t do it at all.” This book explores the nuances, as well as the variety of experiences, sensations, and questions girls have about sex and their bodies. This is a million times more informative, insightful, and truthful than a sex ed class is because all of the women in this collection are sharing their own stories.

None — zero — of the stories are at all the same.

I have a confession to make here, and maybe it’s one I shouldn’t make because it offers a glimpse into a side of me I don’t share often and one that I fight so hard against. When Amber began talking with me about this anthology, she shared two sample essays. As I read them, I thought to myself my story is so boring and no one will be interested and wow, I am as boring as I thought I was and why do all of these other women have such fascinating, wild accounts to share?

But those questions are why my story is important. And of course, with as many stories as there are in here, those thoughts I had have no merit except that they showcase the very reasons why The V-Word is important. All of our stories are valid, no matter what they look like or don’t look like.

4. Excellent reviews, including a star from Publishers Weekly!

This book has gotten a ton of great reviews. I’m particularly taken with the star it got from Publishers Weekly, and I also appreciate the thoughtful comments about my Q&A with Amber in the SLJ review. (There’s also a great BCCB review, which isn’t available online).

5. Teen-centric non-fiction is where diversity is at.

I’ll never forget when Malinda Lo posted a picture of the non-fiction section at Barnes & Noble and noted that it was the most diverse section in the YA category. Not only is that still a reality, but that diversity in non-fiction is also reflected within the collection itself.

I’m making an effort this year not to call things “diverse,” but instead use the term “inclusive.” And this book is utterly inclusive, not only across the racial and gender spectrums, but also across sexualities. This is a collection teens will see themselves in in so many powerful and important ways.

Likewise, a collection of essays that’s inclusive is a way for teen readers to know that all of their voices and stories matter.

I’m honored to be part of this collection and thrilled it’s a real thing on shelves. Thank you, Amber, for extending an invitation to me so early on and all of your hard work making this book a reality.

You can pick up The V-Word from any of your favorite booksellers.

Dare to Disappoint by Ozge Samanci

November 26, 2015 |

We are taking part in the blog tour for Ozge Samanci’s Dare to Disappoint today. You can and should check out the entire schedule for the tour here and visit those sites for even more peeks into the book and process behind it (it’s neat!).

I know very, very little about Turkey. The only history I know is what I learned in my Western Civilization course freshman year of high school and a little bit from European History my senior year. Even in those cases, the bulk of what’s taught is very historical — centuries past — with little or no exploration of more contemporary events.

Ozge Samanci’s Dare to Disappoint was a really worthwhile read for me, since it was and is a reference point for this particular area of history now. This personal memoir looks at what life was like growing up in a country that itself was learning to grow up and find an identity.

Samanci is a second child in a family where her older sister excelled. This was the case in school and in other venues, and her parents were pleased with her. Ozge, on the other hand, was far less interested in her studies. Sure, she completed them — this is a key element of the story, as the Turkish education system is very different than the US system — but she didn’t excel nor quite have the passion for it in the same way her sister did.

The bulk of this story centers around Ozge coming to terms with what it is she wants to be doing with her life. Does she want to become an explorer? An actress? Go on to a good college to make her parents happy at the expense of her own happiness? Can she work to make both her dreams in theater and her parents dreams for her education happen simultaneously? These questions frame the entirety of the story in a way that any reader, no matter where they live, wrestles with. But what makes this stand out beyond that is the historical context. We learn along the way the values and systems that exist in Turkey and how they shift over the course of Ozge’s childhood and adolescence. Where once few choices existed, the growth in consumerism and imports meant that choices one had in every arena from eating to clothing to one’s future shifts and adjusts. It’s in those cultural changes that Ozge further marinates on the questions of what to make of her own life.

This should easily explain the book’s title Dare to Disappoint.

What’s most standout in this particular graphic novel, though, is the art. Samanci utilizes mixed materials to create her story. While the bulk of art is what you’d expect in terms of drawings, there are a lot of unexpected surprises that go in to creating an image:

On the bottom right-hand page, you can see how Samanci weaves polished rocks into the art. There are other examples of this throughout, including found art collages, buttons, and even some unexpected surprises (which you’ll see further down this post!). This design is really friendly and appealing, which makes it a nice contrast to some of the heavy political elements in the text itself. Which isn’t to say those parts are hard to read or unnecessary; instead, what Samanci is able to do is balance those topics with her own personal, singular, teen experience. It’s relatable, rather than above her head — except when it is!

My biggest criticism, though, is that a lot of Ozge’s own experiences post-realization of what it was she wanted to do with her life is given short shrift in the end. It wraps up almost too quickly. I found myself wanting much more than I got, in particular because I saw so much of her growing up process along the way. There were pages and chapters dedicated to her education and her experimentation, but her wake up call that she wanted to be an artist and draw comes very late in the story and the journey through that realization — rather than the journey to that realization — isn’t here. I suspect this might be so there’s room for a second memoir that goes through that journey, but I wouldn’t have minded another chapter here, just to give me more of a taste for how this happened.

Readers who love graphic memoirs will want to pick Dare to Disappoint up. It’s not necessarily a straight read alike to Persepolis, as the angle on this particular book is much more about the journey to finding one’s passion in life, but readers who want to be better global citizens or read stories about real people in other parts of the world will find those elements interesting to think about in comparison. Readers who are fascinated by the art here will want to spend time at the artist’s Tumblr, too, which showcases her unique style of mixed media. This book is perfectly fine for younger teen readers and has great crossover appeal to adults, too. The toughest elements for younger readers may be some of the political elements, but they’ll skip over them to follow Ozge’s personal story and lose nothing for it.

***

One of the unique elements of Samanci’s style is she’s not only working in illustrations, but she also creates collages out of various items throughout the book. This adds a whole new layer to the story. Here, she’s sharing a little bit about an unusual — but brilliant — item that found its way into the finished edition of the book.

Miniature Muffin Cup

There was an amazing store where I lived: Tom Thumb Hobby and Crafts. Unfortunately, they moved somewhere far. This store was full of paper, beads, miniature houses, model making materials, sewing and baking supplies, and many more. Tom Thumb was so mind opening for a comics artist like me who combines comics with collage. While wondering in the store I saw the miniature muffin cups. I thought, I can make skirts with these in my collages. As if my editor Margaret Ferguson read my mind, a couple days after I bought the muffin cups she suggested me to put a skirt on the main character in one of the frames. My miniature muffin cups took its place in Dare to Disappoint.

Comics and Graphic Novel/Memoir Round-Up

November 9, 2015 |

When I began working in libraries, comics and graphic novels puzzled me to no end. I didn’t know what to get or how to stay on top of things, and even more challenging for me was not understanding why I could or could not acquire certain titles. It wasn’t until I took a continuing education class in comics and graphic novels for the library, offered through the University of Wisconsin’s LIS program, that it all made sense to me. I’d always been a casual reader, but I’d primarily read graphic memoirs; being forced to read beyond that really helped me learn that there’s a lot out there that’s totally up my alley, and it taught me the most basic and most crucial component about comics: there’s a difference between single issues and trades. For comics readers, this is a no brainer. But for those who aren’t, it’s this little clarification that makes the entire process of finding, acquiring, and reading comics so much easier.

I tend to read comics in trade format. This means multiple issues of a comic are bound together into a larger, more study edition. These are the ones you can find in most standard chain bookstores. Not everything ends up in trade, and trades come out after a run of singles are out. Single issues are, as the term suggests, one-off issues. These are released on a schedule, and they’re just one installment of a larger comic story arc. Think of it sort of like a serialized novel in a magazine. Single issues are flimsy and really not great for library purchasing, as they tend to be made of even cheaper, less durable material than a standard magazine is.

Besides wanting to make that distinction for anyone approaching comics without the familiarity, I thought it worthwhile because this post is a round-up of my recent comic reads. Most of what I read, again, are in the trade format; however, a couple weeks ago I picked up a single issue of a brand new comic and loved it to bits and pieces — enough that I’ll keep buying it in single issues to stay with the story as it progresses. It’s kind of fun to have that anticipation.

All of these comics are fine for teens. Some are more graphic/violent than others, but they’ll all have teen appeal in some capacity. More, and the thing that excites me most about my recent comic binge, is that they all feature fantastically drawn female characters (and yes, I mean drawn in all senses of the word there).

Trade

Lady Killer by Joelle Jones and Jamie S. Rich

This one is going to appeal to readers who love noir and who are totally all-in on a story about a woman who murders for hire. It’s completely compelling and engaging and a big reason is because it messes with what we think about when it comes to hitmen.

But more — and the thing that made this particular comic really work for me — was that it’s stylized in a very vintage manner. The cover image is pretty perfectly representative of the comic as a whole. Josie is a housewife and a mother, and her job doing the dirty work for others is unknown to her family. She looks one way but the actions tell a completely different story, and it’s this tension of image and perception against reality that make this unique and a lot of fun.

I have a hard time finding dark comedy in my reading that works for me, but Lady Killer absolutely killed it. Josie is unapologetically violent woman who is “just doing her job” during a time when that was totally unacceptable. And realistically? It’s still totally unacceptable, so the social commentary on gender roles here resonates strong. I’m eagerly awaiting more in this story because there’s so much here to juice. You can check out some of the panels here.

You need no backstory, set-up, or history to jump into this comic. It’s brand new, and this first trade will get you into it right away.

Black Widow #1 by Nathan Edmondson and Phil Noto

I’ve actually got all three of the Black Widow trades on my shelf, but I’ve only had an opportunity to read the first one. It was far from disappointing, and it was absolutely worth the effort it took to find — for some reason, snagging the first trade of this one was a challenge, as it was sold out everywhere for a long time.

Natasha Romanov, aka Black Widow, for those who don’t know, is a member of The Avengers, and more, she’s a former KGB assassin who is out to seek atonement for it. Readers who have zero knowledge of The Avengers, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., or Black Widow can absolutely jump in on this first trade to get the entire story. You’ll get the arc immediately, and you’ll find out the history and the current space of Black Widow right here.

What’s really great about the first trade is that it’s entirely about Natasha. She’s not sharing the spotlight with any other people at this point. It’s violent, it’s rough, and we’re immediately thrown into her unstable world and learn why it is she lives with her fists raised.

The story is compelling and really a solid superhero to start with for the uninitiated, but what really sings in this is the art. It’s gorgeous — Noto does a spectacular job using the pages, of using color, and of rendering the heroine here on her own strong terms. So many people have trouble with the idea of “strong female character” as a descriptor, but Nato creates that in his art. In a culture that continues to erase or “forget” about the female characters in superheroland, it’s refreshing to see Black Widow standing here on her own and doing so powerfully. I’m excited to see her story continue, which is why I bought the next two trades immediately after finishing this. I never thought I’d be interested in a superhero movie, but when a Black Widow film happens, I will absolutely want to see it because her story is so fascinating.

Single

Paper Girls #1 by Brian K. Vaughan, Cliff Chiang, and Matt Wilson

One issue of this was not enough. I’m chomping at the bit for #2 because this introduction to a new story of rad newspaper delivery girls in the 1980s hooked me immediately and ended in a wonderful cliffhanger.

The night after Halloween, a group of 12-year-old newspaper girls discover what appears to be a machine created in honor of the 50th anniversary of War of the Worlds. This is the cliffhanger, but the big takeaway from the comic isn’t just the fact it’s a compelling hook, but it’s wildly feminist. There are instances of hateful language used, but it’s called out and expressed as inappropriate, and more, the girls are there working side by side in their delivery.

The dialog in this issue works, as the girls all sound like teenagers. We don’t get a terrible amount of development, but that’s because this is still the first issue, so there’s a lot of room for growth. I think that’s what makes this a really promising new series — Vaughan sets up a lot of space for these girls and their arcs to grow and mold, but we know, too, that they’re going to be smart but not too-smart-for-12-year-old-girls, which is a thing I find distracting and inauthentic in stories.

The art is, as the cover shows, a lot of fun. It’s definitely stylized and it’s definitely 80s-tastic, but that’s part of the appeal. And the references and allusions are a blast:

I’m ready for issue #2, which will hit comic stores later this month.

Graphic Memoir

A Year Without Mom by Dasha Tokstikova

Rounding out this round-up of recent comics reads is a graphic memoir that I didn’t necessarily love, but that I see the appeal and interest for.

It’s the early 1990s in Russia, during the Cold War, and Dasha’s mother decides that in order to better herself and her own education, she needs to leave Russia for America for a year. Dasha is living with her grandmother during this time, and we see what a year in this very specific time and place look like for her as a young girl.

There’s friendship squabbles, crushes, tension with family, and then, of course, the Russian politics of the early 90s. It’s very relatable, which I think is the key selling point of this particular memoir — while we know that there’s a lot of historical baggage (which is underexplored here, in part because it’s from the perspective of Dasha’s 12-year-old self and in part because there “grounding” in this book is about a year without mom, not the year without mom while the government is unstable), the take away is that Dasha’s life isn’t dissimilar from any other 12-year-old in the world. She’s on that precipice of being a child and being a teenager, and it’s the absence of her mother that causes her more challenges than normal. I really wish we’d gotten more of the political climate here, though, because I’m not as familiar with this time and place as I’d like to be, and I suspect this will hold even more true for today’s tween readers.

More, though, I found some of the choices in design on this completely frustrating — why would you lay black text on gray coloring? It’s easy to overlook and miss and it’s even more challenging to read. I’m also curious why so many reviews don’t point this out. It’s a flaw, not a feature. I think the lack of color use in this memoir is effective, particularly for capturing place, setting, and mood, but the choices in layout were not reader friendly, especially for anyone who may be less familiar with reading graphic stories. There’s not an immersive experience to be had here.

This slice-of-life graphic memoir is worth a read, though it’s one you don’t have to buy or own because the challenges don’t make it entirely stand out. I do think it’s interesting that it’s another title set during the Cold War in Russia, a trend that’s popped up a few times in recent YA. I think it speaks to the authors more than it might to today’s teen readers, if only because the understanding of what growing up with that climate means might be a bit lost on them.