Yo'GRT #1: You've
Gotta Read This! Literature Sharing Spring 2020
They
Called Us Enemy by
George Takei
Published by Marietta, GA: Top Shelf
Productions, (2019).
ISBN: 9781603094504
Age Level: GN680L TEEN GN
TAK, Age 14+
Awards: Association for Library
Service to Children (ALSC) Notable Children's Books
YMA highlights 2020 Asian/Pacific
American Awards for Literature youth category winners:http://www.ala.org/news/press-releases/2020/01/yma-highlights-2020-asianpacific-american-awards-literature-youth-category
Summary: This is a graphic memoir recounting
actor/author/activist George Takei's childhood imprisonment along with his
family within an American (concentration) relocation camps during World War II.
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/42527866-they-called-us-enemy
Personal Comments: George Takei’s recollection
of a sad and horrible time for people of Japanese descent/ Japanese American is
a story that has been conveniently minimized or left out of school children’s
history books. This graphic novel is made up of his childhood memories of being
forced from the only home his family had in California and taken with many
other Japanese families to camps in the desert surrounded by barbed wire and
armed soldiers. The illustrations pointedly help to show the fear and
uncertainty these people faced in a country who turned their back on them. This
is a must read for not only children, but all adults.
Reviews and Resources:
“Takei
seamlessly blends his naive, limited childhood perspective with the wisdom and
reflection of adulthood, with scenes from a 2014 TED talk by the author in
Kyoto, Japan, and his 2017 speech at the FDR Museum and Presidential Library
interspersed throughout.”
“These Photos Show the Harsh Reality
of Life in WWII Japanese-American Internment Camps.”
“A
powerful reminder of a history that is all too timely today.”
https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/george-takei/they-called-us-enemy/
“Takei’s
work is a testament to hope and tenacity in the face of adversity.”
The Secret Commonwealth (The Book of Dust, Volume II) by Philip Pullman
Published
by New York: Alfred A. Knopf, (2019).
ISBN: 9780553510669
Age Level: TEEN FIC PUL, Age, 14+
Age Level: TEEN FIC PUL, Age, 14+
Summary:
The
second volume of Sir Philip Pullman's The Book of Dust sees Lyra, now twenty
years old, and her daemon Pantalaimon, forced to navigate their relationship in
a way they could never have imagined, and drawn into the complex and dangerous
factions of a world that they had no idea existed.
Personal
Comments: I finished this book, which is the second in the series, waiting
for more answers, but it wasn't as good as the first book The Belle Sauvage
which was great. This was tedious in spots when it went on and on about the
Magisterium...The storyline had intrigue, but I wanted answers to the questions
about “Dust” and the special “rose oil” but again it was too long, and issues
were not resolved. It could have wrapped up sooner, and now of course there is
another book I have to wait for because it is the final volume and I am
patiently waiting for a happy ending.
Reviews and Resources:
The Horn Book review seems to
agree with my observations.
“This entry, while well stocked with familiar characters in a
story founded on ideas, is also not lacking in grand events and narrow squeaks.”https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/philip-pullman/the-secret-commonwealth/
The
New Yorker Interview with Philip Pullman
The Nameless City by Faith Erin Hicks, color by Jordie Bellaire
Published
by New York, New York: First Second, (2016).
ISBN:9781626721579
Age Level: JGN HIC, GN390L, Age, 12+
Age Level: JGN HIC, GN390L, Age, 12+
Summary: Every time it is invaded, the City gets a new
name, but to the natives in the Nameless City, survive by not letting
themselves get involved--but now the fate of the City rests in the hands of
Rat, a native, and Kaidu, one of the Dao, the latest occupiers, and the two
must somehow work together if the City is to survive. https://indypl.bibliocommons.com/item/show/838940165?active_tab=bib_info
Personal Comments: This
graphic novel is a cute story of a budding friendship between two strangers
from the opposite sides. The illustrations are very colorful and expressive.
The story is fast paced and at the stopping point issues are resolved, but
there is anticipation for the next in the series to come.
Reviews and Resources:
About
the author and her books…
Per
Kirkus Review The Nameless City is “a superb beginning.”
The Stone Heart (The Nameless City #2)
by Faith Erin Hicks, color by Jordie Bellaire
Published
by New York: First Second, (2017).
ISBN: 9781626721593
Age Level:
JGN, GN380L, Age range 12+
Summary:
Kaidu
and Rat have only just recovered from the assassination attempt on the General
of All Blades when more chaos breaks loose in the Nameless City: deep conflicts
within the Dao nation are making it impossible to find a political solution for
the disputed territory of the City itself. To complicate things further, Kaidu
is fairly certain he's stumbled on a formula for the lost weapon of the
mysterious founders of the City. . . . But sharing it with the Dao military
would be a complete betrayal of his friendship with Rat. Can Kai find the right
solution before the Dao find themselves at war?"-- Publisher's web site.
Personal Comments:
The second in the trilogy was exciting and great easy read. Not to be a spoiler, I was surprised how two of the characters had no regard for lives and they were both ambitious, it was all in the name of power. But they do get what they deserved in the end. I could not wait to see how the story was resolved in the next book. The illustrations expressed some of the ruthlessness and what Kai and Rat had to overcome to save lives.
The second in the trilogy was exciting and great easy read. Not to be a spoiler, I was surprised how two of the characters had no regard for lives and they were both ambitious, it was all in the name of power. But they do get what they deserved in the end. I could not wait to see how the story was resolved in the next book. The illustrations expressed some of the ruthlessness and what Kai and Rat had to overcome to save lives.
Reviews
and Resources:
“Hicks has created an
imaginary world (based on Ancient China and the Silk Road) that feels alive and
real. The artwork is really exquisite and detailed. Reaching the end of The
Stone Heart is a disappointment but only because Hicks is still working
on the third, and final, installment of the story.” https://dogtrax.edublogs.org/2017/04/28/graphic-novel-review-the-stone-heart-the-nameless-city/
“For
all readers fond of the edges of their seats—a penultimate triumph.”
The
graphic novel trilogy will soon be coming to the small screen.
Entertainment Weekly interviews
Faith Erin Hicks.
https://ew.com/books/2017/04/03/faith-erin-hicks-nameless-city-frederator-miniseries/
https://ew.com/books/2017/04/03/faith-erin-hicks-nameless-city-frederator-miniseries/
The
Divided Earth (The Nameless City #3) by
Faith Erin Hicks, color by Jordie Bellaire
Published
by New York: First Second, (2018).
ISBN: 9781626721609
Age Level:
GN360L, Age Range 12+
Summary: The
Nameless City--held by the rogue Dao prince Erzi--is under siege by a coalition
of Dao and Yisun forces who are determined to end the war once and for all...
Rat and Kai must infiltrate Erzi's palace and steal back the ancient and deadly
formula for napatha--the ancient weapon of mass destruction Erzi has
unearthed--before he can use it to destroy everything they hold dear!"--
Back cover.https://indypl.bibliocommons.com/item/show/987383165?active_tab=age_suitability
Personal Comments: This was a great ending to the trilogy. Throughout the three
books the female characters (women/girls) were very strong and could hold their
own. Rat and Kai the main characters were both driven to save the city and
those they loved without any thought to the own personal safety or harm. Again,
the illustrations added visual to express the perils they overcame to succeed.
Reviews
and Resources:
“Faith
Erin Hicks closes her “Nameless City” trilogy in spectacular fashion. This is
not a book to be missed… Also, while I kept my previous reviews spoiler free,
since this is the last book of the trilogy, I’m going to be diving into heavy spoiler territory here. You’ve
been warned.”
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