- Alvin Ho: Allergic to Girls, School, and Other Scary Things (#1) ★★★★★
- Alvin Ho: Allergic to Camping, Hiking, and Other Natural Disasters (#2) ★★★★
- Alvin Ho: Allergic to Birthday Parties, Science Projects, and Other Man-made Catastrophes (#3) ★★½
- Alvin Ho: Allergic to Dead Bodies, Funerals, and Other Fatal Circumstances (#4) ★★★★
- Alvin Ho: Allergic to Babies, Burglars, and Other Bumps in the Night (#5) ★★★★½
- Alvin Ho: Allergic to the Great Wall, the Forbidden Palace, and Other Tourist Attractions (#6) ★★★½
Wednesday, June 29, 2016
Alvin Ho Roundup
This funny and quirky series features a second grade boy who happens to be Chinese-American. With the exception of one surprising incident of racial insensitivity in Book #3, I like the way multiculturalism and diversity are included matter-of-factly.
Alvin Ho: Allergic to Babies, Burglars, and Other Bumps in the Night (#5) by Lenore Look
★★★★½
It's been about 5 years since Isabelle and I last read Alvin Ho. Now that Sebastien just finished 2nd grade - and has suddenly become more open-minded in regards to reading material! - I had a feeling he might enjoy reading about a Chinese boy in 2nd grade. I was pleasantly surprised to discover that since we last left Alvin, two more books have been published in the series! Hooray!
I picked up this book, and it was like those 5 years hadn't passed at all. Alvin is still in 2nd grade, and he's still scared of pretty much everything. Through humor and empathy, we see how sensitive, lovable Alvin comes to terms with his mother's pregnancy.
Alvin is such a sweet boy, my heart just about melted when he and his siblings built the birthing nest for their mom.
The only reason I didn't give this book 5 stars is because I felt it left one loose thread hanging. A little closure on that bit about the burglar would have been nice.
It's been about 5 years since Isabelle and I last read Alvin Ho. Now that Sebastien just finished 2nd grade - and has suddenly become more open-minded in regards to reading material! - I had a feeling he might enjoy reading about a Chinese boy in 2nd grade. I was pleasantly surprised to discover that since we last left Alvin, two more books have been published in the series! Hooray!
I picked up this book, and it was like those 5 years hadn't passed at all. Alvin is still in 2nd grade, and he's still scared of pretty much everything. Through humor and empathy, we see how sensitive, lovable Alvin comes to terms with his mother's pregnancy.
Alvin is such a sweet boy, my heart just about melted when he and his siblings built the birthing nest for their mom.
The only reason I didn't give this book 5 stars is because I felt it left one loose thread hanging. A little closure on that bit about the burglar would have been nice.
Wednesday, June 22, 2016
Sisters by Raina Telgemeier
★★★
This book is sort of a companion to Smile. It was published later, but it's not quite a sequel because the events in this book take place during the summer before Raina enters high school, which is also included in Smile.
As Raina and her family take a road trip from CA to CO, we see the tension in Raina's current relationship with her younger sister Amara. Through flashbacks, we see their history. Surprisingly, despite sharing a passion and talent for art, Raina and Amara never really "got" each other; they butt heads again and again, and we never really see them bonding.
This book is a particularly fast read, even for a graphic novel. There are lots of frames without any words. I found myself frequently flipping through pages faster than expected, and I wonder if that sense of physically skimming over the pages was a factor in my impression that the book sort of only skimmed the surface of any number of issues.
Through the expressive illustrations, we see that Raina was disappointed that Amara didn't turn out to be the playmate she always wanted - but how did she handle that revelation as a child? And why was Amara so difficult, so withdrawn as a child, that she didn't even enjoy the attentions of her older sister? We see the girls bicker over just the types of things sisters will bicker about - yet we never see a moment of tenderness, not even when Amara loses her first pet. Surely both Raina and Amara must have been grappling with all sorts of mixed emotions when they arrived at the family reunion and found themselves marginalized and ignored. Yet, even then, they didn't stick together as comrades in arms might.
Overall, this book held my interest, but it was not nearly as compelling as Smile, for me. It seemed like any time anything happened, I wanted to know more, but was always disappointed when the story just quickly carried on to the next event, instead of exploring previous events more deeply. Even the character development seemed thin; I don't feel like I got to know Raina any better, and at the end of the book, it still seemed like anything I knew about Raina as a person I knew from having read Smile.
This book is sort of a companion to Smile. It was published later, but it's not quite a sequel because the events in this book take place during the summer before Raina enters high school, which is also included in Smile.
As Raina and her family take a road trip from CA to CO, we see the tension in Raina's current relationship with her younger sister Amara. Through flashbacks, we see their history. Surprisingly, despite sharing a passion and talent for art, Raina and Amara never really "got" each other; they butt heads again and again, and we never really see them bonding.
This book is a particularly fast read, even for a graphic novel. There are lots of frames without any words. I found myself frequently flipping through pages faster than expected, and I wonder if that sense of physically skimming over the pages was a factor in my impression that the book sort of only skimmed the surface of any number of issues.
Through the expressive illustrations, we see that Raina was disappointed that Amara didn't turn out to be the playmate she always wanted - but how did she handle that revelation as a child? And why was Amara so difficult, so withdrawn as a child, that she didn't even enjoy the attentions of her older sister? We see the girls bicker over just the types of things sisters will bicker about - yet we never see a moment of tenderness, not even when Amara loses her first pet. Surely both Raina and Amara must have been grappling with all sorts of mixed emotions when they arrived at the family reunion and found themselves marginalized and ignored. Yet, even then, they didn't stick together as comrades in arms might.
Overall, this book held my interest, but it was not nearly as compelling as Smile, for me. It seemed like any time anything happened, I wanted to know more, but was always disappointed when the story just quickly carried on to the next event, instead of exploring previous events more deeply. Even the character development seemed thin; I don't feel like I got to know Raina any better, and at the end of the book, it still seemed like anything I knew about Raina as a person I knew from having read Smile.
Smile by Raina Telgemeier
★★★★½
This book has a lot of the same themes as Roller Girl, which I know was published after Smile, but which I happened to read first.
Raina is a middle schooler who struggles with all the expected challenges of puberty - frenemies, boys, acne, etc. Unfortunately, she also has a freak accident in which her top two front teeth are knocked out!! Aagh!! The poor girl has to endure frequent and painful orthodontist visits and a series of uncomfortable dental procedures and equipment.
There are so many things that I like about this book! Raina is, understandably, unhappy about her dental situation, but she is not distraught and does not wallow in self-pity. She kind of just keeps picking herself up and going back to school. She is as insecure as any other middle schooler, yet she makes good decisions; if she's uncomfortable in a situation, she'll do what's best for her, and won't just follow the crowd.
I often feel that there is too much emphasis these days on people having BFFs, so I really liked the fact that Raina does not seem to have one "best friend". She has a group of friends with whom she feels comfortable hanging out.
One of the great life lessons of this book is finding out who your friends really are, and what it means to be a friend to somebody. For much of this book, I was a little underwhelmed with Raina's friendships, and I worried that these relationships were being portrayed as "typical friendships" for middle schoolers. Thankfully, by the end of the book, Raina made some pretty keen realizations, and I LOVED that she entered high school with an attitude of excitement and optimism about meeting new people and making new friends. I liked especially that the transition happened without any ill-will towards her old friends.
One small note about the cast of characters. Even though the main character and her family are Caucasian, I appreciate that other races made appearances in the book, including an African-American boy on whom Raina develops a crush. The book's diversity factor appears mainly as details in the illustrations, but it's still meaningful to see multiculturalism depicted in a normalized way.
This book would be a great selection for any upper elementary or middle school reader who is in the midst of or on the cusp of hitting puberty. There's a sense of, "Well, if Raina can get through that, then I can get through whatever is going on in my own life, too!"
This book has a lot of the same themes as Roller Girl, which I know was published after Smile, but which I happened to read first.
Raina is a middle schooler who struggles with all the expected challenges of puberty - frenemies, boys, acne, etc. Unfortunately, she also has a freak accident in which her top two front teeth are knocked out!! Aagh!! The poor girl has to endure frequent and painful orthodontist visits and a series of uncomfortable dental procedures and equipment.
There are so many things that I like about this book! Raina is, understandably, unhappy about her dental situation, but she is not distraught and does not wallow in self-pity. She kind of just keeps picking herself up and going back to school. She is as insecure as any other middle schooler, yet she makes good decisions; if she's uncomfortable in a situation, she'll do what's best for her, and won't just follow the crowd.
I often feel that there is too much emphasis these days on people having BFFs, so I really liked the fact that Raina does not seem to have one "best friend". She has a group of friends with whom she feels comfortable hanging out.
One of the great life lessons of this book is finding out who your friends really are, and what it means to be a friend to somebody. For much of this book, I was a little underwhelmed with Raina's friendships, and I worried that these relationships were being portrayed as "typical friendships" for middle schoolers. Thankfully, by the end of the book, Raina made some pretty keen realizations, and I LOVED that she entered high school with an attitude of excitement and optimism about meeting new people and making new friends. I liked especially that the transition happened without any ill-will towards her old friends.
One small note about the cast of characters. Even though the main character and her family are Caucasian, I appreciate that other races made appearances in the book, including an African-American boy on whom Raina develops a crush. The book's diversity factor appears mainly as details in the illustrations, but it's still meaningful to see multiculturalism depicted in a normalized way.
This book would be a great selection for any upper elementary or middle school reader who is in the midst of or on the cusp of hitting puberty. There's a sense of, "Well, if Raina can get through that, then I can get through whatever is going on in my own life, too!"
Roller Girl by Victoria Jamieson
★★★★
*** Warning!! This review contains spoilers! ***
This book was my first foray into graphic novels, and I have to admit, I enjoyed it more than I expected.
Astrid is a 12-year-old girl heading into junior high. She discovers a love for roller derby at the same time that her friendship with her best friend Nicole starts to fall apart. Suddenly, she's hit with a whirlwind of different and unfamiliar emotions and experiences. With the help of a new friend, some encouragement from a star roller derby player, and - finally - a meaningful talk with her mom, Astrid manages to find solid ground.
Through dialogue, narration, and illustrations, this book effectively portrays the range of emotions with which Astrid struggles - confusion, sadness, anger, frustration, fear, disappointment, etc. I think it would make good reading for any upper elementary school student who will one day soon enter the minefield of puberty and middle school relationships. I like that in the end, Astrid learns how to be a good friend and what it means to be on a team.
As an aside, I'll mention that Astrid appears to have a single mom - at least, there is no father figure in the book. This detail is not highlighted, but just treated matter-of-factly. I appreciate the diversity factor that this family structure offers.
The ending, however, I found too bittersweet. Sadly, I know that it is not uncommon for friendships to really end as individuals grow and develop. But after Astrid and Nicole finally cleared the air with an honest, if awkward, heart-to-heart, I hoped that they could maintain a fondness for each other, even if they did not stay close friends. One of the last frames has Astrid leaving behind a token from Nicole, and it just seemed too final, like an indication that their friendship was truly over. I can see the value in such an ending, but I would have preferred to see Astrid cherish the final token of friendship offered by Nicole, and then I would have loved to see Astrid return the thoughtful gesture at Nicole's ballet recital a week later.
*** Warning!! This review contains spoilers! ***
This book was my first foray into graphic novels, and I have to admit, I enjoyed it more than I expected.
Astrid is a 12-year-old girl heading into junior high. She discovers a love for roller derby at the same time that her friendship with her best friend Nicole starts to fall apart. Suddenly, she's hit with a whirlwind of different and unfamiliar emotions and experiences. With the help of a new friend, some encouragement from a star roller derby player, and - finally - a meaningful talk with her mom, Astrid manages to find solid ground.
Through dialogue, narration, and illustrations, this book effectively portrays the range of emotions with which Astrid struggles - confusion, sadness, anger, frustration, fear, disappointment, etc. I think it would make good reading for any upper elementary school student who will one day soon enter the minefield of puberty and middle school relationships. I like that in the end, Astrid learns how to be a good friend and what it means to be on a team.
As an aside, I'll mention that Astrid appears to have a single mom - at least, there is no father figure in the book. This detail is not highlighted, but just treated matter-of-factly. I appreciate the diversity factor that this family structure offers.
The ending, however, I found too bittersweet. Sadly, I know that it is not uncommon for friendships to really end as individuals grow and develop. But after Astrid and Nicole finally cleared the air with an honest, if awkward, heart-to-heart, I hoped that they could maintain a fondness for each other, even if they did not stay close friends. One of the last frames has Astrid leaving behind a token from Nicole, and it just seemed too final, like an indication that their friendship was truly over. I can see the value in such an ending, but I would have preferred to see Astrid cherish the final token of friendship offered by Nicole, and then I would have loved to see Astrid return the thoughtful gesture at Nicole's ballet recital a week later.
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