Mush! Sled Dogs with Issues by Glenn Eichler and Joe Infurnari –NOT RECOMMENDED

Eichler, Glenn and Infurnari, Joe Mush! Sled Dogs with Issues, 128pgs. First Second, 2011. $12.85. (Language-G , Violence-G; Sexual Content-PG13.)
A group of Sled Dogs have more issues than you can imagine. From romance, to mating, to who holds the leader position –these dogs have a complex social life. Despite their differences, they do share the love of running. Their people are having issues too –a couple who lives in isolation from other people, and sometimes each other.
I was drawn to this book because I love dogs and graphic novels, but this story was a chore to read. The issues the dogs are having were a grind and really boring, made even more difficult because the art style was quite sloppy making the dogs difficult to tell apart. I am not sure if this was the intent, but I was quite concerned the man was a serial killer and that he might harm the poor woman who is living with him in the isolated cabin. I think teens would not be the slightest bit interested in this book.
HS – NOT RECOMMENDED Reviewer: Stephanie MLS graduate.

Drawing From Memory by Allen Say

Say, Allen Drawing From Memory, 63  p. Scholastic Press, 2011. $17.99 Language: G (0 swears, 0 'f') Violence: G, Mature Content: G.  Caldecott Medal winner Allen Say has written another autobiographical book!  this one, Drawing From Memory,  recounts his early youth and his experiences in Tokyo, Japan learning to be an artist at the young age of 12. 

Well written and exquisitely drawn (as always), Say pays tribute to his Sensai, a professional cartoonist, and his fellow artists who helped him develop his artistic talents.  I loved this book, a quick read, but in a more informational style than a regular picture book.  I laughed and I cried!  I highly recommend this as essential in any library.  Say received the Robert F. Sibert Informational Honor Book  Award in 2011 for this title.   EL/MS/HS - ESSENTIAL.  Lisa, Reading Teacher

Anya’s Ghost by Vera Brosgol -OPTIONAL

Brosgol, Vera Anya’s Ghost, 224 pgs. First Second, 2011. $10.87. (Language PG; Violence-PG ; Sexual Content-PG).
Anya is a normal teen girl –kind of unhappy with everything –her body, her friends, her lovelife, her family… When she falls into an old empty well, an unexpected friend helps to save her life. This new friend is a bit off-putting, since she is a ghost. At first she seems pretty helpful, but her help starts to become kind of ominous.
Overall I found this book to be humdrum and drab. While it was quite readable with simple characters and plots, it was so linear that it came off as boring. The artwork was monotone and plain, so very basic that it might have some trouble competing with more innovative graphic novels. I think teens would read this but its not a must have, by any stretch.
MS, HS –OPTIONAL Reviewer: Stephanie MLS graduate.

Mangaman by Barry Lyga -OPTIONAL

Lyga, Barry and illustrated by Doran, Colleen Mangaman, 144 pgs. Houghton Mifflin Books for Children, 2011. $13.49. (Language PG –SWEAR COUNT: 2), Violence-PG ; Sexual Content-PG13.)
This book is a mash up of traditional manga art and traditional comic book art. The plot centers on how these art forms collide as characters from the two distinct yet similar story/art platforms meet up. Ryoko is torn from his anime world and is transported to the real (comic) book world. Naturally hijinks and romance occurs.
This was a fun idea, and I like how it played out. I think that die hard graphic novel fans will love this book. For me the story was lacking a bit, too linear, as if all the focus was on showing off the differences in art forms, rather than the actual story.
HS –OPTIONAL Reviewer: Stephanie MLS graduate.

Explorer: The Mystery Boxes edited by Kazu Kibuishi -Advisable

Edited by Kazu Kibuishi Explorer: The Mystery Boxes, 128pgs. Amulet Books, 2012 (March). $8.40. (Language-G -, Violence-PG; Sexual Content-PG13.)
This is a collection of seven graphic art stories by different author/illustrators that feature a similar mystery -of finding out what is in a box. Outside of that, each story is quite varied in setting and characters but all of them contain some supernatural element like magic, aliens, or spirit’s.
The artwork is full color and topnotch. My favorite story was The Keepers Treasure by Jason Caffoe –which was a treasure seeker on an adventure and a sly but sweet treasure keeper. All of the stories are appropriate for elementary students and the collection element will keep readers interested.
ELEMENTARY – Advisable Reviewer: Stephanie MLS graduate.

The Sons of Liberty Book 2: Death and Taxes by Alexander Lagos and Joseph Lagos-OPTIONAL

Lagos, Alexander  and Joseph Lagos. The Sons of Liberty Book 2: Death and Taxes,176 pages, Random House, 2011, $14.99. Language-G, Mature Content-G, Violence-PG

Having escaped slavery years before, brothers Graham and Brody are now apprentices in Benjamin Franklin's print shop in Philadelphia at the outbreak of civil unrest. As the Colonists begin to fight back against the British, the streets erupt in violence. The brothers use their super powers, obtained in Book 1,  to find Graham's girlfriend and fight injustice and demons on both sides of the conflict. The Sons of Liberty is American history on steroids. The plot is a mash-up of historical fiction, super hero action, social commentary and pure craziness, and it was pretty hard to follow until I went back and read Book 1.  The pictures are visually stunning and will captivate any willing reader. Ultimately however, I felt the superhero angle was like cheese sauce over broccoli; it was a gimmick to get you to read historical fiction, and this book is much more fictional than historical. MS/HS-OPTIONAL. Reviewer: Gretchen 

A Very Babymouse Christmas by Jennifer and Matthew Holm - OPTIONAL

Holm, Jennifer L. and Matthew Holm  A Very Babymouse Christmas  90 pages GRAPHIC NOVEL Random House, 2011.  $6.99  Content: G.  Babymouse is excited for Christmas and has set her eyes on the Whiz Bang electronic toy.  She spends all day in line to talk to Santa about it and in her efforts to get a Whiz Bang she almost loses sight of the true meaning of Christmas time.  On Christmas morning she wakes up to find her Whiz Bang, but she is unable to play with it because it doesn’t have batteries.  She spends the day playing with her little brother and decides that the best part of Christmas is being with family.  This book was all over the place.  The narrator talks to Babymouse and it’s hard to tell where the storyline is headed because sometimes Babymouse is dreaming.  It was confusing to follow and although the illustrations are cute, it doesn’t make up for the confusion. EL (3-6)-OPTIONAL.  Reviewer, C. Peterson

Nina in That Makes Me Mad by Hilary Knight - NOT RECOMMENDED

Knight, Hilary and Steven Kroll Nina in That Makes Me Mad, 32 pgs. Toon Books/Candlewick Press, 2011. $12.95. Content - G. A graphic novel/comic book-stye exploration of the many, many things that make Nina mad. While a lot of children will relate to the frustrations Nina experiences, the thirty pages of examples showcase a slew of infuriating situations with only two pages, at the very end, showing how to deal with the resulting anger. This imbalance takes what could be a book about learning to deal with anger and frustration, and instead turns it into one long whine-fest. Perhaps if it were part of a series the others would balance it out, but as a standalone it left me with a very negative feeling. EL - NOT RECOMMENDED. Reviewed by: Caryn.

Mal and Chad: The Biggest, Bestest Time Ever! by Stephen McCranie - ADVISABLE

McCranie, Stephen.  Mal and Chad: The Biggest, Bestest Time Ever!  Philomel Books (Penguin) 2011.  $9.99. GRAPHIC NOVEL.  Language: G; Sexual Content: G; Violence: G.  Mal has a problem.  He is a kid genius who has invented gadgets like jet packs and time machines, but he really wants to just be a normal kid.  He doesn't want to be a dork because Megan doesn't like dorks, and he wants Megan to like him.  But before he can do anything, Mal needs to figure out what he wants to be when he grows up so he can write his essay.  Chad, his talking dog tries to help him, and they both end up in places they never thought they would be.    I liked this book.  It's only the second graphic novel I ever read, and it is second one I've reviewed for this site.  While this one was not quite as good as that other one, I thoroughly enjoyed it.  And when it was over, my five year old son wanted to make sure that I'd give this a good review (he really liked it).  I think this book belongs on the shelf because it is quite enjoyable.  EL(K-3), EL - ADVISABLE.  Brent Smith, Reading Teacher

Around the World by Matt Phelan - ADVISABLE

Phelan, Matt  Around the World, 235 pages.  Candlewick Press, 2011. $24.99.  Language G; Mature Content G; Violence G.  GRAPHIC NOVEL.  Following the printing of the novel, Around the World in Eighty Days, three different adventurers decided to give it a go themselves.  The three stories in this book are about Thomas Stevens, Nellie Bly and Joshua Slocum.  Each story captures the personalities of the adventurers and their thoughts and emotions.  The art work is more telling than the words used.  Thomas Stevens traveled by bike, Nellie Bly by trains and cruise ships and Joshua Slocum by a sail boat.  The author pulls the reader into their lives so much that when I was done reading I found myself looking for different versions of their stories.  EL, MS-ADVISABLE.  Reviewer, C. Peterson.

Killer Koalas From Outer Space by Andy Griffiths

Griffiths, Andy, Killer Koalas From Outer Space. Macmillan Books, 2010. Language: G, Violence: PG, Sexual Content: G

Killer Koalas that rip off your face, two parents that are so bad at being parents they never should have had a kid, Brian whose bad ideas are deadly, and more short stories and anecdotes for humor fans.

Half told in words, half told like a graphic novel, to the average person, this book would make absolutely no sense. To a boy, this book would be an awesome collection of random laughs and fun illustrations.  Although I didn’t really get into it myself, I think boys who like Captain Underpants, Wiley and Grampa’s Creature Features, and other books by Andy Griffiths would probably love this book. EL (4-6). ADVISABLE. Reviewer: Kira M, Youth Services Librarian, WHI Public Library.

Defiance (Resistance Book 2) by Carla Jablonski & Leland Purvis -OPTIONAL

Jablonski, Carla and Purvis, Leland Defiance (Resistance Book 2), 128pgs. First Second, 2011. $12.74. (Language-G, Violence- PG; Sexual Content-G.)
Paul and his family live in Nazi occupied France during World War II. Rather than remain powerless, they each fight back in their own way, taking part in the Resistance. Even though he is just a young boy, Paul has been posting his own political commentary via his drawings around town. His older sister is getting involved in her own right, by romancing information out of a German soldier. Eventually things come to a head when the siblings find out a Resistance food drop might become a Nazi trap. Can they find the Resistance group that hides in the woods and warn them in time?
This is a second book in a series, and I don’t believe it can function as a stand alone. There is a lot going on that was probably laid out well in the first book, but only serves to be overwhelming without it. Also confusing was the artwork depicting female characters, all the women looked like the same stressed out person to me – they were hard to tell apart. I think this is a unique perspective, told from the point of view of French Youth in France, and the graphic novel presentation is perfect timing. My advice is to wait for the third concluding book, and buy the entire series.
MS, HS – OPTIONAL Reviewer: Stephanie MLS graduate.