Sarah Jamila Stevenson's Blog: Blog - Sarah Jamila Stevenson, page 44

Toon Thursday Flashback Edition: Social Networking for Writers

Sadly, the passage of time has not made this one any less accurate... Happy Thursday!

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Cybils Finalist Review: THE HARLEM HELLFIGHTERS by Max Brooks and Caanan White

Summary : The Tuskegee Airmen of World War II are, by now, well-known to American and African American history. But the regiment known as the Harlem Hellfighters--the Army's 369th infantry unit--were the first American unit to reach the Rhine in the First World War, and yet despite being highly decorated, they faced racism and discrimination during their time. Less violent, but no less shameful, is their relegation to the sidelines of history that is arguably still going on. (For more information on that, check out this Time/Life article.)

Peaks : Obviously those who like history, war stories and/or action will be the most interested in this one. It is violent, hard-hitting, and pulls no punches – something that will appeal to some readers and not others. It is definitely one for older YA readers because of the raw honesty with which the ghastliness of war is depicted--and because readers with less knowledge of the historical context and/or less life experience might find some aspects of the story hard to figure out. (I relied heavily on my experience with other WWI stories and war stories.) Beyond the war story aspect, though, it's a wonderful story of a little-known group of courageous men, a history that should be better-known, and it's great to see it brought to life.

click to embiggen Valleys : There were some confusing aspects to the graphic storytelling in particular that tripped me up here and there. While the art overall was very good, the noir-ish style of the drawing became confusing and hard to follow during the chaotic war scenes, or other busy scenes. At times this affected actual story transitions and I had to take a moment to speculate about what had just happened. I couldn't help wishing that the book had included one or two colors, or at least more values of gray, instead of using only line art.

Conclusion : This graphic novel, a gripping story, brings to life some lost voices from our own historical past. The story is sure to inspire both pride and outrage, and readers will be shocked to see in "graphic" detail the realities of what it was like to be a black man in this era, not to mention the horrors of war that did not spare anyone regardless of skin color.

I received my copy of this book courtesy of my local library. You can find The Harlem Hellfighters by Max Brooks and Canaan White at an online e-tailer, or at a real life, independent bookstore near you!

This work is copyrighted material. All opinions are those of the writer, unless otherwise indicated. All book reviews are UNSOLICITED, and no money has exchanged hands, unless otherwise indicated. Please contact the weblog owner for further details.

10½ Questions with Reshama Deshmukh, creator of THE PIED PIPER

One of the big draws of KidLitCon is getting a chance to meet your fellow bloggers, find out what their interests are, and discover where they intersect with yours. As you may know by now, here at FW our main focus is on Young Adult fiction, with an emphasis on diverse speculative fiction and graphic novels and, a bit more secondarily, the odd Middle Grade book which catches our attention. We aren't experts in MG anything, which is why we're excited to feature a change of pace today and interview our fellow KidLitCon co-organizer Reshama Deshmukh of the blog Stacking Books. She's a fellow blogger, yes, but she's also done something we know absolutely squat about: she's created and produced a book app from start to finish--one that's aimed at helping kids learn to read with their parents and on their own.

Based on Robert Browning’s well-known story The Pied Piper of Hamelin, this app has been a labor of love to produce, and now it is available for purchase on iTunes and Google Play.

We wanted to know more about what goes into the making of a book app, and we also wanted to do a good turn for one of our fellow KidLitCon peeps, so without further ado, here is the scoop on the brand-new app The Pied Piper.


FW: Where did you grow up? What's your educational background?

I grew up in suburban Mumbai in the late 70’s and 80’s. Mostly middle class commuting, apartment community, the city was well known for its amazing performing arts center. I remember looking forward to summer drama marathons, children’s theater classes and swimming lessons.

I went to school in my hometown and graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in Commerce. I was very fortunate to attend a school with a fantastic library. My parents were voracious readers. Growing up, I remember the pile of newspapers at our doorstep each morning and number of local library visits that my mother would take me to. At school too we all read a ton! The love for reading started at school and continued at home.

In US, I completed my Masters in management with a focus on Finance and Marketing.

FW: Can you briefly describe the process of getting a book app made, from concept to a finished product ready to buy?

Creating an app is much like directing a movie. From script, art, music and voiceover, the many pieces need to be put together to make an app. But it all starts with a story :)

Our Pied Piper App story started with a re-writing of the original Robert Browning’s Pied Piper of Hamelin. Once the script was in place, we re-imagined the story book as an app. At Stacking Books, we want to make sure we inspire children to engage in literacy and excite them. That meant making a book app with incredible art, music and voice experience.

Our artist, Andrea Dailey created the original story board for the script and from there we narrowed it down to specific interactivity for the smart platform. While we envisioned the interactive aspect of a story book app to be integral, we had to constantly keep a fine balance between distracting from the reading and keeping the reader actively engaged. Andrea worked tirelessly to create the right texture, palette and characters for the story. Her high resolution art work makes it easy to fit the book for many screens.

Then came the voice over, sound and music. We interviewed several voice over artists but one voice stood out. Lucas Schuneman, with over 10 years as a voice over artist, expertly modulated his voice to suit the many characters of the book. We loved how he was able to capture the mood of the story right off the bat. Lucas successfully captures the various emotions of distress, joy and treachery of the story.

Mark Kueffner, our brilliant music and sound editor, finished the creative aspect of the app by providing original soundtrack and sound effects. We asked Mark to give this book app a sound that will take you back in time and imagine the setting of the original story. Mark experimented in his lab and came up with a tune that does exactly that. Again, our focus was to not distract but add to the experience of story- telling through the medium of an app. Mark with his many years of experience in TV and Movies, created the original soundtrack and worked from there to create mini tunes as the Piper’s magical tunes.

Parallely, at Stacking Books, we were hard at work putting all the pieces into software. Our goal, right from the beginning, was to create book apps targeting the most popular devices. Our publication as of this writing works on both iOS and Android devices worldwide.

FW: What was the inspiration for this app?

The goal of creating book apps was to create rich content for little readers. To give them a choice of reading on all platforms. Our libraries and book stores are filled with amazing literature. At Stacking Books, we hope to provide similar rich kidlit for the next generation digital readers.

We grew up reading stories by Brothers Grimm. The story of Pied Piper is one among the many stories. Robert Browning’s version of the mystery man called the Pied Piper was intriguing. Bordering on fact and fiction this was a tale that we found we could recreate with easier to understand language. We hope we got a chance to capture the same mystique from the original telling in our story book app.

FW: Who is its ideal audience?

We have seen many book apps designed for the very young. At Stacking Books, we believe that children who have a basic foundation of reading, and are engaged readers are ideal to use book apps. Our Pied Piper App, was thus designed for children 4 years and above.

FW: What made you decide to go with the app format instead of a traditional book or ebook?

The Book App is a unique story telling platform. The audio visual components of a book app are perfect for many types of readers, but especially for reluctant readers. Also, by nature book apps are interactive, which lends to more immersive experience when done correctly. At Stacking Books, we were thrilled to leverage the creative aspects of storytelling on tablets and extend, moderate and design books for this media.

FW: What was the hardest part in developing this app?

I think there was no one piece that was more or less challenging than others. Different tasks had their own unique challenges and we had to constantly re-think and re-work on our assumptions. For example, while we had worked out a storyboard, we stumbled into a particular page that simply did not work towards the flow of the story. We had to go back a re-work on the page several times before we could finally say “done”. Another time, we had a major software stumble when the software capabilities fell short of what we had envisioned as the interactive piece. We finally had to write code outside of the software and plug it in to make it work.

FW: Did you have to gain any new technological skills in order to create a book app?

Yes! In the beginning we had decided to outsource the technology piece. But we soon realized that we had less control over the creative pieces if we did so. Subsequently, I decided to simply “DIY” and dove right in. The decision paid off. We now have critical software, skills as well as processes in place to streamline the next book app production.

FW: What was the easiest part of production and development?

I wish I could actually honestly say there was an easy part :) The Pied Piper app is our first production, and it has been a thrilling yet challenge all through the way. I think once we had the software piece and skills in place, the time to create and build the latter half of the book app was slightly easier or faster than earlier.

FW: What's next for you? Is this going to be an ongoing thing, building apps?

Our fantastic group of KidLitCon organizers, including Reshama (2nd from right)We are thrilled to release our first production. We loved every aspect of building it and look forward to making more. We are, at this point, looking for content and partnerships with publishers who might be interested to add book apps as potential extensions to their portfolio.

FW: Bonus question: What do you hope people will ask you as they interview you that no one's asked yet?

We have a wonderful blog where we share our favorite children’s books. We hope you can stop by and take a look.


Our minds are pretty well blown at the whole project -- what a huge learning curve, and what a beautiful end product! Definitely do go visit Stacking Books, and check out the charming and visually impressive Pied Piper for yourself. Our sincere thanks to Reshama for stopping by and giving us such a vivid behind-the-scenes look at creating a book app!

This work is copyrighted material. All opinions are those of the writer, unless otherwise indicated. All book reviews are UNSOLICITED, and no money has exchanged hands, unless otherwise indicated. Please contact the weblog owner for further details.

Cybils Finalist Review: THE DUMBEST IDEA EVER! by Jimmy Gownley

Summary : This book has got a great title. Rest assured the premise lives up to the promise. This was one of my personal favorite titles from this year's excellent crop of Cybils graphic novel finalists. The autobiographical story of how the author decided to become a cartoonist and start drawing comics, The Dumbest Idea Ever! is also one of the funniest books ever--Jimmy is a relatable narrator who endures the usual bumbling toward adolescence that anyone who has ever been a tween will recognize.

Peaks : Creative kids and teens in particular will really relate to Jimmy's story. For the sake of those readers, not to mention the younger me, I loved the final message about not giving up, and being humble enough to know where you still need to learn and to ask for help when you need it. But this is obviously not just a story with a moral message—it's also the story of a regular kid who comes up against obstacles (the normal ones like sports and girlfriends, as well as a few curve balls) and muddles through. He battles his own ego (and its inverse, the nasty voice that tells you you aren't good enough).

Click to embiggenI was impressed by the accurate portrayal of the teen characters in all their awkward, poor-impulse-control glory, the highs and lows of teen life in a small town. Also, the role of the parents and other adults in the story is not minimized, but the focus remains on Jimmy and his quest. And, again, there's a great underlying theme/message of persistence despite obstacles in order to achieve your dream. The visual style is simple and traditional, easy to read as well as very, very funny.

Valleys : There were a few moments here and there when the story's timeline jumped and I was momentarily confused, but that was my only quibble. An all-around excellent title.

Conclusion : This book is so hilarious and endearing and inspiring, too. I laughed out loud many, many times. Really. I keep trying to think of people I can shove this onto, besides my 10-year-old nephew, who is definitely getting a birthday copy. (Good thing he doesn't read this blog!)  If you like graphic novel memoirs, especially ones like Smile by Raina Telgemaier or El Deafo by Cece Bell (this year's Cybils winner), read it.

I received my copy of this book courtesy of my library. You can find THE DUMBEST IDEA EVER! by Jimmy Gownley at an online e-tailer, or at a real life, independent bookstore near you!

This work is copyrighted material. All opinions are those of the writer, unless otherwise indicated. All book reviews are UNSOLICITED, and no money has exchanged hands, unless otherwise indicated. Please contact the weblog owner for further details.

Cybils Finalist Review: STRANGE FRUIT, VOLUME I by Joel Christian Gill

Summary : In a recent NPR interview, Joel Christian Gill said, "These stories are quintessentially American stories. I can't say that enough. It's not that I dislike Black History Month. I just don't think Black History Month is enough." I agree completely--most especially with the fact that these ARE quintessentially American tales, and interesting ones, to boot. Yes, these are stories of "Uncelebrated Narratives from Black History," but aside from that, they're just plain absorbing: true stories about nine individuals from black history who made an impact each in their own way--and in some surprising ways, too: for instance, the first American stage magician was an African American, as was Bass Reeves, the most successful Wild West lawman in history.

Peaks : I was drawn in so quickly to these intriguing, fascinating, action-packed, little-known stories from history. Each of the characters was inspiring and brought to life with a lot of personality and humor--with just a touch of the old-style American tall tale to them, though the subject matter is factual--and the stories were all very different and interesting.

click to embiggen
Overall, in fact, this one really does a nice job of combining education and entertainment. The book ends with a Did You Know section containing added facts about each of the nine individual stories, which was a nice touch. There is also ample bibliographic information for people who want to study the subject in depth. But purely on their own merits, the stories have a lot to offer readers, regardless of their level of interest in black history. It brings to life some lost voices from history that are interesting in their own right, independent of adding black history to the standard canon, which this book also encourages.

With respect to the graphic storytelling, I loved the fun and humor and expressiveness of the artwork. It was just very well done—simple but effective, and with great integration of text and image in a variety of ways. Humor is also used well, and I enjoyed the use of "placeholder" images inside word balloons to substitute for racial slurs like the N-word. (Gill addresses this in his NPR interview; I highly suggest checking it out.)

Valleys : Something I couldn't help noticing--as much as I really loved this book--there are no stories in which women are the central figures. Given that this is Volume 1, I'm hoping Volume 2 rectifies this situation, because it seemed a rather glaring omission otherwise...

Conclusion : While the title of this one might prompt some to assume that it is more factual than fun, rest assured that it is most definitely both. I was quite inspired and moved by these tales of heroism and accomplishment, both ordinary and extraordinary, in arenas as varied as the stage, the Old West, the cycling arena and the basketball court. Make sure you read that NPR interview if you want to learn more about the book and its author.

I received my copy of this book courtesy of the publisher. You can find Strange Fruit, Volume I: Uncelebrated Narratives from Black History by Joel Christian Gill at an online e-tailer, or at a real life, independent bookstore near you!

This work is copyrighted material. All opinions are those of the writer, unless otherwise indicated. All book reviews are UNSOLICITED, and no money has exchanged hands, unless otherwise indicated. Please contact the weblog owner for further details.

Cybils 2014 Review: EL DEAFO by Cece Bell

Summary : Before writing up this post, I honestly didn't realize that El Deafo by Cece Bell had won the 2015 Newbery Award. Well, now it's also won a Cybils Award for 2014, in the Elementary and Middle Grade Graphic Novels category! And I'm thrilled that I got to be a Round 2 judge this year for Graphic Novels, because I got to read so many of last year's fantastic works of comic literature.

Anyway, clearly I was not influenced by the fact that this book won the Newbery, since I found that out well after we made our choices, but obviously this one is a standout. A memoir of the author's elementary school years learning to cope with a hearing impairment as well as the other tribulations of being a kid, this one became an immediate favorite for me as soon as I started reading.

Peaks : As I just mentioned, one of the strengths of this book is the fact that it's a funny story about an endearing character going through all of the classic problems of childhood, plus a few unexpected challenges because she is hearing impaired, but none of these daunt Cece's ongoing optimism, resilience, wit, humor, or doggedness. That image in itself is one that any child with a disability very much needs, and those without disabilities also need to see, to show how other people's reactions come across and to emphasize that they are fully-rounded people—they are not simply a disability.

Cece's youthful experiences and misadventures will be relatable not just by kids with hearing loss but all kids, as she runs up against the classic problems caused by being the new girl in class, getting a crush on a boy, and dealing with the sometimes-fickle friendships of grade school. Her fantasies of herself as superhero El Deafo--her giant Phonic Ear hearing aid giving her amazing super-hearing powers--are hilarious and also relatable.

Click to embiggen. Do it now!!I loved the graphic storytelling. It was cute, and also impish, the characters rendered as humanlike rabbits (reminding me of how Matt Groening's Life in Hell characters were mostly rabbits...but more PG, I suppose). Appealing, colorful, and funny.

Valleys : I honestly didn't have any criticisms about the book itself. But--and this could be just me--I can't get past the idea that adults might hand this to kids for didactic purposes only, rather than because it's a funny story about a kid their age who just happens to be deaf. I would hate for that to ever be the case because it just such a great book all around. I guess the upshot is, whether kids pick this up on their own or because they are "supposed to" read it, I see it as having that critical combination of kid appeal and literary merit that will make it both a memorable and enjoyable read.

Conclusion : As I've mentioned in previous posts, when I make notes about Cybils finalist titles, I use a numerical rating system which is there to help me weigh each book on its own merits according to the Cybils criteria. It helps me zero in on which titles have just the right combination of traits, so that I can try to put any personal biases or preferences aside to focus on what would make the best CYBILS title and not just my own favorite. This one was one of my favorites AND it scored the highest on my rating system for the E/MG graphic novel finalists.

If you loved it as much as I did, you can find out more about the book and the author (who is married to the equally talented and hilarious Tom Angleberger, aka Sam Riddleburger) on her website and follow her on Twitter @CeceBellBooks. Also, don't miss the fab interview from 2008 by the 7-Imps.

I received my copy of this book courtesy of my library. You can find EL DEAFO by Cece Bell at an online e-tailer, or at a real life, independent bookstore near you!

This work is copyrighted material. All opinions are those of the writer, unless otherwise indicated. All book reviews are UNSOLICITED, and no money has exchanged hands, unless otherwise indicated. Please contact the weblog owner for further details.

Thursday Review: THE SCULPTOR by Scott McCloud

Summary : Yesterday, rather serendipitously, I had just finished reading the just-released graphic novel by Scott McCloud entitled The Sculptor and was reading some online news when I encountered this story about the collapse and rebuilding of a 60-foot ice sculpture alongside Lake Superior in Wisconsin. The artist, Roger Hanson, said, "I live with failure on a daily basis. It's just a matter of putting your jacket on, and going and fixing what you have to do, and get this thing back on track."

In McCloud's new graphic novel, sculptor David Smith has to live with failure on a daily basis. First of all, he has to be known as "the other David Smith" (because of this guy). Second of all, he's scraping out an NYC living as a starving artist but he feels like he can't interest anyone in his work. Depressed and morose, he is desperate not to be doomed to mediocrity. That's when Death comes along in the guise of David's dead Uncle Harry and offers him a deal: David will gain the power to sculpt anything he wants, or can imagine, with his bare hands, but with one teensy catch:

He'll only have 200 days to live. 200 days to make his mark on the world. 200 days to reinvent his life, mend his friendships, fall in love, and realize what he has to lose.

click to embiggen Peaks : Though it's not specifically aimed at a teen audience, The Sculptor is a great crossover title for both adult and teen readers. With themes (described on the back of the book) including "a wish, a deal with death, the price of art, and the value of life," it's got broad appeal for those who like magical realism, or who like their midlife career crisis stories leavened with a healthy dose of divine intervention. No, this isn't "It's a Wonderful Life" for artists, but any creative person will recognize narrator David's internal struggles, wanting his life and work to be meaningful but unable to figure out how to get there.

Of course, there's an important subtext to this story, which is that sometimes you already have what you want and don't recognize or appreciate it. David carries guilt for not feeling like he appreciated his family until they were all dead and gone. Now he's seized with the idea that in order to make the rest of his life meaningful, he has to achieve certain specific milestones or he will be a failure. Then his new power to sculpt anything he wants—shaping marble with his bare hands, for example, or twisting iron girders into dazzling configurations—provides the possibility of another shot at his career. But having a meaningful life is more than just having this power or that ability, and when love enters David's life in the form of the dazzling but troubled aspiring actress Meg, his plans for the last 200 days are complicated in ways he hadn't ever pictured.

click to embiggenSince this book was written by the guy who basically wrote the book on drawing comics (I mean Understanding Comics and its companion books, NOT Drawing the Marvel Way, of course), I was not surprised that it turned out to be not only well written but visually stunning. Drawn monochromatically in black and white with tones created using wash, McCloud uses the full range of graphic conventions when it comes to panel layout and visual expressiveness, with a result that is absorbing and even cinematic in style.

Valleys : I guess the only negative thing I can say is that David the narrator was sometimes annoyingly dense and clueless. Realistically so, but sometimes I just wanted to give him a smack and tell him to get his head out of his butt.

Conclusion : If you like the style of Adrian Tomine and other comic artists who have a knack for exploring the inner mind with subtlety and expressiveness, you'll want to read McCloud's latest foray into fiction. If you like graphic storytelling that weaves the realistic and the supernatural (like Neil Gaiman's Sandman), this is a good one. And of course if you've been influenced and educamacated as much as I have by McCloud's instructional books, you won't want to miss it. I may have made the story sound like it's all heavy seriousness, but I laughed out loud, too—there's plenty of humorous banter and comic misadventure to balance out the tragedy, and in the end, the story manages to be both sad and uplifting at the same time: no mean feat.

I received my copy of this book courtesy of First Second. You can find The Sculptor by Scott McCloud at an online e-tailer, or at a real life, independent bookstore near you!

This work is copyrighted material. All opinions are those of the writer, unless otherwise indicated. All book reviews are UNSOLICITED, and no money has exchanged hands, unless otherwise indicated. Please contact the weblog owner for further details.

Cybils Finalists for Black History Month

Source: NAACPReaders, February is Black History Month. We've admittedly been a bit busy around here with Cybils reading and judging and whatnot, but while I was trying to settle on today's post topic, I thought it would be a great opportunity to highlight some of the many diverse titles that made it to the second round as Cybils finalists. We've had more diverse books than ever before, which is lovely, and they are all of high quality with fabulous kid appeal, of course.

Without further ado, here's a list (to the best of my knowledge, and in no particular order) of finalists that feature African American protagonists, themes, and/or authors.

For Kids and Tweens:

Lulu and the Rabbit Next Door
by Hilary McKay

The Lion Who Stole My Arm by Nicola Davies
Knock Knock: My Dad’s Dream for Me by Daniel Beaty
The Crossover by Kwame Alexander
Voices from the March on Washington by J. Patrick Lewis and George Ella Lyon
Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson

Boys of Blur by N. D. Wilson
For Teens:
Strange Fruit, Volume I: Uncelebrated Narratives from Black History by Joel Christian Gill and Henry Louis Gates Jr.
The Harlem Hellfighters by Max Brooks, illustrated by Canaan White
The Freedom Summer Murders by Don Mitchell
The Port Chicago 50: Disaster, Mutiny, and the Fight for Civil Rights by Steve Sheinkin
Pointe by Brandy Colbert
When I Was the Greatest by Jason Reynolds
While We Run (African-Australian)by Karen Healey

This work is copyrighted material. All opinions are those of the writer, unless otherwise indicated. All book reviews are UNSOLICITED, and no money has exchanged hands, unless otherwise indicated. Please contact the weblog owner for further details.

Blog Tour: ARES: BRINGER OF WAR (Olympians #7) by George O'Connor

click to embiggen. Summary : Ares is the seventh book in O'Connor's very successful Olympians series of graphic novels. In fact, I was amazed to see that we've already gotten to book 7, because that means I've missed quite a few in the middle. For those who are interested, we featured the first book, Zeus (reviewed here), and last year we hosted a guest post from the author in honor of the publication of Aphrodite, which was book 6.

I've already talked endlessly about my love of Greek (and all other) mythology, so I won't go into that. But I do want to say that Ares was never my favorite character of the bunch. In that respect, I suppose he represents a side of humanity that I relate to less—the warlike, gleefully conquering, savage side. (Ironic, since my zodiac sign is Aries.) So I was interested to see how O'Connor handled his story, especially given that all I remembered clearly of the stories from my mythology book was something about Ares sowing the teeth of some monster in the ground and reaping a crop of fierce warriors. What the author does is quite clever: we get to see Ares in his element, in context, set against the backdrop of one of the greatest battles in history, the Trojan War. In the process, he comes up against his own divine cousin Athena, also a goddess of war, but of strategy and tactics, based on wisdom.

Peaks : As the battle between the Greeks and Trojans rages, we see—from the gods' vantage—the whole sorry escapade with Patroclus disguising himself as Achilles to rile up the troops and get them raging for blood, and then Hector killing Patroclus thinking he's Achilles, and then Achilles going after Hector in a battle to the death. Yep, you've got it: it's Homer's Iliad. It's a clever way to flesh out the story of Ares and really show him being a war god, and it's also a fun way to show the gods in one of their many times of strife, their battle echoing the one on the ground and driving home the point that the Greek pantheon was anthropomorphic, reflecting human traits and preoccupations.

click to embiggenO'Connor brings this all to life in a very readable, traditional comic-book style, with plenty of action but a minimum of actual gore, and little flourishes of anachronistic humor that the contemporary reader will enjoy. It's got a high production value, and quite a bit of wonderful educational extras at the end (don't miss the G(r)eek Notes for some entertaining glimpses into the author's thought process), but at the same time this is a friendly, fun series that in no way feels didactic.

Valleys : If I have to articulate my quibbles, there were a couple of minor ones. Every so often I found myself wryly smirking at a particularly apparent example of "Learn to Draw the Marvel Way," although it does seem fitting to depict the Greek gods in superhero-like dramatic fashion, so that's more of an observation and a personal reaction than anything else. (Believe me, I live with someone who learned to draw the Marvel way, and now he teaches figure drawing and I have to hear all about how anatomically inaccurate the Marvel way can be.)

From time to time, the flashing back and forth between the action at Olympus and the action on the ground had me a little confused, in terms of who was who and which gods supported which mortals, and so I had to fall back on my background knowledge of the Iliad to get it straight in my mind. Ultimately, though, since this is NOT the actual Iliad, it isn't critical to have all those details straight in my head for the purposes of this book.

Conclusion : Overall, this is another excellent addition to the series, and a fantastically fun way to get younger readers interested in Greek mythology. Mythology buffs like myself will almost always enjoy a new retelling, and this one sticks quite close to the original tales, so I can see the series being a great addition to either a home or classroom library. Now, if you'll excuse me, I gotta go catch up on all those volumes I missed…but in the meantime, be sure to check out the other entries in this blog tour--including blog buds Charlotte, Mary Ann, and Mary Lee! Thanks to Gina Gagliano at First Second for organizing the celebration.

I received my copy of this book courtesy of First Second. You can find ARES: BRINGER OF WAR by George O'Connor at an online e-tailer, or at a real life, independent bookstore near you!

This work is copyrighted material. All opinions are those of the writer, unless otherwise indicated. All book reviews are UNSOLICITED, and no money has exchanged hands, unless otherwise indicated. Please contact the weblog owner for further details.

TOON THURSDAY: New and Probably Not Improved!

New cartoon today, as promised! I've had the sketch of this one sitting around for at least a week. I couldn't not draw this one. It made me snicker. Um, why, yes, it IS semi-autobiographical... Enjoy.

This work is copyrighted material. All opinions are those of the writer, unless otherwise indicated. All book reviews are UNSOLICITED, and no money has exchanged hands, unless otherwise indicated. Please contact the weblog owner for further details.