White Bird: A Wonder Story

White Bird was the big winner at this year's Excellence in Graphic Literature Awards, winning both the Best Middle Grades Literature and Book of The Year honors. It is set in the same universe as her hit YA novel Wonder, a best-seller about a young boy named August, born with a severe facial difference, who deals with bullying at school. It also was made into a major motion picture. There have been other works set in this world, including the short story collection Auggie and Me, where the main character of this book was introduced.

August's main antagonist, Julien, is a key figure in White Bird, as it is through a correspondence with his Grandmère (named Sara) that he gets to hear her story. When she was a girl, she lived in France during the Nazi occupation, and a family took her in and hid her away. She endures a whole spectrum of emotions and tribulations during this ordeal, and this graphic novel chronicles the many trials she endures as well as the peril that her host family put themselves in their quest to protect her. From the many actual holocaust accounts I have read or viewed, I can say that much of what transpires in this book hews very closely to reality. This book is a moving, harrowing account that lays bare the horrible reality that people endured in the past and that many people still have to contend with, a point hammered home with Julian's participation at a pro-immigration protest at the end of the book.

There is only one quibble that I have, and it has to do with a touch of magical realism that tinges the ending of Grandmère's story. I get the dramatic effect, but it also was a bit jarring to me given that so much of the rest of the book was deeply rooted in realism. It did not ruin things for me, but I felt it was a bit discordant with the rest of the narrative. Still, I feel that this book is a worthy addition to any classroom library, and it will be attractive to fans of other books by R.J. Palacio set in this world.

What is especially impressive to me about Palacio's work is that not only is she an accomplished writer, she is also a wonderful illustrator. She drew this book herself, adapting her own prose in very effective and impactful fashion. There may be a lot of "talking head" type layouts, but she captures character's gestures and emotions well, telling a tale full of drama and suspense. She has also designed book jackets and drawn a number of picture books, including Peter Pan: The Original Tale of Neverland and Ride, Baby, Ride. She speaks extensively about the evolution and inspirations of White Bird in this interview.

The reviews I have read about this book have been very polarized, either full of praise or offering major critiques in terms of tone and content. In a starred review, Kirkus Reviews called it "A must-read graphic novel that is both heart-rending and beautifully hopeful." Esther Keller praised the artwork, "There are moments of joy between Julien and Sara, and the artwork captures those moments in such a haunting way. Contrasted with the scary moments, the story will grab readers." Hillary Brown offered a contrasting take, writing "Preaching and hoping the message sinks in is basically just hoping for divine intervention, which is exactly what happens to Sara when she’s about to be caught, not just once but repeatedly." Boris Fishman concluded that it is "full of neat coincidences, grown-up clichés, sentimentality and stock portraiture. However, the story does end on the 'right' note with Julian inspired to engage in social activism of his own. Should that be enough?"

White Bird was published by KnopfBooks for Young Readers, and they offer more information about it here.

Sincerely, Harriet

Today, I feature another nominee for the Excellence in Graphic Literature Awards. Sometimes you read a book that defies categorization in a wonderful way. Sincerely, Harriet was that sort of book for me, a very pleasant surprise that did unexpected things with its characters and plot. The main protagonist here is Harriet, a teenage girl living in a new apartment in Chicago during the 1990s. Because of her medical history, she has to stay isolated there, with only her mother and downstairs neighbor, an older African-American woman named Pearl, as company. Cursed with an overactive imagination and lots of free time, Harriet begins to create all sorts of sinister backstories.

 

 

Harriet is also a writer, and she sends off lots of postcards to her friends from summer camp but does not get replies. She finds writing as an outlet though, and even begins to learn more about and from Pearl that both fires her imagination and gets her to explore the more mysterious parts of the building and her own psyche. I am being rather vague with my description of this book, because I found that it defied my expectations so much that I took great joy in seeing how things unfolded and how the various characters revealed things about themselves and their pasts.

This book contains lots of strong emotions, from the loneliness of dealing with seclusion, to the dread of having to treat a serious illness, to the demands of maintaining family relationships under difficult conditions. Harriet herself is very fleshed out in terms of characterization, as complex a character I've encountered in a graphic novel. I also think that the artwork is delicate and nuanced so much that it conveys subtle emotional moments in brilliant fashion.

This book's creator is Sarah W. Searle, and she has made a number of other comics, including the Victorian-era graphic novel romance Sparks. She also did the Hedy Lamarr entry in the recent Noisemakers anthology I reviewed last month. She speaks more about her work on Sincerely, Harriet in this interview.

All of the reviews I have read about this book have been positive. In a starred review, Kirkus Reviews summed up, "Heartfelt and heartwarming, highlighting the power of story to both conceal and reveal." Johanna Draper Carlson wrote that it "isn’t a book to instantly fall in love with. It’s one that quietly paints a picture of an uncertain young woman whom many readers will sympathize with." Erin Partridge opined, "The story of Harriet & Pearl encourages us to think beyond our immediate family when seeking support for chronic or invisible illnesses. It also suggests several creative coping outlets that readers may find useful."

Sincerely, Harriet was published by Graphic Universe, and they offer a preview and more here.

Pilu of the Woods

Pilu of the Woods was another nominee in the Middle Grades category of the Excellence in Graphic Literature Awards. It is a sweet and moving book, featuring a girl named Willow. She has experienced a big loss in her life, and she contains a tempest of emotions, which she tends to unleash on her older sister. One day she is out in the woods with her dog Chicory when she meets up with a tree spirit named Pilu.

It turns out that Pilu has run away from home and is lost in the world. Willow takes it upon herself to help Pilu find her way back, seeing many of her own experiences embodied by the tree spirit. Pilu is literally a force of nature though, and many of the emotions she and Willow both feel start to take physical manifestations, leading to great peril.

I do not want to reveal much more, to prevent spoiling the story, but I do want to impress just how human and heartfelt this book is. It deals with complex emotional relationships and does so in nuanced and realistic ways. I found it very easy to relate and care about these characters, and they are portrayed in vibrant ways. The artwork, with its manga-inspired characters and muted coloring, excellently conveys feeling and emotion, and the storytelling is very kinetic.

In retrospect, I can see many similarities to the classic movie My Neighbor Totoro, which I have watched with my kids about 100 times, as both works feature a pair of sisters, a professor father, and an encounter with a forest spirit. Also, both have a powerful emotional impact and strong characters. This book is not derivative in any way to the movie, and I think it is a great companion piece to it for anyone who is a Studio Ghibli fan. I loved this book, and I feel it has much to say about loss, family relationships, and dealing with turbulent events. It's a real gem.

Pilu of the Woods is the impressive graphic novel debut of Mai K. Nguyen, who also has a couple of self-published comics to her credit. She speaks more about her work on this book in this interview.

All of the reviews I have read about this book have been positive. Kirkus Reviews called it "A lovely graphic novel focusing on confronting our inner feelings and how we express them." Samantha Puc wrote, "This middle-grade graphic novel will appeal to readers of all ages, but its aesthetics are firmly rooted in the perspectives of its characters, which is utterly delightful." Publishers Weekly added, "Effectively navigating grief, anger, and their place in the world, the characters in this debut show without didacticism how to engage with tough emotions."

Pilu of the Woods was published by Oni Press, and they offer more info about it here.

Hicotea

With the Excellence in Graphic Literature Awards winners announced earlier this month, I thought I would highlight some of the fine books I read as part of my role as Assistant Chair of the Middle Grades Jury. First off is this book, Hicotea, which was a nominee in the Middle Grades category and is also a good book to read this time of year with the 50th Earth Day just around the corner.

This book's creator Lorena Alvarez won the 2019 Russ Manning Most Promising Newcomer Award during the Eisner Awards. Hicotea is her second graphic novel, a sequel to Nightlights, featuring the same protagonist, Sandy, only in a different setting that makes no reference to the first book. Here, she and her class take a trip to a local wetland to gather specimens for science class. She happens upon an empty turtle shell, and then ends up in a magical space that is part museum/part library/part portal, curated by animals and full of all sorts of paintings, books, and other works about the natural world.  

While in this magical (or is it imagined?) space, Sandy learns about nature and also a number of threats it faces. These threats are embodied by dissecting tables, polluted ponds, and a sinister flock of black birds, from which Sandy has to use her wits and imagination to escape. This book works in a very organic manner, and I was impressed by how it features a strong environmental message without being didactic or preachy.

And as you can see from the excerpts above, the artwork is one of the major draws in this book. It is gorgeously and lushly illustrated, full of exquisite double page spreads. The characters are full of life and emotion, environments have strong tones, and the storytelling is complex and satisfying. This book is one well worth visiting and revisiting.

All of the reviews I've read of this book have been celebratory. Brigid Alverson called Alvarez "truly gifted." Johanna Draper Carlson opined that "the images are worth getting lost in, and the books can be looked at over and over, with new things discovered every time."  Gene Ambaum wrote, "The drawings, and particularly the colors, are absolutely dazzling."

Hicotea was published by NoBrow Press, and they offer a preview and much more here.

Congratulations, 2020 Excellence in Graphic Literature Award Winners!

A couple of days ago, Pop Culture Classroom announced the Excellence in Graphic Literature Awards, even as they had to postpone the Denver Pop Culture Con to November. I was proud and honored to serve as Assistant Chair for the Middle Grades Award Jury. Below you will see the complete list of winners (with links to ones I have reviewed), though I plan to highlight some of the other notable submissions I read in the next few weeks.

Congratulations to all the winners and to PCC for another great year!

2020 Excellence in Graphic Literature Awards Winners

Book of the Year

• White Bird: A Wonder Story by R. J. Palacio (Random House Children’s Books)

Mosaic Award

• Kiss Number 8 by Colleen AF Venable and Ellen T. Crenshaw (First Second)

Best in Children’s Graphic Literature

• Fiction – Akissi: More Tales of Mischief by Marguerite Abouet & Mathieu Sapin (Flying Eye Books)

Best Middle Grade Graphic Literature

• Fiction – White Bird: A Wonder Story by R. J. Palacio (Random House Children’s Books)
• Nonfiction – Guts by Raina Telgemeier (Scholastic)

Best in Young Adult Graphic Literature

• Fiction – Kiss Number 8 by Colleen AF Venable and Ellen T. Crenshaw (First Second)
• Nonfiction – King of King Court by Travis Dandro (Drawn & Quarterly)

Best in Adult Graphic Literature

• Fiction – The Hard Tomorrow by Eleanor Davis (Drawn & Quarterly)
• Nonfiction – A Fire Story by Brian Fries (ABRAMS Books)

The Crossover

This book is an adaptation of the 2015 Newbery Award-winning novel, and it relies heavily on text language. Most likely this is due to preserving the verse from the source material, but I still feel it is a very engaging and moving book. Its main character is 12-year-old Josh Bell, the star basketball player on his junior high basketball team. He is very confident and flashy, wearing his hair in dreads. He revels in the attention he gets from his athletic prowess. He is also influenced heavily by hip-hop culture, and his voice is full of flavor and verve, as you can see from how he introduces himself in this book.

Josh plays along with his twin brother Jordan (JB), and the two of them are very close until a new student (whom he calls "Miss Sweet Tea") complicates their relationship. He seeks advice on how to deal from his dad, a former professional basketball player, and less so from his mom, who is the vice-principal at their school. All of these relationships have there own tensions, which make for all sorts of drama and intrigue that get heaped on top of the ups and downs of individual games and the competitive season.

I found this book to be very engrossing and affecting. The artwork was very expressive, and I loved its interplay with text. The expressions and actions are very clear, and the storytelling is able to go between the bombastic aspects of athletic competition as well as more quiet moments of reflection or emotional responses. Sometimes adaptations of novels can be done in a loose or quick fashion, but I this one is very thoughtful and successful. I have not read the source material, but this book really left an impression on me as I could not put it down.

This book was written by Kwame Alexander and illustrated by Dawud Anyabwile. Alexander is a best-selling author of over 30 books, including Booked and Out of Wonder. Anyabwile is a veteran artist who is best known for the Brotherman series of graphic novels.

All of the reviews I have read of this book have been positive. Marissa Moss concluded, "This is a graphic novel for people who don't like graphic novels, a sports book for readers who don't like sports books. It's a strong story that breaks through genres, well told through a magical combination of words and pictures." In a starred entry, Kirkus Reviews summed up, "Flashy and engaging with emotional depth—a slam-dunk thrill." Esther Keller wrote, "I think that visual learners will absolutely love this adaptation, and I will be highly recommending it to students — even if I can’t categorize it as standard."

The Crossover was published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, and they offer a video preview and more info about it here.

For those interested in hearing more of the novel, author Kwame Alexander read the book aloud during this time of self-quarantine and "shelter in place," and you can find each update on his Twitter feed.

Guts

For YA graphic novel fans, Raina Telgemeier is a superstar author. Her books like Smile and Drama are omnipresent in schools, bookstores, libraries, and book club catalogs. She is also a multiple award winner, and her works are consistently at the top of sales charts. Her two prior memoirs dealt with her relationships, mainly with friends and family. They have been some of her strongest and most well received books, and this third one Guts gets even more personal and insightful as she tackles a personal demon that many avoid discussing: dealing with anxiety.

It starts with a seeming bout of illness and nausea, but over time Raina gradually learns that her gastrointestinal and mental states have profound effects on each other. This manifests in bouts of self-doubt, confusion, and isolating herself, all of which form a negative feedback loop. Increasingly unsure of how to deal, and with some support from her parents, she eventually starts seeing a therapist who helps her recognize and deal with the circumstances,

Much of what makes this book successful is just how frank and candid it is about the issues, and it certainly benefits from Telgemeier's time getting perspective on her own life. Additionally, the clean and vibrant illustrations help convey the whole enterprise in a powerful and direct way. This is a book of powerful emotions and feelings, and it conveys them all seamlessly. Perhaps the best comparison I have seen for her style is with Lynn Johnston, the creator of the long-running comic strip For Better, For Worse. That strip could transition from drama to humor to poignant moments and still pack a wallop, just like Telgemeier's works can. Part of what I think makes Telgemeier's work so popular, in my opinion, is that she flat out makes high-octane comics.

All of the reviews I have seen about this book have been positive. Kirkus Reviews concluded, "With young readers diagnosed with anxiety in ever increasing numbers, this book offers a necessary mirror to many." Michael Cavna remarked that one of the big positives about this book was that it "should prove to be a conversation-starter between children and adults." Scott Stossel stated that "this book’s warmth, humanity and humor — it ends with a sonorous and well-earned fart — provides a balm more soul-soothing than any pill." Irene Velentzas wrote, "It is Telgemeier’s mastery of the comics form that lends work like Guts its universal appeal, its widespread popularity, and makes her work highly deserving of sustained attention and further critical inquiry."

Guts was published by Scholastic, and they offer a PDF preview and more here.

Hot Comb

Like Fights, Hot Comb is a book that explores childhood, race, and growing through an unique lens, in this case hair care. It is a collection of eight short stories set in different times and places where young African-American women navigate their families, relationships, and worlds.

The title story is a great example of what this book entails. It is a tale of Ebony, as a fifth grade girl who wants to have her hair permed because she thinks it will stop her classmates from teasing her. She finally convinces her mother to let her do it, and what follows is a complex web of emotions. Her mother is ambivalent, against her daughter messing with her natural hair but also capitulating, and also saddened by her growing up and becoming more independent. Ebony gets her world broadened with her experiences at the beauty shop, learning more about how to take care of her hair and also about how people talk to each other there. She is excited but also surprised by how painful and laborious the process is. Also, she just can't keep from touching her newly transformed hair.

It seems that both Ebony and her mom pay some price from the perm, and what becomes painful for Ebony is that all her efforts do not pan out as she expected at school. This story works in multiple ways, as a coming of age tale, as a family relationship story, and even as a contemporary fable. It is packed with emotion, humor, and humanity, and it introduces the reader to a great many themes that crop up in the following stories.

Other stories in this volume include "Big Ma," "My Lil Sister Lena," and the generational tensions of "Sisters and Daughters." They are all noteworthy for how many emotional and cultural issues they touch upon. The "Lena" story in particular, about how her sister was the only black girl on her swim team and was dramatically changed by her teammates' attention to how her hair changed when it got wet. They all invaded her privacy and space and were compelled to touch it, which created a sense of anxiety that manifested in self-harm.

As you can see from the excerpts, the art here is packed with all sorts of energy. This book has an emotional wallop, and I love how it plays with line work that is sometime simple and strong and other times tangled and complex (like hair!). Also there are framing images, parody ads for various hair care products that act as interstitials that inform the identity politics of the stories. They show how central and varied the seemingly mundane matter of hair care is for these characters. And how much pressure there is to alter themselves to conform to constructed ideals of beauty.

This book's creator Ebony Flowers is a cartoonist, ethnographer, and teacher. One of her mentors along the way was Lynda Barry, one of the greatest comics creators in my opinion, and I feel that her work packs as much a punch as Barry's, in spirit and not in any derivative way. She has won a Rona Jaffe Foundation Writers' Award, and she speaks about her work on Hot Comb in this interview as well as this one.

All of the reviews I have read about this book have been full of acclaim. In a starred review Publishers Weekly called is a book "rich with both sorrow and celebration." John Seven wrote, "What makes it so special is the way she wraps these elements around larger themes of race without ever making you feel like you are reading A Very Important Work With A Heavy Purpose." In a starred review from School Library Journal, Desiree Thomas summed it up, "Ideal for most public and school libraries." Paul Lai also has lots of great insights in this podcast episode.

Hot Comb was published by Drawn & Quarterly, and they offer a preview and more info about it here.

Major Impossible

I love, love, love, LOVE the Nathan Hale Hazardous Tales books, and Major Impossible, the ninth(!) entry in the series focuses on John Wesley Powell. He was an abolitionist and aspiring scientist who served in the Civil War. He rose in the ranks to brevet lieutenant colonel, and also lost most of his right arm. In 1869, he gathered nine men, four boats, and provisions for ten months to explore the Colorado River and the Grand Canyon. Not everyone made it back, but those who did chronicled their arduous journey well with journals. Those primary sources offered lots of great material that appears in this book.

One of the best features of this book is its attention to those historical details and facts. I learned much about exploration of the American west over the course of this book, but the characters are made to be engaging and interesting, too. Also rewarding about this book is its meta-narrative that builds in elements from other books. Of course, we see more interactions between the narrator Nathan Hale, the hangman, and the proctor:

 

 

These pages introduce the book, and they reward longtime readers of the series but also offer a quick introduction to new readers. I just gave this book to my 11-year-old nephew, and he got into it quickly and did not want to put it down. The combination of facts, vivid characterization, and a good dose of humor make this another excellent entry in a consistently strong series.

If you have been reading my blog for any length of time, you likely know that I love Nathan Hale's comics and graphic novels. This nonfiction series Nathan Hale's Hazardous Tales is the gold standard for historical graphic novels, as far as I am concerned. I loved his takes on fairy tales and the southwest, Rapunzel's Revenge and Calamity Jack. And I really liked his original sci-fi graphic novel One Trick Pony as well as his scifi/horror tale Apocalypse Taco, also released this year.

I have not been able to find many reviews of this book online, but the ones I have read praise the book. Vic Sage wrote, "The greatest gift that Hale’s books give is not just knowledge but an entertaining education – there has not been a book yet where I didn’t find myself going down a rabbit hole trying to find out more about what I’ve read in a Hazardous Tales offering." You can see a selection of other reviews at Goodreads, where the book currently has a 4.19 (out of 5) star rating.

Major Impossible was published by Amulet Books, and they offer a preview and more info about it here.

The Hard Tomorrow

Imagine it's 2022, and Mark Zuckerberg is president. That's the premise of The Hard Tomorrow, the latest book from Eleanor Davis, one of the best comics artists going right now. The book's main character is Hannah, a young woman who works as an in-home caretaker for an elderly woman and who lives in a truck with Johnny. Johnny is working on building them a house, but he spends a lot of his alone time smoking pot and hanging out with their dog Tinker. Also, the two of them are trying to get pregnant.

When she's not at work, Hannah is involved in Humans Against All Violence, a group working for positive social action. She also hangs spends much of her time with her friend Gabby. Johnny spends his free time with Tyler, a reclusive survivalist who has many guns. Hannah is not a big fan of Tyler's, obviously, but the near future makes for some interesting bedfellows.

As much as this book is a commentary on the present day, and how it might become even worse, it is also a book about humanity and hope. Although things are tough, and in the course of the book several heartbreaking things happen, it casts a wide light on the complex and nuanced characters contained in its pages. Some of them are disappointments, while others come through in the clutch. Some are utterly wrong, and some who are easy to doubt end up being right. No one in this book is completely a saint or a sinner (except for faceless, fascist police and the POTUS), and the exploration of humanity under duress is both fascinating and moving. Most impressively, this feat is achieved via the plot and the pictures, as Davis's artwork breathes life into the pages. The Hard Tomorrow is both provocative and poignant, containing moments both jarring and subtle. Not many books move me as much as this one did, and the ending had me covered in goosebumps.

This book's creator is Eleanor Davis. She has racked up quite a few accolades, including the Russ Manning Most Promising Newcomer Award, and she has created a number of books that can appeal to adults (How to Be Happy and Why Art?), younger readers (Stinky), and adolescents (The Secret Science Alliance). You, a Bike, & A Road was one of my favorite books of 2017, and it won an Ignatz Award for Outstanding Anthology or Collection. She speaks about her work on The Hard Tomorrow in this interview. I'd be shocked if this book does not win at least a few major awards in the coming year, as it highlights just how spectacular a writer and artist she is.

All of the reviews I have read of this book have been glowing. Publishers Weekly opined that "Davis seems to argue that any life is rich and complicated enough to merit its own book—and she convinces the reader she is right." Leonard Pierce wrote, "All told, this is a book that finds that razor’s edge between irrelevance (sic?) and datedness and balances there with the expertise of a gymnast." Oliver Sava called it a graphic novel that "looks at a bleak and very familiar near-future to tell a story about activism, empathy, and believing in a better world."

The Hard Tomorrow was published by Drawn & Quarterly, and they offer a preview and more here.

Kiss Number 8

Kiss Number 8 is set in 2004, but I feel that the story is also very relevant and contemporary. It stars a 17-year-old named Amanda who goes to a Catholic school. She gets along well with her father, and they are big minor league baseball fans who also like to watch cheesy fantasy TV shows and play video games. She feels a little more tension with her mother, though this starts to shift over time after she learns about a secret her parents are keeping that seems to implicate her father in some serious infidelity.

That is the background of the subplot, and more immediate in Amanda's life is her relationship with her school friends. Her best friend Cat is a tornado, sneaking out to clubs, drinking, carousing, and hooking up with boys. Her next door neighbors, Laura and Adam are more staid, though Adam has had a crush on her that is getting increasingly difficult to ignore or play off. As the book goes on, Amanda realizes that she does not really have any feelings for Adam but for Cat, and then things really go off the rails.

This book was a fantastic read. It features very realized, nuanced characters, both in terms of the plotting and how they are visually depicted. There are many sorts of emotions in play in here, and I feel that it handles all of the drama, humor, love, and pain in excellent fashion. I also admired that the book takes the issues at hand very seriously and does not resolve with simple, pat responses to complex relationships. It handles issues of gender and sexuality in a frank manner that shows all people's humanity, including their strengths and foibles. Finally, it highlights the awkward, painful, and weird ways that adolescent relationships form, evolve, and crumple that made me both cringe and ring a little nostalgic. That last feeling was heightened by the characters frequently interacting via instant messaging, which was the style at the time. I was genuinely moved several times in reading Kiss Number 8, which is a testament to its characters and craft.

This excellent book was a collaboration between Colleen AF Venable and Ellen T. Crenshaw. Venable is a book designer and author who is known for her Eisner nominated Pet Shop Private Eye series. Crenshaw is an illustrator who has also contributed to The Nib. I enjoyed both their work and also getting to know more about them in the substantive Q&A that followed the story. Both creators speak about their work on this book in this interview.

All of the reviews I have read about this book have been glowing. Kirkus Review gave it a starred review that summed the book up as "A rare blend of tender and revolutionary."  Publishers Weekly gave it another starred review that concluded, "A queer coming-of-age story that earns its powerful emotional impact." Dahlia Adler called it "a layered, funny, sharp-edged story of teen sexuality and family secrets." Alea Perez wrote, "Overall, Venable and Crenshaw do a wonderful job of using the characters to present teaching moments to readers without it feeling unnatural or patronizingly didactic." Andrew wrote that he was "happy to read an LGBTQ+ story that definitely had stakes and drama but did not have to end tragically or lack humor."

Kiss Number 8 was published by First Second, and they offer a preview and much more here.