FINISHED:
Kibuishi, Kazu. (2018). Supernova [Amulet #8]. New York: Graphix.Scholastic.

[.]

STARTED:
Ukazu, Ngozi. (2018). Check Please! Book 1: Hockey. New York: First Second/Roaring Brook.

[.]

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FINISHED:
Funke, Cornelia. (2018). The Griffin's Feather [Dragon Rider #2]. New York: Chicken House/Scholastic.

[.]

STARTED:
Kondo, Robert & Tsutsumi, Dice. (2017). The Dam Keeper: Book One. New York: First Second/Roaring Brook.

[.]

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STARTED & FINISHED: 
Froud, Brian. (2011). The Dark Crystal: Creation Myths [Vol. 1]. Los Angeles: Archaia.

[.]

*

FINISHED: 
Pullman, Philip. (2017). The Book of Dust: Volume One: La Belle Sauvage. New York: Knopf.

[.]

STARTED:
Meloy, Colin. (2017). The Whiz Mob and the Grenadine Kid. New York: Balzer + Bray/HarperCollins.

[.]

*

FINISHED:
Bartók, Mira. (2017). The Wonderling. Somerville, MA: Candlewick.

[.]

STARTED:
Eggers, Dave. (2017). Her Right Foot. San Francisco: Chronicle.

[.]

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FINISHED:
Pullman, Philip. (1995). The Golden Compass [His Dark Materials: Book 1]. New York: Ballantine/Random House.

[.]

STARTED:
Tagame, Gengoroh. (2014). Endless Game. Berlin, Germany: Bruno Gmünder.

[.]

*

FINISHED:
Cole, Henry. (2017). Bayberry Island [Brambleheart #2]. New York: Katherine Tegen/HarperCollins.

[Chipmunk Twig and two friends travel on a boat liberated from a bottle to deliver a baby dragon to its home, wherever that may be.  Eventually becoming shipwrecked on an island where there are other baby dragons, the trio are soon joined on the island by the nefarious Professor Burdock who followed the friends so that he could take all of the dragon babies back home and put them to work in a foundry.  Plus, there may be a traitor in their midst.  The early chapter book reader-friendly design has at least one of Cole’s own soft, pencil-drawn spot art illustrations on the majority of spreads, and the visually descriptive text is ideal for those who want an adventure led by animals, but who might not yet be ready for Avi’s Poppy series (HarperCollins, 1999), or Brian Jacques’ Redwall tales (1987, Philomel).  While it’s not completely necessary to have read the previous book, the task of Twig and friends won’t carry as much weight, though, it should be noted that some details about Book 1 are recalled at the end of this second volume, retroactively cluing in those who may have missed the first book in the series.]

STARTED:
Pérez, Celia C. (2017). The First Rule of Punk. New York: Viking/Penguin Random House.

[.]

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FINISHED:
Tynion IV, James. (2017). The Backstagers: Volume 1: Rebels Without Applause. Los Angeles: BOOM! Box.

[Umm... this one is just... odd.  Not really at all what I was expecting.]

STARTED:
Haydu, Corey Ann. (2017). The Someday Suitcase. New York: Katherine Tegen/HarperCollins.

[Her last middle grade book, Rules for Stealing Stars, came out during my Newbery year and was one of my favorites - so much so that I read it a couple of times.  It STILL lingers in my mind, even 2 years later.  There's just something viscerally affecting about it.  It's will definitely be one that I return to from time to time.]

*

FINISHED:
Wiesner, David and Donna Jo Napoli. (2017). Fish Girl. New York: Clarion/Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.

[.]

STARTED:
Bertman, Jennifer Chambliss. (2017). The Unbreakable Code [Book Scavenger #2]. New York: Henry Holt/Macmillan.

[.]

*

FINISHED:
Hatke, Ben. (2016). Mighty Jack [Book 1]. New York: First Second/Roaring Brook.

[.]

STARTED:
Wiesner, David and Donna Jo Napoli. (2017). Fish Girl. New York: Clarion/Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.

[.]

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FINISHED:
Hale, Nathan. (2017). One Trick Pony. New York: Amulet/Abrams.

[This was a GREAT ONE!  Set in a future where the world has been decimated by a race of invading aliens, 3 young people are out exploring a cave, looking for any old technological items they can find.  They are part of a caravan of folks who are conservators of some of the last known remains of human civilization (books, films, technology, etc.).  The young explorers come across a treasure trove of forgotten tech, including a robot horse that bonds with the girl of the group.  Unfortunately, their waking up the long-buried tech alerts the Pipers (bubble-blowing aliens who eat technology... and humans).]

STARTED:
Konigsberg, Bill. (2017). Honestly Ben. New York: Arthur A. Levine/Scholastic.

[REALLY enjoyed Openly Straight.]

*

FINISHED: 
Mull, Brandon. (2017). Dragonwatch:  a Fablehaven Adventure. Salt Lake City, UT: Shadow Mountain.

[.]

STARTED:
Coates, Ta-Nehisi. (2016). Black Panther: A Nation Under Our Feet [Book One]. New York: Marvel Worldwide.

[.]

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FINISHED:
Barnhill, Kelly. (2016). The Girl Who Drank the Moon. Chapel Hill, NC: Algonquin Young Readers.

[It is the annual practice of the Protectorate to leave the youngest child of the village in the woods as a sacrifice to appease a rumored witch who lives there, but that witch, Xan, actually rescues these children and delivers them to be raised in another town.  One year it is Luna whom she saves, and in doing so accidentally lets the young girl drink so much moonlight that it imbues her with magical powers, powers that Xan suppresses in Luna until her 13^th birthday when she may be more ready to deal with them.  Barnhill’s tight, thoroughly-realized fairy tale features a number of strong and determined characters including Luna, whose mission it is to find out who she is and where she came from; Antain, a young man whose mission is to find and expose the truth about the Protectorate; and a woman, deemed mad, whose mission is to prove her sanity and find the daughter that was taken from her.  Side characters Glerk, a bog creature, and Fyrian, a minute dragon, ground the story and provide much needed comic relief, respectively, and though the second quarter of the book stalls a bit, at midpoint it picks up steam again when a number of the seemingly disparate stories begin to intertwine and then doesn’t let up until the last page.  There’s a cautionary message to be gleaned here about discovering what – or who – the real evil is when one is kept in the dark with regard to the truth, especially when it is used as a means of control.  As Antain’s wife, Ethyne, says, “Knowledge is powerful, but it is a terrible power when it is hoarded and hidden.  Today, knowledge is for everyone.”]

STARTED:
Bayard, Louis. (2016).  Lucky Strikes.  New York: Henry Holt.

[.]

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FINISHED: 
Grunberg, Greg, and Lucas Turnbloom. (2016). Dream Jumper: Book 1: Nightmare Escape. New York: Scholastic.

[In his dreams, Ben is a superhero of sorts, helping people fight off nightmarish creatures.  Thing is, he truly is jumping into the dreams of others!  When his mom makes him go to a sleep study center after seeing that he is constantly exhausted, Ben discovers a ward there filled with people in sleep-comas, including some kids that Ben has seen in his dreams who need saving from a snarling beast.  Billed as “Book 1”, this graphic novel definitely reads like an origin story, clearly setting the stage for further adventures and leaving some mysteries yet to be fully revealed, including a possible legacy of Dream Jumpers in Ben’s family, and the unexplained disappearance of his father.  Panels are, for the most part, clear and uncluttered, depicting a strong sense of energy and movement.  With a few side characters that have darker skin tones, there is an attempt at character diversity, though Ben and his best friend Jake (who hilariously wants to capitalize on Ben’s ability) are very white, and the object of Ben’s affection, Kaylee Wu, looks like Ben if he had long, dark hair.  With some creepy characters (like syringe-hurling doctors and ghoulish vampires) to add just the right amount of scary without being too nightmarish, this one should please those who are beginning to experience the joys of graphic novels.]

STARTED:
Springstubb, Tricia. (2016). Every Single Second. New York: Balzer + Bray/HarperCollins.

[Re-reading for an ACL review.]

*

FINISHED:
Thorne, Jack. (2016). Harry Potter and the Cursed Child: Parts One and Two. New York: Arthur A. Levine/Scholastic.

[.]

STARTED:
Turner, Pamela S. (2016). Samurai Rising. Watertown, MA: Charlesbridge.

[.]

*

FINISHED:
Cossanteli, Veronica. (2016). The Extincts. New York: Henry Holt/MacMillan.

[Hoping to help his single mother out financially, George answers an ad for help at a local farm, only finding out when he gets there that its owner is taking care of a menagerie of extinct and mythological creatures.  With the help of a girl named Prudence, George is on a mission to find a basilisk from the farm who is on the loose and turning the town’s animals (and a few humans) to stone, hoping to catch it before it can fall into the hands of Prudence’s taxidermist stepmother.  Dry humor abounds, and George learns that “real men aren’t afraid of pink” and that it’s ok to be friends with a girl, though Prudence’s evil, taxidermist stepmother and her henchmen come across as villainous caricatures.  Originally published in the UK, there are a few “British-isms” that may confound some (Mum, redundancy money, rugby tackle, cherry stone, fancy-dress party), but shrewd readers should be able to discern their meaning through context clues.  Digitally-created, spot illustrations that read somewhat flat are scattered throughout, while a glossary at the end provides a bit of information about some of the creatures featured in the story.  Readers eager for a more sophisticated story about a sanctuary for fanciful creatures are best to try out Brandon Mull’s far superior Fablehaven series (Shadow Mountain, 2006-).  Review based on ARC.]

STARTED:
Joyce, William. (2016). Ollie's Odyssey. New York: Atheneum/Simon & Schuster.

[New William Joyce!  New William Joyce!  And it's an illustrated novel!]

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