Tidesong by Wendy Xu is a graphic novel currently scheduled for release on November 16 2021. Sophie is a young witch whose mother and grandmother pressure her to attend the Royal Magic Academy—the best magic school in the realm—even though her magic is shaky at best. To train for her entrance exams, Sophie is sent to relatives she’s never met. Cousin Sage and Great-Aunt Lan seem more interested in giving Sophie chores than in teaching her magic. Frustrated, Sophie attempts magic on her own, but the spell goes wrong, and she accidentally entangles her magic with the magic of a young water dragon named Lir. Lir is trapped on land and can’t remember where he came from. Even so, he’s everything Sophie isn’t—beloved by Sophie’s family and skilled at magic. With his help, Sophie might just ace her entrance exams, but that means standing in the way of Lir’s attempts to regain his memories. Sophie knows what she’s doing is wrong, but without Lir’s help, can she prove herself?
Early Book Review: Tidesong by Wendy Xu
Tidesong by Wendy Xu is a graphic novel currently scheduled for release on November 16 2021. Sophie is a young witch whose mother and grandmother pressure her to attend the Royal Magic Academy—the best magic school in the realm—even though her magic is shaky at best. To train for her entrance exams, Sophie is sent to relatives she’s never met. Cousin Sage and Great-Aunt Lan seem more interested in giving Sophie chores than in teaching her magic. Frustrated, Sophie attempts magic on her own, but the spell goes wrong, and she accidentally entangles her magic with the magic of a young water dragon named Lir. Lir is trapped on land and can’t remember where he came from. Even so, he’s everything Sophie isn’t—beloved by Sophie’s family and skilled at magic. With his help, Sophie might just ace her entrance exams, but that means standing in the way of Lir’s attempts to regain his memories. Sophie knows what she’s doing is wrong, but without Lir’s help, can she prove herself?
Book Review: When Will Ayumu Make His Move? Volume 1, by Soichiro Yamamoto
Book Review: Stolen Science by Ella Schwartz
Early Book Review: Black Hole Chasers: The Amazing True Story of an Astronomical Breakthrough by Anna Crowley Redding
Black Hole Chasers: The Amazing True Story of an Astronomical Breakthrough by Anna Crowley Redding is currently scheduled for release on October 5 2021. In April 2019, the Event Horizon Telescope Team unveiled the first ever image of a super massive black hole. This inspiring scientific breakthrough took years of hard work, innovative thinking, and a level of global cooperation never seen before. The challenge was immense. The goal was impossible. They would need a telescope as big as the earth itself. The technology simply didn’t exist. And yet, a multi-national team of scientists was able to show the world an image of something previously unseeable. Based off extensive research and hours interviews with many of the team's ground-breaking scientist, physicists, and mathematicians, Black Hole Chasers is a story of unique technological innovation and scientific breakthroughs, but more importantly, it's a story of human curiosity and triumph.
Early Book Review: Lupina Book One: Wax by Li Buszka, James Wright
Lupina Book One: Wax with cover and interior art by Li Buszka and written by James Wright, is a graphic novel currently scheduled for release on September 14 2021. In the coastal town of Kote, recently brought under the yoke of the Addalian Empire, four-year-old Lupa spends her days getting bullied by her older sister and hiding behind her mother's skirts. But when tragedy strikes, Lupa finds herself alone in a new world, alone until she's found by the she-wolf, Coras, and sets off on a journey of discovery and revenge.
Lupina Book One: Wax is a good graphic novel. I loved the art style, the details and colors used were my favorite part of the book as a whole. I simply enjoyed the style and could see how much effort and talent was involved in the work. I liked Lupa and the general premise of the book. I often had questions about details that were mentioned once or twice in passing but never returned to or further explained. Since it is the first book in the series, I think it fell into the common trap of book one being the set up for stories to come, rather than a story in its own right. There was adventure and growth for Lupa, but it felt like just as things were about to ramp up and things will get really interesting the book was over. This happens all the time, and some people find that they need to read the next volume because of it. Sadly, there was not enough of a hook here to have me looking to continue the series.
Lupina Book One: Wax is a good series starter that will appeal to many.
Book Review: Hooky by MÃriam Bonastre Tur
Book Review: ParaNorthern and the Chaos Bunny A-hop-calypse by Stephanie Cooke, Mari Costa
ParaNorthern and the Chaos Bunny A-hop-calypse is a middle grade graphic novel written by Stephanie Cooke and illustrated by Mari Costa. It’s fall break in the supernatural town of North Haven, and young witch Abby’s plans include pitching in at her mom’s magical coffee shop, practicing her potion making, and playing board games with her best friends—a pumpkinhead, a wolf-girl, and a ghost. But when Abby finds her younger sister being picked on by some speed demons, she lets out a burst of magic so strong, it opens a portal to a realm of chaos bunnies. And while these bunnies may look cute, they’re about to bring the a-hop-ocalypse (and get Abby in a cauldronful of trouble) unless she figures out a way to reverse the powerful magic she unwittingly released. What’s a witch to do?
ParaNorthern and the Chaos Bunny A-hop-calypse is a wonderful graphic novel about figuring out what is most important in your life ad using that as your strength. I thought the town and magical world building was nicely done, giving enough to have the story make sense but not dumping too much extra information. I liked the diversity, magical and otherwise, and think it felt like part of the story rather than something on a checklist which I have seen too much of lately. I thought the story and character development was well written and engaging. The art was well done- and I liked the color, depicted emotion and movement, and bold design. I do with the faces had had a bit more detail, in some cases it was very well defined but in others less so. Of course, this could be because I read a galley rather than a final version. Regardless I really enjoyed the book and think many readers from many age groups will as well.
ParaNorthern and the Chaos Bunny A-hop-calypse is a charming coming of age graphic novel full of magic and friendship.
Early Book Review: Jonna and the Unpossible Monsters Vol. 1 by Chris Samnee; Laura Samnee
Jonna and the Unpossible Monsters Vol. 1 by Chris Samnee; Laura Samnee is a graphic novel currently scheduled for release on August 17 2021. Rainbow has been looking for her younger sister, Jonna, for over a year--since the monsters appeared and the world began to dry up. Going from settlement to settlement, Rainbow asks every survivor she meets: Have you seen my sister?Then, one day, Jonna's spotted out in the wild: filthy, but strong. Strong enough to knock back a towering monster with one punch. All this time, she's been surviving. On her own. Without Rainbow. Without anyone. But there are more dangers in the world than monsters, and when the two sisters reunite, they'll discover the secrets of this new and terrifying world firsthand.
Jonna and the Unpossible Monsters is an enjoyable read. I really liked the artwork and think the style was perfectly suited for the story. I liked the story of Rainbow looking for her sister and surviving. The story was well told, and there was great interest on every page. There were a number of little bits of backstory and hints of possible things to come throughout the book, like finding the still missing family members and more information on Jonna. I did wish some of it was more fleshed out in this first volume, I think more could have been revealed without lessening the reader's need to search out the second volume for more. It felt a bit like i was just getting invested in the story, and wanting more, when the volume ended. However, I love the fact that coloring pages and a maze were included at the end- even though I can see this being an issue in library copies.
As a whole I think Jonna and the Unpossible Monsters is a fun read and many readers will enjoy it.
Early Book Review: Ghost Girl by Ally Malinenko
Ghost Girl is a story that did a great job of showing the main character's growth with keeping readers on the edge of their seat. Zee is at that crossroads that just about everyone suffers through. They are not really little kids anymore, not quite a teen, and every thing feels huge and important. This is even harder when you, and others, perceive yourself as different. School, family, and peer relationships are hard even when things are typical, but when you are not it get even harder. Add in some disappearances, scary looking dogs, ghosts, and a odd new principal and things are really going to get worse. I liked the balance of the supernatural and coming of age aspects of the story. The character development and growth for Zee, Nellie, and Elijah is very well done and I loved the path that they took. I also thought most of the mystical aspects of the story were very well done, and I liked that there were some unexpected things included. I will say that I rather anticipated the big bad, and when they hit the page was even more clear that they were the root cause, but I enjoyed the path the story took us on and the lessons learned along the way.
Ghost Girl is a middle grade novel with a good blend of spooky and character growth. I will be looking for more from the author.
Early Book Review: Why Longfellow Lied: The Truth About Paul Revere's Midnight Ride by Jeff Lantos
Book Review: The Ghoul Next Door by Cullen Bunn, Cat Farris
The Ghoul Next Door is an entertaining graphic novel. The art style was nice, and I liked the lines but was not a big fan of the water color style for the coloring. The details were nicely done, and I thought the faces and highlights on hair and eyes for depth and dimension were very well done. I personally prefer a bolder, more solid style over the watercolor, but that is a matter of personal preference and not anything to do with the skill of the artwork involved, which I could still appreciate. I thought the story was well written, school and family moments were well done and I thought they felt realistic and true to character. There was a nice dose of creep, adventure, and mystery through the entire book. I liked it, and I think there are many middle grade and older readers that will really enjoy it. I had a little trouble getting invested in the story- but I think that was more because of the state of the world and some technical difficulties rather than anything lacking in the story.
Early Book Review: Scales & Scoundrels Definitive Edition, Book 1 and 2 by Sebastian Girner and Galaad
Book Review: Even and Odd by Sarah Beth Durst
Book Review: Brindille by Frederic Brremaud, Federico Bertolucci
Book Review: Willa of Dark Hollow by Robert Beatty
Book Review: She's My Knight, Volume 1, by Saisou
Book Review: The New Girl (Elle(s)) Script by Kid Toussain and Art by Aveline Stokart
Early Book Review: Villainous by Stonie Williams, Jef Sadzinski
Book Review: Secrets of Camp Whatever, Vol. 1, by Chris Grine
Secrets of Camp Whatever, Vol. 1, by Chris Grine is a middle grade graphic novel. Eleven year-old Willow doesn't want to go to her dad's weird old summer camp any more than she wants her family to move to the weird old town where that camp is located. But her family—and fate itself—seem to have plans of their own. Soon Willow finds herself neck-deep in a confounding mystery involving stolen snacks, suspected vampires, and missing campers, all shrouded in the sinister fog that hides a generation of secrets at Camp ... Whatever it's called.
Secrets of Camp Whatever is a story that I think readers from a wide range of ages will enjoy. The art is very well done, and captures the mood of the characters, the setting, and the underlying mysteries very well. I liked the personalities of the kids, and I found their reluctance and curiosity to be very realistic in spite of the things they discover. The way they deal with each other, the adults around them, and the mysteries of the island only made me interested to learn more.Willow's independence, and the way some people treated her, was key in her personality but not the story development. I really enjoyed the read, and am looking forward to this series continuing.
Secrets of Camp Whatever is a fun and engaging graphic novel that left me eager to see what volume two might have in store.