Sunny Side Up

Sunny Side Up by Jennifer L. Holm, 216 pages

Sunny isn’t having the best summer.  Instead of their regular family vacation, she has been sent to visit her grandfather in Florida.  He lives in a retirement home with no kids around.  Sunny is bored and lonely and worried about her family.  Her older brother, Dale, is in big trouble, and she thinks it’s partially her fault.  Sunny is afraid that this could be the worst summer ever, unless something can turn it around.  This was a great slice-of-life graphic novel for kids.  It’s set in 1976, but even if the setting is dated, the story isn’t.  I would recommend this to fans of Raina Telgemeier.

March Book Thee

MarchBook Thee by John Lewis, Andrew Aydin & Nate Powell, 246 pages

"Welcome to the stunning conclusion of the award-winning and best-selling MARCH trilogy. Congressman John Lewis, an American icon and one of the key figures of the civil rights movement, joins co-writer Andrew Aydin and artist Nate Powell to bring the lessons of history to vivid life for a new generation, urgently relevant for today's world. By the fall of 1963, the Civil Rights Movement has penetrated deep into the American consciousness, and as chairman of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, John Lewis is guiding the tip of the spear. Through relentless direct action, SNCC continues to force the nation to confront its own blatant injustice, but for every step forward, the danger grows more intense: Jim Crow strikes back through legal tricks, intimidation, violence, and death. The only hope for lasting change is to give voice to the millions of Americans silenced by voter suppression: "One Man, One Vote." To carry out their nonviolent revolution, Lewis and an army of young activists launch a series of innovative campaigns, including the Freedom Vote, Mississippi Freedom Summer, and an all-out battle for the soul of the Democratic Party waged live on national television. With these new struggles come new allies, new opponents, and an unpredictable new president who might be both at once. But fractures within the movement are deepening ... even as 25-year-old John Lewis prepares to risk everything in a historic showdown high above the Alabama river, in a town called Selma."  Again, this a moving, emotionally charged, well written and illustrated work that will never be a favorite of mine.

March Book Two

MarchBook Two by John Lewis, Andrew Aydin & Nate Powell, 187 pages

This is the second book in the March trilogy.  This graphic rendition of the Civil Rights movement is very powerful and I'm not sorry that I've spent the time reading it but I can't say that it's been one of my favorite books.  I'm sure  that the graphic format will entice people to read it who may not otherwise read much information about this era in history and the story and illustrations are well done.  This just isn't my favorite format.  Many people will be much more moved because of the illustrations, which are stark and designed to cause a rise of emotions.  I think it's a great piece of work that will have a serious impact on the world.  I appreciate it but didn't personally like it very much.

Ghosts

Ghosts by Raina Telgemeier, 240 pages

A poignant story about Cat and her little sister, Maya, who are moving because Maya is ill with cystic fibrosis.  Everyone in their new town is ghost-obsessed.  At first, Cat thinks people are just crazy, but she soon realizes that the ghosts are real.  Unfortunately, Maya becomes seriously ill after their first encounter and although everyone tries to convince Cat that the ghosts are friendly and fun, she feels that she needs to protect her sister from the ghosts.  This book has funny, scary, and sweet parts.  Overall, it’s a very good book.  Unsurprisingly, many grade school girls are huge fans of Telgemeier’s work.  Although, graphic novels are not my first choice of type of book, I will always read Telgemeier’s books myself.

The Other Side Of The Wall

The Other Side Of The Wall by Simon Schwartz, 106 pages

Simon's parents met while studying at university in East Germany.  Simon's father grew up as a loyal member of the Socialist party.  His mother also mostly believed in the party but had questions and doubts.  As they both got older, they both began to develop more doubts until they applied for an exit visa to West Germany.  This graphic novel chronicles their stories as children through the collapse of the Berlin Wall.  Told from Simon's perspective, this was a good biographical account for children of an interesting time in history.

A Year Without Mom

A Year Without Mom by Dasha Tolstikova, 167 pages

This is a graphic biography of the year a little girl's mother left Russia to study in the United States.  It's more of a slice of life type of story and reads a lot more like a work of fiction than a biographical account, probably partly due to its graphic nature.  I liked it pretty well and kids who like reality fiction will probably enjoy it.