An excellent graphic novel that hopefully is the first of many to fill the void of graphic novels starring black kids just being kids.

Need to own

Unlike a lot of what I had read before. I felt like I could hear Harry in my head, his desire to make people understand why he was a contienious objector, and his desire to reconcile with his family. It is definitely a little discombobulating, and things shift around so you are never quite sure what is reality. I wasn't exactly sure what to make of Agatha either.

A new launch of superpowered people, this time connected to a school shooting and coming to a head over whether or not to arm teachers. Okay, but a little confusing and not my favorite art style.

Philip has a summer job and his parents think he's been giving all his money to them to put in a savings bank. Secretly he has been giving money to his brother Victor, who has been kicked out of the house because of his drug addiction. After a tornado goes through their small Oklahoma town, Victor moves back in to go cold turkey. Told in sparse verse, Wolf does a good job of showing how a 16 year old would react to these various changes. The ending is slightly hopeful. A quick read that could be engaging for reluctant readers.

Another beautiful book by Woodson, about two families and the way life affects them, and the way things travel down over time.

This is really a 3.5 stars book for me. Mac is a wrestler with a short fuse (not a huge surprise, as he has an abusive father and seems to have had no counseling to deal with that or the anger he feels in general) and when he makes a mistake that leads to potential jail time, he runs away instead to become a brawler. Brawlers are underground fighters that compete in matches much more dangerous than high school wrestling or even professional. The book leads Mac into situations that make him think about how far he will actually go and if he is leading the type of life he wants.

There are things I like about this book: wrestling is not a popular topic, so that adds diversity in topic to your bookshelf. You also learn about Muay Thai, a different form of martial arts than the ones we commonly see. Additionally, there is no romance, which can appeal to some readers. It is violent, which would be the main objection I could think of. I also thought the ending tied things up a little fast, but I liked that we still had consequences for the protagonist.

Winter and Collier join together for a biography of one of the greatest lawyers in recent history, Thurgood Marshall. From an early age, Marshall honed an ability to argue through discussions with his father who asked for evidence to back up his claims and his high school debate career. As a lawyer, Marshall is responsible for many of the civil rights victories of the 1950s and 1960s. Winter doesn't hesitate to show that Marshall put his life on the line for these victories. Collier's watercolor and collage illustrations illuminate the different parts of Marshall's life and often show movement. A back page gives a bit longer overview of Marshall's life.

Esther believes in the scientific method. All the other fairies believe in magic. Though Esther tries to show them the things she discovered through science, they still resolutely believe in magic. When a tree is wilting, can Esther show them how to really fix it?

Part of me felt like the book came down really harshly on believing in magic. However, in a day when people believe facts are optional, maybe in some ways we do have to come down harshly on what truth is. Additionally, how many fairy STEM books do you have? Especially with such cute fairies that have different shades of skin.

i thought it would be fun, but really, it's one big fat joke disguised as a picture book. Oh haha, the llama overindulged and the rip from his pants destroyed the universe! Isn't that funny? No, no it's not.