Cardboard Kingdom is a graphic novel that follows a neighborhood of kids who transform ordinary cardboard into fantastical costumes as they explore life, family, friends and themselves. Created and drawn by Chad Sell we see a world that we probably have all lived in at one point. Who has not been “the loud girl” or known “the bully” or had that “little minion” kid sister? Or maybe you are the boy who wants to be the “Sorceress” or is the young lady who is the […]
Blooming good read
Due late January/early February, Bloom by Kevin Panetta and Savanna Ganucheau is another in the First Second graphic novels dealing with growing up and with sexuality and gender themes. This time, Ari and Hector are exploring what they want now that school is over. And part of that learning is they realize they want each other. The interesting thing about this book, compared to the others, is the simplicity in the sexual and identity exploration. This time there is “only” a gay couple. The other […]
Being 16 is a Lot to Deal With Sometimes
I became interested in reading Skim by the Tamaki cousins after seeing ElCicco’s review this past summer. And what a great recommendation it turned out to be! A quick one, too, as I finished it in just one sitting. This graphic novel is very introspective, coming through via the voice of the protagonist’s diary, and I could see it being a great read for both teens and adults. Skim follows the story of a Canadian teen named Kim, who doesn’t really fit in at her all-girls school, and along with […]
The soccer ball quit the team. It was tied of being kicked around.
One joy of working in a bookstore is you get to see some books before they come out and can create buzz for them. The Breakaways: Bad at Soccer Okay at Friends by Cathy G. Johnson is one. Out in March 2019 this is part of the First Second series of graphic novels dealing with today’s issues. Geared towards ages (very strong) 8 to (low) 13, we see the “C team” of a middle school girl soccer team. Faith is a fifth grader who is […]