BABYMOUSE: QUEEN OF THE WORLD by Jennifer L. and Matthew Holm

Bibliography
Holm, Jennifer L. and Matthew. 2005. Babymouse: Queen of the World. New York: Random House Children's Books. ISBN 9780375832291

Plot Summary
Babymouse loves adventure, glamour, and excitement. She wants to be popular and queen of the world! However, her middle school life is the exact opposite. Felicia Furrypaws is the perfect and popular girl who everyone adores. In her quest to be recognized by the most popular girl in school, Babymouse realizes that her life is wonderful and exciting just the way it is and that Felicia is not as wonderful as she seems to be. 

Critical Analysis
The setting is middle school, with all the worries of being popular, stylish, and accepted by others. The plot is simple in that Babymouse, the heroine, wants to be popular like Felicia Furrypaws and will do whatever it takes to be invited to her party. This simple story reveals the universal truths that the grass is not always greener on the other side of the fence and that anything that requires one to be untrue to oneself or loved ones is not worth it. What makes this story unique are the animal characters that speak and act like humans and the fact that this is a graphic novel geared towards girls. The animals have human problems that elementary or middle school children can easily identify with. Pictures tell most of the story with words used as dialogue, for sound effect, or to set a scene or mood. The illustrations portray the personalities of the characters well and move the story along nicely. The authors have a unique sense of style that portrays typical school characters in humorous ways: Babymouse the dreamer, Felicia in all her “perfectness,” and Wilson the Weasel, the perfect best friend. For example, Babymouse has an extremely vivid imagination and daydreams every chance that she gets. Each occurrence in her life is subject to some hilarious fantasy.

This novel appeals to elementary school kids. My seven-year-old is asking me to read it to her again as I write this review. Our favorite parts of the book are the daydreams of Babymouse: one moment she is Cinderella wanting to go to the slumber party, and the next moment she is being attacked by a giant squid “in Mouse-Vision!”

Awards Won & Review Excerpts

• Gryphon Award, 2006 - Honor Book

• Booklist Top 10 Graphic Novels for Youth, 2006 

• Core Collection: Great Graphic Novels for Younger Readers, 2006 - American Library Association

• Notable Children's Books, 2006 - ALSC American Library Association

• Booklist: "The Holms spruce up some well-trod ground with breathless pacing and clever flights of Babymouse's imagination, and their manic, pink-toned illustrations of Babymouse and her cohorts vigorously reflect the internal life of any million-ideas-a-minute middle-school student."

• Cooperative Children’s Book Center Choices: "Babymouse will be met with open arms by libraries everywhere that are anxious to meet high demand for graphic novels, and especially eager to find good choices for younger readers."

• The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books: "Graphic novels for the early elementary set are rare, and this humorous and adventurous series will be snapped up."

Connections

• Try other books in the Babymouse series:

          Babymouse: Our Hero. ISBN 0375832300
          Babymouse: Beach Babe. ISBN 0375832319
          Babymouse: Rock Star. ISBN 0375832327

• Other graphic novels that may appeal to elementary age female children:

          Martin, Ann M. and Raina Telgemeir. The Baby-Sitters Club: Kristy's Great Idea.               ISBN 0439802415
          Russell, P. Craig. Coraline. ISBN 9780060825430
          Hale, Shannon, Dean and Nathan. Rapunzel's Revenge. ISBN 9781599900704

• Manga clubs for elementary age children are a rarity. Try starting one up where children can read, discuss, and share their favorites.

NATION by Terry and Lyn Pratchett

Bibliography
Pratchett, Terry and Lyn. 2008. Nation. New York: HarperCollins Publishers. ISBN 9780061767715

Plot Summary 

It seems as if the end of the world has come. Two young people, Daphne and Mau, along with a small band of survivors, rebuild Mau’s lost nation. Through the course of reestablishing order, Daphne and Mau learn what it means to be an adult and how to be leaders that others are respectful and proud of.

Critical Analysis

An island similar to one that can be found in the Pacific is the setting for this novel with fictional elements, like animals such as the tree-climbing octopus, that are not too far a stretch from reality. An alternate universe so similar to our own enables the reader to focus on the theme of the story: hope, rebuilding what is lost, and learning the responsibilities of adulthood. This theme is satisfying in that every time Mau faces a challenge that seems overbearing, he shouts his mantra: “Does not happen!” This mantra helps him defeat the barriers that oppose his efforts.

The plot of a natural disaster striking and survivors coming together to rebuild their society is believable. A demonstration of how great nations are made from the ground up and the people who build them are the major foci of this novel. Mau and Daphne are strong lead characters that use their intellect and good sense to survive and help others to survive as well. Anyone who has witnessed a sudden loss of what is normal and loved will identify with this story and cheer on the main characters as obstacles are overcome.

The Pratchetts know people and human nature. This is revealed in the portrayal of Daphne’s self-righteous grandmother and Cox’s evil nature. Although these characters are extremely one-dimensional with exaggerated bad traits, these traits are familiar to the human experience. This book is a wonderful read and makes one hunger to read more of Terry Pratchett’s works, which are plentiful.

Awards Won & Review Excerpts

• Michael L. Printz Award, 2009 - Honor Book

• Mythopoeic Fantasy Award for Children's Literature, 2009 - Finalist

• Odyssey Award, 2009 - Honor

• Booklist: "Quirky wit and broad vision make this a fascinating survival story on many levels."

• Kirkus Reviews: "A searching exploration of good and evil, fate and free will, both as broad and as deep as anything this brilliant and, happily, prolific author has produced so far."

• Library Media Connection: "Fans of Terry Pratchett will find this an engrossing action story."

• VOYA: "Dark and sometimes funny, this complex tale asks the reader to consider a variety of issues, from identity and tradition to faith and prejudice."

Connections

• Terry Pratchett has a Discworld series of books, which includes some award winners. Try the following from this series:

          The Color of Magic: A Discworld Novel. ISBN 0061020710
          The Amazing Maurice and His Educated Rodents. ISBN 0060012331

• Try other fantasy works about survival:

          Pfeffer, Susan Beth. The Dead & the Gone. ISBN 9780152063115
          Collins, Suzanne. The Hunger Games. ISBN 9780439023481
          Farmer, Nancy. A Girl Named Disaster. ISBN 0531095398

• Brown-bag book reports are a good way to motivate others to read a book as well as help assess reading comprehension. Try preparing and presenting one for this novel or any of the novels mentioned in this book review.

  

THE GRAVEYARD BOOK by Neil Gaiman, Ill. by Dave McKean

Bibliography
Gaiman, Neil. 2008. The Graveyard Book. Ill. by Dave McKean. New York: HarperCollins e-books. ISBN 9780061709395

Plot Summary
A mysterious stranger called Jack murders the family of Bod Owens: mother, father, and older sister. Bod, a toddler at the time, escapes to the graveyard nearby due to his crib climbing skills. Mr. and Mrs. Owens, a ghost couple, adopts Bod as their own and cares for Bod along with the other ghosts of the graveyard and Silas, Bod’s guardian who is neither living nor dead. This graveyard family keeps Bod safe and sound from the killer Jack, who lurks beyond the graveyard. As Bod grows up, he learns supernatural powers, which he finds quite useful in his adventures. However, Bod yearns for a connection with other humans. His curiosity and bravery help him find the answer as to why Jack hunts him and killed his family as well as gain him independence outside of the graveyard.

Critical Analysis
Gaiman opens the story with the gruesome death of Bod’s entire family, which causes readers to immediately connect with Bod and his safety (no one wants an innocent babe to die at the hands of a ruthless murderer). The death of Bod’s family and his survival drives the plot of the story and keeps readers wondering why would someone want to kill an entire family and even children, for that matter. Who is this mysterious killer? These are all questions in which the answers are not automatically revealed. Bod is faced with the obstacle of staying alive throughout his journey to adulthood. This becomes more and more difficult the older Bod becomes. All of this mystery, sadness, and excitement revolve around the simple theme that good is more powerful than evil and love can serve to protect.

Most of the story takes place in the graveyard, Bod’s home. This place is crucial to the turn of events within the story, especially the climactic ending. Dave McKean’s illustrations add to the otherworldly feel of the novel by capturing the smoky and misty look of the ghosts as well as the eeriness of the graveyard. McKean’s illustrations serve as a reminder that Bod’s home is not as warm and cozy as Bod feels it is.

I am a fan of Neil Gaiman, and this is the first time I have read one of his fictional novels for children. Just like with his adult novels, Gaiman has a talent for plunging readers into fantastical worlds that are not too far fetched from our own. Although the story is adventurous and scary at times, Gaiman has a wonderful sarcastic sense of humor. In this novel, Bod likes to read the markings on the graves. This is where Gaiman’s humor shines. Miss Letitia Borrows, a spinster, has a grave that reads “Who Did No Harm to No Man all the Dais of Her Life. Reader, Can You Say Lykewise?” 

Awards Won & Review Excerpts

• Carnegie Medal, 2010

• Cybil Award, 2008

• John Newbery Medal, 2009

• Booklist: "This is an utterly captivating tale that is cleverly told through an entertaining cast of ghostly characters."

• Cooperative Children's Book Center Choices: "A dramatic climax will likely catch readers off guard, but it provides a satisfying conclusion to an exceptional story."

• Kirkus Reviews: "Episodic chapters tell miniature gems of stories (one has been nominated for a Locus Award) tracing Bod's growth from a spoiled boy who runs away with the ghouls to a young man for whom the metaphor of setting out into the world becomes achingly real."

• The Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books: "While readers firmly entrenched in the real world may question such issues as sleeping arrangements and eating (both addressed briefly but not lingered upon), most will be so swept up in the romantic tragedy and potential of young Bod’s life that they will not spare a moment questioning how a child could actually live out an entire childhood unnoticed in an active graveyard. It is to Gaiman’s credit that many of his readers will wish their own childhoods had played out in the same location."

Connections

• The Graveyard Book is rich with interesting dialogue. Try creating a readers theater script on a portion of the novel that interests you the most that can be shared and acted out.

• This book is also available as an unabridged audiobook. Try listening to it and discuss various experiences with reading the book compared to listening to it.

• Other works by Neil Gaiman with illustrations by Dave McKean:

          MirrorMask. ISBN 0747581118
          Coraline. ISBN 0380977788
          The Wolves in the Walls. ISBN 038097827X