This book is sad.  It’s a wonderful story full of amazing illustrations, but it is still sad. Sally Jones is a gorilla who is stolen from her home in Africa and goes on an amazing journey of slavery and servitude.  She finds love from a human, but it is still a life of service, be it stealing jewels, shoveling coal, or making sure a gorilla friend survives.  It’s hard to say I liked this book, because I don’t like sad books, but it is an excellent book. 

 

It seems only the most powerful books are banned. This book is banned for showing police in the wrong light and for being about by POC particularly black issues. In this book Alfonso Jones is shot while shopping for a suit because a security guard with a gun mistakes a hanger for another type of gun. This story looks both at the aftermath of what happens in society after the senseless killing, as well as following Alfonso Jones ‘s ghost as he views the history of other victims of senseless racial violence. This book is hard-hitting and brings forth all the emotions. It is so very real that even though it was written years ago it’s still not only relevant to today but will remain relevant for years to come. This book shouldn’t be banned, it should be studied. It should be used as a reference for what can and does happen in our modern society. It points out atrocities such as a 15-year-old black boy being shot for having a hanger, while a teenage school shooter gets taken alive with an arsenal of weapons. It gets into the thoughts and prayers offered by politicians with little to no action. And it gets into the pain of a community that can be felt by any community when one of their members is senselessly killed. This book should be read and should be in many libraries permanent collection as we hope and work towards a better future where books like this are no longer needed. 

 

This is the third of the fourth book by this author. It collects her selection of her daily comic strips. They are a fan favorite and greatly loved by all. To me they’re OK.  They’re just a little more mushy than I like but I do enjoy when she puts out her full books. I find they are a quick happy read to help reset any bad day 

 

This book uses comedy to illustrate palindromes. Palindromes are words that read the same forwards and backwards; Things like “race cars”. While they do happen naturally, normally trying to get longer palindromes that make sense is hard. This author has made those nonsensical palindromes makes sense. Such things as “put Elliot’s toilet up” is drawn as an art gallery with a painting of a toilet, and the woman telling the galleries to hang it.   Mr. alarm is a truck about to do a the delivery, and it ends with “Sue us” where a work crew dropped a tree on a house.  It all goes together perfectly. It’s a shame it’s an older book and not many libraries would have it now but if you can get your hands on it, you should give it a look. 

 

This book has long been considered the very first graphic novel. There is an introduction that Will Eisner gives about how this is different from the comic strips and the comic books from his childhood. And different it is. The stories don’t shy away from the hardships or the mundane in things. It is very much a product of its time and of the time it’s written about. The story takes place in the 30s in New York. We follow the residence of a tenement house in their ups and downs. Before reading this be aware of trigger warnings, there is sexual assault. There is women bashing. There is domestic violence, and there is reality. This was an interesting look at the time and a sad one. It’s hard to believe that the vast format of graphic novels that are available in the world today, spark from such an interesting and heartbreaking story, I understand why the Eisner award for the best graphic novel of the year was created. Eisner did it first and so far, he’s done it best. He’s told a story in a format that people would not expect that story to take. He made it real, and he made it one for the history books.  While not a story I would hand to other people, it is an interesting first step in the history of American graphic novels. 

 

I started reading this book as the galley and ran out of time but I’m glad I revisited it in its final format. The book is beautiful. It’s all done and blues and shades of red and pink and these colors help elicit an emotion. We follow Phoebe as she heads to an art collective for a summer workshop. Her best friend was just admitted to the hospital under suicide watch. Phoebe spends her time at the art collective finding out who she is without her friend, and how she can be there, but give someone space at the same time. She also finds more of herself along the way. This book was beautiful. The story is one that I think many can see themselves in. It works well and should be on many shelves, both public and school libraries for years to come. 

 

Walter is a dog that farts and they really smell. So bad in fact that they blow a beach umbrella away and now, the Crabs want Water banned from the beach. This book is lunacy in all the best ways. Yes, it’s body humor. Yes, it could be considered a little disgusting but it’s so fun and kids absolutely love it. I know and lived through the years of this book being banned and I’m like why? Why? Why? Why? I love this book, I think everybody should read it at least once, and I’m happy there are libraries that keep copies available for future generations to read. 

 

Book 2 picks up within hours of book one ending. Signal and Erik are on the run trying to not only live life but prove that signal is not a killer. Prove that the Wylie Stanton is flawed and shouldn’t be used against kids and teens, or even adults, to prove who does or does not have the ability to kill people. This book does have the standard teen love tropes, but set in a serial killer’s world put a very different spin on things. The story also gets more complicated. We finally get information about why Erik’s kill number is so high, who he really is, and how his family plays into not only the camp, but the Wylie Stanton itself. This book is a family drama, and this is one time where I can say, the second book is honestly better than the first. It has a Manchurian candidate vibe towards the middle, that in the end just makes the story more in-depth and more edge of your seat. Honestly, the worst part about this book is that it doesn’t end. You have a cliffhanger and the fact that I’m going to have to wait a year for a third book is killer. Book 3 needs to get here sooner! I must know that there was a happily ever after somewhere along here. I have to know that our society can and will do better. I love this book, I tell everybody they have to read at least the first book and I’m going to tell them they have to read the first book so they can read the second book! So check out the series add it to your TBR, and buy the book so the author can write the third one. 

 

This is the conclusion to the series that is more confusing than any other point in the story. Book 3 pretty much says the same thing repeatedly from different characters and a different time period. Society will always hate, society will always have bad things and bad people, but one should always choose to fight even when it seems endless. Because of this, the book doesn’t really end it just shows that as time progresses, and the problems continue. Overall, I think the entire series was a massive undertaking in a psychological, idealistic, utopian philosophy that is at times hard to understand. I am glad I have read it, but it is not a series I would shout about from the rafters. 

 

Book 2 is almost as good as book one. Book 2 does suffer from the standard middle book slump but it moves the story forward and sets up the next event. Remember, the story takes place in the 60s around the birth of rock ‘n’ roll and when parents still thought of it as the devil music. This book goes to show that maybe sometimes those moms might’ve been a little right but also a little wrong. The boys and their crew are up to solving the case of what music is really doing to teenagers. I love this book can’t wait for book 3. I would say it so it is a YA book with middle grade interest and some parents may object to the smoking and drinking but for the setting it is appropriate.