Mental Health Awareness Month: A Review Roundup

Source: Mental Health America

May is Mental Health Awareness Month, and we've reviewed a number of titles over the years that we thought were exceptional portrayals of the experience of mental illness and related difficulties. As we all know, reading a good book can make us feel less alone--and, honestly, sometimes that's the one thing you need in order not to go over the edge. So here, in no particular order, is a by no means exhaustive list of recommended reads for Mental Health Month:

The Other Normals by Ned Vizzini

Try Not to Breathe by Jennifer R. Hubbard

100 Days of Cake by Shari Goldhagen

Dr. Bird's Advice for Sad Poets by Evan Roskos

This is How I Find Her by Sara Polsky

Highly Illogical Behavior by John Corey Whaley

Delicate Monsters by Stephanie Kuehn

Define "Normal" by Julie Anne Peters

First Day on Earth by Cecil Castellucci

Saving Francesca by Melina Marchetta

Scars by Cheryl Rainfield

Wintergirls by Laurie Halse Anderson

Nice Girls Endure by Chris Struyk-Bonn

These Gentle Wounds by Helene Dunbar

Cybils Review Roundup: 2017 Graphic Novel Finalists

Here in a handy list is a set of links to all of my reviews of this past year's Cybils finalists for Graphic Novels. As always, it was a privilege and a pleasure to be a Round 2 judge and get to choose from the best of the best in terms of kid appeal and literary merit (the main Cybils criteria). Without further ado, here you go!

Young Adult

WINNER: Spill Zone by Scott Westerfeld, ‎ illustrated by Alex Puvilland
Buddha: An Enlightened Life by Kieron Moore; Illustrated by Rajesh Nagulakonda
New Super-Man Vol. 1: Made in China (Rebirth) by Gene Luen Yang, illustrated by Viktor Bogdanovic
Soupy Leaves Home by Cecil Castellucci, illustrated by Jose Pimienta
Spinning by Tillie Walden
Diesel: Ignition by Tyson Hesse

Elementary/Middle Grade

WINNER: Where's Halmoni? by Julie Kim
Pashmina by Nidhi Chanani
Real Friends by Shannon Hale, ilustrated by LeUyen Pham (check out Tanita's take on it, too!)
Suee and the Shadow by Ginger Ly, illustrated by Molly Park
The Big Bad Fox by Benjamin Renner
The Dam Keeper by Robert Kondo and Dice Tsutsumi
 

Just For Fun: An Eclipse Reading List

Solar corona of 1893 eclipse from Popular Science Vol. 60

Honestly, there really is no running theme to these books other than they feature astronomical bodies in the titles, but is there ever a bad time for a book list? I don't think so. They also happen to be books Tanita and/or I enjoyed and reviewed here on the blog. If you're looking for some eclipse-worthy reading, put on your special dork, I mean dark, glasses and check these out! Meanwhile, I'll be in a car, probably stuck in traffic, driving up through Oregon hoping to witness the real deal...

In no particular order:

Every Soul a Star by Wendy Mass (MG fiction; this one is actually about a solar eclipse!)
Black Hole Sun, Invisible Sun, and Shadow on the Sun by David Macinnis Gill (action-packed sci-fi)
I'll Give You the Sun by Jandy Nelson (nothing whatsoever to do with eclipses that I remember)
The Midnighters trilogy by Scott Westerfeld (a good, scary read)
Horizon by Patti Larsen (more sci-fi)
Sunbolt by Intisar Khanani (wonderful indie fantasy)
The Cloud Roads by Martha Wells (cool YA shapeshifting fantasy)
Jumping Off the Planet by David Gerrold (wicked cool overlooked sci-fi)
Under the Dusty Moon by Suzanne Sutherland (girl's mom in a band)
The Shade of the Moon by Susan Beth Pfeffer (4th book of Life As We Knew It)
Shadows on the Moon by Zoe Marriott (Asian-American themed fantasy)
Under a Blood Red Moon by Lu Sylvan (pirate apprentices novella)
Moon Over Manifest by Clare Vanderpool (MG historical fiction)
The White Road of the Moon by Rachel Neumeier (fantasy and friendship)
Tiger Moon by Antonia Michaelis (South Asian fairytale themes)
The Chaos of Stars by Kiersten White (modern-day Egyptian gods)
Mirror in the Sky by Aditi Khorana (a message from space!)
Airborn by Kenneth Oppel (airships)

Cybils Finalist Reviews Roundup: YA Graphic Novels

Not too long ago, I put together a roundup of the 2016 Cybils Finalists for Elementary/Middle Grade Graphic Novels. Now that I've finished all the YA finalist reviews, here's a roundup of all of those for your reading convenience:

Trashed by Derf Backderf

March: Book Three by John Lewis, Andrew Aydin, and Nate Powell (the winner!)

Lucky Penny by Ananth Hirsh and Yuko Ota

Monstress, Volume 1: Awakening by Marjorie Liu and Sana Takeda

Ms. Marvel, Volume 5: Super Famous by G. Willow Wilson, Leon Alphona, and Takeshi Miyazawa

Faith, Volume 1: Hollywood and Vine by Jody Houser, Francis Portela, and Marguerite Sauvage

Dare to Disappoint: Growing up in Turkey by Ozge Samanci

Soon I'll be back to posting reviews that are non-Cybils-related. :)

Middle Grade Monday: A Cybils 2016 Graphic Novel Roundup

As you may know, I've been reviewing Cybils graphic novel finalists that I had to remain hush-hush about during the actual judging process in January and February. I thought, since it's Monday, and since I've finished reviewing all the Elementary and Middle Grade finalists, I'd put all the links here in a roundup for your convenience, or in case you missed them!

The Nameless City by Faith Erin Hicks

Lowriders to the Center of the Earth by Cathy Camper and Raul the Third

Princess Princess Ever After by Katie O'Neill

Compass South by Hope Larson and Rebecca Mock

Mighty Jack by Ben Hatke

Bera the One-Headed Troll by Eric Orchard

I also read The Wolves of Currumpaw, which was also a finalist, but I felt it was much more of a picture book/illustrated book than a graphic novel, so I didn't formally review it. However, you can read about it here on Kirkus.

The TBR List in the New Year: Books Worth Reading

Wonderland Knows Stories Worth Reading!

These are a few of the stories we're looking forward to reading and reviewing in the months ahead. Not all of these are published in the calendar year - no one's TBR list is that caught up - but these are all books we've heard a bit of a buzz about -- or have been intrigued by, despite their noticeable lack of buzz, and we want to raise their profile here.

Out February 14th, 2017: AMERICAN STREET by Ibi Zoboi, Balzer + Bray - As a Haitian-born émigré to America, author Ibi Zoboi has had a front-row seat to the striking disparity between America as a concept to America as a real place. Why we think it's worth reading: Right now, a lot of people are waking up to the realization that America - its politics, policies and people - are unfamiliar. They're waking up to a reality which a lot of people of color and immigrants have already known - the American Dream, as a concept, is tarnished and false. Something new must take its place. In the novel, Fabiola Toussaint immigrating from Port-au-Prince loses her mother to the red tape of the process, and must stand alone, deciding her identity, and the price she's willing to pay for it. This is something we all need to consider.

Out January 30th: FRED KORAMATSU SPEAKS UP, by Laura Atkins & Stan Yogi, Heyday Books - This MG social studies book is well out of our usual review scope, but we're big Laura fans at the blog - full disclosure, there - and we were intrigued that after her first picture book success she sneaked in the kick-off story in the series titled Fighting For Justice. Why we think it's worth reading: How do you grow activists? By teaching them their history. This is an informative book which will be useful in a classroom, but it's also a story about a boy named Fred who was just... normal. He listened to the Top 40, he played tennis, he hung out with his friends and he had secret crushes. And suddenly, he was considered an enemy of the State. We must remember our history, or repeat it, folks, and the danger is already on the horizon. Looking forward to reading this book, and talking with the authors and the publisher about what comes next in the series.

Out March 28th, 2017: THE GAUNTLET, by Karuna Riazi, Salaaam Reads - Another MG chapter book, this has THE BEST cover, which is one of the reasons it's on our list. Why we think it's worth reading: The jacket copy says this book is like Jumanji with a Middle Eastern flair. We love game books, and getting locked/lost in a game universe is a deliciously creepy idea. That a.) Middle Eastern people play games and b.) Middle Eastern people could be part of an adventure is something which seems to occur to far too few speculative fiction writers, so we're REALLY looking forward to tearing into the magic here.

Out September 12th, 2017: YOU BRING THE DISTANT NEAR, by Mitali Perkins, Farrar, Straus and Giroux - WHAT?? Mitali sneaked a YA novel out and nobody told us?? Well, we're telling you now: surprise! Mitali has produced a novel with a really lovely cover. Why we think it's worth reading: A novel about generations of women in a family, identity and its contemporary iterations - American identity, gender identity, ethnic identity, our identity as women of worth - these are the types of things that we think about a great deal. Who am I? Who am I supposed to be, according to you? Mitali historically has had a lot of quiet and wisdom her MG fiction, and we're looking forward to seeing how she works with a contemporary novel for young adults.

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These are the stories we want to read - they're stories of people of color, living lives of richness and depty and complexity. They're stories of real people who aren't stereotypes, who live and love and hurt and struggle in ways familiar to us. These are the stories we want to tell - stories of honesty and integrity. By reading, we become better writers. So, until next time - keep reading, keep writing, keep thinking. This is the way we change the world.

Halloween Review Roundup: Scary (ish) Stories and Books that Bite

Yeah, so the irony about me doing a post about scary books for Halloween is that I am a wimp who tends to avoid anything scary. But I do like suspense, and sometimes I can handle a good dark fantasy. And, of course, I've had to read more than a few books for the Cybils that are scarier than I would normally pick up on my own. So here's a roundup of a few of my favorites, with links to reviews. Enjoy!

Zombies

Rot & Ruin, Dust & Decay, and Flesh & Bone by Jonathan Maberry
I'm not a huge fan of zombie books, but this series is great--the author created a cast of memorable and diverse characters, made the logistical rules of zombie-hood believable, and above all, retained a sense of humor throughout. Plus there's tons of edge-of-your-seat action.

General Scary Tales

Through the Woods by Emily Carroll
This one's got the added bonus of being a graphic novel--a wonderfully spookily illustrated graphic novel. It's a series of dark fairy-tale-like stories that will bring to mind the scariest parts of the stories you know--the big bad wolves and the Bluebeards and the creatures under the bed. It was a Cybils finalist a couple of years ago. Don't read it at night...

Edgar Allan Poe's Tales of Death and Dementia illus. by Gris Grimly
A graphic novel featuring several of the classic tales by Edgar Allan Poe. Definitely de rigeur Halloween fare. This one was a Cybils finalist, too. 

Red Spikes by Margo Lanagan
*Shudder* Dark and scary short stories. And this is not her only book of such tales. They are SO GOOD, though. 

Vampires

Well, whaddya know? Tanita and I put together a roundup of fun vampire books some* (*many) years ago. Neither of us is what you would call a vampire enthusiast, but we've got a handful that come highly recommended. My favorite is always going to be Sunshine by Robin McKinley. But we wrote the the roundup so long ago that it doesn't include a few later fun ones, like Sarah Beth Durst's Drink Slay Love and Kimberly Pauley's Sucks to Be Me.

Ghosts

There are way too many good ghost stories to list them all here, so I'm just going to focus on a couple of SERIES that I really enjoyed, the better for you to binge-read in bed until you've missed Halloween and then you get up and realize it's December. Just kidding.

Shades of London by Maureen Johnson
The first two books are The Name of the Star and The Madness Underneath, and if you're a fan of anything set in London, you'll want to check these out. Ghosts! Jack the Ripper! Mysterious deaths! It's good fun.

Gilda Joyce by Jennifer Allison
This is an incredibly fun mystery series suitable for younger readers, full of humor and strange happenings, and headed up by the irrepressible Gilda Joyce, psychic investigator extraordinaire.

Witches

Texas Gothic and Spirit and Dust by Rosemary Clement-Moore
These are so, so good--funny and scary both. (Sensing a theme in my picks?) If you like the Southern Gothic genre, you'll want to pick these up. I didn't even know I might like the genre, but if Rosemary Clement-Moore keeps writing them, I'll keep reading them. The books relate the intricate and supernatural adventures of the Goodnight clan, in which witches and ghosts and ne'er-do-wells abound.

Enjoy a safe and spooky Halloween!

10 Years of Great Graphic Novels

Can you believe it's been TEN years since First Second Books began publishing high-quality graphic novels for kids, teens, and adults? It's incredible but true. And at Finding Wonderland we're proud to have done our part in supporting their efforts over the years. Now, they're at 157 books and counting, and we are thrilled to take part in their 10-year anniversary celebration.

This month is THE month, and so we're posting a special infographic provided straight from the publisher: a fantastic February reading list that focuses on great YA graphic novels--many of which have been reviewed right here. Below the infographic you'll find links to the reviews on our site. And, lastly, stay tuned for a special graphic novelist INTERVIEW (never say First Second didn't hook us up!) and more fun posts celebrating comics throughout their anniversary year. Congratulations to an imprint that has made it abundantly clear graphic novels can be great art and great literature!

Reviews:

American Born Chinese by Gene Luen Yang
Anya's Ghost by Vera Brosgol
Delilah Dirk and the Turkish Lieutenant by Tony Cliff
Foiled by Jane Yolen and Mike Cavallaro
Friends With Boys by Faith Erin Hicks
In Real Life by Cory Doctorow and Jen Wang
Nothing Can Possibly Go Wrong by Prudence Shen and Faith Erin Hicks
This One Summer by Jillian Tamaki and Mariko Tamaki
The Wrenchies by Farel Dalrymple

Congrats, Mr. Ambassador! Celebrating Gene Luen Yang

Photo courtesy of the author and First Second

From the press release: The Children’s Book Council (CBC), Every Child a Reader (ECAR), and the Center for the Book in the Library of Congress (CFB) have announced the appointment of Gene Luen Yang, Printz Award winner and two-time National Book Award finalist, as National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature.

The Kidlitosphere's own Betsy Bird was part of the selection committee, and having met Gene on a few occasions, I know it couldn't have happened to a nicer guy. We're longtime fans, and we've featured his books here on Finding Wonderland several times (with a review of his latest, Secret Coders, still upcoming); we've hosted him for interviews, too. In honor of his appointment as the 5th Ambassador, here's a roundup of our posts featuring Gene and his books:

Interviews:

Kids Comics Q&A Blog Tour: Interview with Gene Luen Yang  - 5/11/2015

Diversity in YA Kicks Off Tour at SFPL - 5/9/2011

Summer Blog Blast Tour Kick-Off: Gene Yang - 6/16/2007

Reviews and such:

Reviews in Tandem: THE SHADOW HERO by Gene Luen Yang and Sonny Liew - 6/30/2014

Waiting on Wednesday: Some GENE LUEN YANG Love - 2/13/2013

Thursday Review: LEVEL UP by Gene Luen Yang - 5/26/2011

May Graphic Novels Roundup, Part Two: Prime Baby, Mercury, and Stitches - 6/6/2010

Two from :01 (The Eternal Smile) - 6/26/2009

Learning Your ABCs (American Born Chinese) - 2/1/2007

CONGRATULATIONS, GENE!

Poetry Month Roundup: Novels in Verse

Roz Chast's Poetry Month poster - request it here!

I like to do the occasional link roundup, and since it's National Poetry Month, I thought it would be fun to revisit our past reviews of novels in verse. It's not a genre we tend to focus on--I'll freely admit that I don't gravitate toward novels in verse, so most of the reviews that we've posted in that genre are Tanita's. Of course, plenty of readers do not only gravitate toward, but even prefer, novels in verse. YA authors such as Ellen Hopkins and Sonya Sones are veterans of the genre, of course, and greatly popular among young adult and grown adult readers alike. I'm not even able to address all of the wonderful authors of verse books for tween readers and younger, from Naomi Shihab Nye to the Kidlitosphere's own Kelly Fineman and Laura Salas.

In any case, I rounded up what we do have in terms of reviews of novels in verse or heavily featuring verse in the storytelling:

Hesse, Karen: Witness
Koertge, Ron: Coaltown Jesus and Shakespeare Bats Cleanup
Koyczan, Shane: To This Day
McCormick, Patricia: Sold
Sandell, Lisa: The Weight of the Sky
Venkatraman, Padma: A Time to Dance
Wein, Elizabeth: Rose Under Fire
Wolff, Virginia Euwer: Make Lemonade

This was a useful exercise for me because I really need to make more of an effort to read the occasional novel in verse. I know there are fantastic ones out there, and when I do read them I generally enjoy them, but for some reason I'm often reluctant to pick them up in the first place. I guess I usually prefer stand-alone poems. Ah, well, it is what it is...

Books I'm Excited About Today

I'm still not quite back on a normal blogging schedule--I don't quite have the brain space for a review today (though the book currently on deck is an exciting one: Mortal Heart by Robin LaFevers!). But I did want to share a few books which arrived on my desk that I really cannot wait to read. First up, yesterday a friend loaned me a copy of the recently-released graphic novelization of the new Ms. Marvel--if you haven't heard about her yet, she's a 16-year-old Muslim Pakistani-American from New Jersey named Kamala Khan. I was definitely excited about the idea, but I didn't realize how amazed and...moved I'd feel just holding it in my hands. What if there had been Pakistani-American superhero girls when I was growing up? How might I feel differently about my own identity? Possibly it wouldn't have changed anything, but those questions zoomed across my mind as I flipped through it.

Another one I just got in the mail is the ARC for Nova Ren Suma's upcoming book The Walls Around Us, due out in 2015. It sounds suspenseful and creepy and all-around awesome, with ghosts and a whodunit and multiple viewpoints. Also just found out that the author is teaching a Workshop/Residency on YA novel writing here in the area at Djerassi artist colony in the Santa Cruz Mountains. That's next summer, with an end-of-Feb deadline...something to consider...

Lastly, I bought a book that's supposed to be my reward when the semester is over and my teaching-related work is on a winter hiatus: the final book in the Bloody Jack series by L.A. Meyer. You know I loves me some Bloody Jack stories and I will be both happy and sad to read this one. On the other hand, I have a lot of respect for authors who are able to bring their characters through a long-long-term story arc like this one, having them grow and change and remain interesting throughout. And, in this case, the author keeps me laughing at Jacky's outrageous doings, managing to ride the line between preposterous and believable, and create a fully fleshed-out historical setting that happens to contain quite a few incorrigible rogues. Viva Jacquelina, indeed. (Viva Jacquelina being the title of the penultimate Bloody Jack book, which I believe I've lagged on reviewing...sigh.)

A KidLitCon 2014 Roundup

Between the two of us, Tanita and I have done several posts with our notes and impressions from this year's KidLitCon in Sacramento. I suspect for both of us, some of these were necessary in order to come down a bit from that special organizer's frenzy that seems to accompany the planning of such events. As you can see from the photographic evidence (photo courtesy of Tanita's husband D.), we lived to see another day, and the written evidence mounted over the past weeks...so I wanted to round it all up in one place for the sake of convenience and simpler linking.

First, though, I'd be remiss if I didn't remind you that there is a master roundup of KidLitCon posts by attendees over at the Kidlitosphere Central website, so don't forget to peruse those for a "Diverse" (heh) range of posts about this year's diversity-themed conference.

Here's what Tanita and I came up with, sorted by post author for your convenience:

Tanita's posts: KidLitCon, 2014: A Retrospective, Part I KidLitCon, 2014: Notepad Forum, Part I KidlitCon 2014: Notepad Forum, Part ii ~ The Weekend Word: "Appropriation" KidLitCon 2014: A Retrospective, Part II - Reflections on Floating Heads

Sarah's posts: KidLitCon 2014: Small World, Diverse Voices KidLitCon 2014: Further Thoughts (And Sketches)