Category: Young Adult

Gotham Academy: Second Semester Vol. 1


Title: Gotham Academy: Second Semester Vol. 1
Author: Brenden Fletcher, Becky Cloonan, Karl Kerschl
Genre: Graphic Novel, Young Adult
Publisher: DC Comics
Release Date: July 25, 2017
Rating: ★★★★★

Olive Silverlock stayed at Gotham Academy for the winter break. Before school started, a girl showed up in her room, claiming to be her new roommate. Amy convinces Olive to do bad things. They throw a rock through a window. They break into a house on the school property and then torment Eric. Then, a new club starts up, competing with Maps’s detective club. The new club is filled with witches who plan on burning the library books. Maps’s friends have to rescue her after she is brainwashed to join their club. But after saving her, Colton gets caught breaking into a classroom. The headmaster wants to expel him but he gets a trial first. He disappears during his hearing, so the rest of the gang set out to find evidence that he should remain at school and Olive has to face her past yet again. 

This is my favourite book in the Gotham Academy series. It was cohesive from the first comic to the last. It followed one major storyline throughout. Some of the other graphic novels have started with one plot and then drifted off into something else. This one was very consistent. 

The new characters also had a purpose in the story. In past graphic novels, some characters have been introduced but then they disappear. The new character, Amy, shows up for a reason which is revealed at the end of the story. 

I loved this new volume of Gotham Academy. It’s the best one so far! My reviews for Gotham Academy Vol. 1: Welcome to Gotham Academy is here, Gotham Academy Vol. 2 is here, and Gotham Academy Vol. 3 is here. 

The Crowns of Croswald

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Title: The Crowns of Crosswalk
Author: D.E. Night
Genre: Young Adult, Middle Grade, Fantasy
Publisher: Stories Untold Press
Release Date: July 21, 2017
Rating: ★★★★

Ivy Lovely was a scaldrony maid. The scaldrons are dragons that cook the food in the kitchen of the castle. When one of them gets sick, Ivy is kicked out of the castle. Then, she finds that her belongings have been left outside for her, along with a note from her friend Rimbrick, a dwarf. He is sending her to the Halls of Ivy, a school for royals and scrivenists. Ivy will be a scrivenist, a person who writes and works for a royal family. They have some magic in them, but not as much as the royals. When Ivy arrives at the school, she realizes she has always dreamt of this place. She knows things that others don’t. She is able to remember things that everyone else has forgotten. Ivy has to use her special powers to save the Halls of Ivy and all of Croswald.

This book is a lot like Harry Potter. Ivy had a unique upbringing in a place that did not welcome her. Then she suddenly found out she had special powers and was sent to a magic school. Unlike Harry Potter, Ivy doesn’t know her family history, so it remains a mystery for the reader too.

I found it hard to get into this book for the first couple of chapters because there were so many strange things, such as the scaldrons and the hairies (creatures that create light). But once Ivy went to the school, it started to make sense.

I enjoyed this book. It’s a great start to a new series.

Gotham Academy Volume 3: Yearbook

Title: Gotham Academy Volume 3: Yearbook
Author: Brendan Fletcher, Adam Archer, Sandra Hope
Genre: Graphic Novel, Young Adult
Publisher: DC Comics
Release Date: November 8, 2016
Rating: ★★★★

The kids of Gotham Academy are back just before the end of the semester. A new girl shows up, who Olive has to show around the school. Maps gets really excited when they discover Riko, the new girl, is a “Robin.” That is, until Riko gets arrested. When Maps isn’t allowed to join the yearbook club, Olive gives her a personal yearbook where they can write down all their adventures. One day, Robin comes into Maps’s room. Pomeline finds him just as he steals Maps’s yearbook. The “Detective Club” have to solve one last mystery of the semester to find the yearbook. Finally, Olive gets sick after seeing the chapel catch fire. They have to figure out who destroyed the chapel. Was it the new visiting professor, like Colton thinks it is? Or is Pomeline right when she guesses it is a vampire?

This graphic novel is filled with lots of short stories of their adventures. These stories are all from Maps’s yearbook. There is also the overarching story that follows Maps’s obsession with the Robins, as well as another potential villain who knows Olive.

Each separate flashback from the yearbook was written and illustrated by a different artist, so they all looked different. At first, I didn’t like all the different styles of art in the book. But it really differentiated between the stories and the main storyline, so it worked well.

The next installment in the Gotham Academy series comes out next week. I’m so excited to read it! You can find my reviews for Gotham Academy Vol. 1 here and Gotham Academy Vol. 2 here.

Sisters


Title: Sisters
Author: Raina Telgemeier 
Genre: Graphic Novel, Young Adult, Middle Grade
Publisher: Scholastic
Release Date: August 26, 2014
Rating: ★★★★

Raina and Amara are sisters. They go on a road trip with their mom and younger brother, Will, from California to Colorado for a family reunion. There are flashbacks throughout the story of their relationship. When Raina was little she asked for a sister and then she got one. But she wasn’t the best friend she thought she would get. Amara cried and whined a lot, and she didn’t want to do the same things Raina liked. They also had to share a room. They had different opinions on pets, with Amara wanting a snake and Raina being terrified of them. When Raina gets her own room, Amara is finally given a snake for a pet. But it needs to be fed live mice which their mother doesn’t want to do. They take it back to the pet store but it slithers out of the bag and into the car, disappearing for a long time. In the end, Raina and Amara have to learn that though they don’t get along all the time, they have a special sister relationship. 

This is a really funny graphic novel. It’s the follow up to the book Smile, which is about Raina getting braces. This story also deals with think that kids experience, such as wanting a sibling and going on family road trips. Neither of these things turn out as planned either, since Raina and Amara don’t get along, and they don’t have a good time on the trip. 

Though I don’t have any sisters, I really enjoyed this book. It’s very funny, and has Raina Telgemeier’s familiar style. I hope she makes other follow up stories. 

Finding Audrey


Title: Finding Audrey
Author: Sophie Kinsella
Genre: Young Adult
Publisher: Doubleday
Release Date: June 9, 2015
Rating: ★★★★

Audrey has severe anxiety after an incident at school. She always wears sunglasses so she doesn’t have to make eye contact with anyone. Her mom can be extreme at times. She doesn’t want Audrey’a brother, Frank, to play video games anymore. When taking them away from him doesn’t work, she threatens to throw his laptop out the window. Meanwhile, Frank is supposed to be competing in an online gaming competition with his friend Linus. But when Linus comes to the house Audrey changes. Linus becomes the one person who Audrey can open up to. 

I really liked this story. The characters are relateable for a variety of readers, since there was both a boy and girl main character. Also, the mother was worried about Frank playing too many video games, like many parents. 

The parents are featured prominently in the story, so it would be good for parents of young adults to read too. 

I also like that the incident that Audrey had at school isn’t explained. Only the aftermath is shown in the story. It keeps the story moving forward and gives it some mystery. 

This story is different for Sophie Kinsella, since she normally writes adult fiction. This book is very successful though, so I hope she writes more YA in the future. 

The Truth About Stacey (Baby Sitters Club Graphic Novel #2)


Title: The Truth About Stacey (Baby Sitters Club Graphic Novel #2)
Author: Raina Telgemeier, Ann M. Martin
Genre: Graphic Novel, Middle Grade, Young Adult
Publisher: Scholastic
Release Date: June 30, 2015
Rating: ★★★★★

Stacey McGill has diabetes. she has to go to New York City for a lot of appointments. Her parents want her to go to a special doctor who they’ve seen on TV. But Stacey wants a second opinion. Meanwhile, the BSC has new competition, The Baby Sitters Agency. The Agency has older sitters who can stay out later, driving away some of the BSC’s clients. The girls have to come up with a clever way to save the BSC.

This story deals with the serious issue of Stacey’s diabetes. Though she was ashamed of it at first, the baby sitters accept her when they find out. They don’t think it’s a big deal, though Stacey was afraid they wouldn’t like her when they found out. Stacey also demonstrates her maturity and independence by taking her health into her own hands when she tells her parents she wants to see a different doctor from the one she picked out.

The babysitters have to be very creative when trying to save their club. They learn that the truth is the best policy, when they have to expose the secrets of the Baby Sitters Agency when a child is in danger.

This graphic novel is another great adaptation of the original Baby Sitters Club.

Gotham Academy Volume 2: Calamity


Title: Gotham Academy Volume 2: Calamity
Author: Becky Cloonan, Brenden Fletcher
Genre: Young Adult, Graphic Novel
Publisher: DC Comics
Release Date: March 16, 2016
Rating: ★★★★★

The kids of Gotham Academy are back again. Maps is still joking around, creating rhymes about imaginary adventures that have yet to happen. Olive’s mother has just died. She goes to see a psychiatrist, Professor Strange. But she thinks she sees her mother. Her mother was the villain Calamity. Buildings are still being set on fire and Olive is certain that she sees her mother’s ghost. With the help of Colton, Pomeline, and Maps, Olive ventures into Arkham Asylum to find the truth about her mother. 

This volume was much more exciting than the first. The characters were introduced in the first graphic novel, so the new plot could begin right away in this one. This was also a very funny story. Maps added some comic relief too. 

I was glad that there was more of Arkham Asylum and Gotham City in this story. Batman’s son made an appearance as well as one of the Robins. Maps even dresses up as Robin, fulfilling her sidekick role. 

I really enjoyed this graphic novel, and I’m excited to read the next volume!

Who Runs The World?

Title: Who Runs The World
Author: Virginia Bergin
Genre: Young Adult
Publisher: MacMillan
Release Date: June 29, 2017
Rating: ★★★★

Imagine a world with only women. No men. The men have been destroyed by a virus that women are immune to. The remaining men live in sanctuaries. New babies are born using IVF, but if it’s a boy, it is sent away to a sanctuary before the mother can even see it. There are four generations of women: Gramummas, Mummas, Teens, and Littler Ones. The Granmummas were teens in the time before the men were killed, so they remember the old world. Everyone else only knows the new world of only women. This world is turned upside down for River when she finds a boy one day. He tries to attack her but she subdues him and brings him back to her village. But the boy should have been killed by the virus long before now. There’s a reason he’s still alive. And now he owes River for saving his life.

The premise of this story is very good. It’s a world run by women, 60 years in the future. This is especially relevant today, when many women are losing the rights that they have spent centuries earning. Even the title is a reference to a Beyoncé song, “Who Runs The World? (Girls)”

I wish the story had more description of the new world. River narrates the story, which gives a first person perspective of what is happening. However, this often turns into a stream of consciousness that is confusing until the details of the community are told. I still had many questions about how the world was run and what it looks like. The buildings are falling apart, but why? And where do they get their money from? They eat insects rather than meat, so where did the animals go? I think there could have been a whole book just to explain the new world without men.
It’s interesting how the genders were divided up. The men were associated with violence and fitness and video games. The women don’t fight or workout or play video games at all. I’m not sure if these stereotypes would play out in real life if this happened, because plenty of girls like to work out and play video games.

This was a very intriguing story, but I wish it had some more details to completely immerse the reader into the story.

Smile


Title: Smile
Author: Raina Telgemeier
Genre: Young Adult, Middle Grade, Graphic Novel
Publisher: Scholastic
Release Date: February 1, 2010
Rating: ★★★★★

Raina is going to get braces. They have to alter the plan when she falls and knocks one of her front teeth out and the other is slammed into her head. After getting those teeth fixed, she has a root canal. Then, she gets the braces but they don’t fix her front teeth. So her orthodontist decides to remove her front teeth completely and use the braces to bring her other teeth together to fill in the gap. All this happens, and she’s only 13-years-old. Raina also has to face bullying at school, that has to do with her unusual dental situation.

This is a true story about the author. I squirmed through a lot of the book. There were some graphic descriptions (and images) of her dental problems. I can’t imagine what this was like to go through, but now she has a beautiful smile and an incredible story to share!

This book would be great for kids who are getting braces or other serious dental work done. They probably aren’t having the same amount of extensive work that Raina had, so reading about someone who had a lot more dental problems could calm them down. Also it shows a character in a book who has braces, which isn’t demonstrated much in young adult graphic novels.

 

I Have No Secrets

Title: I Have No Secrets
Author: Penny Joelson
Genre: Young Adult, Middle Grade
Publisher: Electric Monkey
Release Date: June 29, 2017
Rating: ★★★★★

Jemma is a quadriplegic with cerebral palsy. She can’t speak or move her body to communicate. She was put up for adoption and has lived with her family since she was 2 years old. They also have two foster kids, Olivia and Finn. Sarah is Jemma’s support worker who lives with them. Since Jemma can’t speak, people tell her their secrets because they assume she can’t hear as well. But Jemma knows everything that’s happening. She even knows more than most people because she knows their secrets. Sarah’s boyfriend, Dan, tells Jemma he will never get caught for a crime, implying that he murdered her neighbour. So when Sarah disappears, Jemma is very worried that Dan has done something to her. Though Jemma knows the answers to these problems, she struggles with her silence.

This is the first novel I’ve read that is narrated by a person with a severe disability. I was so frustrated for Jemma at the beginning since she knew things but she couldn’t express them. I struggled along with Jemma through the mystery of Sarah’s disappearance.

Though Jemma lives in a foster home with two other kids, it isn’t the stereotypical foster home that is in many YA novels. Usually foster kids in YA novels are abandoned or run away. Jemma’s family is very caring to her and the other children, and they accommodate their special needs.

I enjoyed this unique, diverse book. I hope more stories about characters with limited abilities come out in the future.