Hera: The Goddess and Her Glory

Hera: The Goddess and Her Glory
by George O’Connor

The Olympians series continues with Hera, Queen of the Gods, who always seems to be known only for her terrible jealousy and temper.  O’Connor attempts to dispel that reputation and spin Hera’s delicate wrath in a new light.  Starting with Zeus’ pursuit of her, she is painted as a strong female character with family values at the center of her actions.  Most of the book is taken up with the story of Heracles (Hercules in the Latin), who was forced to do twelve tasks to appease the goddess.  While he is furious that he is made to do these things simply because he is a bastard child of Zeus, Jason (of Jason and the Argonauts) gives him a different perspective.  If she hadn’t made him do all of these things, he never would have won the glory and heroism that have made his name known throughout the world.  It even means “The Glory of Hera.”

In the afterward, O’Connor admits that Hera is his favorite goddess.  He contests that she gets a bad rap because pretty much all mythology was written down by men – they never bothered to ask the women their tales.  There were some stories in here about Hera that I’d never heard before.  And there probably are a lot more that will never be told because they never were written down by men.  The book as a whole has a good composition, and Hera’s story and artwork is much easier to follow than her husband’s.  And if you pay attention closely, you can see how they all begin weaving into one another.

Image taken from http://www.amazon.com.

Anya’s Ghost

Anya’s Ghost
by Vera Brosgol

Anya is a teenage girl who is nothing what she wants to be.  Afraid of being seen as “fobby” (fresh off the boat), she tries to distance herself from anything that might connect her with her very Russian heritage.  One day, while thinking about all the things that make her furious, she missteps and falls down a tunnel.  In this tunnel is Emily, the ghost of a young woman who fell down that tunnel almost 100 years ago.  For some reason, Emily is very eager to help Anya.  First, she gets her out of the hole.  Then she starts helping her change her appearance, be noticed by the popular crowd, and even bring her grades up.  But as Anya changes, she wonders if maybe these changes aren’t for the best.  But how do you get rid of a determined ghost who wants to change you?

I wish I had a lot more to say about this book than “I really liked it.”  But I did, and I can’t really describe why.  The story was kind of eerie.  There was a little mystery, but not a lot and I like it that way.  And the illustrations gave it a Gothic-y noir tone which set the mood for the whole thing.  It’s not a scary story, but if you like books along the line of Neil Gaiman’s The Graveyard Book, you’d probably really enjoy this, too.  It’s kind of like its older teenage sister.

Image taken from http://www.amazon.com.

Harry Potty and the Deathly Boring

Harry Potty and the Deathly Boring
by Stefan Petrucha and Rick Parker (illus.)

Harry Potty and is friends Don Measley and Whiny Stranger are up against He-Whose-Prices-Can’t-Be-Beat, Valuemart.  They have to find his Horbucks and destroy them in order to kill him.  After a quick recap of the first 6 movies, Harry goes off to Nosewarts to do battle with the Odor Eaters and face his destiny.

With the release of the last Harry Potter movie, I’ve immersed myself in Potter geekdom.  Now I’m one for a good Harry Potter spoof, but this is nothing like a good Harry Potter spoof.  Everything is a stretch in this graphic novel, and it’s so overdone that it’s just not funny.  I found it for the most part to be unremarkable and uninteresting.  There were a few spots that I found humorous (for example, Snape’s potions class has become Frappe’s barista class), but overall I was disappointed.

For an excellent Potter spoof (and if you have two hours to watch it), check out StarKid’s A Very Potter Musical.

Image taken from http://www.amazon.com.

Also, happy birthday, Librarianista’s mom!

Super Chicken Nugget Boy and the Furious Fry

Super Chicken Nugget Boy and the Furious Fry
by John Lewis and Douglas Holgate (illus.)

Fernando (Fern for short) is the new kid in school.  So being new, he doesn’t know about Dirk and Snort, the school bullies.  Well they certainly know about new kids.  And since Dirk is the principal’s son, he pretty much gets away with whatever he wants.  But one day, Fern has had enough.  He calls on the powers of Super Chicken Nugget Boy to stop this elementary injustice!  Crisis averted!  Until one day, something worse than bullies comes to the school…

This is a great read.  For the kid in your life who doesn’t know what to read after Diary of a Wimpy Kid, this is an excellent suggestion.  While mostly a short novel, there are also parts of the story told in comic book form that break up the narrative.  Funny for boys and girls, this series has wide appeal.

Image taken from http://www.amazon.com.

Bone: Out from Boneville

Bone: Out from Boneville
by Jeff Smith

Fone Bone and his cousins Phoney Bone and Smiley Bone find themselves wandering around in uncharted territory.  Phoney Bone has been kicked out of Boneville for fraudulent activity, and his cousins helped him escape the raging mob that was chasing him out.  But in a locust attack, they get separated.  Fone Bone ends up in an idyllic valley, staying the winter with a young woman and her grandmother until he can go look for his cousins.  He is also occasionally chased by rat monsters.  But he seems to have a dragon guardian that’s always got his back when they show up.  Something more is definitely going on here.

Like Babymouse, this is another instance where I felt like I needed to see what all the hype was about.  And I can definitely see the appeal.  It’s fast-paced, hilariously drawn, and the beginning of an epic story that leaves you wanting more.  I would honestly read more just figure out Fone Bone’s fascination with Moby Dick – I’m sure someday he’ll find someone who won’t fall asleep while he raves about it.  While I may not rush for the next collection of Bone comics (these were originally published serially in the early 90′s), I am super excited that kids do – anything that gets them into a library and reading is okay in my book.

Image taken from http://www.amazon.com.

Babymouse #1: Queen of the World

Babymouse #1: Queen of the World
by Jennifer and Matthew Holm

Babymouse would give anything to be invited to Felicia Furrypaws sleepover party.  She’s the coolest cat in town.  But it seems like everyone else gets an invite but her.  When she does get invited, she realizes that these kids aren’t really all they’re cracked up to be.  They may be cool, but they’re just no fun.  But by the time she realizes it, will she be too late to redeem her ditching the true friends she’s had all along?

Babymouse is ridiculously popular at the library, so I figured it was about time I checked it out to see why.  I get it.  They’re hilarious!  It’s real stuff that kids (supremely, ages 8-10) can really relate to and it’s funny.  Babymouse has a very active imagination; it reminded me a lot of Nickelodeon’s Doug in that she has created these characters that she daydreams herself into, but it doesn’t have all the middle school drama that came with it.  I approve.

Image taken from http://www.amazon.com.

On the Case with Holmes and Watson 1: Sherlock Holmes and a Scandal in Bohemia

On the Case with Holmes and Watson 1: Sherlock Holmes and a Scandal in Bohemia
by Murray Shaw, M. J. Cosson, and Sophie Rohrbach (illus.)

Sherlock Holmes is brought to a new generation in these graphic renderings of Doyle’s famous tales.  A Scandal in Bohemia is the first of the series.  Holmes is asked by the king of Bohemia to retrieve a compromising photograph from his former mistress, Irene Adler.  Adler is a gifted actress, and quite clever.  Holmes tricks his way into Adler’s home, but she’s too smart for him.  Even though Holmes closes the case, she gets away.  Back matter includes “How Did Holmes Solve the Case?” explaining how his powers of observation brought him to the correct answer.

Sherlock Holmes has always fascinated me… in theory.  I have unfortunately never read any of Doyle’s writings.  I’ve seen The Great Mouse Detective and I’ve seen the 2009 version with Robert Downey Jr.  That is my typical introduction to classical literature.  But thanks to Shaw and Cosson, I can be briefly introduced to some of their cases.  I hope to one day ;pick up the actual book, but in the meantime, this short series of graphic novels makes me feel like I’m taking one step closer to knowing what really went on in those books.  In my humble opinion, I appreciate this version of the classic tale and I think it would go over very well with kids.

Image taken from http://www.amazon.com.

Lunch Lady and the Cyborg Substitute

Lunch Lady and the Cyborg Substitute
by Jarrett J. Krosoczka

What do lunch ladies do when they’re not cooking up sloppy joes?  Fight crime, of course!  When Mr. O’Connell, the coolest teacher in school, is out sick for the first time in twenty years, Lunch Lady is suspicious of the new substitute.  He doesn’t eat, he doesn’t blink, and his hair is not quite right.  If anyone can figure out what’s going on here, it’s Lunch Lady.

This is one of those books that just sat on my shelf unread for several months, unread.  I probably could have lived without it.  There were some things I appreciated, like the sloppy joe shooter in her scooter (of course now I hear Adam Sandler singing…), but over all, I wasn’t struck with any overwhelming feelings about this book.  Kind of “meh.”  I can see where kids would find parts funny, and this is the first in a series so there’s be plenty more to read afterward.  Just not for me.

Image taken from http://www.amazon.com.

Amazing Cows: Udder Absurdity for Children

Amazing Cows: Udder Absurdity for Children
by Sandra Boynton

Everything you ever wanted to know about cows (even stuff you didn’t want to know) can be found right here in this one amazing compendium of cow lore and learning!  It’s all summed up on the cover: “Two cow stories!  Three cow poems!  Eleven or so cow jokes!  One cow myth!  One cow comic book!  Find the hidden cows!  Way too many unexplained chickens!  And so much mooer!”

Not sure what I was expecting with this one.  “Udder absurdity” is a pretty accurate description.  I’m mostly familiar with Boynton’s baby and toddler books – this is a cow of a different color.  Definitely for an older audience (4th grade-ish), it’s pure silliness.  Some of the wordplay is stretched, but that’s probably on purpose – this is supposed to be over the top.  The short story at the end is probably my favorite, although some of the jokes throughout also elicited some chuckles.

Image taken from http://www.amazon.com.

Ferret Fun

Ferret Fun
by Karen Rostoker-Gruber and Paul Ratz de Tagyos (illus.)

Fudge and Einstein are Andrea’s ferrets.  Marvel is Andrea’s friend’s cat.  Marvel is coming for a visit.  He thinks Fudge and Einstein are rats, and therefore a snack.  Fudge and Einstein don’t want to be snacks.  They have to trick this clever cat into not wanting to eat them, and to maybe even be their friend.

This author/illustrator combo is a dynamite pair.  Illustrated in a kind of beginner graphic novel way, the expressions on these characters’ faces mixed with the pithy clever text will make you gigglesnort.  I hope there is more ferret fun in the future.  I loved this.

Image taken from http://www.amazon.com.