Listen with me

 

Investi-Gators Collection by John Patrick Green

The idea of an audiobook for a graphic novel has always felt a bit counter-intuitive to me. If your story is told visually, if those visuals are essential to fully convey what is happening, then how can it work to tell it aurally? I've listened to a few now and have learned the keys. First is full cast. Each character needs a distinct voice so we can track what's happening. Second is sound effects. Action can be conveyed with sound. A car starting. The "whoosh" of a parachute or "splat" of a cake. And sometimes the dialogue is tweaked or narration is added to make action and other essential elements clear. This audio makes great use of it's narrator, telling us often what Mango and Brash are doing with humor and tongue firmly planted in cheek. It helps that in the original graphic novels are often break the fourth wall or reference the fact that they are comics. The audio follows these same patterns, with characters talking about the fact that this is an audiobook and colors not especially mattering. It's quite silly and playful. And utterly enjoyable. 

 Advanced Reader Copy provided by NetGalley

Book review - Frankie D, Vegan Vampire

 

Title: Frankie D, Vegan Vampire

Authors: Sally and Brian Dutra

Genre: humor

Similar books: Maggie Sparks and the Alien Invasion by Esther Hernando

                     The Secret of Shadow Lake by Joe McGee

Rating:

 

cute and clever

Summary (provided by publisher): A new early chapter book series starring a lovable vampire who's just trying to fit in. Frankie D and his family have just moved from Transylvania, looking for a fresh start. Where Frankie is from, the school day began at midnight and ended at dawn. Now in America, Frankie and his family must adjust their sleep schedule, train to be out in the sun, and strictly adhere to a vegan, zero-blood diet. Not only that, Frankie has to navigate school as the “new kid” and keep his vampire identity secret from other humans. A tall order for a deathly pale, fanged fourth-grader with a three-legged wolf as a pet!

My opinion: How do you make vampires appropriate for young readers not looking for a scare? You make them vegans. The result is less of a monster story and more of a tale about learning to fit in when you're in a new place. There are some added elements as Frankie and his family have supernatural abilities and need to keep their vampiric nature a secret, but over all it's a story of a kid trying to make friends and be "normal". Without much drama and danger, it's accessible for even young readers.

Advanced Reader Copy provided by NetGalley

WWW Wednesday

 What are you currently reading?

The Best Worst Summer by Elizabeth Eulberg - After moving to a new town and finding herself at a loose end, a girl discovers a time capsule mystery in her back yard and sets out to discover what happened to the friends who buried it.

What did you recently finish reading?

Not About a Boy by Myah Hollis - Being reunited with a sister she doesn't remember threatens to destroy the carefully built walls that keep Mel together.

What do you think you'll read next?

49 Miles Alone by Natalie D Richards

Book review - Vega's Piece of the Sky

 

Title: Vega's Piece of the Sky

Author: Jennifer Torres

Genre: realistic fiction

Similar books: Out There by Seaerra Miller

                      The Thirteenth Circle by MarcyKate Connolly

Rating:

 

quick and pleasant

Summary (provided by publisher): The space rock is just the latest thing to land, uninvited, in Vega Lucero’s road-stop hometown. But when she discovers how much a chunk of the meteorite might be worth, she realizes it’s exactly the treasure she’s been hoping to find—and maybe a way to convince her mom not to sell the family store to big city developers to help pay for her grandpa Tata's medical expenses.
Determined to find more pieces of the sky somewhere in the perilous desert wilderness, stubbornly independent Vega must set aside her distrust of outsiders to team up with Jasper, a would-be rival—and her own tagalong cousin Mila—on an overnight adventure to find more meteorites before the professional hunters who have descended on Date City do. But along the way, she realizes that she's not the only one with the weight of the world on her shoulders. Jasper and Mila have secrets and worries of their own that has brought them on this journey.
Together, this ragtag group will battle against coyotes, a flood, and scorpions. But what they will ultimately discover is that no treasure is big enough to prevent unwelcome change. Only family and friends can help weather the unexpected that life brings.

My opinion: This book is well suited to middle graders. It reads reasonably quickly and is easy to follow. The characters are reasonably well developed and distinct. Each of the three perspective characters - Vega, Mila, and Jasper - has a clear motivation and flaw and these elements directly affect the plot as they trek through the desert in search of meteorite fragments. With a satisfying and realistic conclusion, this book may not be rocking any worlds but its a solid experience.

Advanced Reader Copy provided by NetGalley

Graphic novel spotlight: Maelstrom: A Prince of Evil

 

Maelstrom: A Prince of Evil by Lorian Merriman

Maelstrom is a Loki type figure. Raised to be an evil overlord, his approach to life is more trickster than true evil. When he finds himself in a company of "good guys" who are preparing to mount a revolution against his evil mother, he thinks of it as the most fun thing that could happen. He'll play with these folks, let them think that he's on their side, and turn at the last moment. The plot takes directions we would expect but that's okay. The characters are strong, providing pathos and levity in equal measure. This is a solid quest story with fight scenes and magic. The art style is cartoony without becoming overly silly. There's enough reflection to suit more serious-minded readers.

Advanced Reader Copy provided by NetGalley

Listen With Me

 

InvestiGators Collection by John Patrick Green

The InvestiGators graphic novel series is a lot of silly fun and I'm curious to see how it is handled in the audio format. Let's give it a listen and find out.

Graphic novel spotlight - Night Stories

 

Night Stories by Liniers

This is a fantastic way to relay folk tales. The visuals are strong with lots of detailed line work. The collection is framed as a pair of siblings telling each other scary stories before bed. But it's noteworthy that "scary" is pretty loosely used here. Even small kids could read this without becoming overly frightened. So don't read this looking for spooks. But it's a solid expression of some cultural tales.

 Advanced Reader Copy provided by NetGalley