Graphic Novel Reveiw: Illegal by Eoin Colfer & Andrew Donkin, Illustrated by Giovanni Rigano

Illegal
Author:  Eoin Colfer & Andrew Donkin, illustrated by Giovanni Rigano
Format:  E ARC
Publisher:  Sourcebooks
Number of Pages:  144
Publishing:  August 7th, 2018
Source:  Edelweiss Above the TreeLine

Synopsis from Goodreads:

This is a powerful and timely story about one boy's epic journey across Africa to Europe, a graphic novel for all children with glorious colour artwork throughout. From Eoin Colfer, previously Irish Children's Laureate, and the team behind his bestselling Artemis Fowl graphic novels.

Ebo: alone.

His sister left months ago. Now his brother has disappeared too, and Ebo knows it can only be to make the hazardous journey to Europe.

Ebo's epic journey takes him across the Sahara Desert to the dangerous streets of Tripoli, and finally out to the merciless sea. But with every step he holds on to his hope for a new life, and a reunion with his sister.

I haven't read a graphic novel in quite some time, but when I heard about Illegal, I knew that it would be the kind of book that I wanted to read.  The first thing that hits you is the illustrations by Giovanni Rigano, the deep blue of the ocean at the very beginning really grips you and places you in the reality of that moment, the feeling of being alone in the deep ocean on nothing but a small raft.   Then contrast that with the colors of the desert in Africa as Ebo tries to find his brother Kwame in the city, giving you the expansive feel of the task he's set for himself.    Illegal alternates between Ebo's current situation and his past, explaining why first his sister and now his brother left Africa to immigrate to Europe.  It's a touching story that not only highlights the dangers that refugee's faced, but what their hopes and dreams were for the future if they could survive the journey.  Ebo is intelligent, and resourceful, and determined to find his brother, which isn't a small task when he makes it to the larger city.  While there isn't a lot of dialogue, the story will hold a lasting impression.  The full-page illustration alone with a boat filled to the brim with people and Ebo in this small raft that's falling apart at the seams kept me riveted flipping pages to see how it ends.   Illegal is a realistic story, full of all the potential hazards and risks you might expect, there was a particularly heartbreaking moment that had me shedding a few tears.  Not a story I will soon forget, and I really hope there will be a discussion guide to accompany this so that it can be adapted for an educational setting.  I found this video on Youtube and it will give you an idea of the illustrations.  Illegal is a story that you won't want to miss. 

MG Realistic Fiction: Wonderland by Barbara O'Connor

Wonderland by Barbara O'Connor
Format:  E ARC
Publisher:  Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Number of pages:  288
Publishing: August 28th, 2018
Source:  Edelweiss Plus 

Opening Line:  "Mavis Jeeter sat on the bus stop bench beside her mother and whispered goodbye to Hadley, Georgia."


School has just let out for the summer and Mavis Jeeter has found out that her mother has taken a new job, this time in Alabama as a housekeeper for the Tully's.  There's a huge part of Mavis that wishes her mother could just stay in one place, it gets so hard to find your best friend when you're constantly moving.  This time though Mavis vows things will be different cause the Tully's have a girl her age and even though she doesn't know it yet, they're going to be the best of friends.  

Rose Tully has a difficult time making friends, she worries a lot about what other people think and follows all of her mother's rules.   The highlight of her day is going to visit Mr. Duffy at the gatehouse to Magnolia Estates, but lately, Mr. Duffy hasn't been himself.  He doesn't whistle while he works, hasn't shown her a magic trick in weeks and ever since his dog Queenie died, he seems sadder.  Mr. Duffy has been making mistakes at his job and the neighbors are getting angry with his performance.  

Henry is the greyhound dog that has been hanging around the estates looking for food, and when Mavis and Rose find out about him they set out to coax him out of the woods.  If they can just capture Henry and bring him to Mr. Duffy, he won't be so sad anymore.  

Mavis and Rose are polar opposites, Mavis is bold, unafraid, speaks her mind.  A force to be reckoned with.  Whereas, Rose is constantly worried about breaking her mother's rules, especially when it comes to exploring outside of her neighborhood.  They both are looking for a best friend and think they've found it in each other.  Mavis helps Rose to be brave and take risks, while Rose helps Mavis to see how she needs to take other peoples feelings and wants into consideration.  These two girls argue and disagree, but ultimately are best friends.  Wonderland is told from the alternating perspectives of Mavis, Rose, and Henry, and what a sweet dog Henry is.  He's looking for attention and love, and despite Mr. Duffy's initial reluctance to take him in, Henry is just what he needed.  Wonderland is a quick read with endearing characters and a plot that is heartwarming, similar to Wish which is also by Barbara O'Connor.   

MG Realistic Fiction: Front Desk by Kelly Yang

Front Desk by Kelly Yang

Format:  Hardcover

Publisher:  Arthur A.. Levine Books 

Number of pages:  286

Published:  May 29th, 2018

Source:  Library

Opening Lines:   "My parents told me that America would be this amazing place where we could live in a house with a dog, do whatever we want, and eat hamburgers till we were red in the face."

When Mia Tang was about ten-years-old her parents immigrated from China to the United States looking for a better life, a place where they could be "freer."  With only a couple hundred dollars,  they struggled to find work, a place to live, even the money for food.  Initially, Mia's dad found a job as the assistant fryer at a Chinese restaurant, and despite Mia's mom being an engineer in China, she took on a job as a waitress to help the family to gather enough money for a one bedroom apartment.  Mia was a go-getter, always eager to contribute to the family, so she even tried her hand at waitressing like her mother.  Unfortunately, she was too small for the task and following a mishap with an order the whole family was let go.  Eventually, Mia's mom found a managerial position at a motel in Anaheim where the family could live on the property rent-free, and earn a portion of the room rental fees in wages.  A deal that is too good to be true when they learn that the owner, Mr. Yao has been taking advantage of them.  Mr. Yao not only has a strict set of rules that they have to follow, he even cheats them out of some of their weekly pay.  Mia thinks she may have a solution to their problem, entering an essay contest to win a motel in Vermont, but where will she get the money for the entrance fee?  

When Mia and her family move to the motel, Mia takes over running the front desk and even labels herself the "manager," with a sign and all.  While she mans things up front, technically within one of Mr. Yao's rules, her parents are able to get all the daily cleaning of the guest rooms done.  At first, Mia's most difficult task is getting adults to take a ten-year-old seriously, especially after her rocky start navigating the early wake-up call system but Mia does come up with some unique solutions to the problems she encounters.  Not only does she put up the sign, she figures out how to manage cleaning the towels after the washing machine breaks, she successfully hides fellow immigrants looking for a place to stay for the night from Mr. Yao, she even wins over the most difficult customers.  

Now Mia's new school is a bit more of a challenge.  Mia loves to write, but her mother is concerned that the other children know and speak better English than Mia.  She's also has a group of girls who constantly say mean things about her clothes and then there's how to handle having Mr. Yao's son Jason in her class.   On the bright side, Mia meets Lupe, a girl who's families living situation is similar to her own, and there's also the "weeklies" at the motel who treat Mia with kindness, with Hank being one who she has a special bond with.  

 I'm pretty sure that I first heard about Front Desk from MG Book Village, then it was making the rounds on Twitter and I'll admit I fell in love with that cover.   There's a beautiful Author's Note explaining that the story was inspired by events in Yang's own life and that it was a story that she wanted to share with her son that would be uplifting.  How she hoped that the story would let other immigrant children know that "you are not alone."  The story is so much more than about a young girl managing the front desk at the motel her parents are running.  It includes the themes of bullying, discrimination, unfair work practices targeting immigrants and racial profiling.  It provides a realistic perspective on the experiences of immigrants, injustices occurring in the world while also building empathy.  There are heartwarming moments and practices that touch on current events, but overall it's also a story about the strength of friendships and a network of "weeklies" who capture their own dream of happiness.  

Favorite line:  "Don't be sorry.  Be better."       

Longburrow The Gift of Dark Hollow (The Five Realms #2) by Kieran Larwood, Illustrated by David Wyatt

Longburrow The Gift of Dark Hollow (The Five Realms #2) by Kieran Larwood, illustrated by David Wyatt

Format:  E-ARC

Publisher:  Clarion Books

Number of pages:  272

Expected Publication:  August 7th, 2018

Source:  Edelweiss Plus

Opening Lines:  "He still dreams about them sometimes.  Nightmares that leave him wide-eyed and gasping with fears sixty years old pounding fresh through his blood."

In the first book of the series, Podkin and his siblings, Paz, and baby brother Pook fled from Scramashank, the leader of the Gorm army, a group of warrior rabbits with iron infused bodies.   After the Gorm invaded the sibling's warren, killing their father and capturing their mother, the children barely escaped with Starclaw, a magical dagger and one of the ancient Twelve Gifts.  Continuing to be pursued by the Gorm Lord, the siblings made their way to Dark Hollow along the way being joined in their quest by a healer rabbit named Brigid and a blind warrior named Crom.  Together they devised a rescue plan to free Podkin's mother and were successful in fighting back the Gorm when Podkin chopped off the foot of the Gorm Lord.  

  

The Prologue of The Gifts of Dark Hollow begins with a rabbit waking from a nightmare, restless the bard contemplates leaving the warren when a young rabbit named Rue sneaks up on him.  Rue has all the making of an apprentice bard, so the older rabbit agrees to help find a teacher for him at the Festival of Clarion, a gathering of the bards from across the Five Realms each Spring.  As the bard and Rue make their way across the countryside, and to distract the young rabbit from asking so many questions, the bard begins to tell him the story of Podkin and the Gift of the Dark Hollow.   

After the events in the first book, The longburrow of Dark Hollow became a refuge for all of the local warrens.  Food was scarce with winter approaching, but all the rabbits banded together.  Podkin's mother and aunt had somehow fallen into a deep slumber and were being tended to by Brigid.  Scramashank was most likely still on the hunt for Podkin, but for the meantime, the warren was safely hidden within the Grimheart forest.  Podkin was getting very bored and a bit discouraged that he wasn't included in the War Council with Crom and the other rabbits.  He fancied himself a hero after his last encounter with the Grom Lord.  Curious as he was, Podkin then ventured into the depths of the Temple of Hern where he found the chieftain's hidden throne room and Moonfyre, the lost Gift of Dark Hollow.  Moonfyre granted Podkin the ability to teleport between dark shadows where he managed to overhear a conversation about the location of a powerful artifact hidden by Priestess Comfrey.  Unfortunately, the priestess was currently being held captive by the Gorm army, but if Podkin and his friends were able to rescue her they could recover the Surestrike Hammer, a new weapon to help them defeat the Gorm.

The Five Realms series has the feel of a story being told around a campfire.  Each book is told from the vantage point of an old bard, with the first book centered around a holiday gathering and the second a tale told while the bard and his new apprentice travel across the countryside.  Occasional the bard pauses his stories of Podkin One-Ear to converse with his audience,  in this case, Rue.   The writing style so reminds me of Brian Jacques Redwall series with our hero Podkin One-Ear and his band of daring rabbits trying to fend off the evil Gorm army by acquiring magical weapons and going off into battle.  The black and white illustrations by David Wyatt are gorgeously detailed and  I especially loved the ones of Zarza the bonedancer, a new character added to the story. I'm really looking forward to the next book in the series.  

MG Review of Del Toro Moon by Darby Karchut

Del Toro Moon by Darby Karchut
Format:  E ARC 
Publisher:  Owl Hollow Press
Number of pages:  256
Publishing:  October 2nd, 2018
Source:  E ARC received from the author in exchange for an honest review

Opening Line:  "Worst thing about riding point on my first hunt?  Waiting to find out if I was going to die on my first hunt."

When Darby Karchut contacted me about reading Del Toro Moon it was the cover and description that initially struck my interest, it has a western vibe that I found really appealing.  Then I learned Darby lives in my hometown of Colorado Springs and the setting of the book is Huerfano, Colorado (a county located in Southern Colorado) and I was hooked.

Twelve-year-old Matt Del Toro and his family are a part of a legendary order of knights that dates back to the sixteen hundreds when the Queen of Spain tasked their ancestor Santiago Del Toro with bringing a coffer to the New World.  Housed inside were these creepy wolf-like creatures called skinners.  Santiago stayed in the New World guarding the town against any of the creatures that may escape, a task the Del Toro's have continued even to this day.  Except now the creatures have increased in number and have been intensifying their attacks.  

Del Toro Moon is an action-packed story with plenty of scenes where Matt and his family are slinging their mace, striking down the skinners causing them to vanish in thin air.  And boy were the skinners creepy, this description is pretty accurate, creatures that look like "a bloodied, fresh-skinned carcass."  Not something you'd want to come up against in the desert.  I really liked Matt, he wants his father and brother to take him seriously and despite being new to the task of hunting skinners, he really wants to show he has the skills to make a good fighter.   It's not easy being the youngest, having a father who is a legend and a family history to live up to.  Not to mention having an older brother who teases you ruthlessly and can get on your last nerve.  I also really liked Matt's father, Javier and their relationship.  How Javier understands what Matt is going through and the genuine love and caring that he shows him.   

Aside from the family relationships and action, I really liked the Del Toro's Andalusian war horses.  Now, these horses are special because not only can they assist the family in their battle against the skinners, they can also talk.  Which at first thought sounds kind of silly, but these horses really have a personality that stands out.  There's El Cid who's wise, kind but with a wry sense of humor.  Then there's Turk whose arrogant, and well deserves the nickname of Turk the Jerk.  And newcomer Izzy who is also eager to show what she can do.  Together making a wonderful story. 

MG Historical Fiction/Ghosts Review: The Turnkey of Highgate Cemetery by Allison Rushby

The Turnkey of Highgate Cemetery by Allison Rushby
Format:  ARC Paperback
Publisher:  Candlewick Press
Number of pages:  236
Publishing:  July 24th, 2018
Source:  ARC received from the publisher in exchange for an honest review

Opening Line:  "Flossie lowered the book she was reading as she felt the girl awaken from rest and leave her grave."  

The Turnkey of Highgate Cemetery takes place during World War II at the height of the Germans nightly aerial attacks in London.  Twelve-year-old Flossie Birdwhistle is the ghost of a girl who was buried at Highgate Cemetery.  The Cemetery makes up part of a network of cemeteries built on the outskirts of London during the 1800's referred to as the Magnificent Seven, each housing the interred with its own spiritual advisor and Turnkey.   Just recently the deceased of Highgate voted Flossie to become their Turnkey, she will stay "awake" and assist everyone else with staying happily at rest.  While making her nightly rounds to St. Pauls Cathedral, she observes a man wearing a Nazi soldiers uniform holding a mysterious object.  Flossie believes he's connected to the twilight or spirit world.  What makes his presence so odd is that the object he is carrying appears to be from the outside world, which shouldn't exist in both the living and in the spirit world, he doesn't have a spiritual guide or Turnkey with him and he's clearly from a foreign country.  Concerned for her beloved cemetery, Flossie enlists the help of the nearby Turnkeys and travels to Germany to piece together what the man's intentions are.  It will take all their combined efforts to stop his sinister plans.    


 At first glance, I thought The Turnkey of Highgate Cemetery would be similar to something like The Graveyard Book, with the main character living around a cemetery.  While Flossie and her friends are ghosts there isn't anything really spooky about this book, so it's not a very fair comparison.   Instead, we have an interesting mix of historical details from World War II, the paranormal and some of the potential horrible outcomes that wars can cause.  Flossie clearly loves her cemetery, and even though she sometimes feels she wasn't the best pick for the job, she does take steps to defend it against the Nazi soldier trying to destroy it.  She does take her job as Turnkey very seriously, especially when the interred become restless.  Like little Amelia who visits Flossie because she has been searching for the doll in her "memento mori" or picture of herself after her death, without a second thought Flossie finds a replacement that helps Amelia to return to rest.  Flossie's past is slowly revealed as the circumstances of her death and that of her father's become clear.  Rushby created very specific rules for her world, how a Turnkey can warp from place to place, how they can copy an object from the real world into the spirit world and how the interred can only leave the cemetery if they're carried outside the gates. The story also examines some of the Nazi's practices during World War II, how they performed archaeological digs searching for the Ark of the Covenant, and how there was a group of individuals called the Ahnenerbe examining the racial heritage of Germans for Hitler.  Overall, a very enjoyable ghost story set during World  War II and enough twists and danger to keep things entertaining.   

MG Humor Review: The Terrible Two Go Wild by Mac Barnett and Jory John, illustrations by Kevin Cornell

The Terrible Two Go Wild by Mac Barnett and Jory John, illustrations by Kevin Cornell
Format:  Ebook
Publisher: Amulet Books
Number of Pages:  224
Published:  January 9th, 2018
Source:   Library

Opening Lines:  "Summer is different.  Summer is strange.  Times slow and drift."

From Goodreads:  "Everyone’s favorite pranksters are at it again! School’s out, and Miles and Niles are running wild in the woods outside town: climbing trees, exploring caves, and, yes, pranking. But these leafy, lazy days of mischief darken when bully Josh Barkin and his cadets from a nearby kids’ boot camp discover the merrymakers—and vow to destroy them. Are our heroes’ sharp minds any match for these hooligans’ hard fists?"


The Terrible Two Go Wild was just the book that I was looking for to start off my summer reading, something filled with hijinks, pranks, and humor.  In the newest book,  Niles and Miles have set up their secret summer headquarters in a cave within the Yawnee Valley Regional Park and Outdoor Recreational Area.   Nearby, Josh Barkin, principal Barkin's son is a camp counselor at the Yawnee Valley Yelling and Push-Ups Camp.  Josh runs Papa Company, where he whips his cadets, twins Splinters and Mudflap into shape. The pranks in the series are meant to be over the top, usually with very little consequences and are also meant to be light and fun.  Niles and Miles do seem to follow a strict code of conduct and only direct their pranks at people who they feel deserve it.   In this sequel, Josh claims to pull a prank when he encourages Splinter to put a rock on his head so Josh can imitate William Tell by throwing a stick to knock it off.  When he misses, Josh wants to get credit for pulling off the best prank ever.  It's apparent that Josh doesn't understand that pranks aren't meant to be mean.  In this sequel, Josh comes off as more of a troublemaker or bully,  I wasn't particularly fond of him teasing an animal that he held captive in a cage, or continually referring to his cadets as "dumb nimbuses."   It's a little too close to another insult for my liking.   

Now Niles and Miles, I just adored them they were so funny and sweet.  A huge contrast to Josh.  They have such an imagination, wearing camo outfits with flowers on them and the way that the evaded Josh and his crew in the field was very creative.   I was also chuckling with how they took offense that Josh would even think of himself as a prankster on their level.  Taking it upon themselves to show that pranking was "too fine an instrument for a brute's clumsy fingers."   The emphasis on classic books, even using the military tactics from The Art of War made for some entertaining reading.  Principal Barkin was also a pleasant surprise taking a softer tone toward Miles and Niles, almost asking to be pranked by the duo.  There are some lovely interactions between Miles and Principal Barkin and the interesting idea that a prank between friends can even be a sign of affection.  How Principal Barkin was incorporated into the story to show that principals and teachers have a life out of school, that they celebrate summer vacation in much of the same way that your friends from school do.  If Barnett and Jory John continue to write more books in the series, I envision Principal Barkin being a whole different kind of principal, but they definitely won't become "The Terrible Three."    And the illustrations by Kevin Cornell so perfectly match the story, my favorites are the stack of Niles books and the ones with Principal Barkin hiking through the woods.  A nice addition to the continued adventures of these pranksters.