Review: The Dumbest Idea Ever! by Jimmy Gownley

 
Title: The Dumbest Idea Ever!
Author: Jimmy Gownley
Illustrator: Jimmy Gownley
Publisher: Scholastic Graphix
Copyright: 2014
Price: $11.99

ISBN: 978-0545453479
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Summary and Quick Thoughts: Being a teenager sucks, but for Jimmy, he's having a tough time. First he gets sick and misses school, then he gets sick AGAIN and misses more school. He stops caring about school and starts focusing on his comics. A friend suggests a comic book idea for him, but he decides it's the dumbest idea. Only when his first idea flops, does he give it a chance and lands on possibly the best idea ever. As Jimmy rise in fame, he's also dealing with normal teenage things like first loves and changing friendships.
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Recommended Audience: Middle School
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Things to be aware of: Nothing.
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Further Thoughts:  Jimmy Gownley is probably best known for his Amelia Rules series, which is very popular (it is in my library), so this will probably be snatched up by readers who love the series. To be honest, readers will probably read this because it's a Scholastic middle school slice of life graphic novel with praises from Jeff Smith (Bone), Raina Telgemeier (Smile, Sisters), and Jeff Kinney.

Take all that away though and you have a great biographical story about how Jimmy Gownley's teen years helped him become a graphic novel artist. He shows how he did research, practiced drawing, and had a good support system, including supportive parents. This graphic novel is perfect for any budding artist, writer, or creator to see how Jimmy survived his teen years and made it.

There are a few fantastical elements that help him. Jimmy talks to the Grim Reaper, showing at least twice how he thinks he wants to die, only to realize he wanted to press on. For me, this was a strong point in the story and helped me become invested in it. When it ended, I didn't want it to end. Thankfully there's an afterward that expands on it.


Overall feeling: Cartoonish art, inspiration, slice of life, and teen years combine for a powerful story that begs to be read multiple times and shared with friends. A must have.
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Bonus: Jimmy Gownley is from PA (according to the bio). He spoke at PaLA in 2008.
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Source: Library/Review copy

The Stratford Zoo Midnight Revue Presents: Macbeth

Title: The Stratford Zoo Midnight Revue Presents: Macbeth
Author: Ian Lendler
Illustrator:  Zack Giallongo ; Colors by Alisa Harris
Publisher: First Second (:01)
Copyright: 2014
Price: $12.99
ISBN: 978-1596439153
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Summary and Quick Thoughts: Have you ever wondered what the zoo animals do at night after everyone has left? At the Stratford Zoo, the animals break from their cages and put on a play for each other. On this particular night, readers witness Shakespeare's Macbeth, adapted for a zoo setting, including comments from the audience.
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Recommended Audience: Upper elementary
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Things to be aware of: cartoon violence
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Further Thoughts: Let me just start off that I am not familiar with Macbeth, the play, so I have no idea how close this is to the actual play.

But, let me say that I did enjoy this adaption.

The Lion is Macbeth  He is hungry for something more than a very large hot dog. What he learns is that he's hungry for POWER. Following the prophecy by the three witches, Macbeth spirals downward until finally he is dethroned. The elements of the play are here: key phrases, key characters, key plot points, but there's so much more! Lady Macbeth is a cheetah, a fact lost on her until late in the story and ends up adding to her demise in a swath of bubbles and soap (it's almost comedic). The man who brings down Macbeth is a stork and of the "hard boiled" detective type. There are audience members (mostly two kid monkeys) making comments throughout the story and lots and lots of ketchup.


Overall feeling: A great adaption with comedic timing for a Shakespearean tragedy. A great introduction to Shakespeare's great work Macbeth. I really hope this team adapts more (the last page hints that the next night is Romeo & Juliet).

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Source: Library/Review

Best of the Best Reading 2014

Source: OpenClipart.org

Normally, I don't do "Best of" lists but after seeing a few other librarians saying that they're reading them or just trying to expand on their reading, I decided to join in as well. Why? Mainly because I tend to believe I should read what I find interesting, not what everyone else thinks is cool. I do admit that if a book becomes wildly popular, it is very hard for me to read it during the hype. I have to get to it either before the hype or way, way after the fact.

On the flip side, I'm missing out on a lot of great stuff. Just looking at some Best of lists for Youth books, I've done ok in YA but missed a lot of chapter books and picture books (remember, I'm a Youth Librarian by day). I'm generally aware of what's getting the hype, but don't always read it or I save it for later. So enter my reading the Best of Lists.

Youth

For Youth, I've selected the Notable Children's Books of 2014. It's short and sweet with about 6-10 books in each section. I can do that.

After that, I'm going to try School Library Journal's Best of 2014 list. At 70 books, that seems like a lot, but I'm hoping some ground has been covered in the first list.

Graphic Novels

I really hate to admit I have no idea where to start in finding a "Best of 2014 Graphic Novels List." That's not good and won't do. In the spirit of being a better resource (because if this week showed me anything, it's that people see me as a resource), I started to seek out lists.

To make it easy on myself I've started with these since they cover a lot of the same ground and are sources that the average person might use:

• Publisher's Weekly Best of 2014 Comics List - at 5 books, this should be easy.
• The AV Club's Best Comics of 2014 List - This is their Graphic Novels and Archival list. It's a little more hefty but at a glance, seems to cover some good ground. Plus, Husband is always reading AV Club so...I may have just picked them from name recognition.
• GoodReads Choice Awards: Best Graphic Novels & Comics 2014 - I vote in it. You probably do too. I missed a bunch in their list (as usual). This covers a slightly different ground but a lot in common with the above. Plus I've already read a few! Yay!

Now, if I really feel up to it, I might poke at this list from ComicsAlliance. It looks fun with all their "Best of Categories" but it was originally 5 parts and is a hefty list. I don't want to
overwhelm myself (a bad habit I have) so I'm listing it for you to check out. I will also look at ALA's list for teens when it comes out at the end of the month and will probably grumble about half of it like I usually do.

EDIT (1/13/15): Here's another list to consider: IGN's Best of Comics List.

Will there be reviews of graphic novels? Maybe. It depends. Some I do have on hand because I was already supposed to review them for the county library sysem. If you want to see reviews, let me know either in person on in the comments.

Sisters by Raina Telgemeir

Title: Sisters
Author: Raina Telgemeir
Illustrator:  Raina Telgemeir
Publisher:  Graphic (Scholastic)
Copyright:  2014
Price: $24.99
ISBN: 978-0545540599
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Summary and Quick Thoughts: Raina and Amara do not get along. Amara was not at all what Raina had in mind when she wished for a sister. Fast forward to the summer before high school. Raina, Amara, their brother, and mom are road tripping across states to visit family in Colorado. Camping and sightseeing should be fun, but not when everyone is cramped in a van and there is an "incident" with the front seat. It's a summer of realizations and growing for Raina.
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Recommended Audience: Tweens and up.
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Things to be aware of: None.
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Further Thoughts: Sisters is just what it is about: Raina's relationship to her sister. As a child, Raina makes the wish to have a sister and like any young child is so certain it'll be awesome. Sadly, she's confused when it isn't awesome. It'll probably prompt kids to ask what they might have been like when a brother or sister was announced. Readers will also understand the conflict of having that annoying sibling. Raina tells it like it is, but with wit and animation.

The art is boldly colored with strong lines. I love her art. It's animated, bright, and colorful. The story seems to move like a cartoon while dealing with life issues. At this point, if she illustrates it and writes it, I'll probably read it, which I know a lot of readers do too after how popular Smile was.

One thing I found interesting is how well this story holds up despite the story definitely taking place in the late 80s or early 90s (That make-up! The hair! A Walkman!). I'm sure readers will have some questions such as "why doesn't the van have a DVD player?", but overall, I hardly noticed those details. It was more about the family dynamics more than the time. The time period just helped showcase the family dynamic.

On the other hand, it felt slim for the size of the book. As in the story, which happens over a few weeks in summer with a ton of explanation flashbacks, seemed kind of slim. If you just wrote the text, it'd probably be a small book. I might have wanted a little more and I know for a fact, I'm not as crazy about this as the kids are. I can't explain why.

**SPOILER...kinda, sorta...**
What I'm most worried about is, if there is more, it'll be about her parent's divorcing. The end just felt like it was heavily foreshadowing it. It's like "I will probably read it, and it'll be handled well, but I just don't know if I want to read that."
**End Spoiler**

Overall feeling: If you haven't gotten this, what are you waiting for? The kids eat this up and love it.
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Source: Library

Through The Woods, Stories by Emily Carrol

Title:  Through The Woods
Author: Emily Carroll
Illustrator:  Emily Carroll
Publisher:  Margaret K. McElderry Books (imprint of Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing Division)
Copyright: 2014
Price: $21.99
ISBN: 978-1442465954
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Summary and Quick Thoughts: Five stories. Five haunting stories about the woods, monsters, and fears unspoken. Each story takes you to a different time and to a different fear. The first story, "Our Neighbor's House" is in the later part of the 19th Century. Three sisters are left alone while their father goes out. When the red sun sets, the middle sister knows her father is dead. One by one her sisters meet a man with a wide-brimmed hat and disappear. The second, "A Lady's Hands Are Cold," tells of a lady in the 1700s who marries a man. She hears voices and destroys their house to find the parts of the first wife. The third story, "His Face All Red," is in an unknown time period. A younger brother saw his brother die, so why is his brother back and why won't he meet his eye? The fourth story, "My Friend Janna," involves two girls: one who sees ghosts and the other who doesn't. They fake seances together until one girl is haunted. The last story, "The Nesting Place," in the 1920s, involves a monster and I'll leave it there. Some people lived, and some people...well, did they live or die? That is the question. The connecting thread to the stories are the intro and epilogue about the reader (maybe author?) and the fears she had while reading stories at night.
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Recommended Audience: teens and older
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Things to be aware of: gore
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Further Thoughts: CREEPY, but delightfully so. The only story that really freaked me out was "The Nesting Place." When I first glanced through it, I thought there was no way I could read the story, it would give me nightmares. I started the book and kept reading and found myself skimming over "The Nesting Place."

Emily Carroll utilizes colors and images wonderfully. Each story has a pervading color, but all stories have a strong red that weaves in and out of the stories.  The colors are striking in the story "A Lady's Hands Are Cold," where there is blue, yellow, and red splashed against black. The rest of the stories use brown and some blue, with the bold red. The art is probably what makes the stories all the more haunting.

For me, this reminds me of a book I have from Dame Darcy (I don't remember the title) and the stories written by Angela Carter. Haunting, and ending on just the right note to make you question what you read. It is a haunting, satisfying horror read. I know I'll think of it every so often (like Angela Carter's stories and Dame Darcy's work). If I personally owned it, I'd pull it from my shelf to read it occasionally.

Overall feeling: If you have fans of horror, or even fans of Gothic Literature, this is a must have. Actually, I just highly recommend this. It's delightful, in a creepy way.
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Source: Library

Hidden by Loic Dauvillier

Title: Hidden
Author: Loic Dauvillier (Translation by Alexis Siegel)
Illustrator: Marc Lizano & Greg Salsedo (colorist)
Publisher: First Second (:01)
Copyright: 2014
Price: $16.99
ISBN: 978-1596438736
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Summary and Quick Thoughts: Little Elsa wakes up in the middle of the night. Just before she returns back to bed, she realizes someone is up. In the room, she finds her grandmother, Dounia Cohen looking through old photos and thinking of a different time. Innocent Elsa asks her grandmother to tell her what's wrong because maybe talking about it will help. Dounia is hesitant, but decides to tell Elsa the truth of her childhood, starting with the yellow star sewn onto her jacket.
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Recommended Audience: Upper elementary and up.
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Things to be aware of: N/A

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Further Thoughts: When this first came out to my shelves (through the Junior Library Guild selection program), I thought "no way this was a children's title. Anything about that time is definitely for older kids."

I was wrong. Dauvillier gets it. The pacing of the story is appropriate for that of a younger child who might not understand everything being told to her. Elsa, is a realistic child from her giggling at grandmother's childhood crush to gently prompting Dounia to continue. Dounia tells the story to her grandchild appropriately for Elsa's age using age-appropriate terms (i.e. "wee-wee") and explaining her feelings gently (with Elsa not understanding but knowing it was bad). The text alone is lovely.

The people with big heads and tiny bodies are perfect for this story. It makes the story real, but distant. It provides great opportunities to zoom in for full face panels. The best time this style for the characters work is the full page of Dounia's mother when she returns from the camp. It's haunting, scary, but not in a "I can't continue this it's too gross" way. More like a "wow...I can't believe that happened." Here is a story that the art just enhances the text and paints a bittersweet story of a girl having to grow up and recognize the world of the time.

What we have here is a wonderfully done tale of the 1940s about a child in France who had to wear the Yellow Star, whose parents were arrested, and who escaped to grow up and have children of her own. It is easily appropriate for children and even a classroom. It probably would even be useful in middle or high school classrooms.There is a very brief afterword that helps put context to the story and reminds readers that this happened and that we should continue to fight injustices.

Overall feeling: I definitely have this on my library shelf. It is a story that needs told and a different perspective.

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Source: Library

Recommended Core Collection Is Here!

Are you starting to develop your graphic novel collection? Wondering why circs are down? Maybe you just need a few new titles but have no idea what to add.

Allow me to present my Recommended Core Collection page on this blog. This page is going to be a list of all the graphic novels I've seen stand the test of time and are referenced again and again. In time, I hope to equally represent heroes and authors with the best works. When I have a review available, there will be a link to my review. Eventually, I hope to add recommended age tags to the titles.

Don't have a lot of money? No problem. Look for the ones with the *. These are ones I think a library absolutely cannot live without.

Check out what is there now. Do you have some of these all ready? See a few classic GN authors you missed?

Enjoy!

Side note: This list is, at the moment, DC heavy. I know. DC sent out this great Essentials catalog a few months back and they really knew which of their titles have stood the test of time. I used it to add new titles to my collection recently. I'll talk about that soon (I hope and assuming I can find my home copy). Also, full disclosure, I tend toward DC more than Marvel. Manga will be updated in due time. I know a few titles all ready that are cornerstones, but I have to really look at what was a cornerstone when I was a teen and now (some overlap exists). Manga generally goes regardless of the title, but there are a few titles you should really have.