#cybils2023

[vulpixbookpix]

5 out of 5 stars

This was such a fun read and I loved the art. A young woman named Cam finds herself in a predicament after her father passes away; she has no husband (and wants none) and cannot inherit her father's wealth. With her father's blessing, she poses herself as a son and goes to the Capitol where people aren't bothered with keeping up with a mere Count's heirs.

There Cam manages to make her way to the Princess's Ball and catches her wrath for wearing faux pas--fur at a "no fur" ball. Except it turns out that it's faux fur. Cam and Princess Brie (yes, everyone has cheese-themed names and I love it) become fast friends. There are longing glances and blushes and everything in between; all while Cam tries to keep her true identity a disguise

[cocoawithbooks]

Review: The Librarian of Auschwitz

Looking to read about young people during WWII? Check out my review of the graphic novel The Librarian of Auschwitz by Salva Rubio. #CYBILS2023

The graphic novel The Librarian of Auschwitz by Salva Rubio and illustrated by Loreto Aroca was adapted from the original novel by Antonio Iturbe. As a reader of only the graphic novel version, I can’t make any comparisons. However, I thought the story was well-told and appropriate for the age level it targets in graphic novel format. The Librarian of Auschwitz is based on the real-life…

[vulpixbookpix]

3 out of 5 stars

Set in the early to mid 2000s, Liv is moving to a new town with her mother. At her old school, she was bullied for being a bisexual goth and Liv is super nervous about what kids will say at this one. She tries to stick to herself, but other people start talking to her, much to her chagrin. Liv is convinced that, at any moment, they will turn on her. She does well in English class and her teacher tells her that she is doing amazing and could very well become a writer one day. Liv loves the affirmation.

She even starts to love the friendships that she has somehow stumbled into, though there is drama here and there with an exceptionally flirty boy who has a girlfriend. What is she going to do about this?

One snow day, her teacher sends her a message on her after giving her the book Lolita to read as her book report. Any adult reader will know that this is an instant red flag, but will Liv realize what's going on?

Overall, I enjoyed the book. It did have a few too many plotlines / conflicts that I felt like could've been whittled down to make it more streamlined. It was a solid 3 star read.

[vulpixbookpix]

Clock Striker, Vol 1 by Issaka Galadima with Frederick L. Jones 4 out of 5 stars

A young girl named Cast is growing up in a small, podunk town that doesn't have a lot of resources. She wants to be out there putting things together, tinkering with science and magic, but her teacher consistently tells her that her dreams of becoming a SMITH will never come true because 1) no one in her town is worth anything and 2) she's a girl. But Cast is determined to prove her teacher and everyone else wrong. She's given a prosthetic hand to tinker with and she manages to make it work just as a real-live SMITH comes to town. And not just any SMITH, a woman named Ms. Clock who is absolutely impressed by Cast's skill and takes her on as an apprentice.

Chaos is unleashed as Cast and Ms. Clock proceed to take down villains who are working real hard to try and uncover deadly weapons that were hidden long ago during the robot wars.

There was a really fast pace to the story that reminded me of anime that I watched in the TOONAMI days. It was reminiscent of Bleach and Fullmetal Alchemist with the over-the-top characters and fight scenes. There was some worldbuilding dabbled throughout, but you got the sense that there is definitely more to explore, which I'm glad they didn't just try to infodump the whole world in one volume or do a really boring lead up to the action.

Reading up on the Saturday AM company that produced this manga-inspired comic was really neat. The group of people found that, even though there is a large swath of people of color who love anime and manga, there wasn't a lot of representation in the genre. So, they decided to make it happen, which is really awesome. I will definitely be picking up the next in the series and also looking into more being published by Saturday AM.

[vulpixbookpix]

Codex Black (Book One): A Fire Among Clouds by Camilo Moncada Lozano

5 out of 5 stars

I really enjoyed this book! Not only was the story a great read, but I learned a bit about the culture of the Mesoamerica area. I also loved the artwork and the outfits of all of the characters.

The story starts with a forbidden ritual where we get a view of what I can only assume is going to be the Big Bad as the volumes progress. Then, we meet Itzcacalotl, a Mexca warrior who becomes separated from his group and winds up in a forgotten temple where he gains magical powers. There's also Donají, a Zapotec girl who has a poncho that gives her great strength as it is inhabited by a god.

Itzcacalotl and Donají cross paths as Donají is on a quest to find her father, who vanished 11 years ago. Together, they start to uncover unrest amongst the tribes and the demons that are attacking villages while finding small clues about Donají's father.

There's a name glossary in the back to help you pronounce the names and places that are throughout the pages, as well as information about the gods and mythical creatures that show up.

It was quite a long graphic novel, packed with laughs, adventure, and more, so I was surprised that this was a volume 1. Can't wait to pick up the next one.

[vulpixbookpix]

Paul Bunyan: The Invention of an American Legend by Noah Van Sciver 3 of 5 stars

I knew Paul Bunyan was made up as a part of some attempt to create "Americana" folklore on par with what European countries had, but I had no idea that Bunyan was created by a timber advertiser to help spin a "positive" light on the destruction of old growth forests. That was interesting to learn. I also enjoyed the text introduction and additional information after the graphic novel part that spoke even more about the Indigenous peoples that were in the heavily wooded areas and how they were removed from the land that they respected.

Will kids read these parts on their own or will they skip right over the information and go straight to the graphic novel part? If they're anything like me when I was as a kid, they'll devour the text and try to go looking for more facts about the Indigenous people in other books.

The graphic novel section was something that I would've skimmed over. I get that more and more kids are reading comics and graphic novels and it's a great way to introduce history to them, but the information at the beginning and the end was more intriguing. The story was of the advertiser who just made up the story of Paul Bunyan when comparing stories of other lumberjacks. He is chastised by others for the destruction of the old forests and for trying to make Paul Bunyan as some wonderful person, which ties in to the pieces by the Indigenous authors surrounding the graphic novel.

I wavered between giving it 3 or 4 stars and, ultimately, I gave it 3 because of the graphic novel part.

[vulpixbookpix]

Four Eyes by Rex Ogle

3 out of 5 stars

Rex is moving up into sixth grade. He thought it was going to be a great adventure and, well, it's not. He's getting constant headaches and can't see the front of the classroom to write notes. He's become the target of a bully and his best friend, Drew, won't even stick up for him! And then, his biggest nightmare happens, he has to get glasses. On top of that, he can't even get cool ones because his mom and stepdad can't afford to pay for them.

Middle school is a frightening place where kids who have been friends start to drift away from each other and sometimes that can hurt. They start to get different interests or just think that they have to be cool and their old friend isn't seen as cool. We see that happening in this graphic novel through Rex's eyes.

Rex is reasonably upset about being bullied and losing his best friend. He's also upset at his family life because his mother re-married and they are struggling financially. It can be very overwhelming for a kid.

There is a point where he speaks about this to his grandmother and his grandmother basically tells him that his problems are small in comparison to what hers were when she was a child. That rubbed me the wrong way because Rex is struggling and his problems are big to him because that's all he's experienced. People shouldn't tell kids that their problems don't matter and that other people have it worse.

There were a couple other things like that that made the book not as good as it could be for me. I did, however, like that Rex met with his friend who had been his best friend before sixth grade and he came to the understanding that they were going to part ways because their interests have changed. He was very mature to say goodbye, but left the friendship available if his friend decides to reach out.

[vulpixbookpix]

2 out of 5 stars

Girl Taking Over: A Lois Lane Story by Sarah Kuhn

DC Comics has a series of one-shot graphic novels that do 'modern' takes of some of its most well-known characters. This one delves into Lois Lane's story as a young up and coming journalist trying to make her mark. Her dream is to work at The Daily Planet and win a Pulitzer. Though, she may never get the chance with the obstacles she's facing. Her dream internship crashed and burned as the company was taken over and the mentor she really connected with was fired. Lois was reduced to a coffee and lunch getter, while also her Asian heritage is being used as a "diversity hire" checkmark on the website. On top of that, her mother schemed with the mother of a childhood friend to room them together.. but they hate each other!

Will Lois survive this without screaming?

Overall, the art of the book was colorful and fun. The characters were really cute and definitely set in a modern world with their outfits and the way that they tackled problems. However, the plot was kinda boring. Yes, it was good to see Lois and her roommate, Miki, come together to fight racism and capitalism, but most of the characters seemed one-note or, almost tropes, even while part of the plot was overcoming tropes and stereotypes. There are definitely better takes in the DC Comics one-shots that are better developed and still modern in both character development and plots points.

[vulpixbookpix]

4 out of 5 stars

I'd never read the Silverwing series, so this story is completely new to me. It reminded me a lot of Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH, which, of course was made into a movie by Don Bluth in the 80s.

Shade is a young Silverwing bat who has yet to make his first migration. He tries to prove himself by perching and watching the sun rise--despite rumors that the sun will make him blind or do other horrible things. The owls catch him and call for him to be punished, yet the Elders of the colony refuse to give him over, which starts unease in the 'stalemate' of fighting between the owls and the bats.

During the migration, Shade gets lost and comes across others who say they will help him get back to his family. Some are actually helpful, like Marina, a Brightwing who has been banded by the humans and ostracized by her colony who thinks she's cursed due to the band. Others, however, have nefarious reasons for wanting to find Shade's colony. How can he know who to trust? How can he avoid the owls and their laws and make it to his mother and their winter sleeping spot?

This would definitely have been something I picked up as a kid if I'd known the books existed. It had lots of action and the characters were faced with some serious obstacles that made the book really interesting. I think lovers of the Warrior Cats series and Redwall would like this. There was violence and bloodshed in the art, so this should likely be for older juvenile audiences.

[vulpixbookpix]

4 out of 5 stars

There are a lot of D&D references, so fans of Dungeon Critters and The Adventure Zone Vol.1: Here There Be Gerblins would probably like this book.

Every 10 years, a witch is created. They could cause the destruction of the world. To stop her, the world has created a competition for the "throne seekers." Hundreds of wannabe heroes go to the CItadel and only four of them are chosen to go against the witch.

First is Agni, an alchemist with skeletal hands and arms who wants to become one of the throne seekers. We also meet characters such as Reksha, the orc warrior and her brother, who is worried about her becoming a throne seeker and wants to take her place, but he's too docile and weak.

The art is bright and colorful and the characters are all pretty unique and fun. I enjoyed the fights that occurred and how they gained XP and lost HP, which was explained that it was due to the first witch's curse. The worldbuilding was entertaining without being too much of an info dump at once. And I liked most of the characters--both good and "bad."

The ending definitely left questions--both unanswered ones and new ones! Like, how did Agni's arms get the way they are? How does the giant shapeshift and what's his class level? How are they going to make it to the throne challenge and what obstacles will they face along the way? I hope to pick up volume two to see it all unfold.

[vulpixbookpix]

4 out of 5 stars

Yet another beautifully illustrated work by K. O'Neill. If you loved [b:The Tea Dragon Society|34895950|The Tea Dragon Society (Tea Dragon, #1)|Kay O'Neill|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1653239288l/34895950._SX50_.jpg|52579959], then you will definitely want to pick this one up.

A small village in the desert is a "moon village," which means that its society comes to life as the sun sets. Their livelihood is thanks to the moon moths who were gifted to them some time ago by the moon spirit. The Moth Keepers tend to the moths, guiding them out of their keep as the sky darkens and shepherding them back as night wanes. The moths, in turn, pollenate the special tree that helps the desert keep its fragile life cycle.

Anya is a young person who has decided to take the path of a Moth Keeper, one that can be extremely lonely as they lead the moths away from the bustling village to soak up the light from the moon. Anya struggles with the darkness and, also, knowing where her place in the village is. Her quiet nights leave her pondering where she belongs, even though she is clearly shown love from her companions.

Eventually, she realizes the love and care from others is something to behold and the graphic novel wraps up with Anya understanding herself, her village, and the moths a little more.

It was a gentle read, with several pages of panels where you can see the villagers or Anya going about their lives without any dialogue. I believe it was helpful in displaying the quiet of the night and all of the important things that continue on under the moon's watch.

I'd love to get more of these characters the same way that the Tea Dragon Society series slowly explored its storyline.

Thank you to Netgalley for my advanced reading copy.

[vulpixbookpix]

Cupcake Diaries: Mia in the Mix

3 out of 5 stars Mia had to move from the big city of Manhattan to a smaller place after her mom fell in love with someone who lived there and they moved in with him. She has started to make friends like the ones in the Cupcake Club where they've started to figure out that they can make cupcakes to earn money. She also has started to make friends with the PGC (Popular Girls Club) who has similar interests like fashion. It's causing a bit of strife with her Cupcake Club friends because some of them were bullied by the PGC, but Mia wants to see the good in people. She's in the mix of all of the drama and she doesn't know what to do about it. However, she finds out who her true friends are after her mother, who worked for a fashion magazine, has a big fashion show in the small town.

This was the second in the Cupcake Diaries series that I'd read and I enjoyed it just as I did Emma on Thin Icing The Graphic Novel. It shows some stress that young girls face as they grow up in Middle School. There is friendships that form and some that fall apart, though of no fault of any of the kiddos. Readers of The Babysitter's Club books would like these.

[vulpixbookpix]

Belle of the Ball by Mari Costa 5 out of 5 stars

Regina is the head cheerleader who has it all, the great grades, the popularity and the on-again, off-again athletic star partner, Chloe. Hawkins, who is the team mascot, has a MASSIVE crush on Regina and decides to shoot her shot by asking Regina out because her and Chloe broke up... except they didn't. Annnnddd cue the embarrassment from Hawkins.

Regina doesn't show that she has a 10-year plan and there can be absolutely no deviating from it. She knows that she is going go to Harvard Med, graduate with honors, get married at 27 (to Chloe, of course) and at 28, close on their first decently sized house. Chloe, however, is failing classes, which won't allow her to get an athletic scholarship if she doesn't pass. And Regina cannot marry a person who didn't go to college; it will ruin her 10-year plan. So... she hatches a plan to get Hawkins to tutor Chloe by banking on Hawkins's crush on her.

But Chloe starts to think Hawkins is kinda cute... wait, no, she doesn't. Cause that would be so bad! Especially if Regina finds out!

I really loved this graphic novel. It was so cute on all levels. The art, the characters, the just overall adorableness of the crushes. It was a good way to show that you may have this plan of how your life is going to go in high school, but then you figure out who you are, or find things that you tamped down to fit in and remembered that you liked, and realize that you may not want to be with your high school sweetheart for the rest of your life.

[vulpixbookpix]

Ember and the Island of Lost Creatures by Jason Pamment

4 out of 5 stars

Ember wants nothing more than to fit in, but there's a little problem... and it's Ember. He is a tiny person that is the size of spiders and beetles, so Ember is having a hard time making friends and even going to school like he wants. Ember winds up being swept away and crosses paths with a sea turtle named Lua who says that she also felt small and couldn't find her place in the world when she was younger, but then she came across The Island of Lost Creatures and it helped her and now she wants to help Ember.

Lua takes Ember to the island where Ember is excited to make friends, but it doesn't exactly turn out how Ember wants, nor how Lua described the island. The other creatures make fun of him for being a "weird little turtle" and his only friend is a rolling boulder that doesn't talk. But then, strange things start happening and Ember isn't sure how what's going on...

This was a really cute graphic novel. The characters were adorably drawn, even the grumpy school teacher. It didn't exactly become a "found family" sort of book, but maybe a "found friendship"?

It dealt with not being able to fit in, trying to make friends, and bullying. It also dealt with the hardships of learning how to speak to someone who may not know your culture or even your language. Ember was open-minded and it helped him discover new friends and solve a mystery, while also helping others. I really liked this and would suggest it to others.

[vulpixbookpix]

Charisma's Turn by Monique Couvson

3 out of 5 stars

Charisma is a teenage Black girl who seems to have anger issues. She is often going to the principal's office and getting told what to do and how to act while no one is listening to her or acknowledging here when she is doing well. She's just so frustrated about it that she lashes out even more. However, the school counselor sees this and understands that Charisma isn't bad, she just doesn't know how to work through her emotions without being labeled as an 'Angry Black Girl'.

Thankfully, the counselor helps set her down a path where she can acknowledge her frustration without letting herself be filled with negative emotions. She turns her emotions into a positive outlet by joining a group that's focused on social justice.

I really wanted to like this more, but it felt disjointed. The timeline was so quick that I felt like could've been explored better. Also, the art style reminded me a little of ventriloquist dummies and creeped me out a little. But that's just a stylistic choice and not one that affected my rating. I enjoyed Charisma's story because you don't see a lot about black girls dealing with their anger, getting help with it, and turning it into a more positive experience--especially when speaking up against environmental racism. I hope more stories like this get told.

[vulpixbookpix]

Lo & Behold by Wendy Mass and Gabi Mendez

4 out of 5 stars

The book starts with Addie and her parents secretly planting a tree behind their apartment that she had won in class. We see the family taking photos by the tree as it grows until her mother had to have major surgery and "things went downhill slowly" until they stopped taking yearly pictures by the tree. Something happens to her mom to where she's no longer in the picture--literally. Addie knows her dad tries hard to cheer her up, but it's hard. Even when he tells her that they're going to a summer job miles away so he can help work on a Virtual Reality project at a college.

Addie is very hesitant to enjoy anything at the college, even when she realizes that a kid her age lives across the hall in another apartment and he seems kinda cool? Slowly, about the speed of a tortoise, Addie makes friends with the other kid, starts exploring and having a good time. They also become testers for the Virtual Reality projects that her dad is helping with and discover a way to give back to the community.

I really enjoyed this book. It deals with some pretty heavy issues that seem to be just glossed over at first, but as we see Addie with her character arc of growth, we see these issues become more visible. Addie avoids the subjects less as she works with the VR group and is able to confront her worries and fears. I think this book did it in a great way. We also see that other people are dealing with heavy problems as well and how they're attempting to cope. It's a good read on how to deal with grief and when bad things happen.