Comics Confidential: Leonard S. Marcus

I've only popped open this exquisite work and already have quotes to share:

"Art-making at its best is a confrontation with the mysterious and the irrational. If we listen to the people concerned mainly with classification or marketing, we end up not making honest and true works of art, but only product, rubber-stamped and made to fit into a prefab box that might as well be a casket." David Small

"Without quite realizing it, these indie artists and writers had invented a new art form--a new kind of book for which people at first did not have a name. By the early 2000s, the books were everywhere." Leonard S. Marcus

Whether you call them graphic novels or comics, the current creators are a force in the publishing industry. Comics Confidential, Thirteen Graphic Novelists Talk Story, Craft, and Life Outside the Box, compiled and edited by Leonard S. Marcus, is a documentary treasure of the creative contribution from thirteen viewpoints. Each interview includes a comic and sketches or manuscript pages about "the city." Those nest among personal stories of out of the box artists, including Harry Bliss, Hope Larson, and Sara Varon.

Thank you, Leonard, for stopping and sharing so beautifully the backstories, practices, and thoughts of this group. And thanks, Candlewick Press!


Comics Confidential
Thirteen graphic Novelists Talk Story, Craft, and Life Outside the Box
compiled and edited by Leonard S. Marcus
Candlewick Press, 2016

~Lorie Ann Grover

Dan vs. Nature: Don Calame

With this on the cover: "An outrageously funny and wickedly raunchy romp in the woods," how could I NOT crack the book open? Dan vs. Nature delivers. Author Don Calame caught me from the first line and kept me beside Dan the entire way. I was laughing out loud through the 375 pages. Seriously.

Dan sets out on a wilderness adventure with his future stepfather and his best friend. The mission, apart from survival, is for the teens to stop Dan's mother's upcoming marriage. Matters are complicated by Dan's assignment to care for the Life Skills class baby doll along the journey and the addition of a geektastic hot girl being added to the group. From bears to bugs to lightning storms, the group is tested and tried. The male author carefully unwraps the emotional journey of one boy recovering from abandonment by his father, hit by hilarious physical trials, amidst a group of hard-earned friendships.

I zipped through this work, rgz, laughing and thinking of who to loan it to next. Find it. Laugh. And look for more by Calame. Well done!

Dan vs. Nature
by Don Calame
Candlewick Press, 2016

Watch for It: Feral Pride and Pookie Pop!

You all know I support rgz and readertotz, yes? The above two gems came in the mail today for review. Congrats to Cynthia Leitich Smith for her upcoming Feral Pride, the finale to her trilogy. Catch up with Feral Nights and Feral Curse in the meantime.

Then another feline is up for grabs for the totz in your life. Pookie Pop Plays Hide-and-Seek is illustrated by Jannie Ho. Too cute, right?

Watch for these felines, readergirlz!

Feral Pride

Cynthia Leitich Smith

Candlewick Press, Feb. 24, 2015

Pookie Pop Plays Hide-and-Seek

illustrated by Jannie Ho

Nosy Crow, Feb. 24, 2015

Diva Delight: A Monster Calls and Rhyme Schemer

Don't miss these even if they are catalogued in middle grade. A good story is a good story, right? When I picked up both of these works, from the first pages there was that feeling of instantly knowing these are brilliant books. These are the ones to savor and then share. Go. Find. Them.



"At seven minutes past midnight, thirteen-year-old Conor wakes to find a monster outside his bedroom window. But it isn't the monster Conor's been expecting-- he's been expecting the one from his nightmare, the nightmare he's had nearly every night since his mother started her treatments. The monster in his backyard is different. It's ancient. And wild. And it wants something from Conor. Something terrible and dangerous. It wants the truth. From the final idea of award-winning author Siobhan Dowd-- whose premature death from cancer prevented her from writing it herself-- Patrick Ness has spun a haunting and darkly funny novel of mischief, loss, and monsters both real and imagined."

A Monster Calls
by Patrick Ness
Candlewick Press, 2013



"Kevin has a bad attitude. He's the one who laughs when you trip and fall. In fact, he may have been the one who tripped you in the first place. He has a real knack for rubbing people the wrong way—and he's even figured out a secret way to do it with poems. But what happens when the tables are turned and he is the one getting picked on? Rhyme Schemer is a touching and hilarious middle-grade novel in verse about one seventh grader's journey from bully-er to bully-ee, as he learns about friendship, family, and the influence that words can have on people's lives."

Rhyme Schemer
by K. A. Holt
Chronicle Books, 2014

Watch for It: Egg & Spoon

When a Gregory Maguire book releases, how can you not stop everything and read it? You must for Egg & Spoon. Think of a female, The Prince and the Pauper, intertwined with a fiercely endearing Baba Yaga, searching to save a Firebird and mother Russia, while controlling an ice dragon for the world's survival. By the author of Wicked. Enough said, right?

Here is an epic story for middle-grade, young adults, and adults, and it will be beloved. For the first time, I fell in love with a house with chicken legs.

Within the 475 pages, you'll find language as rich as Saint Petersburg. It is the only point which will give you pause as you relish Maguire's word choice and imagery. Truth beats at the heart of the fairy tale, dabbled with modern references due to Baba Yaga's timelessness. I leave you with Baba speaking to her resident cat.

Baba Yaga snorted. "I look like a woman of a certain age."
"You are," said Mewster.
"Oh, no," said the witch. "I am a woman of every age."

Egg & Spoon
by Gregory Macquire
Candlewick Press, 9/14

Watch for It: Formerly Shark Girl

Here's a verse novel to watch for, rgz. You know I'm partial to the verse novel. Kudos to publishers who continue to give them voice! So, remember Shark Girl? You can read Kelly Bingham's full issue for rgz here. Get ready to see what happened afterwards: Formerly Shark Girl!



Kelly picks up Jane's story a year after the shark attack. She's waffling between nursing and art school. She's dealing with unexpected pain, a possible surgery, fan mail, and a bucket list for her senior year. The pages turn quickly as you journey with Jane through her choices, and she reaches satisfying conclusions.

Way to go rgz, for nudging Kelly to tell the rest of the story. Her dedication reads: "This book is for all the readers who asked for more of Jane's story. Without you, this book would not have been written." Brava, rgz!

Formerly Shark Girl
by Kelly Bingham
Candlewick Press, 2013

About a Boy: Boy on the Edge

We don't offer recommends with boy protagonists, but there should always be an exception, right? About a Boy entries will be for exceptional books that cross our path that we want to share. Boy on the Edge by Fridrik Erlings is my first entry.



I thought it would be compelling to read an Icelandic author. Don't you think? And it was. The Home of Lesser Brethren is perched in a lava field on the edge of the sea, and Henry is sent to reside there to live with other young boys, the reverend, and his wife. With a stutter and clubfoot, Henry makes his home in the cowshed, tends to the livestock, befriends the bull, and finds hope in a dark, barren place.

While the setting is new and fresh, the truths of the individuals resonate. Maybe that's a slight difference between our writing and this work from Iceland. The themes aren't buried quite so deeply. The reverend says, "And that is my biggest failure, I guess. Believing that absolute control would make everything all right." Even the flap copy notes, "This story is meant to show that there is always hope, even though its existence may sometimes be denied." So themes are closer to the surface, without giving the feeling the reader is being preached to.

I recommend this peek into Iceland, and getting to know Henry, who will haunt your soul. Read, reflect, and reach out, rgz! Read about a boy.

Boy on the Edge
by Fridrik Erlings
Candlewick Press, 2014

Watch for It: Feral Curse by Cynthia Leitich Smith

The second book of the Feral series, Feral Curse, releases tomorrow! Here's what Kirkus said:

"Campy humor is paired with themes of social justice in this fast-paced, clever second volume in the Feral series. ... [T]he dynamics among characters are fascinating and are well-served by the first-person narration alternating between Yoshi and Kayla. A neat, smart middle novel that clearly sets the stage for an epic showdown between those who champion the rights of shifters and those blind to their humanity."

Kayla is a strong female protagonist, perfect for readergirlz, while many will swoon for Yoshi. The pacing is fast, the mystery layered, and the adventure full. Congratulations, Cynthia! Happy book birthday!

Feral Curse
by Cynthia Leitich Smith
Candlewick Press, 2014

Watch For It: Feral Nights and Eternal

A shout out to our beloved Cynthia Leitich Smith! Eternal, Zachary's Story, the paperback graphic novel illustrated by Ming Doyle, will be available February 12th, along with Feral Nights. The later develops characters from Tantalize in their own series. Both books pack a supernatural punch, so watch for them. Congrats, Cynthia!

Feral Nights
Eternal, 
by Cynthia Leitich Smith
Candlewick Press, February 12, 2013

Diva Delight: Paradise by Joanna Nadin

Paradise by Joanna Nadin is so well-crafted. I was truly amazed. You will be rocked back and forth in time and through emotion. Sometimes it feels like a gentle pull of the tide, and other times, the story roars like a rogue wave. Consistently, the tug of the undertow will take you back, back, back until all the secrets are revealed, and peace is finally found.

When Billie inherits her grandmother's house, she moves from London to a small seaside town with her mother and brother. Her intent is to find her estranged father. Her quest unravels the secrets of two generations of women, secrets which she is completely entangled in without even realizing it.

Add Paradise to your stack. Listen to the whispers of women of the past, as they join the voice of a girl of today. Peek here to see Nadin chat about her personal casting and director choices. So interesting!

Paradise
by Joanna Nadin
Candlewick Press, Oct. 2012

Watch for It: Daylight Savings

Reminding me of a tale by William Sleater, Daylight Saving by Edward Hogan is a fast-paced, mind-bending chiller. Daniel, on a forced vacation with his father, meets a girl whose wounds seem to worsen daily. As the clock runs down, he grasps for courage and inspiration to try to save her. At the same time, he's dealing with his own body image, the blame of his parent's separation, and his father's drinking. If you liked The Lovely Bones, you'll find a similar thread here.

Watch for Daylight Saving. And see how sympathetic you become as the clock ticks backwards...

Daylight Saving
by Edward Hogan
Candlewick Press