Today's post is a collection of mini reviews for another three graphic novels I have read. So let's jump right into it.
Title: This One SummerAuthor: Mariko Tamaki & Jillian Tamaki
Publication Year: 2014
Publisher: First Second
Goodreads Link:
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18465566-this-one-summer
Sentence Summary: Rose and Windy's families spend every summer together at Awago Beach but with Rose's parents constantly fighting, how will she be able to distract herself from their problems.
Mini Review: I first heard about this book through a booktuber who was reviewing it. They explained the premise of the story and showed a bit of the artwork and I was straight away interested (even though they had given it a low rating). I actually really enjoyed this book quite a bit as it was my first contemporary graphic novel and I found it very insightful. The two main characters, Rose and Windy are best friends who meet every summer on their family beach holiday. Their friendship was interesting to read about as they were both really different but also shared a special bond. Although sometimes I couldn't agree with the way they treated each other, in the end I really felt like they were truly best friends as they supported each other. On a personal level, I did find it difficult to relate to the characters but I was still able to understand what they were going through and feel for them. It was great to see true interpretations of how teenagers understand the events that are going on around them. A lot seem to happen in this book, but the one thing that kept me hooked was a mystery surrounding one of the mothers which unfolds throughout the story. I really enjoyed the simple one toned art which was still quite detailed and layered. I also found the writing was quite poetic especially through the thought portions of the story. The only thing I think this book lacked was more detail in the plot as there seemed to be a lot going on in a short period of time. I would of loved to read more about some of the events that took place. Overall, It was a really good graphic novel and I will definitely be checking out more of this author's work.
Star Rating: 4/5 Stars
Author: Marika McCoola & Emily Carroll
Publication Year: 2015
Publisher: Candlewick Press
Goodreads Link:
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/24727085-baba-yaga-s-assistant
Sentence Summary: Dealing with some issues at home, Masha decides to apply for a job as the assistant of the fearsome, child eating witch by the name of Baba Yaga.
Mini Review: I (again) first heard of this book from a different booktuber who had received a copy for review, and it looked and sounded really interesting. They also mentioned that Emily Carroll was the illustrator and I straight away knew that I had to get my hands on a copy as I loved her other book, Through The Woods. I did enjoy this book but felt like it was lacking a lot of detail throughout it The story follows a girl who grew up hearing folk tales about this witch called Baba Yaga who eats children. As she faces family issues at home as a teenager, she finds an ad for a job as Baba Yaga's assistant and applies. The story unfolds as she goes through a bunch of tests to see if she is worthy of the role. It had a promising premise but I found that it lacked a lot in plot detail as I would of loved to read more about the history of folklore about Baba Yaga as well as the life that Masha had before she worked for her. The main thing I enjoyed was the artwork as Carroll again did an amazing job with the use of colour and a unique style of illustrations. Overall, I thought that this would be a great book for children as it gives another side to the tale of Baba Yaga in a simple and fun manner. In saying this, I would of liked more from the story and think that there was still plenty of room for the plot to be expanded. It could of definitely been longer than what it was.
Star Rating: 3.5/5 Stars
Title: Check, Please! Year One
Author: Ngozi Ukazu
Publication Year: 2015
Publisher: Self Published
Goodreads Link: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/27411088-check-please-year-one
Mini Review: I found this book on kickstarter quite randomly one day as I was looking for new graphic novels to read. As soon as I saw the artwork samples for the story, I straight away wanted to support it. The story comes from an online comic series by Ngozi Ukazu on Tumblr (You can find it here: http://omgcheckplease.tumblr.com/). I actually hadn't ever heard of the series until I found it on Kickstarter and I wish I had because it was really good. As soon as I received my copy, I had to read it immediately and I absolutely loved it. It is a very modern tale as we follow the college life of Eric Bittle through his online video blog posts. I loved that element of the book as I haven't read anything so relatable to today's youth as it is now a common thing to "vlog" ones life for the internet. I really enjoyed learning more about Eric as he is a very interesting character who has a really positive spirit. His personality made the reading experience enjoyable by having fun attitude. I don't want to give anything away but this book was really great as I'm sure a lot of readers will be able to relate to the characters. It also had amazing artwork that was full of colour and detail and very little text. It was a great first volume and I hope they make a second volume as I would love to see where Eric Bittle's life is headed next.
Star Rating: 4/5 Stars
So those are my graphic novel mini reviews for the week. I have another mini review post that will be up in a couple of hours which I owe from last week. Let me know in the comments any graphic novels that you think I would enjoy as I'm always on the lookout for more to read.
I hope you are all having a lovely weekend!
~Louise
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