Princeless: Raven, the Pirate Princess vol III

Princeless: Raven, the Pirate Princess vol III, Jeremy Whitley, 128 pages

A member of Raven’s crew has been gravely injured in the struggle against her brothers, and the crew flees to find a healer. Crewmembers tell stories of romance to keep each other company, and Raven attempts to persuade the healer to help a pirate.

What a great series. Romance begins to develop, and more awesome women join the cast. I really liked the part where Raven stops beating up a guard to help her with an asthma attack. A worthy follow-up to the earlier books.

Princeless: Raven, the Pirate Princess vol II

Princeless: Raven, thePirate Princess vol II, Jeremy Whitley, 128 pages

Bent on justice, Raven finally has a crew for her ship, but now she needs a heading! They set sail for the Island of Free Women in hopes of finding where her evil brothers have hidden themselves, but there’s trouble brewing no one could expect. And worst of all, the crew has to deal with each other!

This is a great continuation of the first volume. There’s action, adventure, hints of romance, and plenty of nasty men getting gloriously beaten up. Definitely a solid read.

Tom's Midnight Garden

Tom’s Midnight Garden, Edith, 94 pages

In this graphic novel adaptation of the book by Philippa Pearce, Tom has been shipped off to his aunt and uncle’s house to hopefully avoid catching measles from his younger brother. At first, he is excruciatingly bored – he’s in quarantine, so he can’t go out, and the mysterious landlady allegedly dislikes children, so he must stay quiet. But at night, the old clock in the hall chimes thirteen, and Tom creeps downstairs and out the back door, to a beautiful garden that isn’t there in the daytime, and a girl named Hatty from long ago, his new friend.

A beautiful, atmospheric graphic novel about time and memory. There’s never any explanation given for how or why Tom travels back in time to the garden, and the book would suffer if there were. The art is gorgeous, lush and expressive. This is a must-read for anyone who likes graphic novels.

Wonder Woman at Super Hero High

Wonder Woman at Super Hero High by Lisa Yee     237 pages

Wonder Woman's desire to become a superhero takes her to Super Hero High, where she juggles new friendships, intensive training, and a roommate obsessed with social media.

This was a cute story about DC superheroes as young teens. This book is part of a series, but the main superhero in this story is Wonder Woman. It follows her first year at Super Hero High, where young superheroes are taught how to use their powers effectively and for the greater good. I tagged this as middle-school, because that's how old I perceived these young supers to be, even though their school appears to be a high school. Part of what made this book a bit difficult to read as an adult is that they way the characters act seem very juvenile, certainly on the tween side. I thought the story was okay, though I struggled a bit to see Wonder Woman portrayed in such a naive way, despite her not having ever lived off of Paradise Island before. Much of what goes on the story focuses on her adapting to a new way of living, especially her interaction with her peers. The friction between her and the "villains" of this story is quite catty and, again, juvenile, but I can understand the reasoning behind this, since this book is geared toward someone much younger than me - I am not the target audience. That being said, the writing style is just so-so for me. It certainly didn't wow me. Otherwise, I think this is a fun, quick read for kids looking for a book that has a lot of action, especially if they're fans of superheroes. All the major DC characters are there to represent.

Princeless: Raven, the Pirate Princess vol I

Princeless: Raven, thePirate Princess vol I, Jeremy Whitley, 96 pages

This is a spinoff series from Princeless, in which Raven (the Pirate Princess) embarks upon a quest to revenge herself against her father and brothers for locking her in a tower and stealing her throne. But first, she needs a crew!

I liked this book quite a bit. Her crew is diverse and dynamic, with their own personalities and motives for joining. The art is good, though at first I found the coloring style a bit flat (I quickly got used to it and stopped feeling that way). I’m always nervous with these serially-published graphic novels that the art style will change suddenly, so I hope the next volume has the same artists.

Legends of Zita the Spacegirl

Legends of Zita the Spacegirl, Ben Hatke, 205 pages

Zita has saved the planet of Scriptorius from the incoming asteroid, but now she’s stranded who-knows-where in the galaxy – and worse yet, she’s famous. When she finds an Imprint-O-Tron that has copied her image from a poster, she thinks it’s the perfect way to get out of schmoozing with her fans. But Robo-Zita wants to be a hero herself, and when Zita steals a ship to chase after her on her way to stop a Heart Attack on a distant planet, she falls foul of the law. Can Zita the Crimegirl escape her notoriety in time to save Piper and her friends from the Star Hearts, or will she be too late?

This is a wonderful follow-up to Zita the Spacegirl. Hatke lets himself dwell in this world, giving it more depth and life and color. New friends expand the cast, and although some secondary characters from the original are relegated more to the background, I didn’t miss their presence. Like many sequels, Legends of Zita the Spacegirl sets itself up for more to come – although it tells a complete story, it does end on a cliffhanger. I honestly liked this better than the original Zita, and would definitely recommend it.

Foxheart

Foxheart, Claire Legrand, 469 pages

Although Quicksilver is only twelve years old, she’s already the greatest thief in the Star Lands (according to herself, at least). Her dog, named Fox, helps her endure the orphanage she has been raised in. But her world is thrown into disarray when the legendary Wolf King, a witch hunter of supernatural ability, appears in search of her – or perhaps the mysterious old woman who arrives at the marketplace. Quicksilver and Fox and a new friend, another thief, named Sly Boots, travel with the old woman to a world and time beyond imagining to fulfill their destinies and save the witches of the Star Lands.

This is a good book with a very solid premise that it doesn’t quite execute perfectly. It handles Quicksilver’s grief excellently and gives appropriate weight and importance to the sacrifices she and her companions make, which is a hard thing to pull off. I found those sections truly moving. But there is an out-of-character romantic subplot, and there’s little narrative payoff for her thieving ability (which would have been frustratingly easy to do). All that being said, Foxheart is definitely a good book and worth the read. Content warning for animal death.

Seraphina

Seraphina, Rachel Hartman, 515 pages

Seraphina lives an uneasy life. Although the truce brokered nearly 40 years ago between the kingdom of Goredd and the nation of dragons still holds, her nature as a half-dragon must remain secret. Tensions rise as Treaty Day approaches, especially once Prince Rufus is discovered dead, murdered in a suspiciously draconic fashion. With the help of her (dragon) uncle and the alarmingly perceptive Lucian Kiggs (the captain of the guards, as well as the illegitimate cousin and legitimate fiancé of Second Heir Princess Glisselda), Seraphina races to unravel the conspiracy in the palace before the plotters manage to destabilize the treaty and spark another war.

This summary doesn’t do this book justice; there’s a lot going on here. Seraphina has visions of strange people she’s never met; she’s also the Assistant Court Composer and a highly talented musician; the dragons can take human form (and struggle with the powerful emotions their reptilian brains are ill-equipped to handle); and the plot is founded on a fascinating, well-thought-out world, complete with a truly unique religion involving a vast pantheon of saints. There is of course romantic tension between Seraphina and Kiggs, though it’s based on real respect and friendship. The only parts of the plot that ring false to me both involve timing: Seraphina has only been at court for two weeks before the book starts, which seems to me not long enough (in my opinion, two months feels like it fits better). The second is a fairly major plot spoiler, so you’ll just have to read and find out, which you should absolutely do. This is a great book.

Zita the Spacegirl

Zita the Spacegirl by Ben Hatke, 182 pages

While out playing one day, Zita and her close friend Joseph are shocked when they discover a mysterious button that, upon being pressed, opens a portal. Joseph is snatched by a tentacled creature and abducted through the portal, and Zita jumps after him, taking her to an alien world threatened by imminent collision with an asteroid. She makes friends and has adventures as she works towards rescuing Joseph, but will they be able to return home before the asteroid hits?

Ben Hatke’s beautifully expressive artistic style and clever writing make Zita a delightfully layered protagonist. Like a good action hero, she makes sacrifices as she courageously saves the day, but she also kindly helps strangers, runs in fear from too-scary monsters, and breaks down from the stress, overwhelmed by this brave new world. Plenty of twists and turns mean that the reader is gripped the whole way through.

One rather unpleasant detail that stood out was a certain character, a nasty moneygrubbing merchant named Topper, who was drawn in a way that resembles an anti-Semitic caricature. Surely this was unintentional (Hatke often draws characters with cartoonishly large noses and beards), but more care needs to be taken to avoid such harmful tropes (Watto in the Star Wars prequels is another example).

Generally speaking, though, this is a very nice graphic novel, and a good read for any child who loves science fiction adventures.