Meanwhile

By Jason Shiga

Desiring a creative "radical change" graphic novel? Then Meanwhile by Jason Shiga would be a great choice. This "choose your own adventure" style book has 3,856 different story possibilities. Your first choice is chocolate or vanilla ice cream, and then the adventure begins.

At this point I have only tried a few paths so I can't give you a lot of feedback about the book, but I can tell you that I like chocolate better than vanilla.

I love this quote from the author, "With perseverance and curiosity, you too can unlock the book's secrets and find your way home. Good luck and choose wisely!"

Grade level: upper elementary

Happy Adventuring,

Dr. Quinn

Tales from Outer Suburia

If you haven't experienced a book by Shaun Tan, be sure to do so. Last year I was introduced to his work via The Arrival, a graphic novel. The illustrations were fantastic. I was amazed at the storyline and creativity.

Today I introduced myself to his newest text, Tales from Outer Suburbia. Once again Tan's illustrations are fantastic. However, this book is composed of a collection of short stories...all from outer suburbia. Let's just say these stories are definitely out there, wow! If I were to use one word to describe the collection of tales, it would be...Random. These tales are just simply bizarre, creative, but bizarre. My two favorite tales are "Grandpa's Story" and "Alert, but Not Alarmed."

Again the illustrations are superb. From the front cover, to the table of contents, to the endpages, Tan fills the pages with creative illustrations and formatting.

Happy Reading,

Dr. Quinn

The Tale of Despereaux: The Graphic Novel

Are you kidding me, I felt like I was reading a Disney animated book! I must admit this has been the worst book so far on my blog.

I was so excited to see this book in the bookstore last night along with several YA books all of which I purchased. So today between typical Saturday house/yard work and the Ohio State/Penn State football game, I thought I would read. Wow, I think I may have enjoyed the yard work in 43 degree weather more than I enjoyed this book. Before I purchased the book I should have taken more notice at the cover which reads...adapted from the major motion picture...notice it does not say it has been adapted from the book.

Personally, I do not even want to waste my time writing a review for this text, so it will be super quick! Cheesy illustrations (too movie Disney-like), cheesy link to the book written by Kate DiCamillo, and too much missing...not to mention some wacky additions. One positive about the book...at least I can use this text as a negative example in my children's literature class.

I can't imagine how cheesy the movie will be. I hope I am wrong, but I doubt it.

Rating:

Happy Reading,

Dr. Quinn

Redwall: The Graphic Novel

Over the past six months I have gained interest in graphic novels. My library has grown from zero to approximately 20 graphic novels, and some day I hope to review or share several of my favorite graphic novels on this blog site.

The latest addition to my collection is Brian Jacques Redwall: The Graphic Novel, illustrated by Bret Blevins. I was very excited to pick up this book for several reasons: 1) I loved the original text (although I haven't visited it for years), 2) I was eager to see Blevins' interpretation of the story as well as his character illustrations, 3) I like graphic novels for elementary students, & 4) it is another graphic novel for my collection.

After reading this graphic novel I felt happily satisfied. Originally, I hoped for colorful illustrations, but I quickly became a fan of the black and white style. I loved the illustrations of Cluny and his army, and I liked how the layout was similar to the Japanese Manga style (maybe that is why it is in b/w). Overall I though this was a good interpretation of Jacques original tale. Of course certain text and details are going to be left out, but I still thought that Blevins' interpretation was smooth. Therefore, I once again enjoyed the story of Redwall.

Rating:

Happy Reading,
Dr. Quinn

Summer Reading

I have set a goal for my summer reads. This summer I hope to focus more on some YA. I have chosen the following books: Twisted by Laurie Halse Anderson, Story of a Girl by Sara Zarr, The Girls: A Novel by Lori Lansens, Girl Coming in for a Landing: A Novel in Poems by April Halprin Wayland and Elaine Clayton, The Book Thief by Markus Zusak (this is a long book so I may struggle with this one), and I have also just picked up Redwall: The Graphic Novel by Brian Jacques. Someday I hope to do a post on graphic novels. I am an extremely slow reader so it will be interesting to see when this list is accomplished.

Happy Reading,
Dr. Quinn