Critique

A Nest for Celeste is really more a book geared toward kids at the elementary school level, but the reason I’m reviewing it here is because I’m always encouraged when I see stories that mix mediums or continue to push the boundaries of how we define a story. Such is the case here with the blend of the narration with the splendid charcoal images. The two elements mixed together brings it somewhere between graphic novel, illustrated children’s book, and standard novel. The illustrations and the placement of text augments the experience of the story, and thus the reader feels closer to the characters and the elements taking place throughout.

Secondarily, there is some social commentary interspersed about the treatment of animals and nature and our responsibility to see to the preservation of life and the beauty around us. Cole takes special care to make reference to birds throughout the book that are now extinct, and were once plentiful throughout that region of the US not more than 100 years ago. I recommend this to readers looking for a fun, quick story about a cute little mouse who has some pretty amazing adventures.

Critique

As opposed to the previous book in the Emily series, The Lost Days, Stranger & Stranger is not as engaging. Specifically, I felt like there were way, way too many lists, and the story as a whole was a bit difficult to follow. On top of that, it takes too long to get to the exciting part of the story, which is where the two Emily’s split and carry on different stories. The Lost Days has range to the story, since the reader is spending much of the book, along with Emily, trying to figure out who she is and why she’s there. There are several plot twists, and a lot of content that the reader has to piece together throughout the book. Stranger & Stranger, is, to be honest, a bit boring in comparison, and I feel like even though the concept is interesting, the actual implementation is lacking a bit. If you want a good Emily book, or just a good book in general, read The Lost Days. Hopefully the next in the series will be better, and will have less lists and more story.

Critique

These graphic novels by Kinney are so much fun to read. They’re quick and easy, but help to remind us all about the perils of middle school and growing up. They put “picture books” in an entirely different kind of category, walking the line between the often dark and ornate worlds of the comic books or graphic novels, and the simplistic messages conveyed by illustrated books for children. It feels very much like you’re reading the journal/diary of a tween.

The other books in this series are Diary of a Wimpy Kid (book 1), Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules (book 2), and Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Last Straw (book 3).

Critique

I feel like “experience” is a truly fitting adjective for this text. I would actually recommend it to children and adults alike, not only because of the richness in historical value, but also because the stories of Holiday’s life that are told through this medium create a rich experience for all readers. 

I believe, however, that Weatherford’s most phenomenal accomplishment with the text is that it communicates the story in a very similar way to the songs and jazz style of Billie Holiday—her signature style of singing just behind the beat, improvising in subtle but profound ways. All of that, although not represented in the same way, is brought to life throughout the text. I recommend this to all readers.

Critique

I had only heard of Emily The Strange in passing, and didn’t really know much about the books, comics, or product line. However, I’m already in love with the character and the way the stories are told. It reminds me of a very intelligent version of Greg Heffley from the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series, except that instead of it being almost entirely graphic novel, it’s part novel, part graphics, and part a whole bunch of other interesting stuff. In a way, it’s similar to the process through which the Objectivist poets like William Carlos Williams in Paterson and Louis Zukofsky in “A” would compose a book-length poem that was comprised of a motley mixture of various elements, like some of their own work with newspaper clippings, letters, posters, ads, and all sorts of other treasures.  

Aside from the composition of the novel, the story itself is also engaging. Unlike the normal progression of most stories, which starts at the beginning and moves through to the end, you get the sense that you’ve picked up somewhere in the middle. This is especially evidenced by the fact that you start on diary page 13. Thus, you are on the amnesiac ride along with Emily the entire time. What makes this particularly clever and interesting as a twist to the story is that, in reality, the whole point of the story is shifted. You think it’s about Emily’s quest to get her memory back, when it’s actually about something else entirely, which you can only discover as she uncovers it.

This has quickly become one of my new favorite books, and I’ve recommended it to several people already. It’s a great read for anyone with an afternoon free, but its target age will be 9-13 year olds.

Critique

These graphic novels by Kinney are so much fun to read. They’re quick and easy, but help to remind us all about the perils of middle school and growing up. They put “picture books” in an entirely different kind of category, walking the line between the often dark and ornate worlds of the comic books or graphic novels, and the simplistic messages conveyed by illustrated books for children. It feels very much like you’re reading the journal/diary of a tween.

The other books in this series are Diary of a Wimpy Kid (book 1), Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules (book 2), and  Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days (book 4).

Critique

The bar was already high for this book when I ordered it, and even then it far exceeded my expectations. Not only is it a collection of some of the most intricate and beautiful art in this style I’ve ever seen, but the story itself comes to life phenomenally through this medium. Initially I was surprised that there were no words and was slightly skeptical about how in depth the story could go, however, the project communicates an amazing story through each drawing that perhaps words would not have communicated as well.

To my knowledge, this book is one of the first of its kinds, and there’s a great chance it could have been done poorly. Often when a writer or artist experiments with pushing the boundaries of form, the first few iterations aren’t as good as the ones to follow once it’s been perfected. Tan, though, is nothing short of brilliant with this story, and even thought it’s just over 100 pages long, one could spend several hours searching through each intricate detail of every illustration. Plus, despite this taking place in a fantasy world, it’s almost 100% clear that this new city is supposed to represent New York/America and that these are the droves of immigrants who trekked to her teeming shores at the turn of the 20th century. I recommend this to everyone, even if you’re illiterate.

Critique

Alexie’s work is both surprisingly delightful with beautiful and hilarious moments and shockingly dark, giving poignant commentary on the current state of a once thriving cross-continental culture. To compare it to some current works, the tone of the narrative is a blend between Diary of a Wimpy Kid and The Wednesday Wars, replete with drawings that aid the story and give comic relief and rife with intellectual wit that gives insight into White culture, Native American culture and the growing pains of youth. 

It’s not surprising that this novel won the National Book Award, and it’s rare to see Native American narratives that delve inward to delineate an entire group of people who have lost their dreams and the hope to accomplish them, who’s communal addiction to alcohol steers both their futures and their deaths, and who view themselves as a broken people who pine for the past. I recommend this book to all readers 12+, however, be warned that there are many elements throughout that will make it a good candidate to be banned from reading lists.

Critique

This was surprisingly well done. I’m not sure what I was initially expecting, but the story far exceeded my expectations. The characters are interesting, and the graphic-novel style way of presenting the story is perfect for how it unfolds and the subject matter being used to move along the plot. Typically, I steer clear of saying things like, “this is the first of its kind” because that gets thrown around a lot as a marketing term. However, this is something of a first, especially as an award winner, and Selznick does a wonderful job of interlacing the pictures with the words in order to tell a complete story. 

Even beyond that though, the story itself is wonderful, despite the method through which it’s told. The characters are all fascinating and mysterious in their own way, and everyone has secrets. Not to mention that each character’s personality and foibles adds to the depth of the narrative. I recommend this to all readers, but it will come alive especially well for readers 8-12.

Critique

These graphic novels by Kinney are so much fun to read. They’re quick and easy, but help to remind us all about the perils of middle school and growing up. They put “picture books” in an entirely different kind of category, walking the line between the often dark and ornate worlds of the comic books or graphic novels, and the simplistic messages conveyed by illustrated books for children. It feels very much like you’re reading the journal/diary of a tween.

The other books in this series are Diary of a Wimpy Kid (book 1), Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Last Straw (book 3), and Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days (book 4).