FINISHED:
Kondo, Robert & Tsutsumi, Dice. (2018). The Dam Keeper: Book Two: World Without Darkness. New York: First Second/Roaring Brook.


[.]

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

[.]

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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:
Tanaka, Shelley. (2018). The Breadwinner: a Graphic Novel. Toronto: Groundwood Books. 

[.]

STARTED:
Connor, Leslie. (2018). The Truth As Told by Mason Buttle. New York: Katherine Tegen/HarperCollins.

[.]

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FINISHED:

Larson, Hope. (2016). Goldie Vance: Volume One. Los Angeles: Boom! Box.

[.]

STARTED:
Larson, Hope. (2017). Goldie Vance: Volume Two. Los Angeles: Boom! Box.

[.]

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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:
Kelly, Erin Entrada. (2017).  Hello, Universe.  New York: Greenwillow/HarperCollins.

[.]

STARTED:
Bang, Molly. (1991, 2016). Picture This: How Pictures Work [Revised and Expanded 25th Anniversary Edition]. San Francisco: Chronicle.

[.]

*

FINISHED: 
Gemeinhart, Dan. (2017). Scar Island. New York: Scholastic.

[.]

STARTED:
Aciman, André. (2007). Call Me By Your Name. New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux.

[.]

*

FINISHED: 
Lin, Grace. (2016). When the Sea Turned to Silver. New York: Little Brown.

[.]

STARTED:
Brown, Box. (2016). Tetris: The Games People Play. New York: First Second.

[.]

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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:
Gemeinhart, Dan. (2016). Some Kind of Courage. New York: Scholastic.

[SOOOO good, this one.  Will be reading it again, as I decided to review it for ACL.  Full review at that time...

In Washington State in 1890, twelve-year-old Joseph Johnson – no stranger to loss after his mother and sister die by disease, and his father is involved in a fatal accident – finds out that his beloved horse, Sarah, has been sold without his consent.  So begins Joseph’s epic and unceasing quest across the wild west to get her back, enduring a bear attack, being swept down roaring river rapids, and many more harrowing situations.  The first-person narrative in this dynamic, survival story allows Joseph to prove himself to be an endearing and complex character, unafraid to show sensitivity, and never fully discouraged despite continually getting so close to his goal, yet having it stripped from him again and again.  Joseph is accompanied on the bulk of his journey by Ah-Kee, a Chinese boy who doesn’t speak any English, with their relationship being such that even though they can’t fully understand one another, they poignantly have each other’s back at all times.  The character of Ah-Kee is handled with aplomb, touching upon the rampant racism of the time, and having Ah-Kee be the one who unflinchingly helps to deliver a baby to a woman in cabin out in the middle of nowhere.  Chapter-ending cliffhangers will keep readers swept up in the action, and Joseph’s heart and unyielding good nature will have readers rooting, and feeling, for him through to the very last page.]

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

[$30?!??  Seems a bit greedy.]

*

FINISHED:
Fitzgerald, Laura Marx. (2016). The Gallery. New York: Dial/Penguin.

[.]

STARTED:
Avi. (2016). School of the Dead. New York: HarperCollins.

[.]

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FINISHED: 
Cole, Henry. (2016). The Somewhat True Adventures of Sammy Shine. Atlanta: Peachtree.

[.]

STARTED:
Coates, Ta-Nehisi. (2015). Between the World and Me. New York: Spiegel & Grau.

[Recommended by Matt de la Peña and Allie Jane Bruce.  I mean, with endorsements by these two, it must be a slam-dunk winner.]

*

FINISHED:
Wolk, Lauren. (2016). Wolf Hollow. New York: Dutton/Penguin/Random House.

[.]

STARTED:
Dougherty, Michael. (2015). Trick 'r Treat: Days of the Dead. Burbank, CA: Legendary Comics.

[You may not know this, but TRICK 'R TREAT has become one of my favorite films.  May have even surpassed HALLOWEEN as my favorite film to watch during that season...]

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FINISHED:

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

[.]

STARTED:
Brown, Peter. (2016). The Wild Robot. New York: Little, Brown.

[.]

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FINISHED:
Park, Linda Sue. (2016). Wing & Claw: Forest of Wonders. New York: HarperCollins.

[.]

STARTED:
Clarke, Susanna. (2004). Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell. New York: Bloomsbury.

[I'm going to give it go!  The paperback - at just over 1000 pages - is daunting, but I'm intrigued by the BBC series and really want to read the source material first.  I gave it a shot years ago...  Don't remember why I couldn't finish it...]

*

FINISHED:
Pennypacker, Sara. (2016).  Pax.  New York: Balzer + Bray/HarperCollins.

[.]

STARTED:
Kinney, Jeff. (2015). Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Old School. New York: Amulet/Abrams.

[.]

*

FINISHED: 
Martin, Ann M., and Laura Godwin. (2014). The Doll people set sail. New York: Disney/Hyperion.

[Review for ACL forthcoming...

And here it is:

The Palmer family is renovating their bedrooms while they are out of town, so all of the girls’ dolls are boxed up for safe storage… but the family also happens to be putting stuff into boxes that will be shipped overseas to an international charity.  It should come as no surprise that the box marked “ATTIC” with the dolls in it gets mistaken for one that should get shipped to the Allied Transatlantic Charities (or “ATC”, as is written on the boxes), and the dolls soon find themselves aboard a cargo ship.  Taking place just a few weeks after the events of their last adventure (The Runaway Dolls, Hyperion, 2008), which is briefly summed up at the beginning, the body of this installment involves the dolls setting out on search parties to find others who fell out of their box as it was being loaded onto the boat.  Plodding at times, with a few more dolls added to mix who really don’t add anything or have much to do (including Johnny-On-the-Spot who looks suspiciously like Woody from the Toy Story films [Disney/Pixar], and some mermaids and mermen who are desperate to “return to the sea”… even though they are plastic dolls…), this fourth installment in the Doll People series feels a bit thin with storylines that come across as forced.  A bright spot, however, is the fact that Brett Helquist has taken over the illustration duties from Brian Selznick, with Helquist adding a touch more texture which gives everything more depth.  Not the best in the series, but those who are invested will find something to enjoy here with characters that they have come to know and love.]

STARTED:
Balliett, Blue. (2015). Pieces and players. New York: Scholastic.

[This may be the end of this blog for the next year...  Newbery Committee rules stipulate that I can't review anything publicly that may be considered for the award.  I'll get clarification...]


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