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 […]
#CBR10Bingo: Snubbed – This One Summer (Bingo nr 4)
#CBR10Bingo: Snubbed- it won the Eisner Award in 2015, but was also nominated for a whole host of other things that it lost out on. Every summer Rose and her parents go to Arwago Beach. They have their set rituals and it’s Rose’s favourite time of the year. Her friend Windy is also there, and she and Rose are inseparable all summer. Something is different this year, though. There’s a tension between Rose’s parents and they keep fighting when they think Rose can’t hear them. For […]
Skillfully tackling serious issues in a YA graphic novel
This short (about 140 pages) graphic novel was created by the same Canadian cousin team that gave us This One Summer. In fact this graphic novel was their first. Nominated for an Eisner (among other awards), Skim is the story of Kim (aka Skim), a Japanese Canadian teen who is struggling with a variety of issues, including matters related to sexuality, depression and suicide. The story is told in three parts. Part I: Fall, takes place in fall but is also about falling. Kim serves […]
It’s not enough to be a teenager, but an alien, too?
Kara is in the thick of adolescent growing pangs, unsure of her place in the world, like any first world teenager. She’s surrounded by people she loves and who love her in return, but she struggles to connect in a meaningful way. You know… because she can lift tractors with a single hand and fly and stuff. So when her powers start going a little haywire, there’s nowhere to turn for support. Is it some sort of super-puberty? Or is something else going on? Tamaki’s […]