Sarah Jamila Stevenson's Blog: Blog - Sarah Jamila Stevenson, page 47

KidLitCon 2014: Further Thoughts (and Sketches)

I meant to do this post last Thursday, but work spun dizzily out of my control, tossing me into a whirling black hole (do black holes whirl? I feel like they do) of getting-caught-up. Tanita's done some amazing posts with lovely photos of the KidLitCon last weekend, and while I can't compete with the photos (mainly because I forgot to take any...sigh) I do have a couple of quick sketches I did during sessions, which is a Thing I Do at Conferences when I'm not jotting notes. And I did jot notes, too, and was left with a lot of food for thought on blogging and on diversity.

Charlotte of Charlotte's Library--a fellow Cybil-ite and a good friend from previous KidLitCons--gave a very practical and thought-provoking presentation the first day on Finding Your Voice. You'd think this wouldn't be a problem after blogging for as long as I have (EONS!) but it really and truly is something I constantly agonize over. Here are some things I learned from Charlotte; things I'm still working through in relation to my own blogging and what I might want to do with it in the future, and making myself feel like it MATTERS:
What makes a blog interesting? Focus + intensity/passion + personality. However, in order to stand out and be authoritative, a personal approach needs reasons to back it up.People will relate when you talk about what you care about--but to what extent should one talk about personal things? "Things that make the blogger a protagonist in their book journey" - that's what many readers want to see from a book blogConsider who is the target audience, but also who isn't.What is holding you back from writing strong blog posts? Is it diffidence? Or a desire not to hurt feelings?Those were some big take-aways for me, especially the idea of showing one's personality through a conscious attempt to share our journey with books. Also diffidence--because I have trouble getting very personal with blogging. 

Another great session I attended was Getting Beyond Diversity, with Jewell Parker Rhodes (pictured), Hannah Gomez, and Edi Campbell. One point that really resonated with me was something Jewell said, which is that when considering diversity in books, we have to think about what we don't see as well as what we do see.  Hannah added that it's important to know your own biases as well as your readers' biases. Edi shared a list of diverse reads she recommended, and I was reminded during this session that posting a themed roundup of books is always a good thing for book bloggers to do now and again, and something I haven't been doing.

I honestly can't gush enough about keynote Mitali Perkins or the Skype presentation from Shannon Hale. They were awesome! I think my tweets are probably the best record of those particular sessions, as well as the one by the folks from #WeNeedDiverseBooks. There were a lot of provocative ideas brought up, and not-so-provocative things we should all think about and remember. A few of my tweets from the conference sessions (and a drawing of S.E. Sinkhorn from the #WeNeedDiverseBooks panel):
Zetta Elliott: blanket policies that exclude self-pubbed books uphold the status quo. @zettaelliott #kidlitconDiversity: Review books that you think matter. @shgmclicious #kidlitconA child's imagination co-directs story along w/writer, & accesses all 5 senses. W/movies, director is in charge. #kidlitcon @MitaliPerkins  Tropes, good or bad, when repeated again and again, begin to acquire power. @MitaliPerkins #kidlitconWriting diversity: how is race defined, if at all? If not, is it assumed that white is the "default race"? @MitaliPerkins #kidlitconIf you're going to cross a border of power in your story, have you done the work to authentically tell that story? @MitaliPerkins #kidlitconAn important job of writers: stop being safe & scared and start telling the truth of the world. @haleshannon #kidlitconThe assumption is that stories about men & boys are universal, while stories about women & girls are only for girls. @haleshannon #kidlitcon  When will writers/books of diversity not be solely relegated to "diverse reads"? @haleshannon #kidlitcon  Making a personal/emotional connection helps readers engage with your blog or campaign. @karensandlerYA #kidlitcon  Kids need to see others, see diversity, so they can learn to be empathetic. @karensandlerYA #kidlitcon #WeNeedDiverseBooks  .@karensandlerYA on reading outside our comfort zone: "I think it's good to be a little uncomfortable. #kidlitcon #WeNeedDiverseBooks  .@farre talks about how diversity is more than race or culture - it's also socioeconomic status. #kidlitcon  "Caring is not trying, and trying is not succeeding." @shgmclicious #kidlitcon #WeNeedDiverseBooks  Bloggers have an important role in reaching people who care but who don't know where to go from there. @shgmclicious #kidlitcon  Thanks to Unconventional Librarian Pam, I also took a SHELFIE with Mitali's upcoming book Tiger Boy, but I'll leave you to find that for yourself on Twitter if you really must see it. I always think I look weird in photos (and selfies possibly even more so) and this is no exception. Don't forget to check the #kidlitcon hashtag on Twitter to read more live tweets from the conference--believe me, they were flying fast and furious, and it was a great simultaneous discussion.

I really hope to be there next year in BALTIMORE for more amazing book talk. I always end up feeling much more energized about blogging, with all these wonderful ideas (which I currently have no time to implement, argh) and I honestly couldn't recommend this conference more if you are a kidlit or YA blogger or author. Really really.

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.

KidLitCon 2014: Small World, Diverse Voices

In my closing comments at this past weekend's KidLitCon in Sacramento, CA, I included a few notes I jotted down over the course of the conference. These were just some insights that sprang to mind over the course of the conference, and which seemed to perfectly encapsulate how I feel about KidLitCon and why I value it so highly. Ideally, it's what most conferences do, but what I feel KidLitCon does particularly well, and that's providing a space for us--kidlit bloggers, in this case--to help each other.

On an everyday basis, blogging is a rather solitary endeavor, even when you share a blog like Tanita and I do, or contribute to a group blog. You're still writing up posts and figuring things out mostly on your own. An event like KidLitCon helps us support one other in person, reminding us that we are all real people who share a passion for reading and sharing children's and YA books. We can compare notes on what works, and what we still need to work on. We help each other improve and share tips and tricks. We talk books, writing, reviewing, technology, literacy, outreach.

And this year we talked about the hot-button topic of DIVERSITY. Diverse books as well as diverse target audiences; diversity of socioeconomic class and gender and race and sexuality and religion and physical ability; checking our biases and default assumptions; and the importance of providing both windows AND mirrors when it comes to books for young readers.

I want to do a more detailed post soon with some bullet points on what I learned, especially from our fantastic keynote speaker Mitali Perkins, but for today I'll just share one huge takeaway that really resonated with me, and that was something Shannon Hale said in her Skype presentation about why it is so incredibly important to write stories about a wide range of characters, with a diversity of protagonists.

That little girl--whoever she may be--needs a story about HER.

This resonated so strongly for me. In part, it's because of an experience I had during a school visit when I was promoting my first book, The Latte Rebellion. I did a reading and Q&A with the lunchtime book club at Balboa High School in San Francisco, which was a wonderful experience in itself because they had all read the book and had so many specific and intriguing questions to ask me. But the best comment I received--one of the best I've received, ever--came from a girl who approached me afterward to say, "Thank you for writing this book. I feel like you wrote it about ME."

Yes. That, right there, is proof that what Shannon said is so, so true. It ties in with the need for books that are mirrors and not just windows. Seeing ourselves as active protagonists in stories reassures us all that we can be active protagonists in our own stories. It provides validation and recognition and presence, which are fundamental rights, and necessary prerequisites for everyone if we want a diverse community.

More soon...

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: IN REAL LIFE by Cory Doctorow and Jen Wang

Summary : There aren't many books, graphic novel or not, that can combine sweetness and seriousness in the way In Real Life does. Written by Cory Doctorow with art by Jen Wang, it's a deceptively simple story at first: the protagonist, Anda, is the new girl in town. She's shy, and has trouble meeting people at school, but when a young woman comes to her computer class and gives a guest talk about girl gamers, Anda is rapt. In Coarsegold Online, she's free to be herself, but also not be herself at the same time, and it's a heady combination.

Turns out Anda really is good at the online gaming thing, and she soon makes herself an invaluable part of the team, making friends with other girls in the process. Online, of course. But, as we all know about MMORPGs, she also encounters a wide range of other people from all over the world. Some of those people, though, are illicitly harvesting game items to sell online to wealthier players—gold farmers, a concept that will be familiar to anyone who read Cory Doctorow's YA novel For The Win (reviewed here). This one proves Doctorow can write girl gamers just as well as he writes about guy gamers.

One day, Anda and her team are dispatched on a raid to go bust the chops of some gold farmers. Normally this would be a straightforward task, but then one of the gold farmers' avatar…talks to Anda. He's just another kid, sitting at a computer in China, but it doesn't take a long conversation before Anda realizes there's something really wrong and exploitative about the whole gold farming business. And that's when things start to get complicated for Anda, both online and IRL.

Image acquired from Forbidden Planet blog - go
check out their awesome feature on In Real Life.
Peaks : This story was really lovely in its empowerment of girl gamers. I thought that was awesome. If you're old enough to remember video gaming BEFORE the internets connected us all, being a girl video gamer was a lonely prospect. If you owned a game console, you could play by yourself in your house, and you might have a friend or two who would play with you sometimes, and chances were pretty good those friends would be guys. If you ventured to an arcade, you were likely to be the only girl there over the age of ten. (And then you grew up to be one of the few girls working for a male-dominated video game review website. Not that this is autobiographical or anything.)

Now, being an introvert, I was totally fine with solitary hours playing Tetris or Super Mario Brothers; but things might have been very different if there had been more girl gamers around. What I love is the sense of teamwork and group accomplishment that Anda gains from being part of her raiding team—qualities that can and do apply to real-life relationships. And it's a slap in the face of everyone who assumes girl gamers don't exist. On the contrary--I can see girl gamers reading this and just glowing at the idea that, here they are, finally represented in a story about THEM. It is, as I said, lovely.

I want to talk about the artwork, too. The artwork just immediately endears you to all the characters and makes you want to hug them. It's fun, cute, colorful…In its style, it reminds me of graphic novels by Raina Telgemeier. But don't mistake me—by cute, I don't mean cutesy. It's very appealing visually, with a looseness in its drawing style that makes it feel…approachable.

Valleys : I don't think there's a single negative thing I have to say about this one, honestly.

Conclusion : One quick thing to add: If you're in the San Francisco Bay Area, the authors are going to be at Mrs. Dalloway's bookstore in Berkeley NEXT THURSDAY, Oct. 16. Squee!

I received my copy of this book courtesy of First Second. You can find In Real Life by Cory Doctorow and Jen Wang at an online e-tailer, or at a real life, independent bookstore near you on October 14th, 2014!

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.

KidLitCon 2014 Is Coming!

....this weekend! And we are excited. Even if you're not formally registered, if you live in the Sacramento area (and beyond) and want to attend the informal Author Mingle, you can! It's free and open to the public, with books for sale by Avid Reader and a wide range of children's/YA authors and illustrators to meet and greet, including yours truly and yours-truly's co-blogger. Please spread the word!

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.

In Tandem: CHASING POWER by SARAH BETH DURST

Welcome to another edition of In Tandem, the read-and-review posts where we both give our two cents at the same time. Once again, Sarah Beth Durst, the well-regarded and multi-talented speculative fiction author, has caught our imagination with a fresh and original take on an old chestnut - the race against the clock trope - an unusual female protagonist we may or may not "like," and plenty of action in this new novel. We've read it together - quibbled back and forth - and have come to our usual conclusion: that Sarah Beth Durst is one of our favorite writers. We hope you'll enjoy the ride! (And we'll leave it up to you to decide which one of us is the pink owl and which one is the yellow owl.) (ETA: Oh, I'm definitely the snarkier pink owl today. -tsd) It's...
Two writers, both readers.
One book.

In Tandem.

Summary : Sixteen-year-old Kayla lifts things with her mind - and usually she also lifts them out of pockets, out of store cases, and out of the custody of their rightful owners. A gifted telekinetic, she can steal anything from anybody, almost at any time. No need to be the usual pickpocket when you can sit across the street from your subject and never, never have him catch on. Together with her Lamborghini-driving BFF, and her hippie-dippy, amulet-and-crystal draped mother, Moonbeam, Kayla inhabits a spot-on Santa Barbara like the light-fingered lady she is. On the surface, Kayla's just stealing because she can, but the reader soon learns that there are reasons -- and, eventually, consequences. Being blackmailed is nasty and ugly - unfortunately the blackmailer is nasty, bossy, and pretty hot. Kayla's job is to help Daniel find clues to solve the mystery of his missing mother - or he'll reveal her telekinetic, thief-tastic ways to everyone. Eventually, Kayla goes along - but finding his mother, based on the clues? Is difficult. Making sure her blackmailer doesn't leave her a smear against a cliff, or leave them stranded somewhere crazy? Even harder. Hardest of all is to deceive her suddenly savvy, suddenly less blindly loving mother. The world Kayla thought she knew - and the facts of that world, on which she built her life - are suddenly shifting.

We received our copies of this book courtesy of the author. After October 14th, you can find Chasing Power by Sarah Beth Durst at an online e-tailer, or at a real life, independent bookstore near you!

♦♦♦♦ ♦♦♦♦ ♦♦♦♦ ♦♦♦♦
Initial Reactions, Characterizations and Rants, Oh My
Sarah Stevenson: Sarah Beth Durst has SUCH a cute and quirky yet also clear-eyed way of looking at the world. She set the scene in Santa Barbara vividly and (to a California girl) recognizably. There's lush detail everywhere you look--but not excessive, either. Just...fun. Whether it's the city, or Kayla's cottage, or the voodoo shop, or Tikal, there's a clear sense of place in this novel and each place is different. 

I also really enjoy how she takes what could be character stereotypes or tired story tropes and turns them on their head in some way. Like, Handsome Stranger Boy is, yes, handsome and mysterious, but SUPER annoying, too. SUPER. ANNOYING. Hippie Flaky Mom--well, it's kind of an act, because she also isn't as dumb as she looks. A New Orleans Voodoo Queen (oh, was I ready to cringe) is really just this lady, with a Southern accent (and a sense of humor) and a magical history. Selena isn't just a fashionable rich party girl, but someone with BRAINS and an impish, troublesome best friend. Lots to like, here.

I wasn't immediately grabbed on the first couple of pages by Kayla, because I wasn't sure what was happening, I guess, but it was hard not to get absorbed by her thievery. She's flawed, a bit of a trickster, really, and obviously that's going to land her in trouble. However, it's amusing that she wants to be in CONTROL of her troublemaking. Other people landing her in trouble is not acceptable.

TS Davis: Sarah Beth ROCKS the voice in this novel. I actually initially disliked the main character, but I agree - it's such a TEXTURED dislike - she's dislikeable BECAUSE. The moody, selfish, self-defeating, never-explaining-never-discussing-quiet resentment. She's very clearly a teen with a lot of the earmarks of stereotypical teendom. I don't have to like her - so not the point. She's REAL. That's where it's at. I can doubt her reasons for things, think her morals and ethics are questionable, think her chip-on-her-shoulder-the-world-owes-me attitude is reprehensible, but I cannot at all quibble with the fact that she exists - that her voice is enough to make her real.

I, too, loved the descriptions of St. B -- I've only been there once or twice, but the first time kind of blew me away -- such excessively rich people, such high end shops, such disparate groups of homeless-looking-but-wearing-trendy-faded-duds kids, just sitting around, doing zip. I could totally see Kayla here, as well as the whole Moonbeam thing. Heh. I'm also glad that Moonbeam is a California cliché ON PURPOSE; I tend to be a teensy bit sensitive about that, seeing as I was born in the state, and get a little sick of hearing about how NorCal is full of pretentious San Franciscans, gay "agenda" and flaky Berkeley hippies and Hollywood immorality, etc. etc. Also, I love Selena, though that sitch with her parents intrigues me. I wish we'd had more time in the novel for that.

Now, you and I are gonna have to differ on the Voodoo Queen. I read her - and liked her - but despite her lively characterization, for me, the character still largely feeds on stereotype. Could she have been White? Yes. I think she could have been White. While it would have lowered the diversity numbers in the novel (or, rather, the diversity numbers in terms of characters of color who get dialogue), she maybe should have been White. I think it's time we all agree that followers of voudon are NOT all mystical/magical Negroes. ESPECIALLY Louisiana voudon practitioners, many of whom have scattered in the wake of Katrina, leaving a DIVERSE group behind. I've actually just read a piece on that, which is kind of fueling my ire on this. However - deep breath - I hereby officially admit that the character of Marguerite is necessary and awesome, but... I admit it with reservations.

Moving on, I'm interested in whether or not the forgive-and-forget moments in the novel are to you realistic and believable.


SJS: Heh. Okay, we officially agree-to-disagree. I enjoyed what I think is one of Sarah's major strengths as a writer--balancing humor with believability.

I wouldn't say I went so far as to dislike the main character, but I agree with you; there's a lot of texture to my feelings about her. I feel like I grew to like her by the end of the book. That proceeded naturally, too; at first, I was kind of thinking she was a little bit of a lowlife; then I was sympathetic to her situation; and then gradually, as I watched her act and react, I started to feel more positive. BUT, ultimately that's less important, because she was believable and interesting and I wanted to know what would happen, regardless of how I felt about her personally.

You asked about the forgive-and-forget moments. I did have a little trouble with those vis-a-vis The Boy. Mostly, I just felt they were still a little rough and needed to be smoothed out before I could feel they were believable. I didn't want to rely simply on knowing the relationship was "supposed" to work out that way--they're supposed to forgive each other, and team up, and have chemistry, etc. --because those are my expectations of this type of story. I wanted to believe it could happen and watch the antagonism turn into something else, and that part didn't work as well for me.


Hearts, Heists, and Having the Last Word
tsd: The last third of the way through the novel, I forgave The Boy a little. Not enough to suck face with him, but... okay, a little. He's STILL a gigantic butt, yes. And he's such a fatalist, constantly -- SO. DANGED. ANNOYING; I love that Kayla was so often ready to slap him. I wish she would've - it might've helped (would have slowed the relationship roll, though, and that kind of felt inevitable, so...maybe not. I would've backhanded his lying face.) And, were I Selena, I would have hit him with a cricket bat - not to include spoilers on what he did, but HOW DARE HE!? Again, it's probably a good sign about voice and characterization that I responded so strongly -- at times I really loathed him - the pushy insouciance was a serious remove-from-gene-pool-immediately type klaxon for me. But, you know me and LYING. [READ: Everyone knows it's Tanita's personal, deal-breaker pet peeve.] That being said: Who's not the core audience for this novel ==========> Me). I think it's wonderful that Boy Wonder was anything but wonderful. That was disturbingly, annoyingly refreshing.


SJS: The resolution of the story--the why and how of all the magic bits, and how Kayla and Daniel and their various parents are connected--that was pretty fascinating. I really liked the explanation of where their powers came from. I also found the Selena/Sam/parents complication really interesting, so I'm glad that subplot got a bit of resolution of its own. ☺ Now to walk carefully, here, so as not to provide spoilers...I have to admit I did NOT see some of the conclusion [detail redacted to prevent spoilers] coming. I thought it was a great and unexpected twist, on the whole, but in certain respects I felt like the Ultimate Villain character lacked the complexity of some of the other, particularly since they have such a key role in how the end plays out. I guess, yes, The Ultimate Villain has kind of "lost it" and isn't all there, but I had some unanswered questions about them. I didn't want them to feel like a cartoon villain so I guess I wanted more of the backstory. Not that I don't find it believable that a bunch of lies about their absent family who aren't there to defend themselves wouldn't be told - that's totally realistic. Just that I really needed to know MORE to know what turned that person into the Ultimate Villain that they are now. 


tsd: Oh, I agree with you on the Ultimate Villain... their emotions were hard to figure for me. Yes, they are cray-cray, but... no. I needed a little more time with that character to understand. And Moonbeam trying to SALVAGE something from the Ultimate Villain????? I was so GLAD that, in the end, Kayla was like, "I need a flippin' vacay." I was feeling that, too. For a simple kidnapping-heist-race-against-time novel, this one has a lot of stuff in it, a lot of serious family stuff, about mothers and daughters. Despite Moonbeam's hopeful hippiedom, sometimes the best thing you can do with failure in that scope is to walk away.


SJS: There's a nice kind of symmetry in the fact that, while Kayla and Moonbeam seem to be forever wandering, The Boy is the one person who will always be able to find them. And I loved the idea of Kayla using her power to its utmost and winning out due to cleverness, in the face of the Ultimate Villain's seemingly overpowering brute force. Cleverness and teamwork save the day. A nice message...


tsd:There's a further symmetry in how the parents SCREWED THE HECK UP and the second generation was trying to be all fixers - even The Boy. Though, "fixers" for a given value of "fix..."

What breaks that symmetry, and provides repeated examples of breakage that isn't fixed is how they casually just strolled through other worlds and cultures - taking. Destroying. Breaking. Some may argue that I'm being too serious and putting too much "real world" into a YA book critique (if not here, though, where?) but... their actions really bugged me, their casual abuse of privilege. Neither of them gives a thought to it -- yes, it's a stone of power, big whoop. It doesn't belong to you. It doesn't belong to your culture. It's not your heritage to appropriate. I don't care if your Mom's being threatened - could we at least think about this/talk about it/acknowledge it, even briefly? Eventually, though, that insouciance and disrespect had its price, I guess... ☺


SJS: So, overall: we like the book, yes? Full of the zippy banter-- sparkling, but stopping short of being too perfect and witty, yet still having it be entertaining and fun. Good characters, unusual premise: a win.


tsd: Kayla could have just balked and not been blackmailed -- I honestly would have liked to see that -- but this book, with its beautiful, striking cover, is at heart a travel book, an adventure book, a take on "Romancing the Stone" for the YA set. It's fast and fun and I think I called it "grippy" when I started reading it. There's a lot to love here, and you'll find it on bookshelves October 14th. Thanks for joining us!

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: BATTLING BOY: THE RISE OF AURORA WEST

Attention, residents of Blogosphere-opolis: This is no ordinary review. This is a very special blog tour review, organized by First Second, who kindly supplied me with review copies of the new superhero graphic novels created by Paul Pope: Battling Boy and The Rise of Aurora West (which is a sort of prequel/companion book to the first volume). In addition to the usual review, I'm also thrilled to draw your attention to some ORIGINAL, EXCLUSIVE ART provided by the artist of The Rise of Aurora West, David Rubin. That's what those amazing sketches are down there: drawings of Haggard West, Aurora's superhero father.

Anyway, on to the review.


Summary :The Rise of Aurora West is just out this month, and it’s the second volume in the series that began with Battling Boy, though each one stands alone pretty well and, honestly, you could read them in reverse order and be just fine. You'll find some overlapping characters, of course—most notably Haggard West, who is city of Arcopolis's main line of defense against the Monsters. Which monsters? Basically all of them, and they steal children. In Battling Boy, readers were introduced to Haggard; Aurora, his daughter and superhero-in-training; and the god-boy sent down by his Thor-like father to help them: Battling Boy. He's basically on his training mission, a rite of passage he must complete to achieve full god-like status. Unfortunately for him, fighting the monsters of Arcopolis proves a bit more difficult than he'd thought, even with the help of Haggard and Aurora.

Battling Boy is, unsurprisingly, the story of Battling Boy. In The Rise of Aurora West, we get some backstory on Aurora and her father, which makes it feel like a prequel more than simply a standalone volume. How did Aurora get to be the butt-kicking almost-fully-fledged superhero she's portrayed as in Battling Boy? How did her mother die, and what does it have to do with her father's monster-fighting mission in life? Though Haggard tries to be a protective father (making sure, of course, that she has proper training in such superheroic areas as monster-mauling and proper jetpack use, and doesn't go out after curfew when the monsters roam), Aurora has a mind of her own and is determined to figure out what her father's not telling her about what happened to her mother.

From Battling Boy - click to embiggen Peaks : These two volumes are fun, funny adventures that reward readers who are familiar with the tropes of superhero comics—they both adhere to and lightly mock many of the conventions of classic comic series. The writing is clever, and the artwork is engaging, with plenty of atmospheric detail in the city itself (reminiscent of, say, Metropolis or Gotham City) and villainous monsters who are just the right amount of ooky and creepy without going unnecessarily overboard.

Valleys : I found it a little more difficult to distinguish what was happening in the action scenes (especially with multiple monsters) in the monochromatic The Rise of Aurora West--it was easier to tell what was happening in the full-color version of Battling Boy. Overall, though, that wasn't a huge issue; it didn't seem to be too important to my understanding of a fight scene to know exactly where Aurora just kicked which monster. (In his…um…monster junk?)

Conclusion : Basically, I'd call this one a super-fun (pun intended) hero series that pays homage to a lot of classics of the genre, and would appeal to both boys and girls who like adventure comics as well as adult readers who like superhero comics (oh, I KNOW you are out there and I am friends with some of you, so don't bother with the denial!).

For the full blog tour schedule complete with links (and more awesome exclusive art), visit Macmillan Teen.

You can find Battling Boy by Paul Pope and The Rise of Aurora West by Paul Pope, JT Petty, and David Rubin 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: Writing Retreats - The Real "Story"

Since I'm leaving today for a weekend writing retreat (during which I sincerely and fervently hope to make serious progress on my WIP), I thought it would be appropriate to repost my cartoon featuring a writing retreat pie chart. 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.

Alison Bechdel is a Genius, but We Already Knew That

Just a quick post today--but I wanted to make sure you all knew that cartoonist/graphic novelist Alison Bechdel has won one of those nifty MacArthur Genius Grant thingies. Yes, of COURSE we knew she was a genius way back when we first heard of the Bechdel test and challenged folks to go forth and write with an awareness of what diversity really means. But it's fantastic to see her ideas recognized and her work get more exposure. If you haven't read Fun Home (reviewed here) or its companion book, Are You My Mother?, I can't recommend them highly enough.



Also, there was a really cool Q&A with Bechdel posted on NPR several days ago--go check it out. Seriously, I'm chuffed that someone so deserving (and someone I've even heard of, no less) has been honored so highly. It's awesome. Go cartoonists!

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: GIRL ON A WIRE by Gwenda Bond

Right--in the interests of full disclosure, Gwenda and I have the same agent, and we've been blog buds for a number of years, so be aware that any viewpoints herein may or may not be free of personal bias. :) I received a review copy of this book from the author/publisher via NetGalley.

Girl on a Wire is one of those books packed with all the characteristics I would have loved as a YA reader growing up: magic, mystery, and just a hint of Romeo and Juliet (literally: the main characters are Remy aka Romeo, and Jules aka Julieta). The high-flying circus setting lends even more drama and atmosphere, with enough detail that you feel like you're there, living the behind-the-scenes touring circus life, but not so much detail that it takes away from the action.

And action there is, promised from the very beginning by the fact that protagonist Jules wants nothing more than to perform with the famous new Cirque American, and do her high wire walk like her old-school idol, Bird Millman (who was a real person). Unfortunately, Jules's parents and grandmother have other ideas, because the Maronis' mortal enemies the Flying Garcias are part of the Cirque American, and there's just no way they can occupy the same patch of ground.

Until, of course, Jules forces the issue. I would have loved to see a bit more of the fallout from her stubbornness, but we quickly move to the main part of the book, which is the tale of the Maronis' return to national circus fame. It doesn't come without a cost, though, and that cost is the fact that every single one of the Flying Garcias comes with an insta-grudge attached. Only Remy (aka Romeo) seems not to buy into the whole family grudge thing, and so Jules's growing friendship with him has to happen in secret. Soon, though, Jules realizes that the bad blood between their families isn't simply aggravating, it's potentially dangerous. It's NOT, of course, because of the allegedly cursed items she keeps finding in her possession. Or is it? And will she and Remy be able to figure out who's trying to sabotage the Maronis' return before someone really gets hurt?

This was a super fun idea, and as a reader I liked seeing the alliances develop between the young protagonists, trying to solve the mystery and move on while the adults remained stubborn and prideful. This one would be great especially for younger YA and older MG readers, and those looking for a mystery with a hint of magic and daring, but without too much violence or danger.

You can find Girl on a Wire by Gwenda Bond online, or at an 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.

Color Me Excited--It's Cybils Season Again!

I just wanted to make sure you all know that Cybils Awards judging panels will be announced this week--Wednesday, to be exact! It's always an exciting time because I know, once the panels get announced, it's time for me to start thinking about books to nominate. And this is a really inspirational year for children's and YA books: we've seen so much well-deserved attention being given to books featuring protagonists from a variety of races, ethnicities, socioeconomic background, gender, sexual orientation...it's the year of #WeNeedDiverseBooks and countless other efforts to bring wonderful diverse reads into the hands of the readers who need them.

If you're a blogger and you have something to say about diversity and diverse books, please consider coming to KidLitCon this year in Sacramento, CA. There's already a growing list of fantastic attendees, authors and bloggers alike, and you'll have a chance to meet several authors (and buy books and get them signed, too!) at the Friday afternoon meet and greet. Plus, of course, there will be a wide range of panels and sessions on children's/YA books and blogging--this year, there's a special focus on diversity, so go check out the program for more details. My favorite part of the conference, though, is always getting to meet bloggers I've "known" for years online, and getting to talk books with bloggers who have become longtime friends both online and offline. Registration closes at the end of this week, so don't delay!! Register now.

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.