Very French

Harvey by Hervé Bouchard, with art by Janice Nadeau

Young Harvey and his brother come home after playing with the other neighborhood children to learn that their father has suffered a fatal heart attack. Harvey compares his situation to the fate of Scott Carey, the hero from his favorite film, The Incredible Shrinking Man, who begins shrinking in size after his exposure to a shower of mysterious sparkling dust. During his father’s funeral, Harvey becomes invisible. The art, with its pencil and pastel drawings, is like the story: surreal and simplistic. Most libraries seem to place this book in their juvenile section, and although the story seems to seethe with an undercurrent of psychological meaning, and to be infused with the haunting weight of grief, this reviewer doubts that American children will be able to make much sense of it. Recommended for Gr 7 Up, or for those who appreciate surrealism.

Gorgeous Illustrations for a Colorless Story

The Last Dragon by Jane Yolen. Illus by Rebecca Guay (Dark Horse, 2011, 144pp.)
 
The citizens of the Islands of May struggle for survival after they find themselves under attack by a fearsome dragon. Soon, only Lancot, a sham hero, and Tansy, an herbalist’s daughter, prove to be the only hope for defeating the beast. Although Yolen’s prose is lyrical and at times beautiful, the storyline itself proves to be a disappointing. However, the real magic lies in Guay’s gorgeous watercolor paintings. Reminiscent of Tolkien’s artwork for Lord of the Rings, they fit this fantasy perfectly and make an otherwise mediocre graphic novel worthy of the reader’s attention. Recommended for Ages 13-Up.

Anya's Ghost

Anya’s Ghost by Vera Brosgol (First Second, 2011, 224pp.)
 
Anya Borzakovskaya, a self-conscious teen born in Russia, finds it difficult to fit in at school in the US. Even though she’s lived in America since she was five and can speak perfect English, she still feels like an outsider and worries that her peers at school will always see her as “that girl from Russia with the unpronounceable last name.” And her well-meaning, very Russian mother certainly doesn’t help matters. Although Anya is trying to lose weight, her mother tries to feed her traditional homeland dishes (which Anya sees as greasy and fattening), and pesters her to make friends with Dima, a dorky new classmate right off the boat from the old country. The “ghost” element of this story is introduced after Anya wanders into a wooded area close to school and falls down a well. What does she find at the bottom of said well? A skeleton. And accompanying this pile of bones? A frail wisp of a ghost named Emily. She’s been trapped in the well ever since she fell down it some 90 years ago. Naturally, Emily is delighted to have company, but Anya is more interested in climbing out of the well than sticking around for small talk. When Anya is eventually rescued, Emily decides to follow her home. The two strike up a friendship—although Anya doesn’t have much of a choice in the matter, since this pesky spirit follows her everywhere. But Emily is determined to be a helpful friend.

After witnessing Anya’s hidden affections for a popular boy at school, she confesses that she herself she missed out on finding her one true love thanks to—well, being dead. After glimpsing an open page of a fashion magazine, Emily decides that the best way for a girl of the 21st century to catch a man’s eye is by dressing to impress. Although the outfits Emily choses for her are a little skimpier than Anya’s used to wearing, she finds confidence in her appearance and asks her crush out to a party. When she finds out that the boy is really a jerk, Anya leaves the party disappointed—but Emily isn’t ready to let her give up just yet. She’ll do anything to keep Anya from missing out on love, because what are friends for...right?

Although the Emily/Anya relationship ultimately dominates the plot, Brosgol is careful to make sure that her story isn’t just a ghost story, but also one about being an outsider. Although a bit whiny at first, Anya soon turns into a strong heroine who learns the importance of remaining true to your own principles. Aesthetically, the story’s art is simple but effective, with a color palette of only three colors: white, black, and purple. Although I found the choice somewhat unusual, the purplish hues help set the tone for this spooky story, and make the reading experience more enjoyable. Recommended for Ages 13-Up.

Mean Girls

Chiggers by Hope Larson (Atheneum Books for Young Readers, 2008, 176pp.)

Chiggers is a tale that takes place at a summer camp. Abby, the focus of the story, is a naive, dorky kind of girl who secretly reads fantasy novels and likes to pretend that she’s an elf. Not that she would tell her friends that. That would be uncool.

Things change when a new girl, Shasta, arrives at the summer camp. The main thing that attracts Abby to Shasta is their shared love of fantasy books. In addition to this, Shasta is pretty darn neat! She’s one eighth Cherokee, has an Internet boyfriend, and was once struck by lightning! But strangely enough, Shasta is instantly reviled by Abby’s circle of friends. So who should Abby hang out with? Her old friends, or the new girl who she has more in common with?

I found this in the juvenile section at my library, and upon browsing it, was surprised to find swear words and conversations about periods. My first thought was, This needs to be in the Young Adult section, but on second thought, it’s really more of a read aimed at “tweens.” The reason for this is the subject matter. I never went to a summer camp like the one shown here, but apparently they’re breeding grounds for gossip and back-stabbing. Abby’s two friends, Beth and Zoe, are mean, petty posers who aren’t beneath putting down other people to make themselves look good. Even Shasta and Abby aren’t immune from such behavior. After having a quarrel with Abby, Shasta spitefully implies that she’s going to make a move on Teal, Abby’s crush.

Chiggers highlights the negative qualities of females (in particular, young teenage females), and reminds me of everything I hated about high school. While this behavior certainly rings true with girls this age (even among friends), it certainly doesn’t commend them to the reader. Recommended for girls ages 13-15.

The Girl Who Owned a City

The Girl Who Owned a City by Dan Jolley. Illus by Joëlle Jones (Graphic Universe, 2012, 132pp.)

Lisa Nelson and her brother Todd live in a world without adult supervision—and it’s not as fun as it might sound. A deadly virus has killed every person over the age of 12. It’s everyone for himself, pretty much. Lisa has managed to support both Todd and herself by scavenging for food, but it’s not a lifestyle that she’s very fond of. After their food supply is stolen by Tom, the neighborhood bully and his gang, Lisa decides she’s had enough. She gathers the other children in the neighborhood and forms a community—a “city,” in her mind—that will live together and share food. Lisa and her followers settle into the abandoned local high school, building defenses and hidden tunnels—and soon find themselves under attack from Tom’s army. Adapted from O.T. Nelson’s 1975 novel of the same name, this treatment of the oft-visited “kids in control” theme is fast-paced and exciting. While there is some violence, including use of guns and guard dogs, the situations aren’t too perilous. Recommended for young adults, but could be enjoyed by older elementary children as well.

Not Terrible, But Certainly Disappointing

Bloody Chester by J.T. Petty. Illus by Hilary Florido (First Second, 2012, 160pp.)

Set somewhere in the Old West, Bloody Chester follows the story of Chester Kates, a ragged teenage waif who’s always falling in and out of bar fights. After one particular scrape, a man from the railroad company plucks him from the gutter, gives him clothes, a gun, and a mission: burn the neighboring town of Whale to the ground to make way for the brand new rail-line. When he reaches the town in question, however, he finds plague victims littering the streets, and a dead man with a sign around his neck that reads: Coyote Waits. Three survivors are all that remain: Caroline, a young woman whose father has fled to the hills, Father Goodnight, the ailing town priest, and Potter, his dimwitted adopted son. Despite Chester’s urgings, the three refuse to leave. Caroline is waiting for her father’s return, and the priest, who has just come down with the “heathen plague,” has quarantined himself and is determined to die alone for the betterment of mankind. As Chester continues his efforts to lead them to safety, he soon discovers the true horror of the plague’s origin.

Bloody Chester isn’t a terrible graphic novel, but when all is said and done, it’s a pretty big disappointment. Petty employs some big themes, like the corruptness of Western men and the savagery of modern progress. He even goes so far as to suggest that the “heathen plague” is brought upon Whale by moral corruption, not actual disease--which, coupled with the Old West setting, is pretty cool at first. Unfortunately, the author abandons his exploration of these “big themes” in order to pursue a confusing series of convoluted plot twists that left me thinking, “I’ve read better.” Much, much better. Recommended for Ages 16-18 for Language.

A Nice Opening Act To Continuing The Series

Buffy the Vampire Slayer (Season 8), Vol. 1: The Long Way Home by Joss Whedon. Illus by Georges Jeanty (Dark Horse, 2007, 136pp.)

“The thing about changing the world...once you do it, the world’s all different.”

A lot has changed in the Buffyverse since the hit show Buffy the Vampire Slayer ended in 2003. Now, instead of there being one Chosen Slayer, there are 1,800 of them. In addition to this, wicked witch Amy has teamed up with a skinless, reanimated Warren from Season 6. Oh, and did I mention that the United States Armed Forces is out for Buffy’s head?
 
Where the TV seasons were made of 22 episodes, this graphic novel “season” is made up of eight volumes. There’s not much I can say about The Long Way Home. While not exactly emotionally engaging, it still exhibits the series’ trademark quirkiness, and acts as a nice foundation stone for continuing a much beloved series, albeit in a different genre.