Author Archives: Kim Matthews

About Kim Matthews

Teacher-librarian at Komachin Middle School in Lacey, WA

Gaia: Goddess of Earth

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by Imogen & Isabel Greenberg

The story of the ones who came before Zeus and his siblings, this origin story graphic novel begins with the goddess Gaia, the creator of Earth, according to the ancient Greeks. It shows the development of conflict between her desire for peace on Earth and her husband, children and grandchildren’s desire for chaos and dominance over the Earth. The book begins with introducing the reader to Gaia and her offspring. While this was helpful, I kept wanting to see a family tree to show some of the more convoluted family connections. Much of the book is about the various conflicts in each generation for leadership, all while Gaia looks on sadly as peace is constantly challenged by her descendants. You see battles with the Titans, Zeus overthrowing his father, Giants trying to wrestle control from Zeus… so much conflict! The artwork is bold, dark, autumny colors & stylized characters. Facial expressions say a lot about how the characters are feeling. The book includes a glossary and a brief bibliography. Fans of Greek mythology will enjoy this prequel to so many of the more familiar myths and legends that came after these earlier struggles.

Grounded for All Eternity

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by Darcy Marks

Mal and his friends are just regular teens, except that their quiet suburban neighborhood is located in an unusual place – Hell. They are currently under lock down during their last vacation together for a while because of an escaped prisoner from the 8th circle of… Hell. The friends end up “falling” into another dimension – Earth – and realize they have to help bring the escaped prisoner home if they want to get back to their regular lives. This funny story was full of adventure and turned the stereotypical ideas of Hell=bad/Heaven=good a bit on its head. As it turns out, BOTH do the world a pretty important service & by working together, they just might accomplish their goals more efficiently. Similar to the recent popularity of mythology books by Rick Riordan and others, this tale melds a bit of the horror genre with the mythology of the hereafter. Much of the story takes place on Halloween in Salem, Massachusetts (& in Hell), so it’s also a perfect October read! There is a slight hint of a possible lgbtq romantic relationship in Mal’s future, but it’s very subtle. Mal has romantic interest in both a girl and a boy in the book – neither of which really develops in the story until a romantic letter he writes at the very end to one of his interests. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and am sure my students will eat it up!

Tin Man

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by Justin Madson

Fenn, a lonely boy, meets Campbell, the tin man in a junkyard while looking for spare parts for the rocket ship he’s building in his garage and they instantly become friends. Fenn also finds a metal clock/heart part that he assumes belongs to the tin man & hands it to him. So begins the twisted, modernized tale of the Wizard of Oz, complete with a yellow brick road, a tornado, and a wizard of sorts. Fenn’s sister, his once-helper of the rocket, is struggling with her own problems – the loss of their grandmother, a jerk of a boyfriend, and flagging hopes and dreams. She, too, finds help from the tin man struggling with his own problems and broken heart. Even without knowing the original story of The Wizard of Oz, I think modern readers will enjoy this graphic novel. The art work is done in bold colors and subtle facial expressions, but add to the poignancy and rough times all the characters are striving to get through. I enjoyed all the little “Easter eggs” scattered throughout the story that refer back to the original story. In one scene you see two women talking. One is clearly Glinda & the other, clad in black & white striped tights & red shoes, is a nod to the Wicked Witch of the West. A lion appears on a movie poster and a sweater. The Flying Monkey taco truck. Even the town name forms the initials O.Z.  This is a clever graphic novel that has much to offer. I think readers will enjoy it.

Hana Hsu and the Ghost Crab Nation

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by Sylvia Liu

I really enjoyed this action-packed, futuristic story of a plucky twelve year old heroine whose curiosity and determination save her and her classmates from becoming manipulated by adults who should have been protecting and training them. The story shows Hana and her friends in a recently accelerated program to learn how to use a technology that will mesh their minds with the internet and each other. She quickly realizes that something is not right with the program and begins to investigate. She does this while grieving her father and the splintering, distant feelings of her immediate family. Readers who love technology or video games will enjoy the action scenes in the virtual world as the students train with their new tools. I liked that Hana also loves OLD technology, particularly animatronics that she builds from scraps in the junkyard. The pacing of the story is solid and the characters are all multi-ethnic. Even the cover draws you in. I think this title will be a hit with middle school readers who enjoy a fast-paced novel of intrigue and action.

My Name is Jason. Mine too. Our Story. Our Way

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By Jason Reynolds and Jason Griffin

This beautifully poetic and artistic book is a collage of the two artists’ early works while struggling to make it in Brooklyn shortly after the two former college roommates graduated and moved to the “big city”. Reynolds’ poetry is often superimposed over Griffin’s painting/collages in a way that helps the reader feel the raw excitement, terror, & sometimes loneliness that comes with making a big leap of faith in yourself in a new place. At the time of this collection, both were unknowns trying to make enough money to eat and pay rent so they could keep making their art. Fans of Jason Reynolds will enjoy this look back at his early years of personal struggle while also discovering the mixed media style of his friend Jason Griffin. Whereas current work is more fictional in nature, this is raw him. Anyone struggling to stay true to themselves while fighting all the doubts that come with it will be able to relate. I also really like the message of these two very different looking young men finding such a strong connection with each other as they lean in & support each other during their struggles to make it. There was not much I didn’t like about the book though the artistic style of Griffin’s work may not appeal to everyone, I really liked it. I’m sure my middle school readers who are fans of Reynolds and poetry are really going to like this book, and there is nothing that makes it inappropriate for middle schoolers other than the book is about people in their 20s. 

Welcome to Dweeb Club

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by Betsy Uhrig

I think this is a very good book for people who love books that have humor in them and a book that is semi-realistic but still has crazy ideas. and it’s one of the books that is in first-person. Jason Sloan is not one of the people you will notice in the halls of a school, he is according to his sister, a “Dorkfus” and he decides to join a also not very known or noticed club. and it was named…H.A.I.R club!… [trails off] yeah he knows. Super weird name. Their job in this club is looking at cameras and security (NOT HAIR), and when they look at the cameras, they find something out. The pictures in the cameras show scenes of the future possibility. This club leads them to adventures. I think she did well at making this book funny. Also most of the time, people make things which was interesting. I also liked the book cover. I like the humor in the book. One example In the book was a teacher named Ms. Grossman. Near the end of chapter 58, a kid named Steve typed into his computer, “WHAT PRODUCT AM I PUTTING ON MY HAIR THAT IS MAKING IT LOOK LIKE THIS????”(244) After reading that, I laughed for 1 whole minute! I also kinda found it funny how much idiotic stuff they did. I did wonder though, “What’s with all the weird abbreviations?” TWERP? No idea what that stood for. Overall, I give the book a 4 out of 5.  [This review written by Komachin 6th grader, Victoria L. ]

Zachary Ying and the Dragon Emperor

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by Xiran Jay Zhao

This middle grade story is a beautiful mix of Chinese history, fantasy, mythology, and science fiction technology. It has all the adventure of a Rick Riordan gods & goddesses mythology book, but using the stories of ancient Chinese Emperors and their complex machinations as the myths. These are the stories of China that have been passed down and have been woven into modern Chinese and world culture, including manga & video gaming. The story centers around Zachary Ying, a modern Chinese American kid who loves to play the video game Mythrealm using his special portal goggles. Things go awry when the ancient Chinese emperor Qin Shi Huang, tries to possess Zach, but ends up stuck fused to his portal goggles. They embark on an epic adventure with several others to try to stop the spirits from breaking more completely into our world from the spirit realm. The book is sprinkled with history lessons to help familiarize students with Chinese history they may have never learned – like Zack and me. Water dragons, crazy battles between immortals, and trying to find one’s moral compass make this action-packed adventure worth the read. Those unfamiliar with Chinese names, may mentally destroy & horribly mispronounce some of the names of characters or could find it a stumbling block. It’s worth reading despite that and might be an opportunity to share the audiobook version as a way of learning how to pronounce some of the names. (It helped me!) I think students who love mythology adventures will probably love this addition to the genre. This appears to be a first book in a series as it leaves a major cliffhanger at the end of the book.

Let the Monster Out, by Chad Lucas

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Having just moved to a new town, Bones Malone is trying to fit in and make new friends and keep his temper in check. This is not easy for Bones, especially since he’s often misunderstood and judged unfairly. Things in this new town get complicated as Bones and then several other new friends start sharing the nightmares of each other. Also, the adults in town start acting like vacant, alien-zombie librarians (AZL). The kids team up to solve the problem and fix the adults in their life from all succumbing to the weird AZLing. To do this, they take on the big corporation that employs many of the town’s adults, but who are definitely up to something shady. The book is a mystery wrapped up in a “Stranger Things” vibe – spooky and suspenseful. Some of the kids’ nightmares are downright scary!  The book is full of diverse characters, including Kyle who has autism. I liked that his friends get to experience the way Kyle views the world when they end up in his nightmare. It helps them relate to him better in the real world once they understand how intense sounds, lights, and other stimuli can be for him. Bones is black with a Mom and siblings starting over away from his violent dad. His background has left Bones often feeling the need to protect his Mom and siblings, but also gets him into trouble. Friendship, courage, and facing fears all take center stage in this sometimes scary story. I know this is going to be a hit with students!

The Swallows’ Flight, by Hilary McKay

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The Swallows' Flight by [Hilary McKay]

This book follows four ordinary children, Eric, Hans, Kate and Ruby (& one dog) as they grow up and find their lives intertwined in the years leading up to and during World War II. Eric and Hans come from Berlin, so the reader sees what life was like leading up to the war in Germany. Kate and Ruby are from Britain. All struggle through pretty normal bits of childhood set in a time of approaching conflict. I loved the book once it got going, though I found it a bit slow and confusing to keep track of the various characters at the beginning of the book. Once the book caught its stride and various characters met each other, it was not a problem, and the action pulled the reader along. Seeing family life from the two countries will help readers understand that war is made of regular people – not all evil or good Just ordinary folks caught in extraordinary times. The book has one of those satisfying endings that lets the reader know what happened to characters years after the main conflict is over. At least I always like to know that! The author also gives some background information at the end of the book of some historical facts about the world the children have inhabited. There is also a family tree at the end, indicating some of the characters may have been in another book by this author, The Skylark’s War.  (Perhaps keeping track of all Kate’s family members would have been easier if I’d read this earlier book.) Definitely one to include for students interested in historical fiction about WWII, especially because it includes a look at both sides of the war.

Animorphs, the Graphic Novel: The Visitor

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Based on the novel by K.A. Applegate & Michael Grant, adapted by Chris Grine

This is the second volume in the new graphic novel adaptation of Katherine Applegate & Michael Grant’s popular series Animorphs, adapted by Chris Grine. Having never read the original series, I did read the first graphic novel to get the gist of the big problem, namely the alien ability of the 5 main characters, Jake, Marco, Cassie, Tobias, and Rachel, to now turn into animals. Their new abilities will help them fight the Yeerks, an alien race trying to take over Earth while our planet waits for the good aliens, the Andalites, to come join the fight. In the second volume, Rachel agrees to go undercover in a cat form to discover what they can from their assistant principal, Mr. Chapman, who has become a host to the main Yeerk. Illustrations are bright and bold. The transformation scenes are clever as we see part human and part animal morphing. Text bubbles are different when characters are talking vs when they are using mind reading, adding a visual element to inner dialogue. If the first book in the series is popular, students will definitely enjoy the second. And, if like me, you never experienced the original series, I think the animal element and the high action will appeal to new audiences. Some scenes might be visually scary for younger audiences, though I think this will be fine for upper elementary and middle school level readers.