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

[.]

STARTED:
Nesbet, Anne. (2016). Cloud and Wallfish. Somerville, MA: Candlewick.

[.]

*

FINISHED:
McMann, Lisa. (2016). Going Wild. New York: HarperCollins.

[.]

STARTED:
Reynolds, Jason. (2016). Ghost. New York: Atheneum/Simon & Schuster.

[.]

*

STARTED & FINISHED:
Hanlon, Abby. (2016). Dory Fantasmagory: Dory Dory Black Sheep. New York: Dial/Penguin.

[.]

*

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: 
Yang, Gene Luen, and Sonny Liew. (2014). The Shadow Hero. New York: First Second/Roaring Brook.

[.]

STARTED:
Markell, Denis. (2016). Click Here to Start. New York: Delacorte/Penguin Random House.

[.]

*

FINISHED:
DiCamillo, Kate. (2013). Flora & Ulysses: the illuminated adventures. Somerville, MA: Candlewick.


[When a squirrel gets sucked up inside a vacuum cleaner, young cynic and superhero-fan Flora saves the squirrel, only to find out that it now has superpowers, an insatiable hunger, and a penchant for writing poetry.  Dealing with a "temporarily blind" neighbor boy, her divorced parents (including her mother who wants Flora's father to take the squirrel out to be killed), and using the wisdom of Terrible Things Can Happen to You (a bonus in her favorite comic, The Illuminated Adventures of the Amazing Incandesto!), Flora manages to save the squirrel (dubbed Ulysses) and find hope and love in a world where there previously appeared to be none.  Laugh out loud hilarious, with cheeky sophisticated language and some pages rendered in comic style, this is one of the most enjoyable books that I've read this year!]


STARTED:
Stroud, Jonathan. (2013). The screaming staircase (Lockwood & Co.: Book 1). New York: Disney/Hyperion.


[.]


*

STARTED & FINISHED:
Santat, Dan. (2011). Sidekicks. New York: A.A. Levine.

[.]






Pien, Lark. (2009). Long Tail Kitty. Maplewood, NJ: Blue Apple/Chronicle.

[.]

*