Incredible Doom Volume 1 written and illustrated by Matthew Bogart, story by Matthew Bogart & Jesse Holden. Harper Alley, 2021. 9780063064935. “Are you, like me, an old nerd? Then this is the book for you.” — Librarian and book person […]
Read More
Author: Gene Ambaum
Graphic Novel Review: IN. by Will McPhail
IN. by Will McPhail. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2021. 9780358345541. 268pp. http://www.powells.com/book/-9780358345541?partnerid=34778&p_bt Cartoonist Will McPhail draws a lot of comics for the The New Yorker. In this, his first graphic, a combination of inks and maybe watercolors create a mostly black-and-white […]
Read More
Graphic Novel Review: The Waiting by Keum Suk Gendry-Kim
The Waiting by Keum Suk Gendry-Kim. Translated by Janet Hong. Drawn & Quarterly, 2021. 9781770464575. 248pp. The Waiting is the second of Gendry-Kim’s graphic novels to be translated into English. (If you haven’t read the first, Grass, which is […]
Read More
Bookstabber Podcast Episode 8: All The Bird In The Sky by Charlie Jane Anders
In this episode of the Bookstabber podcast, Willow and I discuss All The Birds In The Sky by Charlie Jane Anders. It’s an apocalyptic book that both defies and embraces the conventions of fantasy, science fiction, and coming of age […]
Read More
Picture Book Reviews
Our Little Kitchen by Jillian Tamaki. Abrams Books for Young Readers, 2020. 9781419746550. Kids and adults gather in a small kitchen to see what’s grown in the community center’s garden, what they’ve been given, and what they’ve bought, and then […]
Read More
Graphic Novel Review: A Map To The Sun by Sloane Leong
A Map To The Sun by Sloane Leong. First Second, 2020. 9781250146687. 364pp. including early character sketches at the back. One summer, while playing basketball at the beach, Ren meets Luna, a surfer from Hawaii, and they become inseparable friends. […]
Read More
Graphic Novel Review: The Legend of Auntie Po by Shing Yin Khor
The Legend of Auntie Po by Shing Yin Khor. Kokila (Penguin Random House), 2021. 9780525554882. 304pp. 1885. Mei helps her father feed the lumberjacks and the Chinese workers at a logging camp. She’s known for making delicious pies and telling […]
Read More
Chapter Book Review: Monday — Into the Cave of Thieves (Total Mayhem 1) by Ralph Lazar
Monday — Into the Cave of Thieves (Total Mayhem 1) by Ralph Lazar. Scholastic, 2021. 9781338770377. 208pp. So much of what makes this book great appears in the almanac, including Lazar’s illustrations! It’s available at http://total-mayhem.com/almanac/ I recommend just going […]
Read More
Graphic Novel Review: Manu by Kelly Fernández
Manu by Kelly Fernández. Scholastic Graphix, 2021. 9781338264180. 186pp. Manu is always getting into trouble at La Academia de Santa Dominga, where she attends school with her friend Josephina and other magically talented girls. In part it’s because she’s so […]
Read More
Graphic Novel Review: Oksi by Mari Ahokoivu
Oksi by Mari Ahokoivu. Translated from Finnish by Silja-Maaria Aronpuro. Levine Querido, 2021. 9781646141135. 408pp. This graphic novel is a great example of how well illustrations, words, and comics’ storytelling tools can work together. Here they create an entirely immersive […]
Read More