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hopeful
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
emotional
lighthearted
relaxing
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
“Kanda …Depend on the people around you more.”
This heartwarming series just doesn’t get stale. I love that as Kanda’s love for Fukumaru grows so does his relationships with other people. As this series continues, you can see Kanda’s loneliness decrease and his friendships grow. We also meet one of Fukumaru’s sibling in the type of adorable, fluffy reunion you would expect. I also love seeing more of Kobayashi, Kanda’s bodacious, first friend.
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I liked Faye’s development. She kept trying to push people away but could never stop caring about them. The rest of the story felt rushed, maybe. I think there was an attempt to humanize Bryce, Cody’s sister, but she is just the embodiment of the worst of high school. Also, Cody was a frumpy, sad sack with no spine who annoyed me, for some reason. I also wanted to know more about the Loser Table, but they dispersed rather quickly. I liked Elvira though.
All the bad parts of high school are here, and I wanted more understanding of the evil social media creature. The creature had its reign in an Instagram account and would instant-message teens to kill themselves or hurt others. but the creature couldn’t harm anyone physically without a vessel to do it, so what’s the drawback to blocking Shelby???
I just didn’t like anyone in this story. Everyone acted horrid, and I hated how the characters demonized Cody’s mom for having a mental illness. In real life, wouldn’t most people be coddling or feeling sorry for Cody?
All the bad parts of high school are here, and I wanted more understanding of the evil social media creature. The creature had its reign in an Instagram account and would instant-message teens to kill themselves or hurt others.
I just didn’t like anyone in this story. Everyone acted horrid, and I hated how the characters demonized Cody’s mom for having a mental illness. In real life, wouldn’t most people be coddling or feeling sorry for Cody?
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
inspiring
lighthearted
medium-paced
Very cute and relatable, especially with the friend group fluctuations and the author's struggles with undiagnosed depression, self-doubt, and self-worth. Also, the questioning of gender roles and expectations for girls to be beautiful and "wanted" at such a young age.
GOSH was Andrei annoying! Ask about Kristee one more doggone time!
GOSH was Andrei annoying! Ask about Kristee one more doggone time!
Jacky Ha-Ha: My Life is a Joke (A Graphic Novel)
Betty C. Tang, Chris Grabenstein, Adam Rau, James Patterson
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Pros
- The artwork is super cute. I love the coloring style and the overall cartoony look.
- Jackie’s family has financial issues while they’re waiting to be hired as full-time police officers, so they need all the children to work to contribute income. This will be relatable to kids who have a lot of responsibility on their shoulders and/or have to help out financially already at a young age.
- Jackie fails a lot, but she also gets back up every time! Very resilient!
- A boy gains character growth and stops bullying others (tho mostly because he gets a crush on the MC) and becomes a decent person.
- When a character is being bigoted, they get called out rightfully so and face consequences.
Neutral
- A lot of preteen drama (crushes, first loves, jealousy, miscommunication, etc).
- Like the first book, Older Jackie is recounting this story to her daughters. It’s still set in the 90’s, so the slang is goofy-sounding by today’s standards.
Cons
- During play auditions, one of the actors (butthole extraordinaire) makes racial remarks to Meredith (token Black best friend) and mocks Jackie’s stuttering. I believe this is to show kids “microaggressions,” but it comes off so heavy-handed. Only the boldest racist/bigot comes out plainly with what they’re saying.
- The parents tell the kids if they don’t work, they can’t afford groceries, which I understand... Some families don’t have the luxury of maintaining on one salary… But it’s a doggone shame to be depended on the kiddies to help out. Y’all couldn’t downsize or take on a second job? It’s different to teach kids the value of money or responsibility, then to forcefully need it. That part was not cute. Um, y’all are supposed to provide!
- How did y’all arrest someone off of hearsay???
adventurous
informative
lighthearted
slow-paced
This one might hit a little close to home with the characters dealing with paranoia from the Coronavirus pandemic and the constant references to it, but it was fun. The humor was silly and light-hearted, and the illustrations were cute and plenteous. I also liked the facts/info about marine biology. Shoutout to Ken!
In this book, Robin, the MC, his smart-mouthed, energetic best friend Charlie, and other friends take a trip with his family to a lavish sea resort. I liked the characters for the most part though Robin only plays the straight man. Majority of the jokes come from Charlie, who is always complaining or eating/hungry, which Robin never lets him forget. But the Robin-Charlie dynamic isn’t bad.
At first, the story’s very slow-paced with us seeing how rich Robin’s fam is until they go on the vacation. Once Robin sees a mysterious boy under the sea, everything changes! When the cast meets the boy, the story really finds its rhythm and even builds tension. Overall, this should be fun for kids.
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I love the art style and the coloring; it has its own personality. Would love to see it animated. I also loved no-nonsense Awa Kouyate and her struggles with putting up with the less than ambitious, reluctant Prince Mansour. The story is a little confusing/messy jumping from different episodic bits, but I enjoyed reading this.