Recent Read: Boxers & Saints

Boxers &  Saints by Gene Luen Yang

Having watched as Christian Westerners abuse his family and village, young Bao learns martial arts and recruits others to go with him to fight the “foreign devils” of the West. He forms the Society of the Righteous and Harmonious Fist, a group who take on the identities of the gods of Chinese Opera as they seek to destroy Christianity in China and kill its followers.

 Young Four-Girl joins Christianity after being rejected by her family because she was born on the wrong day (of the wrong month of the wrong year). But it’s a dangerous time to be Christian in China, and soon she faces the fearsome violence of Society of the Righteous and Harmonious Fist.

In this incredibly thought-provoking pair of graphic novels, Yang tells the intertwined stories of two young people on opposite sides of a volatile conflict. In Boxers, Bao takes on the superhero-like identity of a god of the Opera as he endeavors to defeat the villainous Christians, while in Saints, an abused and rejected Four-Girl finds acceptance and belonging (and a real name) with those that her family calls devils. Both receive spiritual visitations: Bao, from the domineering first emperor of China, Chin Shi Huang; Four-Girl/Vibiana, from the earnest Joan of Arc. Yang throws the reader into the middle of the action—in all its shocking violence—bringing to life a time of upheaval and high emotions. By writing two novels from different perspectives, Yang provides a more full understanding and well-rounded view of the events. I read all the overlapping scenes side by side after I finished the books, and I found new insights in every one.

Each volume works as a satisfying stand-alone graphic novel. Both stories are interesting, nuanced, and bring up the kind of questions of character, morality and motivation that make a story interesting. But together, they are not only a story of the Boxer Rebellion, but an examination of the idea of sides and war. Is there a good side and a bad side at all? Who are the heroes—or are there any? Who were the protagonists of the Boxer Rebellion?

 This is a fascinating question that Yang asks, but I think my love for the books is more about the characters—Bao and Vibiana—than anything else. Their journeys, their imperfections, their youth and immaturity (because many Boxers were just teenagers), their character, and perhaps most powerfully, their deaths had a profound effect on me.

I also appreciated the artistry of the books. Just look at the covers. Each works individually without the other, but together we see parallels and symmetry, completion of halves, ampersands we didn’t even notice were there. That’s how the content of the books is.

 

Picture This: The Animal Book

The Animal Book by Steve Jenkins

This book is phenomenal. Subtitled "A Collection of the Fastest, Fiercest, Toughest, Cleverest, Shyest--and Most Surprising--Animals on Earth," this book is a sort of animal almanac featuring Jenkins's fantastic cut and torn paper collage illustrations. He includes chapters on various aspects of animal life, like family (mating, birth, parental roles, siblings, and animal upbringings) and defenses (how animals protect themselves in the wild, by hiding, with armor, by fighting back, etc.).  The information is interesting, and oftentimes kooky or gross or weird. (Did you know the Surinam toad eggs are embedded in pockets on the mother's back, from which the tadpoles emerge? Or that horned lizards shoot blood from their eyes at predators for protection?!!) Kids will eat this stuff up!

There is so much to look at and read. In addition to the illustrations and animal facts, Jenkins features actual size illustrations of animals and eggs and represents information in graphs, charts, and other graphics. Everything is laid out artistically and his artistic and graphic eye is apparent on every page. An incredible amount of work must have been put into this and it paid off. Excellent in every way.

Just look at the artistic depiction of these animals! Such an eye

Picture This: Dream Animals

Dream Animals by Emily Winfield Martin

In this enchanting bedtime story, Emily Winfield Martin asks and answers the question, How do we get to Dreamland?

"Dreamland is too far to run and sleepy feet, too slow," she explains, so Dream Animals take us to our dreams.

After introducing this concept that Dream Animals transport children to their dreams, Martin describes and illustrates possible dreams. For example, she posits that a bear could take you to meet friends and shows a boy on the back of a bear, followed by a full page spread of the those friends "set[ting] their misfit table for a feast that never ends." A fox takes a girl to an elfin hollow; a narwhal takes another girl to an underwater tea party with mermaids. The magical dreamscapes she creates will appeal to children and awaken their own imaginations. I love the soft, dreamy illustrations. They remind me of the style of the 40s and 50s. Even the endpages are great: they show children getting ready for bed at the beginning, and children asleep at the end. (and the hardcover of the book features constellations of dream animals). She has composed the story using a nice rhythm and rhyme which gives the story a sort of musical flow. Everything about the text and illustrations complements the story and its dreamlike tone. I would get this to read to my own children. Love.

Recent Read: The Killing Woods

The Killing Woods by Lucy Christopher

Emily's dad emerges from the woods one night carrying what she thinks is the body of a deer, but it's not; it's the body of a girl--one of her classmates. Her dad is charged with manslaughter--accused of killing the Ashlee during a PTSD flashback. But Emily doesn't believe it. What really happened that night?

Emily’s not the only one wanting to know what happened that night. Ashlee’s boyfriend Damon woke up wondering why his girlfriend wasn’t next to him, his memories of the previous night foggy, at best.

Told from the alternating voices of Emily and Damon, the reader is very much inside each of their distinct heads, and neither one of them shares everything with the other, making for very different perspectives and interpretation of events and evidence. Christopher unfolds this riveting mystery piece by piece, always giving the reader significant information, without ever being predictable. As Emily and Damon both investigate and analyze the events, they find themselves awash in doubts and also drawn together in ways they never expected. Though at its heart this is a mystery, The Killing Woods explores deeper themes, like guilt, character, and trust, and tells more personal stories, like that of Emily coming to grips with her father’s PTSD. The Killing Woods is one gripping, psychologically intense, and emotionally charged murder mystery. Loved it.

Picture This: Battle Bunny

Battle Bunny by Jon Scieszka and Mac Barnett, illustrated by Matthew Myers

Alex's Grandma gives him a sweet easy reader about a bunny for his birthday: "To my little birthday bunny." But Alex decides to turn the book into something awesome: Battle Bunny.

Laugh-out-loud hysterical. The original book, Birthday Bunny, is about a bunny excited about his birthday is disappointed to the point of tears when no one remembers (only to be surprised with a party in the end). However, Alex's revised book is about Battle Bunny and his efforts to enact an evil plan. When the president's special agents can't stop Battle Bunny, Alex must save the day. While Birthday Bunny's story is in oil paints, Battle Bunny's is drawn in with pencil. As you can see, Bunny is given a scar, a helmet, an eye-patch, and an ammo belt. He eats brain juice instead of carrot juice and goes chopping through the trees instead of hopping. Illustrated pebbles become grenades, and a acorns become attacking bees.

One of my favorite moments is this scene on the stump/throne. In the original text, Bunny is sad because no one remembered his birthday, but in Alex's version Battle Bunny's feeling strong and laughing, "ha ha."  So while he sits on his throne (which reads "Power is good. Power is mine"), he also has a tear streaming down his face. This is one of the remarkable things about the book they've constructed: there are two complete stories, one layered on top of the other that both contribute to the humor and joy of the book. The illustrations have the same effect: the original Birthday Bunny illustrations are soft and pretty, and of course the added pencil drawings are messy, chaotic and hilarious. There are so many funny things to discover in this book. Fantastic.

(there are tree stumps and saws all over the book, because Battle Bunny doesn't hop, he chops.)

Books of 2013

Books read: 33

Something Like Normal by Trish Doller ✦ The Two Minute Rule by Robert Crais ✦ Out of the Easy by Ruta Sepetys* ✦ Some Girls Are by Courtney Summers ✦ City of Bones by Cassandra Clare ✦ The Nightmare Affair by Mindee Arnett ✦ Smile by Raine Telgemeier ✦ The Night Tourist by Katherine Marsh ✦ The Unfortunate Son by Constance Leeds ✦ An Abundance of Katherines by John Green ✦ The False Prince by Jennifer Nielsen ✦ The Symptoms of My Insanity  by Mindy Raf* ✦ Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World that Can't Stop Talking by Susan Cain ✦ Sabriel by Garth Nix ✦ Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins ✦ Love and Other Perishable Items by Laura Buzo ✦ The Queen of Water by Laura Resau ✦ Far Far Away by Tom McNeal* ✦ Eleanor and Park by Rainbow Rowell* ✦ Jinx by Sage Blackwell* ✦ Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins ✦ Akata Witch by Nnedi Okorafor ✦ The Coldest Girl in Coldtown by Holly Black* ✦ Red by Alison Cherry* ✦The Weight of Water by Sarah Crossan* ✦ A Tangle of Knots by Lisa Graff* ✦ Counting by 7s by Holly Goldberg Sloan* ✦ Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi ✦ Revolution by Jennifer Donnelly ✦ Midwinter Blood by Marcus Sedgwick* ✦  Peanut by Ayun Halliday and Paul Hoppe* ✦ Grave Mercy by Robin LaFevers

*published in 2013

Even fewer books this year. I s'pose that's what happens when you get a real job.

Favorite Books read in 2013:

1. Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World that Can't Stop Talking by Susan Cain
I think I've said it all before--validating, eye-opening.

2. Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card
This was a reread, but it still makes the list because I fully appreciated it this time around (as opposed to when I was 13). Absolutely brilliant.

3. The Unfortunate Son by Constance Leeds
Beautiful story, beautifully told. And i love the question it asks: What role do we play in our own destinies? It's the perfect combination of meaningful, enjoyable, and skillful.

4. Eleanor & Park  by Rainbow Rowell*
Besides the fact that I was 100% engrossed in this book for the 2 days it took me to read, I especially loved two things about this romance: 1. Both kids are imperfect and kinda average 2. The romance (or at least the beginning) happens slowly and realistically: small gestures leading to conversation and friendship and later, passion.

5. Coldest Girl in Coldtown by Holly Black*
Delectable. It felt like a guilty pleasure because it was vampires, but the truth is it was good and original and had some depth.

6. Smile by Raina Telgemeier
I so related to this tale of dental and orthodontic disaster. Funny, well-illustrated.

7. The False Prince by Jennifer Nielsen
Good plotting, characters, political intrigue, and page-turning. A great read, plain and simple.

8. Out of the Easy by Ruta Sepetys
Sepetys has written another inspiring and character-rich story. I loved the setting and the substance of it: character and decisions.

9. Counting by 7s by Holly Goldberg Sloan
Touching and funny. It sounded awfully politically correct when I read the description, but it turns out it was all about story and characters, and that's what matters most in a book. Tragic, but hopeful and inspiring.

10. The Two Minute Rule by Robert Crais
Because this is thrilling mystery writing at its best.










Honorable Mention:
Something Like Normal by Trish Doller
Queen of Water by Laura Resau
An Abundance of Katherines by John Green
Sabriel by Garth Nix
Grave Mercy by Robin LaFevers
City of Bones by Cassandra Clare

Recent Read: Grave Mercy

Ismae is rescued from a horrifying arranged marriage and delivered to the Convent of St Mortain, where she learns she is a daughter of Death himself. She is trained in the arts of deception and assassination so she can carry out His will, that is, end the lives of traitors. When she leaves on a mission to the high court of Brittany, she becomes embroiled in the politics and dangerous treachery of the nobles there. Will she be able to carry out the orders of the convent when what they see conflicts with what she herself sees?

In Grave Mercy, Robin LaFevers has written some top notch young adult fantasy. The plot and mythology were well-developed. I really liked the pagan-catholic mythology--it was interesting and unique. There was a lot of intrigue and mystery, some action, and a rather romantic romance (it hits a lot of buttons and avoids insta-love). It was an exciting page-turner. And though it’s part of a series, it is a self-contained story that works just fine as a stand alone. Thoroughly enjoyed this one.