librarianryan's reviews
6364 reviews

 

This book is both an exploration and a history lesson of reality TV. It’s seen through the eyes of a character who loves and wants to be part of reality TV. Unfortunately, the obnoxious lesson and the comparing of reality TV to fine art was heavy, handed, and boring. Therefore, this is a DNF 

 

The best thing I can say for this graphic novel is that the illustrations are amazing. It has that kitsch 1950s feeling with a modern twist. The story is a 1950s spy/space tail with comedic overtones and aliens. The people who wrote this have included heavy German accents, and it is hard to keep track of the plot and what is going on. And while the illustrations are amazing, whoever chose to letter the red words top of black bubbles are virtually impossible to read. Take a story that’s already confusing and add fake German accents to make it worse and then totally screw it over with the black and the red printing. This was more of a chore to read than the pleasure, but I hope the artist continues in the world of graphic camels. 

 

For a book I could never get into, I surely do love the graphic novels. At the end of the last book Catherine went home because her dad had medical issues. She’s down on herself after seeing Levi kiss another girl and she does not want to go back to school. But her dad is smart and won’t let his issues get in her way. This book is both about Levi and Catherine but also the Simon/Snow fanfiction that she writes.  It’s also about Catherine’s inability to come up with her own ideas. This is a fun tongue-in-cheek manga that makes you want to know what happens next and book four can’t get here fast enough. 

 

This book was great. Are you up with the Beach Boys and Good Vibrations? That song played in my head the entire time I was reading this. As an adult, I found myself talking about good vibes:  Bad vibes, good vibes, and vibes others give off, but what exactly are vibes? This book attempts to explain that in a way that children can understand, and it does a fantastic job. It takes a feeling of energy and gives it a definition and an action to help spread them. The cover is a little unassuming, but the illustrations inside give this reader very good vibes. The Beach boys would be proud. 

 

Wow. This book is simply lovely. It’s about a kid who is afraid but finds a way to conquer their fears and shine. The story is fantastic, but the artwork knocks this book into the next level. The artwork is very different than seen nowadays. At the same time, it has a classic feeling of old-time picture books: like the Little Funny Woman or Story A Story, or even a Fool in the Flying Ship. This artwork stands out and will be a sure contender for the next round of Caldecott. 

 

This book is depressingly happy. It is about a little puppy Holly who is adopted at Christmas and as they get older and the parents realize that Holly is a pit-bull and not whatever they thought they were getting, they leave her on the side of the street abandoned. Holly just wants to make friends and have a human in her life, but no one will let her because she’s a pit-bull and Pitbull’s are deemed dangerous. After getting picked up by animal control, the pound has a special day just to adopt pit bulls. Holly does find a new forever home and learns that pit bulls are not inherently dangerous. This book has a fantastic message but at the same time I hate that this message needs to exist. A pit-bull is only as dangerous as the person raising it. They’re one of the smartest and most affectionate dogs there is. Some humans are too stupid to realize it. I love this books message; I just wish you didn’t have to exist. 

 

Like most Happy Yak books, this is a call and response book. This time is a Monster who’s ready to sleep under the bed, but the reader is supposed to want him to sleep on the bed. While I did enjoy this book, I don’t think that the reader will always give the answer, the narrator is expecting.  It’s because of this I don’t think this book is as successful as other Happy Yak books.  It is still a fun read, and the illustrations are perfect. 

This book is typical of the series. The illustrations are fun and eye catching. The rhymes are not bad, but can be harsh at times. For people who love this series this is another book that will be in demand at the Library counter.

A young girl has a school assignment to find five words that describe themselves. What I like about this book is that the girl is bilingual and comes from a bilingual family, and the book waits to explain some of the words until the glossary at the end. Most of them can be figured out with story context or illustrated clues, but I love how this has been done. I also love how this book shows that just because you get down doesn’t mean you can’t get up that you can’t turn someone else’s hurtful words into something else, but you can rise above them. This was a fun read that I think many kids could enjoy.

The best word for this book is interesting. The story is hard to describe. It’s basically where a fungus would be or how would it look in various types of environments, locations, or places. When I read this book, it makes me think of Fungus horrors like "The Last of Us", where a fungus takes over the world and destroys all humanity. It’s not the purpose of this book, but it’s what comes to mine. I found the info at the back of the book way more interesting and entertaining than the main body and story of the book. The illustrations are simplistic and child like which will have kids grabbing for it. But I’m not sure this is one that would be read over and over again.