Teen Summer Reading Club

The Schedule is up for Teen Summer Reading at Okanagan Regional Library. You can sign up for book club, comic book club, writing workshops or the Teen Advisory Group

 

 

 

El Deafo

El Deafo is an awesome graphic novel ideal for kids 9-12 but that could appeal to a wider audience.

The story of a young girl who loses her hearing is worthy of book club discussion and could help broach the topic of disability in a lesson on inclusion.

The substance doesn’t make it boring for casual readers. There’s enough humour and emotion to keep readers connected to Cece.

The way the illustrations handle vision loss is perfect and the hearing loss reflected in empty dialogue bubbles and jumbled text is extremely clever.

Fantastic story with adorable illustration.

Batgirl of Burnside Vol.1

Batgirl of Burnside is great for many reasons.

The art is fantastic with awesome facial expressions, a practical but beautiful costume design, diverse characters, and exciting action panels.

I liked how the social media was incorporated into the page. Seeing the texts, e-mails and dating profiles helped the story move forward without too much exposition and gave the comic a more contemporary feel.

Babs is the perfect combination of smart, heroic and fun. She is a great role model for young women. She isn’t perfect and her vanity gets her into trouble but she is well meaning and she uses her wits and strength.

The narrative strays from the old Barbara Gordan timeline I’m familiar with but DC’s new comics have done that with many heroes and for the most part I’ve liked the changes.

I liked that the comic included the police perspective and that a young woman with a disability was able to use her technical skills to help fight crime.

Freshman Tales of 9th Grade Obsessions, Revelations, and Other Nonsense

The graphic novel Freshman Tales of 9th Grade Obsessions, Revelations and Other Nonsense by Corinne Mucha is a fun, realistic look at the excitement and anxiety of starting high school.

I like that it had various perspectives. It focuses on the little things rather than big drama. It’s the type of thing anyone can relate to.

It only took a few minutes to read but it was enjoyable.

 

Paige by Paige

Laura Lee Gulledge has created one of the most expressive and artistic graphic novels I’ve read.

In Page by Paige she illustrates emotions beautifully and hauntingly. Complex feelings and thoughts of impostor syndrome, being an introvert, anxiety, homesickness and more are brought to life in art that defies the frames of the comic and is worthy of being framed on a wall.

It’s a sweet book appropriate for young teens but that can appeal to older teens. If you are looking for a realistic graphic novel about growing up and figuring out who you are this is a good one.

 

Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe

Benjamin Alire Saenz has a way with words. He writes lines that describe feelings that are rarely reflected on so well in teen literature or maybe any literature.

This is a novel that explores the subtleties of being a teen. The ambivalence towards parents is handled beautifully. There’s the perfect mix of resentment, affection, criticism and respect in Ari’s feelings for his parents. The mix of anger and adoration fit with his situation.

The characters are deep and interesting. Ari and Dante are both philosophical and have a sarcastic sense of humour. Their coming of age tale is about more than their relationship because both characters are complex and have other conflicts going on in their lives.

With Mexican-American homosexual characters this book will add diversity to a library collection.

There were times when I felt the characters seemed younger than the age stated in the book. Their curiosity and embarrassment about their bodies was coming a couple of years late in my opinion but maybe I’m just more familiar with girls and boys do mature slower.

*spoiler alert*

There was a chemistry between the boys that made it more compelling to me then other LGBQT titles I’ve read such as Moon At Nine. Even when they were just talking Ari and Dante had a spark. They felt like a couple even before Ari let himself realize what he was feeling.

LumberJanes

The LumberJanes is a strange but fun graphic novel suited for tweens.

The girls in the comic are quirky, diverse, and have hilarious one liners like “I have many skills. Falling is among them.” They make fairy tale references as they battle mysterious wildlife and often exclaim the names of famous women where there would normally be an “oh my God”. A lot of the references might be lost on kids but they are amusing for readers who recognize the names.

Why are hipster Yetis so odd?

Because they can’t even.

The graphic novel is broken down into chapters based on the badges the girls earn as LumberJanes.

While it has the pace and interest level appropriate for ages 10-13 the girls do use words like “jerk”, “stupid” and “what the junk” in place of swears and I know some parents might object to it.

It’s off the wall and has no real explanation in Vol. 1 for why there are 3 eyed beasts and possessed boy-scouts…but if you like fun stories about adventurous girls this is worth a look.

Ms. Marvel Vol. 1

I heard great things about Ms. Marvel and it lived up to the hype.

G. Willow Wilson  writes some of the best character development I’ve seen in a graphic novel.

This is a perfect comic for a book club because it opens up discussion about subtle prejudice, feminism, body image, religion and more. Even though it ties into the Marvel Universe readers don’t have to be familiar with previous comics to follow the story- it serves as an introduction.

I think this is particularly important in my community right now where I’m hearing a lot of negativity about Muslim refugees. The main character is a young Muslim girl with a strict but caring family. She wants to find a way to fit in while maintaining her culture and it is challenging for her to find acceptance.

I have already ordered Vol. 2 and look forward to reading it.

Nimona

A fantasy adventure with a dark sarcastic sense of humour. Starring anti-heroes this graphic novel will appeal to grown up fans of Megamind and Despicable Me. Teens who like a sympathetic villain character and supernatural powers will love Nimona.

It is refreshing to see a female character who is empowered but imperfect. She’s a feisty monster. Not hero or a damsel in distress but her own thing.

It’s a weird but wonderful read.

The Plain Janes

The Plain Janes by Cecil Castellucci and Jim Rugg is an exciting graphic novel geared mostly towards teen girls.

Rebellion, art and friendship are explored through the familiar “new girl” trope but go beyond typical high school drama. The story is framed by a terror attack. Jane’s character evolves because of the trauma.

I thought the mother’s overprotective anxieties were realistically smothering and anxiety inducing for Jane. Jane’s obsession reminiscent of  While You Were Sleeping    makes sense given her need to connect with someone who shared her experience.

A quick, enjoyable read for teens looking for realistic fiction in graphic novel format.