December 2006 books

[dirtylibrarian]

Godchild (Volume 1)
Kaori Yuki
Teen Graphic Novel
Recommend?: Shrug.
Manga. England. Gothic Lolitas. Mysteries. Poison. Decapitation. Eye gouging. Mummifying. Death. Orphans. Romance?
Really not my thing.

Becoming Chloe
Catherine Ryan Hyde
Teen Fiction
Recommend?: Yes.
NYC. Gay teens. Runaways. Abuse victims. Rape. Homeless. Psychiatric care. Road trips. Exploration. Mountain climbing. Bicycle journeys. Horseback riding. Dogs. Cruelty. Kindness.
Nice. Only a tiny bit heavy handed.

Dreamhunter (Book One of the Dreamhunter Duet)
Elizabeth Knox
Teen Fiction
Recommend?: Definitely!
Fantasy. Dreams. Family. Loss of innocence. School. Careers. Adventure. Magic. Corruption.
I really enjoyed this, and can't wait to read the second one.

1001 Nights of Snowfall (Fables)
Bill Willingham
Adult Graphic Novel
Recommend?: Definitely!
Origin stories. Fairy tales. Wolves. Witches. Frogs. Princes. Princesses. Marriage. Lies. Escape. Dwarfs. Storytelling.
Excellent, as always. But I'm not sure it would be great for teens.

Death Note (Volume 3)
Tsugumi Ohba
Teen Graphic Novel
Recommend?: Yes.
Manga. Supernatural. Death. Demons. Battle of wits. Detectives. Mysteries. Family. Crime. Murder. College.
Continues to be very suspenseful and thought provoking. Good stuff.

The Rules of Survival
Nancy Werlin
Teen Fiction
Recommend?: Definitely!
Child abuse. Parents. Siblings. Insanity. Heartbreak. Cries for help. Family. Boston.
Amazing book. Highly recommended.

Planet of the Cats (What's Michael? - Volume 11)
Makoto Kobayashi
Adult Graphic Novel
Recommend?: Yes.
Cats. Japan. Space exploration. Boredom. Language. Circuses.
A nice reading snack.

Storm Thief
Chris Wooding
Teen Fiction
Recommend?: Yes.
Science fiction. Fantasy. Golems. Survival. Ghettos. Poverty. Islands. Dystopias.
Pretty good and very imaginative, but flawed.

Dairy Queen
Catherine Gilbert Murdock
Teen Audiobook
Recommend?: Definitely!
Wisconsin. Family farms. Child labor. Siblings. Football. Training. Friendship. Non-traditional roles. Romance.
Really wonderful book. The audio narrator is particularly wonderful, too.

Antique Bakery (Volume 1)
Fumi Yoshinaga
Adult Graphic Novel
Recommend?: Definitely!
Manga. Japan. Bakeries. Gay men. Friendship. Small businesses. Boxers. Pasteries. Apprentices.
Delightful.

Antique Bakery (Volume 2)
Fumi Yoshinaga
Adult Graphic Novel
Recommend?: Definitely!
Manga. Japan. Bakeries. Gay men. Sunglasses. Romance. Christmas.
So fun. And with scratch and sniff covers!

Antique Bakery (Volume 3)
Fumi Yoshinaga
Adult Graphic Novel
Recommend?: Definitely!
Manga. Japan. Bakeries. Newscasters. Frenchmen. Weddings. Children.
Still fun, with growing depth.

Antique Bakery (Volume 4)
Fumi Yoshinaga
Adult Graphic Novel
Recommend?: Definitely!
Manga. Japan. Bakeries. Mysteries. Kidnappings. Police. Cake.
So good! Highly recommend this series.

Perfect Example
John Porcellino
Adult Graphic Novel
Recommend?: Yes.
Coming of age. Illinois. Road trips. Parties. Dating. Crushes. Heartache. Friendship. Thrift shopping. Happiness.
Cool little book. Not totally sure of the teen appeal, but I liked it.

Emily Edison
David Hopkins
Teen Graphic Novel
Recommend?: Shrug.
Superheroes. Teen girls. Slumber parties. Evil grandparents. Parallel universes. Rivals. Fights. Robots.
Fun, but not amazing.

Megatokyo (Volume 4)
Fred Gallagher
Adult Graphic Novel
Recommend?: Shrug.
Japan. Pop culture. Videogamers. Voice artists. Fights. Monsters. Goths. Romance.
Weird little series. I'm not sure if it is better on the web or what. Seems very rough to me, and I find all the characters a bit confusing. Not bad, but not great either.

Naoki Urasawa's Monster (Volume 1)
Naoki Urasawa
Adult Graphic Novel
Recommend?: Shrug.
Manga. Surgeons. Hospitals. Germany. Mysteries. Murder. Politics. Psychopaths.
Pretty good, but I won't be reading more in this series.

Making Comics: Storytelling Secrets of Comics, Manga and Graphic Novels
Scott McCloud
Adult Graphic Novel
Recommend?: Definitely!
Comics. Drawing. Storytelling. Publishing. Writing. Story. Characters.
Great stuff.

So Totally Emily Ebers
Lisa Yee
Tween Fiction
Recommend?: Definitely!
Divorce. Family. Friendship. Romance. Volleyball. Deadbeat dads. Rock stars. Journalists. California. Diaries.
3rd parallel novel in this "series"…just wonderful.

Same Cell Organism
Sumomo Yumeka
Teen Graphic Novel
Recommend?: Shrug.
Manga. Boy love. High school. Angels.
Pretty art, but I wanted more substance.

The Middle Man
Javier Grillo
Teen Graphic Novel
Recommend?: Yes.
Secret agents. Gangsters. Temp jobs. Chimps. Crime fighting. Robots.
Fun stuff.

Electric Girl (Volume 3)
Michael Brennan
Teen Graphic Novel
Recommend?: Yes.
Superpowers. Electricity. Dogs. Robots. Teen life. Dating. Friendship.
Enjoyable.

Rash
Pete Hautman
Teen Audiobook
Recommend?: Definitely!
Science fiction. Humor. Dystopias. Safety. Liability. Bears. Prison. Football.
Very enjoyable, and thought provoking to boot.