Brielle is attending Once Upon A Time University for her freshman year. She bumps into Atohi (aka Bear) while working her job at the bookshop. Bear isBrielle is attending Once Upon A Time University for her freshman year. She bumps into Atohi (aka Bear) while working her job at the bookshop. Bear is a rugged rugby player for OUAT’s Princes team, but deep down is a romantic at heart because he loves reading about fairy tales and romance and writes poetry. Brielle and Bear instantly crush on one another. The story progresses where they try to fit in with their peers � Brielle with the snobby Soleil and Luna Guild (at her behest but with strong pleading and encouragement by her BFF Rosalie) and Bear with his macho team mates and adoring eyes from the cheerleaders.
I truly enjoyed this story. It was akin to a realistic fairy tale. The story provides fairy tale rules. I love how there is representation for POC and learning disabilities. The artwork and colors are beautiful and fun. The speech bubbles and text were so unique. You will find flowers drawn on the perimeter of speech bubbles to denote romance or crushing. Text may be thrown here in there outside of the speech bubbles in varying fonts, boldness and directions. In another graphic novel I may find this disconcerting, but it totally works for this graphic novel!
Kudos to the author for this enchanting debut graphic novel. I hope there will be a sequel to the book and hope the author plans to make it an ongoing series. I definitely will be there to read it!
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a review copy. ...more
Every book in the Emmie & Friends series focuses on a main character and a secondary character. We are back to Emmie Douglass, aka Invisible Emmie, thEvery book in the Emmie & Friends series focuses on a main character and a secondary character. We are back to Emmie Douglass, aka Invisible Emmie, the shy, quiet and intelligent character who started the series. As a middle school-aged girl, she doesn’t always have a lot of self-confidence. Many of us can related to those feelings in junior/middle school, right?
It is approaching the end of the school year and there is a sleepover class trip to Camp Blue Lake. Emmie is sad that one of her BFFs Sarah has a family celebration at the same time and cannot attend the trip. However, Emmie is so excited that she is paired up with her other BFF Bri, that is, until Bri falls ill and cannot go on the trip. Good thing Emmie’s college-aged sister Trina will attending as a chaperone so Emmie won’t be alone as they will spend quality “seester� time. Unfortunately, the campers and counselor monopolize Trina’s time, leaving Emmie feeling deserted without anyone to hang out with.
Joe Lungo, the secondary character, had no intentions of attending the class trip but his BFFs Tyler and Anthony persuade him to attend because they will have lots of fun like the Three Musketeers. Until they don’t. Tyler (also Emmie’s crush) meets an athletic girl at the camp who claims him as her own and Emmie is heartbroken. And Anthony hangs out with his girlfriend, leaving Joe in the dust.
Well, what can Emmie and Joe do but make the best of the situation. They are paired up as partners on the bus travels and activities. Joe is the class clown and Emmie learns how to deal with his off-handed jokes which humiliate her and makes her become even more quiet and isolated. I loved reading how Emmie and Joe navigate through their unintended camp partnership while dealing with being turned away from their friends and family.
As always, there is a lot to learn on how to deal with situations and issues from these series books. The excerpts are always cute and funny without being too overly gross and offensive. The author has quite the imagination with the text and illustrations providing exactly what a middle school reader might be thinking. I hope this is not the end of the series because I always want more!
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a review copy. ...more
I always enjoy reading about Asians who migrate to another country for a better life and try to adapt and adjust to cultural differences. HistoricallyI always enjoy reading about Asians who migrate to another country for a better life and try to adapt and adjust to cultural differences. Historically, my own ancestors who did the same. In this graphic novel, we are offered passages of the author’s life-altering move with his father from South Korea to Canada at a young age; his mother joins them afterwards. The vignettes were entertaining and enjoyable, but the pages switch between present day and flashbacks. I found this a bit disconcerting as it interrupted the flow for me and would have preferred a more linear timeline. I got the sense that these pages were part of a web comic and the strips were compiled into a collection.
I have read a few graphic novels where the Asian mother is depicted as negative and overbearing. I find this an unwarranted stereotype and I hope this was strictly from the author’s point of view. Asian mothers are caring and nurturing so it troubles me when the opposite may be presented to the reader for entertainment value.
The artwork was simple without overwhelming details which worked perfectly. The colors comprised of a limited palette, which again totally worked well for the pages. I didn’t find any of the pages particularly humorous but they were amusing and enjoyable. This was a short graphic novel and I look forward to reading the next in the series.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a review copy. ...more
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