The High Desert

I selected this graphic novel because it has won several awards.The book won the 2022 ALA Alex Award and the 2023 Cartoonist Studio Prize for Print Comics. In addition, it was one of The Washington Post's 10 Best Graphic Novels of 2022, one of New York Public Library's Best Books of 2022 and a Publishers Weekly Best Book of 2022.  I had high expectations for it. However, I did not like it much. 

High Desert is a coming-of-age graphic memoir by the creator of Afro-punk, James Spooner. We read about him as a teenaged African American boy who has to deal with identity, racism, teen love and belonging in the isolated California desert that he lived in with his white single mother. James searches for community by being punk. James thinks going to a new high school will bring him new friends but he finds that he is just one out of 15 African American students at the school. The African Americans are gangbangers while the white students are racist. Some are skinheads. James doesn't know where he fits until he meets Ty, a young black punk who introduces him to the school outsiders, skaters and unhappy young rebels caught up in the punk groundswell sweeping the country. His life changes with a new punk haircut and becoming a bass player in a band. 

I did not understand the slang. After looking up several pages worth of slang I gave up. The story was actually judge dialogue between James and his fellow students at various moments in school. There was no plot. I felt sorry for James, though. He had a rough adjustment to his new community and didn't feel his mother understood him. I read several reviews of this book and all were positive. These reviewers had the same life experiences as James. While I didn't like the book I would definitely recommend it for my friends' kids who might be feeling just like James.

Muybridge

Muybridge is the graphic biography of Eadweard Muybridge. He was one of the earliest pioneers in photography during the nineteenth century. He is famous for his time sequence of a horse galloping. Cartoonist Guy Delisle brings this unknown photographer to life in this book.

The publisher's summary:

Sacramento, California, 1870. Pioneer photographer Eadweard Muybridge becomesentangled in railroad robber baron Leland Stanford’s delusions of grandeur. Tasked withproving Stanford’s belief that a horse’s hooves do not touch the ground while galloping atfull speed, Muybridge gets to work with his camera. In doing so, he inadvertently createsone of the single most important technological advancements of our age―the invention of time-lapse photography and the mechanical ability to capture motion.

Critically-acclaimed cartoonist Guy Delisle (Pyongyang, Hostage) returns with anotherengrossing foray into nonfiction: a biography about Eadweard Muybridge, the man whomade pictures move. Despite career breakthrough after career breakthrough, Muybridgewould only be hampered by betrayal, intrigue, and tragedy. Delisle’s keen eye for detailsthat often go unnoticed in search of a broader emotional truth brings this historical figureand those around him to life through an uncompromising lens.

Translated from the French by Helge Dascher & Rob Aspinall, Muybridge turns a spotlighton what lives in the shadow of an individual’s ambition for greatness, and proves thatEadweard Muybridge deserves to be far more than just another historical footnote.

The biography begins with Muybridge as an adult and continues until his death. He traveled to the U.S. west coast to take the first photos of Yosemite and American Indians and was known nationwide for his feats. He also traveled to Europe in order to obtain more job assignments. He married but was never home, always traveling to a photo shoot. His wife got bored and cheated on him, getting pregnant in the process. Muybridge exploded in rage when he found out. I was surprised by his anger because, after all, he could be away from home for as long as a year. 

The art work was done in black and white drawings in comic strip panels. It was cool to see Muybridge's actual photos throughout the book too. The dialogue was spot on and showed how big Muybridge's ambitions were.

I enjoyed reading about one of our early pioneers in this field. I wish, however, that Delisle would write more travelogues. I loved reading them.  5 out of 5 stars.

The Strange Tales of Oscar Zahn

I knew when I picked up this book that it would stretch my reading potential. Here, we have a paranormal investigator who looks into mysteries to solve. I was unprepared, though, for how bizarre this book really is. It is way different than my usual fare of thrillers and historical mysteries but I thought I should stretch my mind. 

The publisher's summary:

Oscar Zahn is just like any other paranormal investigator—he’s working hard to make the world a better place, one exorcism at a time. So what if he’s just a floating skull wearing a trench coat? He’s still got a heart of gold!

In this first installment of the online webcomic sensation The Strange Tales of Oscar Zahn, join Oscar and his mysterious assistant Agnes as they embark on a terrifying yet heartwarming journey across ethereal realms, rescuing lost souls and solving creepy mysteries. Their travels take them across great distances and even through time, as Oscar sleuths out why the spirits he contends with are restless and malcontent. Yet the more mysteries he solves, the clearer it becomes that there's a greater game afoot, one that involves Oscar's own forgotten origin story.

Readers will love this beautifully illustrated paranormal graphic novel from Tri Vuong, the beloved creator of Webtoon’s The Strange Tales of Oscar Zahn.

This volume collects episodes 1–65 of the Webtoon comic The Strange Tales of Oscar Zahn.

The book contains eight short graphic stories that feature character Oscar Zahn. Out of the eight stories, the three about WWI were my favorites. All of them were about different characters in the Battle of the Somme. When I say that they were my favorites, I am really saying that I understood them. I knew what was happening. Not so with the other five stories. They were beyond my ability to understand. I cannot fault the author for writing a genre that I don't normally read so there will be no rating of the book. I am sure that there is a market for this kind of book as I have read many positive reviews of it. If you are into paranormal comics, you may enjoy it.

Profane

This 2024 publication of the Profane comic collects releases 1 through 5. It's a well drawn and colored comic in a 8" x 11" softcover book. The main character is Will Profane, a well-dressed African American. He believes that he is a private detective who has been tasked with finding the killer of Spud Coltrane. Profane soon realizes that instead he's actually a fictional character in a story written by Coltrane. 

Profane pursues his investigation into Coltrane's murder but begins having thoughts about where he himself stands as a person given that Coltrane cannot continue to write about his character. Will he die? The main suspects into the murder are Ken Kane, Spud’s professional rival, Lili Macbeth, a beautiful nightclub singer and Red Glove, Profane’s nemesis who is determined to escape his tormented existence of losing to Will again and again. As Profane begins crossing suspects off his list, he worries that  someone from the world of non-fiction can become a suspect.

I thought it was funny that Profane was not a real person but, rather, a fictional character. The author was creative to come up with this idea. Another aspect of Profane's character that I enjoyed was his witty personality. It made reading his dialogue fun. Finally, I would be remiss if I didn't mention how much the artwork contributed to my enjoyment of the book. The comic strip panels were beautifully colored by Giada Marchisio and I even liked the font. 

All in all, Profane was a fantastic read. 5 out of 5 stars.

We Called Them Giants

I purchased a hard back of this comic last week. It was satisfying to hold an actual book in my hands. Usually I read ebooks. Turning the pages felt surreal but that matched the dystopian nature of the story.

The main character is Lori. She is a recently adopted teenager who awakens one morning to a mysteriously depopulated world. Lori had heard about the rapture from friends and neighbors but doesn't believe that is why everyone disappeared. She calls it the not-rapture event. Lori ventures outside and finds storefronts and other businesses devoid of employees. Most of the food shelves are bare. A few days later, while rummaging for food, Lori comes across her best friend Annette. They decide to stay together in a cave and forage for food daily. There are gangs, monsters and aliens that they must avoid in order to stay alive. Along the way they meet an elderly lady in the same circumstances and join forces with her. She knows the red giant and the green giant and how they operate. The red giant is benevolent while the green giant exudes evil. You can probably see where this story is going.

We Called Them Giants was a finalist for the 2025 Hugo Award for Best Graphic Story or Comic. I am rating it five out of five stars.

Feral Volume 1

Feral is a cute graphic novel about a group of cats who are friends. When the government evacuated their neighborhood due to a new strain of rabies, they are picked up by animal control for euthanasia. When the truck they are inside crashes the cats escape and try to find their way home. All of them are indoor catswho are lost outdoors. Elsie, Lord Fluffy Britches, and Patch encounter threats from foxes and wolves as they rush to find their way home and their usual food. The cats are smart enough to notice that the creatures they encounter have an illness of some sort and they have to stay in the trees as they travel home to avoid getting bit or scratched by them.

I loved this story from the first page to the last. It reminded me of 2024's Animal Pound comic. It's definitely kid friendly with no foul language, sexual content or graphic drawings. The comic was drawn by Trish Forster and Tone Rodriguez with coloring by Brad Simpson. Simpson used a muted pallette of blues and purples and reds. It's gorgeous. 

Volume 1 collects issues 1 through 5 of the series. It was published in March 2024. There are currently 10 volumes available. I hope that they all are eventually published in an omnibus edition. It would be nice to them all contained in one big book.

5 out of 5 stars.

Brownstone

I loved reading this YA graphic novel. The main character is Almudena, a fourteen year old girl, who is sent to live with her father for the summer because her mother is taking a once in a lifetime trip. The problem is that she has never met him and he does not speak English. Xavier is Guatemalan and is happy to see her, but he expects her to live in (and help fix up) his old, broken-down brownstone. Along the way, Almudena must navigate the language barrier. 

As Almudena tries to adjust to this new reality, she gets to know the residents of Xavier’s Latin American neighborhood. Each member of the community has their own joys and heartbreaks as well as their own strong opinions on how this young Latina should talk, dress, and behave. Some can’t understand why she doesn’t know where she comes from. Others think she’s “not brown enough” to fit in.  However, Almudena becomes fast friends with them all.  By summer's end, she hates leaving her new friends behind but is happy to return to living with her mother.

I loved the Almudena character. She is a happy go lucky girl who can deal with any situation. She helps all of her new neighbors with their problems without skipping a beat. Somehow she is able to communicate with her father and new friends who only speak Spanish. Note that the novel is bilingual. While it is mainly told in English, there is dialogue in Spanish that is not translated.  The artwork was primarily colored in brown tones to match the storyline.

5 out of 5 stars.

Spent

Alison Bechdel's Spent graphic novel was published earlier this week. The novel's main character is Alison herself but this Alison has a different life history. Book Alison runs a pygmy goat sanctuary in Vermont. She is upset over climate change and the possibility of civil war in the U. S.  Book Alison’s first graphic novel was about her father’s taxidermy business and was made into a successful, Emmy award winning TV show. Alison is trying to sell her second graphic novel, which is about late capitalism and her guilt over being white. She wants to free people from consumer capitalism and live a more ethical life. However, she wonders whether her love of her middle class lifestyle is a betrayal of her lifelong values.

The book is quite funny. The plot is structured around the contents of a Marxist explanation of money. While this sounds serious, it is written with funny lines by all of the characters who are not afraid to poke fun at themselves and the politicians they follow. Alison has a conservative sister Sheila who is a nationally renowned seed artist. Sheila and Alison just barely tolerate each other. The story became slow in the middle. There was too much dialogue on politics and special interest groups and not much action. We read about Alison’s daily life here.

Alison’s partner is Holly. She is a sculptor by trade. Holly's character resembles the author’s own wife, Holly Rae Taylor, an artist who did the coloring on Spent. The couple meets daily with their friends, which includes Stuart who is a Bernie Sanders look-alike, Stuart's wife Sparrow and their college dropout kid, J.R., and Lois, who acts as a sort of tour guide to other people’s sexual hangups and fetishes.

I would not recommend the book for children. While there is no profanity, the book has several drawings of characters having sex. In addition, there are discussions among them about being lesbians. I don't think kids would be interested in it anyway because the storyline is about middle aged characters. All of the characters are extremely liberal in their politics. They constantly talk about their activities volunteering for many political groups.

I enjoyed this comic but there was too much politics for my taste. I am rating it 4 out if 5 stars.

The Great British Bump Off: Kill or be Quilt #1

Following the success of the Great British Bump Off baking murder mystery series, John Allison brings us a companion series. The Kill or Be Quilt series will have five releases and takes place in a fabric shop that we quilters refer to as a quilt shop. The next release will be published later today.

The publisher's summary:

When wildcat arson hits her new employer right where she lives, Shauna Wickle is drawn into the brutal and vindictive world of quilting, as sisterhood and community needlecraft deteriorate into internecine strife. With the promise of an end to all her financial worries, Shauna must cross enemy lines and infiltrate a cadre of “monsters in human skin”. But they seem…so nice

This is a light hearted cozy mystery in graphic novel format.  Shauna Wickle is the main character. She is a bright, kind, peppy girl who embarks on a relaxing vacation, sailing down English canals in a boat she borrowed from her uncle. However, Shauna is not an experienced sailor and soon finds that the boat has run aground and needs to be fixed before Shauna can continue her vacation. She is lucky to land in Barton-on-Wendle, and gets a job working at a fabric shop in order to earn money for repairs. At the shop she learns what a fat quarter is and is delighted to see bobbins of thread organized by color. Because of her bubbly personality, the shop owner believes Shauna will scare off their customers. We have to wait for the next release to find out how she fits in with the employees.

Way, way over 5 out of 5 stars.

Delver Season 1

Delver Season 1 is a Comixology Original comic. It collects releases 1 through 5 and there are 5 seasons of this 2019 comic. It is kid friendly; no foul language, violence or sex. 

The publisher's summary:

When the door to a living dungeon surfaces in the tiny hamlet of Oddgoat, village girl Temerity Aster has two choices: abandon the only home she's ever known to carpet baggers and sellswords, or carve out a place for herself and her family in the new and dangerous world of delving. 

The story opens with a boy being sent to the family's root cellar for ingredients needed for dinner. He finds an entrance to the Dungeon and tells the family when he returns. Soon neighbors are talking about it and the gossip spreads. People begin coming from all over the world to try and gain their fortunes in this dangerous place. The story focuses on Merit, a fifteen year old girl who decides to try her fortune as a Delver as the Dungeon irrevocably changes the life of those in the community. 

The first thing I noticed was that the main family of the series is dark skinned while the people who come out of the dungeon are crazy looking white people. This theme is carried out throughout the 141 pages of the comic. I thought it was hilarious. So what is delving? It is searching for treasure in the dungeon. In order to enter and exit the dungeon you have to find the door. To make matters difficult, the doors move and close frequently. Most of the time you are rich beyond belief when you exit the dungeon so everyone wants to enter. 

I cannot wait to read all 5 seasons! Delver is a cute comic for all ages. 5 out of 5 stars.

Bad Mother

Bad Mother is a 2021 comic series featuring April Walters and her teenaged daughter Taylor. The story opens with April grocery shopping when armed robbers appear. All the staff and shoppers are on the floor hoping not to get shot when the police arrive. A shootout ensues in favor of the cops. When April gets home she realizes that Taylor is not home. She reviews her text messages from Taylor and sees Taylor's response to leave her alone. The next morning Taylor is still not home so April tries to make a missing persons report at the police station. She is told to wait 48 hours but instead April embarks on a harrowing mission to find her. April's journey that takes her through the underworld of her suburban community and sets her on a collision course with a massive crime syndicate and its lethal matriarch. Tested to her limits and beyond, April discovers that hell hath no fury like a mother scorned.

I loved this story! I read it in one sitting because it was so intriguing. April is not your ordinary soccer mom. She will go to any extreme to keep her kids safe. She also is one hell of a fighter who gets in rumbles with crime figures but manages to come out on top. The pacing was fast and with the colorful comic book panels this book is fantastic. The plot was very well thought out with plenty of twists and turns and the characters were realistic. This book is a winner.

5 out of 5 stars.

Adora and the Distance

Adora and the Distance is a 2021 Comixology Original YA fantasy graphic novel following the epic adventures of Adora, a brave young woman of color who lives in a fantastical world with underground pirates, ghosts, and a mysterious force called "The Distance" which threatens to destroy it all.

Adora's adventures were magical as advertised. She is a nine-year-old adopted princess who left home to avoid being obliterated by the Distance. Her father Raphael assigns several of his employees to protect her throughout her travels. Her maid Esperanza, of course, travels with her as does Gregoire, Antonio from Roma, Jaffar from Arabia, Mur Rey from Turkey and El Moor. Along the way the group encounters bandits, puzzles and the walking dead whose homeland was destroyed by the Distance. The ending had a surprise twist that I did not see coming. I have debated whether I should explain the ending, which was quite profound. It's impossible to write a decent review without delving into the weighty issue the author gives us. Some reviewers have done so but I will not.

This comic is a must read. You will not be disappointed. There is no foul language, sex or violence so it is appropriate for young readers. 5 out of 5 stars.

40 Seconds

40 Seconds is a 2022 Comixology Original comic. This 120 page edition collects releases 1 through 5 of the comic. The book is a science fiction story about a team of science explorers. They are traveling in space through a series of alien gateways using Forge Gate Technology in order to answer a distress call from a galaxy away. The scientists jump across the universe through strange and beautiful landscapes only to be hunted by a vast inexplicably unstoppable horde. They can only learn the truth surrounding the distress call if they make it through the final gate in time.

While the story was gripping and fast paced, the first thing I noticed was the color palette of the comic strip panels. They are gorgeous. The first gateway has a beautiful pink landscape. The second was done in browns but the buildings were Asian inspired. I couldn’t tell if they were Japanese or Chinese. Colorist Brett Weldele did a fabulous job here. The next gateway was pink, lavender, green, blue, teal, orange and brown. The drawings of these worlds included ruins, jungle, urban areas along with strange creatures and enemies. The artwork made this story a fun one to read.

What does the title reveal about the story? The explorers have forty seconds to jump through the gates before they close and they are lost forever. I loved this comic and immediately re-read it. It's a fun story suitable for kids as there is no foul language, sex or violence. 5 out of 5 stars.

Black is the Color

I loved the cover of this graphic novel and decided to get a copy. I wondered whether the comic strip panels inside would have some color or whether they would be black and white. Unfortunately for me, they're black and white. 

The story opens with a 17th-century sailor abandoned at sea by his shipmates. It was cruel for the captain to pick Xavier and Warren to offload in order to protect the ship from damaging winds. Xavier is ill and can't stop coughing. The sound annoys Warren so much that he pushes Xavier out of their lifeboat. As the story progresses Warren endures, and eventually succumbs to both his lingering death sentence and the advances of a cruel and amorous mermaid; a nakedness and voluptuous mermaid of course. The narrative also delves into the experiences of the loved ones he left behind, both on his ship and at home, as well as of the mermaids who witness his destruction. Most of this was about the mermaids though. Per the author, the story is about "the value of maintaining dignity to the detriment of intimacy, and the erotic potential of the worst-case scenario."

The story didn't grab my attention. I couldn't figure out why the plot premise was something to write about. There wasn't much action. Many of the comic strip panels had no dialogue. However, it was easy to determine what was happening. While there are many comic fans who would love this type of book, it just wasn't my cup of tea. 3 out of 5 stars.

Sugar Shack

I received an advanced review copy of this graphic novel from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. The book will be published on August 5, 2025. I have read most of Knisley's books and they all give a female perspective of various times in a woman's life. In this story we read about Jen, a city girl turned country girl, whose life has been constantly changing. Jen believes that it's time that she found her place in her new blended family. Her father Walter has a new wife and kids while she lives with her mother. Sugar Shack is the final novel in Knisley's Peapod Farm series.

The publisher's summary:

Jen couldn’t be more excited to spend time on Peapod Farms with her step-sisters, Andy and Reese. For months, Jen has been so focused on trying to figure out how she fits into her new blended family that she hasn’t realized she’s found her place… that is until Reese calls her sister.

Excited and content, Jen thought she had figured everything out,but now she’s not so sure. A rift emerges between the girls as Andy doubles down on being Reese’s ACTUAL sister, while Jen is just the STEP sister. With Andy’s attitude bringing a cold front to the farm it seems like it’s going to be a long winter.

Maybe between Peapod Farm’s first snow and learning how to tap a tree for sugar, Jen and Andy both will have a chance to truly understand what it means to be family.

This is a cute, kid friendly story. There is no foul language or violence and the drawings reflect the perspectives of the kids in the story. The recommended reading age is 8 to 12 years old. 

Jen loves visiting her father and her two step-sisters on the farm that her father owns. They have wonderful adventures such as building snowmen and snow castles, then coming indoors for plentiful mugs of hot cocoa. The farm has many maple trees from which the family makes maple syrup. I enjoyed learning how it is made. The title of the book comes from the sugar shack on the farm where the maple liquid is boiled down into syrup. First, maple liquid is tapped from the trees into a bucket and later made into the syrup. The step-sisters also have fun experiences with their friends from school. Jen is introduced to them and joins in their activities. Jen is boy crazy, though, and there are many scenes where she talks about her infatuation with a guy named Eddie. 

Jen spends her Saturday mornings studying with her rabbi for her Bat Mitzvah. She is a fairly religious Jew while her step-sisters don't have any knowledge of their Jewish ancestry. Technically the step-sisters are not Jewish because I don't think their mother isn't Jewish. If she is, this knowledge has not been passed down into the story.

The dialogue in Sugar Shack is written the way kids talk. With the brightly colored comic panels the book has the feel of a children's books, which it is. However, my sixtysomething self thoroughly enjoyed reading it. It sent me down memory lane to my own childhood where I, too, had fun with my friends and classmates. 

5 out of 5 stars.

Sacred Heart

Sacred Heart is a coming of age graphic novel. The story concerns the children of a town called Alexandria. Their parents are on a  mysterious, four-year religious pilgrimage so the kids are on their own. 

There are alot of characters. We have Ben Schiller, Otto, Empathy, Josh, Tommy, Lola, Tony, Erica, and Jessie. However, the main characters are Ben, Otto and Empathy. They speak with rude, crude and lewd words and cannot get their minds off of sex. I didn't like any of them. The characters are consumed with their love lives and going to parties. Ben (a girl) takes care of her younger sister who is hiding a dark secret. Ben ardently believes that her parents will someday return. Ben also has problems with her best friend because they are maturing at different levels. The characters are undisciplined but show up at school every day. I found that unusual because I would have been cutting class.

The artwork consisted of black and white line drawings that were crudely drawn. It matched the crude behavior of the characters. However, I didn't care for the artwork. The story itself was all over the place. There wasn't a story per se but rather snapshots of events the characters attended.

Sacred Heart has received many positive reviews but I didn't care for it. It's just not my kind of comic. No rating.

Squad

Squad is a feminist horror story told in comic book format and was written for young adults aged 14 to 17. It was published in 2021. The story is about a new girl who is invited to join her high school’s most popular clique. Of course, all is not well with the group.

The publisher's summary:  

When Becca transfers to a high school in an elite San Francisco suburb, she’s worried she’s not going to fit in. To her surprise, she’s immediately adopted by the most popular girls in school. At first glance, Marley, Arianna, and Mandy are perfect. But at a party under a full moon, Becca learns that they also have a big secret.

Becca’s new friends are werewolves. Their prey? Slimy boys who take advantage of unsuspecting girls. Eager to be accepted, Becca allows her friends to turn her into a werewolf, and finally, for the first time in her life, she feels like she truly belongs.

But then things get complicated. As their pack begins to buckle under the pressure, their moral high ground gets muddier and muddier—and Becca realizes that she might have feelings for one of her new best friends.

Lisa Sterle’s stylish illustrations paired with Maggie Tokuda-Hall’s sharp writing make Squad a fierce, haunting, and fast-paced thrillerthatwill resonate with fans of Riverdale, and with readers of This Savage Song, Lumberjanes, and Paper Girls. 

I was not expecting this story to be about werewolves. The girls in the clique turn into wolves once a month and eat a boy who takes advantage of unsuspecting girls. They call it being hungry. The illustrations paired with each meal aren't too graphic so the story maintains light feel. I was amused at the authenticity of the dialogue. The girls say the word "like" all the time which is how kids today speak. 

The girls were able to control themselves after a kill so no one suspected them of murder. However, after Becca violates the rule not to kill anyone from their own school, the group begins to fall apart. All of the students in their high school constantly stare at them after the boyfriend of Ariana is accidentally killed by Becca. They are suspects in the eyes of their peers but the police are clueless. The story ends with Becca and Marley discovering that they are attracted to each other and go off into the sunset together. I was not expecting this either. 

All in all, Squad was a fun, light read. 5 out of 5 stars.

Art Club

Art Club Dare to Create was published on February 6, 2024. The story was inspired by the author’s own childhood and paints a picture of an aspiring young artist on a mission to prove that the arts are worth fighting for. The book was written with 8 - 12 year olds in mind and it is a graphic novel.

The publisher's summary:

Dale Donavan has heard the same lecture over and over again: Art will get you nowhere in life. A kid with a creative streak, Dale wants nothing more than to doodle, play video games, and create comics forever—maybe even as a full-time job one day. But between his grandfather pushing him to focus on his studies and a school with zero interest in funding arts programs, Dale feels like his future has already been decided for him. 

That is, until he comes up with the perfect plan: What if he starts an after-school art club, gathers a team of creative students like himself, and proves all the naysayers—his stubborn vice principal in particular—wrong? This might just work, but if the club isn’t financially successful by the end of the semester, the school with shut them down. This may be Dale’s only chance to show the adults in his life that a career as an artist is not just a dream but a possibility! 

The club doesn't get going until the halfway point in the story. The first half sets up the reason it was created as well as all of the obstacles that were put in the kids' way. The main obstacle is Mr. Ruffins, the school vice principal. He tasked the students with researching and writing a paper on a well paying career they are interested in. He hopes students will pursue math or science. Dale only likes reading comics so he takes a risk in writing his paper on the cartoonist field. This backfires on Dale but he convinces another teacher to sponsor an art club to show Ruffins that it can be profitable. If the club fails, Dale will flunk his class. 

The book teaches that there are many choices a student has to make before pursuing an art career. Dale is interested in becoming a comic book creator who does his own illustrations. Other students in the club like creating video games, drawing and fundraising. Their sponsor, Miss Jen'ae, begins with teaching the club members about different types of art and even takes them on field trips to art shows and comic conventions. Dale ultimately hopes that his school will resume teaching art classes.

Of course, there is a happy ending. Art Club is a fun read and is an ideal reading choice for a youngster interested in art. 5 out of 5 stars.

Saving Sunshine

Saving Sunshine is a graphic novel about Muslim American siblings who must learn how to stop fighting and support each other in a world that is often unkind to them. They are always being teased for having a funny sounding name or wearing a hijab. It was published in 2023 and won several awards including a Kirkus Best Book of the year and the New York Public Library Best Book for Kids for the year.

Zara and Zeeshan Aziz are twins who really can't stand each other. During a family trip to Florida where their mother received an award for best pediatrician of the year, their bickering, shoving, and insults reached new heights of chaos. As punishment, their parents sentenced them to the worst possible fate: confiscation of their cell phones and each other’s company! They are instructed to always stay together while their parents attend a medical conference. They are depressed beyond belief. Zeeshan loves to watch NASA videos on his phone while Zara takes photos of animals for her animal rescue group. However, when the twins find an ailing turtle whom Zara named Sunshine, it presents a rare opportunity for teamwork if, of course, the two can put their differences aside.

The book was written for kids aged 8 - 12. It's a sweet story with gorgeous watercolor drawings in muted tones. The Aziz family has to deal with alot of Islamophobia. The parents were born in Pakistan but emigrated to the U. S. as adults. The twins were born in New York but their classmates didn't accept them as true Americans. Mrs. Aziz wears a hijab and always encounters alot of stares and rude comments.

There were many facts about animals and outer space interspersed throughout the story which I enjoyed. It's always nice to learn something from a book. The book is a fast read and I recommend it for adults as well as kids of any age.

5 out of 5 stars.

Enlighten Me

Enlighten Me is a graphic novel by Minh Le. It features a young boy named Binh who gets in trouble at school after he hits another boy who has been bullying him over his Vietnamese heritage. He is afraid of being suspended but only receives a verbal warning from the vice principal at his school.  During the summer break, Binh's parents take him and his two sisters on a silent meditation retreat. Binh has to turn in his electronics and refrain from talking for an entire weekend. Of course, he is bored. However, when a Buddhist nun gathers all the kids to tell them the Jataka tales - the stories of the Buddha’s many past lives - Bình takes a fantastical dive into his imagination and starts to see himself in these stories. The questions remains, will he retreat further into himself or will he emerge from the weekend open to change?

This is a funny story written for kids 9 - 12. I learned a few new facts about the life of the Buddha that I have not read elsewhere in adult books. The Jakarta tales were new to me and I want to learn about all of them. While Bình is the protagonist of the story, the book is really an introduction into the life of Buddha. I was impressed that Bình found peace at the retreat but I guess that is the whole point of the book. The fact that he obtained this in the short span of a weekend seems like a fairy tale but, then again, it's a children's book.

5 out of 5 stars.