This graphic novel is a powerful story of friendships, tragedy, inclusion, nationalism, multi-generational trauma, and hope. It packs a lot into its pages and, because of that, it sometimes feels rushed. Some of the most traumatic scenes flash by in harsh, bold colors that might confuse some readers. This is the story of Nisrin’s decision to wear an orna, or scarf, to cover her head, as she explores what it means for her to follow Islam. It is a complicated decision because her family does not follow the practice of an orna or hijab. Her decision also brings up old family wounds from a regime change in Bangladesh and the reason for the family’s immigration to the United States. It’s also a story of changing friendships and the ways we sometimes reconcile conflicts.  Raw and compelling, Piece by Piece would be a graphic novel that might be a mirror for some readers and a window for many others willing to take on a challenging story.

A silly graphic novel adventure told in palindromes, this crazy tale had me reading forwards and backwards! Every piece of text in the book, from dialogue to signs in the background, is written in palindromes (200 of them!)  The plot is a very loose wandering adventure of a boy, Otto, looking for his dog, Pip. I was amazed at the many ways the author conveyed silly palindromes in a logical, if fanciful, manner in the story. Illustrations are boldly & simply drawn and softly colored. Certainly, this is a great book for teaching palindromes. Short episodes of the adventure could be shared with whole classes. It had me wanting to write some of my own or share some of the more clever ones with others. The appeal may not be as broad as some, but it would be a solid purchase for upper elementary or middle school libraries.

A double biography about two imperfect men who were born within a year of each other, lived on opposite sides of historical issues, and died within a year of each other. Both are flawed because of the prejudices from which they were raised. Both were leaders for their respective cultures who were both celebrated and reviled at different times in their lives. They had much in common though they despised the other.  I found this book interesting and hard to read because of the biases of each of the historical figures. In that way, I think the author did a splendid job of helping the modern reader see both sides of the westward movement – from the Eurocentric, white point of view to the Native American perspective. I appreciated the map of the region placed in the center of the book and referred to it often. Photographs and sketches were well placed to help the reader visualize the historical events. The book also includes a timeline, an index, and an extensive bibliography of many of the historical details included in the accounts of these men’s lives. It’s an important book to have on library shelves to give youn modern historians perspective on the westward expansion in this country.

This graphic novel features some dark & difficult subjects including bullying, cyberbullying, and verbal and physical abuse. Naifeh handles it well and I think it will be enjoyed by mature middle school or high school readers. The book seems to be the first in a new series, setting the main character up as a problem-solver of the magical variety for people in need. In this first book, she reigns over the losers table in the lunchroom at school and reluctantly gets involved with halting a cyberbully called “shy_shelbi” who is encouraging & blackmailing for chaos in the guise of helping. Underlying storylines feature families with abuse secrets which give the whole book an edgy feel. I appreciated that even though some problems are solved, the characters realize that there are always consequences and unsolved issues – even with some positive outcomes. Life is not easy. The graphics are colorful and facial expressions are very expressive. Light & dark help handle the mood and the seriousness of some scenes.

This two-sided book is no Disney version of the Little Mermaid. On one side of the book the reader will find the 1930s translation of the original Hans Christian Anderson story. (Spoiler: a very different sort of “happily ever after” ending in the original!) The flip side of the book is a blackout poem of the original story that modifies the ending to one of female empowerment. The pages are lovely with simple designs in addition to the blacked out parts. The poem reads like poetry magnets on the page. The complete poem is also included outside of the blacked out pages.  If a teacher were teaching blackout poetry, this would be a perfect book to demonstrate how it can be done – beyond just crossing out the parts one didn’t want. In the author’s note, she speaks of finding our own story in another – of creating a new version that speaks your truth. I thought this was a lovely little book. It was interesting to read the original version and delightful to see the “hidden” story beneath the surface.