false 0 6 5 true 5722228 read 1 true 2653008 currently-reading 0 true 2653007 to-read 5 false 2653165 june-19--2008-shelf http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/24966373 The Latent Powers of Dylan Fontaine (Hardcover) by April Lurie
bookshelves: currently-reading
]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/24903089 to: Thoreau at Walden (Hardcover) by John Porcellino
bookshelves: june-19--2008-shelf
]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/24900486 to: World War Hulk (Hardcover) by Greg Pak
bookshelves: june-19--2008-shelf
Description from Amazon.com:
An epic story of anger unbound! Exiled by a group of Marvel "heroes" to the savage alien planet of Sakaar, the Hulk raged, bled, and conquered through the pages of last year's "Planet Hulk" epic, rising from slave to gladiator to king. Now the Hulk returns to Earth to wreak his terrible vengeance on Iron Man, Reed Richards, Dr. Strange, Black Bolt - and anyone else who gets in the way! Stronger than ever, accompanied by his monstrous Warbound gladiator allies, and possessed by the fiercest and purest rage imaginable, the Hulk may just tear this stupid planet in half! Collects World War Hulk #1-5.
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I liked this title much more than "Planet Hulk" due to its simple premise: The Hulk is VERY mad about what happened in "Planet Hulk" and has now returned to Earth to pay back those who caused all this trouble in the first place. Hulk mad. Hulk smash. Mayhem ensues. Have fun. ]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/24900072 to: Hulk: Planet Hulk (Hardcover) by Greg Pak
bookshelves: june-19--2008-shelf
Description from Amazon.com:
Savage alien planet! Oppressed barbarian tribes! Corrupt emperor! Deadly woman warrior! Gladiators and slaves! Battle axes and hand blasters! Monsters and heroes... and the Incredible Hulk! Let the smashing commence! This deluxe hardcover collects the entire "Planet Hulk" saga, plus extras! Collects Incredible Hulk #92-105, Giant-Size Hulk #1, "Mastermind Excello" story from Amazing Fantasy #15, maps, character designs.
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Overall, I was a bit disappointed with Planet Hulk. I think I may have been expecting a lot more from this title. It was a bit too wordy (which is fine, but in a graphic novel it was too much) and sometimes the story was a bit hard to follow. The artwork on the other hand is beautiful. The Hulk never looked so cool.

If you've seen the movie this summer, this book (and the others in this series) are good companion pieces. ]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/24898025 to: American Born Chinese (Paperback) by Gene Luen Yang
bookshelves: june-19--2008-shelf
Review from Publishers Weekly:

As alienated kids go, Jin Wang is fairly run-of-the-mill: he eats lunch by himself in a corner of the schoolyard, gets picked on by bullies and jocks and develops a sweat-inducing crush on a pretty classmate. And, oh, yes, his parents are from Taiwan. This much-anticipated, affecting story about growing up different is more than just the story of a Chinese-American childhood; it's a fable for every kid born into a body and a life they wished they could escape. The fable is filtered through some very specific cultural icons: the much-beloved Monkey King, a figure familiar to Chinese kids the world over, and a buck-toothed amalgamation of racist stereotypes named Chin-Kee. Jin's hopes and humiliations might be mirrored in Chin-Kee's destructive glee or the Monkey King's struggle to come to terms with himself, but each character's expressions and actions are always perfectly familiar. True to its origin as a Web comic, this story's clear, concise lines and expert coloring are deceptively simple yet expressive. Even when Yang slips in an occasional Chinese ideogram or myth, the sentiments he's depicting need no translation. Yang accomplishes the remarkable feat of practicing what he preaches with this book: accept who you are and you'll already have reached out to others.

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I've read this book about 3 times and every time I pick up on different little themes and neat little tidbits in the artwork. I must admit...my first time through the book left me a bit confused as to how everything went together, but one more read left me as a huge fan of this book and author Gene Luen Yang. I highly recommend this title... ]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/24899258 to: My Almost Epic Summer (Hardcover) by Adele Griffin
bookshelves: june-19--2008-shelf
Review taken from School Library Journal:

Avid reader Irene, 14, keeps a sketchbook of famous literary hairdos for her future salon, Heroine Hairstyles, to be located in L.A., about as far from New Jersey as she can get. Things go awry when she's let go three weeks into her summer job at her mother's beauty shop. Forced to take unglamorous work babysitting two fidgety kids, the teen ignores her friends' e-mails (they're on interesting vacations), is impatient with her young charges, and generally feels sorry for herself. At Larkin's Pond, she meets gorgeous lifeguard Starla Malloy and becomes fascinated by her looks and cutting attitude. Irene tries to cultivate a friendship with the girl and suddenly life goes from dreary to exciting. Starla scoffs at Irene's literary interests but uses a blog to write bad poetry to D, the boyfriend who dumped her, and to make veiled (and atrociously misspelled) digs at Irene. Summer gets more complicated when the latest of Irene's mother's volatile, drifter boyfriends takes off and the teen is left trying to console the heartbroken woman. As she gets in deeper with Starla, who is obsessing over her ex-boyfriend's rejection, Irene finds herself attracted to the young man who spurned the lovely but spiteful lifeguard.
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I really dug this book for the characters. Irene was easily my favorite...her witty humor kept me very interested in the book. ]]>