The Fifth Quarter: Hard Court

The Fifth Quarter: Hard Court is one of those sequels that I feel is better than its predecessor, which is saying something because I very much enjoyed book 1. In this book, Lori finds herself facing some new situations. Now in sixth grade, she and her friends are getting older and some are developing new interests and spending more time apart. Her dad is going to go back to work for the first time since she was born, and her mom is going to coach her rec league basketball team. Plus, she and her friend Elyse are growing their skills at basketball camp. There, their coach calls them the "Dream Team," with Lori being more offense-minded and Elyse more a defensive specialist. They still predominantly play during the fifth quarter for their middle school team, but Elyse gets more chances to get into actual games. This situation causes Lori to have some hurt feelings and jealousy. 

What I think pushes this book beyond the first one is the way it shows the dynamics between various relationships in very detailed and realistic fashion, warts and all. Lori's parents have their arguments over money, work, and their parenting roles. Lori has issues with her friends, parents, and little siblings. Also, a good portion of the book involves flashbacks to Lori's mom's childhood, so we learn about her own highly competitive nature as well as her strained relationship with her father and step-sister. 

Looking back, I gained insight into how she pushes Lori and herself to succeed. Getting to see a family reunion at the Passover Seder brings things full circle, as we get to see the aftermath of her childhood and how relationships turned out over the decades.

And I have not even mentioned the game-play, which is also a major aspect of the book. The various scenes of basketball are well paced, exciting, and dramatic. I really appreciate that there is no magical transformation, that Lori still has her struggles , even with extra coaching and attention from her mother. Some of her struggles even come from that very same coaching and her mother, which is both ironic and apt. Her mother pushes her to succeed and have a killer instinct, but she also might be pushing a bit too hard and also rehashing trauma from her childhood. This seemingly simple tale is actually pretty complex and imbued with nuances.

I love a good scrappy underdog tale, and this graphic novel is that as well. It shows that with effort and practice that there can be some success and growth, even if it's still not all sunshine and roses. Plus, as a parent, I really appreciate the vivid portraits of the adults as well as the children. There was so much I could relate to, and I desperately hope that this series will continue. It is simply superb.

I have this same exchange at least three times a day with my own kids.

Mike Dawson created this book. He has written and drawn more than a few graphic novels over the years, including Freddie & Me, Angie Bongiolatti, and Troop 142. He also has done a lot of  graphic nonfiction and essay work, including the collection Rules for Dating My Daughter and plenty of comics for The Nib. He speaks about his work on this book as well as other topics in this interview.

The reviews I have seen about this book have been largely positive.  Kirkus Reviews summed it up as "Buoyant and breathless, scoring on several levels."It currently has a 4.4 (out of 5) star rating on Goodreads.

The Fifth Quarter: Hard Court was published by First Second, and they offer a preview and more information here. 

I read an advance digital copy of the book, and it will published in July.

The Fifth Quarter

4th grader Lori Block LOVES basketball, and she is on her school's team, but she is not so good and only gets to play in the "fifth quarter" when things don't count. After getting a small taste of actual gameplay, she wants more and gets the opportunity to take part in some camps where she can learn more skills and practice. She is driven to succeed and relishes her opportunities, even though her desires come at odds with her friendships.

Lori's friends are not into basketball as much a she is, and at recess they rather play unicorns or four-square than shoot baskets, which causes her distress. She is also awkward at times and makes comments that are meant as jokes but get taken as insults, especially to her fellow "double-dribble twin" Sophia. So she has a lot to navigate in terms of her social world.

Adding to this mix is her family, which includes her mom and dad as well as her younger twin siblings, Jason and Becky. They are all depicted in realistic manner, with a plot following her mother's run for local political office (trying to do something to help the kids) against a smug incumbent, and her put-upon father trying to hold down the fort and keep the two little one's faces out of screens as much as possible. One of the aspects of this books I liked the most was how much space and respect was given to her family, who are important players in this story, which I find is not often the case in YA/tween graphic novels.

This book excels at capturing the excitement of the games as well as the variety of social and emotional dynamics. The relationship aspects of this book are complex and compelling, and I love how it captures the messiness/uncertainties of human interactions and growing up. Just check out this sequence from early on in the book:

In terms of artwork, I think that the coloring pops and the facial expressions and gestures are economical and highly expressive. I found the Fifth Quarter to be utterly riveting and read it in one sitting. It's a very human and relatable book that I feel I will revisit multiple times. If there is any justice in the world, it will sell millions of copies.

I am a big fan of this book's author Mike Dawson. He has written and drawn a few graphic novels over the years, including Freddie & Me, Angie Bongiolatti, and Troop 142. He also has done a lot of  graphic nonfiction and essay work, including the collection Rules for Dating My Daughter and plenty of comics for The Nib. He speaks about his work on The Fifth Quarter in this interview.

All of the reviews I have read about this book indicate its high quality. Publishers Weekly wrote that it was full of "sincerity, humor, and strong character development." Kirkus Reviews gave it a thumbs up, concluding, "Nothing but net." Hillary Brown commented about Dawson's art style and storytelling, especially on how refreshing it was to see the adults portrayed as "real humans, dealing with their own shit."

The Fifth Quarter was published by First Second, and they offer a preview and more information here. It is also the first of a series, and I am eager to see more of these characters and their lives.

Rules For Dating My Daughter: The Modern Father's Guide to Good Parenting

Rules For Dating My Daughter is not so much a graphic novel as it is a collection of graphic essays on the topics of parenting, the gender politics of toys, gun rights, and other contemporary issues. And despite its title and cover image, it contains pointed meditations on the current political landscape. Mainly it portrays how the author struggles with negotiating these issues while doing the right thing raising his two children. Many of these comics have been published online at The Nib, and initial funding for this book was raised in a Kickstarter campaign.

As a father myself, I found much to relate to in this book, but I also very much appreciate the format of these comics. They are well thought out essays that unfurl lines of thought in impactful and impressive ways. I love how they weave together multiple thoughts and contexts, seemingly meandering about on a single thesis while all the time conveying calculated and intentional lines of thought. There is a lot of dark humor and wisdom in this book, and I highly recommend you read it, whether you are a parent or not.

Mike Dawson has written and drawn a few graphic novels, including Freddie & Me, Angie Bongiolatti, and Troop 142. I am a big fan of his work, and I especially like how he captures his characters' emotional responses through story and art. I am not alone in my admiration for his comics, as he was nominated as a Promising New Talent for the 2002 Ignatz Awards. He speaks more about his career and work on Rules in this interview.

The reviews I have read about this book have been mostly positive. Dan Kois called it "not just a thoughtful book but one that’s a pleasure to read." Rich Barrett stated that these comics offer "smart visuals and a self-deprecating humor that will make you commiserate and cringe equally." Annie Mok was more critical and wrote that "Mike Dawson delivers an uneven collection of personal essay-style memoir comics, occasionally thoughtful, but often thoughtless in its concern for others."

Rules For Dating My Daughter was published by Uncivilized Books, and they have more info about it here.

Troop 142

Troop 142 is a slice of life tale, an account of a Boy Scout camping trip set in 1995. We get to see the goings-on and drama between camp counselors and adolescent boys as the latter try to win badges for completing specific tasks and classes. Along the way, they all learn about what it means to be a man, sometimes lessons that are sad and disappointing. And of course, there are lots of pranks, hi-jinks, sneaking out at night, horrible jokes, bodily odors, macho posturing, and homophobia happening all of the time.

What really stood out to me about this book was how well it captures a bunch of social dynamics, from dads who are uncomfortable around each other, to boys trying to fit in, to both who work to ostracize and torture those they find different. Some of the boys (and dads) are peacocks, others loners, and more than a few feel vulnerable and unsure of themselves. The personalities here are strong ones, and I feel that there are many alternatives for a reader to relate to, wonder about, mock, and/or revile.

The story also touches on a number of social issues. There are undercurrents of religious and sexual intolerance discussed, and it is clear that although being a Scout entails learning skills and striving for virtue it also involves some level of discrimination toward others. Being set in the past allows the author some distance from the topicality of these issues, and it seems more recently things in the Scouts are changing (or have changed to some extent). Still, these issues still affect many of our lives on a daily basis.

Troop 142's creator Mike Dawson has written and drawn a few graphic novels, including Freddie & Me, Angie Bongiolatti, and Rules for Dating My Daughter. I like his expressive drawing style, especially in how he depcits his characters' emotional responses. And I am not alone in my admiration for his work, as he was nominated in the Promising New Talent category of the Ignatz Awards in 2002. He speaks about his career and work extensively in this interview.

Originally published online, this book won the 2010 Ignatz Award for Outstanding Online Comic, and I found much praise in its reviews. Joseph Thompson summed up that "this graphic novel will sharply divide its readers in terms of personal taste but not quality." Justin Colussy-Estes wrote that it operates "in ways that the best books do: ways that surprise, and trouble, and delight." Rob Clough called it "a comic that’s not about the monstrous nature of adolescence or even the less pleasant truths about masculinity in particular, but rather one that focuses on the fragility of ego, the demands of social and cultural mores, and the ways in which we all fear humiliation and vulnerability."

Troop 142 was published by Secret Acres, and they have a preview and more info about the book here. This books features crass, juvenile humor; sexual situations, and profanity, but I feel it is no worse than what I heard while I was a teenager myself. Still, those  offended by such things might want to steer clear.

Freddie & Me

Subtitled "A Coming-of-Age (Bohemian) Rhapsody," Freddie & Me is one story with multiple aspects. It is the tale of a young boy growing up, an account of a British family adjusting to life in the US, and also a portrait of a fan's fixation on Freddie Mercury. The story follows Mike from a young boy, detailing his squabbles with his sister, his awkward teen years, and his fish-out-of-water social life in school. It is a relatable, evocative story that captures many of the beats of a typical disaffected teenager story, but it does so with great elan.

Running parallel to this narrative is also a look at popular music in the 1970s and 1980s. Freddie Mercury's life, including his work with the mega-popular group Queen, is detailed alongside Mike's. Also, there are fun cameos by other musical figures, including George Michael, Andrew Ridgely, and Brian May. Changes in musical tastes and attitudes accompany the life changes that Mike goes through.

Mike Dawson, who wrote and drew Freddie & Me, was nominated in the Promising New Talent category of the Ignatz Awards in 2002. Aside from this book, he is most famous for his series about a 30-something supernerd, Gabagool! This interview with Tom Spurgeon details much about his life, creative process, and more information about Freddie & Me. Also, here is an podcast interview with Dawson that was posted on iFanboy.

Reviews about the book are generally good, though sometimes tepid. Greg McElhatton thoroughly enjoyed the story and found himself humming the Queen songs aloud to himself. Johanna Draper Carlson expresses a disappointment with a lack of in-depth explanations and also wonders whether the events depicted are extraordinary enough to warrant attention. A range of other reviews can be found at Goodreads.

This book was published in the US by Bloomsbury. 10 preview pages are available here from Publishers Weekly.