Comics

In this week's roundup, we check out the latest issue of The Horn Book Magazine, test our "knowledge of child readers," and catch up with Wally and Beaver:

The new Horn Book Magazine. The September/October 2008 issue of The Horn Book Magazine is now out, and you can read some of the contents online. In addition to Web Extras for the print issue, you'll find a couple of the features (I especially liked the one in which a second-grade teacher talks about his favorite fictional teachers), a sampling of reviews (including a starred review for the promising All Stations! Distress!), and a few "Stories Out of School," personal reminiscences from the likes of Megan McDonald (of the Judy Moody books) and Sherman Alexie.

CLAT Level III: Children’s Literature Application Test. Also in the latest Horn Book Magazine but deserving of a special mention is the CLAT Level III, a silly but sharp pseudo-quiz that is "designed to test your knowledge of child readers." For example:

If you enjoy the test, make sure you check out the sites of the people behind it (here and here).

Kid-lit authors on the radio. I just caught two great interviews, one with Lauren Child (Clarice Bean, Don't Look Now) and another with Francoise Mouly, who is behind the Toon Books, with her husband Art Spiegelman. (Thanks to 100 Scope Notes for tipping me off to the Child interview, and thanks to Heidi for always letting me know when she hears something cool on KCRW's excellent Bookworm program.)

"Leave It To Beverly." I can barely remember seeing Leave It To Beaver (on Nick at Nite, at the same time as my short obsession with Bachelor-Father), but my brain had clearly carefully archived the speech patterns of all the characters, seeing as I found this to be hysterical. Peter at "Collecting Children's Books" not only found three forgotten TV-tie-in paperbacks by Beverly Cleary, but he also somehow managed to write a long, informative post about them as an imagined conversation between the Beav, Wally, and Eddie Haskell, mimicking the voices perfectly. And no, I checked, it is not too late to track down copies of these for yourself. (Found via Fuse #8.)

Hosting a spa party vs. surviving a shark attack. I hadn't even heard of the Girls' Book of Glamour or the Boys' Book of Survival, but according to Colleen at Chasing Ray, that's just as well: "There are so many things I could say here but what I'm really wondering is if the people who put these books together thought for even half a minute about how appalling they are."

A free online James Bond game to encourage reading. Charlie Higson, the author behind the popular Young Bond series (Silverfin, Blood Fever), has helped create "The Shadow War," an online game to "help address declining literacy standards in young boys," according to a story in the Guardian. In the UK, the books are on a recommended reading list for schoolboys, and the "Shadow War" is intended to draw them into the Young Bond world, playing as either a British agent or a Soviet spy. (Also noteworthy in the Guardian: How to Cook Children: A Grisly Recipe Book.) --Paul

Every Friday, Omnivoracious will turn the spotlight on one or more graphic novels, with future installments also including news and special features. You can let me know who or what you'd like to see featured by commenting on this post. (In October, Graphic Novel Friday will return to its normal weekly schedule.)

A female firefighter and a Mexican illegal named Rafi form an unlikely bond in the aftermath of a storm-burnt barn in Slow Storm by Danica Novgorodoff. The book juxtaposes the present-day of rural Kentucky with Rafi's memories of Mexico. Novgoroff excels at showing the alienation of both main characters against a backdrop of sullen, moody clouds and fields. Both the Kentucky landscape and the Mexican landscape have a simultaneously rich and barren quality that Novgoroff's nuanced watercolor approach brings to the fore with aching beauty.

In the few gestures these characters exchange as they pass on their way through different journeys, Novgoroff has captured as much or more as any novel or movie. Clearly a contender for best graphic novel of the year.

This weekend, Seattle is Mecca for gamers. The metaphor might not extend to people actually praying in the direction of Seattle (although I wouldn't rule that out) but it is true that gamers of every kind--from casual console players to hard-core boardgame geeks--are traveling from around the world to attend the Penny Arcade Expo, a.k.a. PAX.

PAX is the largest gamer festival in the U.S., the spiritual successor to the now-more-corporatized E3, and it's just a mad-crazy three-day lineup of "freeplay" games, huge LAN combats, exhibitor demos, a variety of tournaments and competitions, panels, movies, and even concerts--from H.P. Lovecraft tribute band Darkest of the Hillside Thickets to nerdcore godfather MC Frontalot.

So what does all this have to do with books and writing? Well, there's actually some reading going on amidst all the gamer craziness. The latest edition of D&D and many of the creative minds behind it will be well-represented, but here are a few even better (and more traditionally narrative) examples:

• A reading and a panel with actor--and now accomplished writer--Wil Wheaton, who has been called "an almost Mark Twain for the geek crowd." (What, you don't read his blog?)
• Panels on "Game Criticism and Old School Journalism," "How to Make the World Notice Your Video Game Blog," and "Writing for Games." (Love the description for that last one: "Bowser takes Peach, Mario chases after Bowser, Bowser falls into some lava, The End. It wasn’t long ago when writing and storytelling were at the bottom of the priority list, but as these industry pros will tell you, the tide has changed and compelling story arcs and tight dialogue are all being used to create and sell games.")
• Many chances to meet and hear from Gabe and Tycho, the genii behind the very sharp and literate Penny Arcade comic (anthologized for your convenience if you need to catch up).

(Cross-posted to Guys Lit Wire.) --Paul

In this edition of YA Wednesday, Heidi is taking a break while I root around for noteworthy YA news (but watch for her this weekend, when she compiles the End-o'-the-Week Kid-Lit Roundup).

More reviews by kids. This was fun to see after writing about Storytubes last week. The Chicago Tribune just published a whole passel of reviews by kids between 5 and 15, talking about their favorite books as part of the Trib's "Read & Write" series. From a Kid-Lit vs. YA perspective, it's especially fun to see where the kids break and self-select into YA and beyond--from the likes of Tales of Animal Heroes moving onto 24 Girls in 7 Days and then Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close. Plus, you get to hear about some books you might never have noticed, like The Hardy Boyz: Exist 2 Inspire. (Found via Big A little a.)

"Young Adult" classification possibly good; also, possibly bad. Science-fiction site io9 has a couple of essays up on YA SF, pro and con. ("Young Adult Books Will Save Science Fiction" and "Stop Writing Young Adult Science Fiction", respectively.) Kid-lit cognoscente Colleen Mondor calls them "two of the silliest pieces I have read on YA literature in ages." Take that! You've got to love her advice: "Here's an idea - why doesn't everyone just grow up and stop talking about this and let teens read what they want; whether a publisher designates it YA or not. (And really, that is what they are quite happily doing anyway.)"

Violence! Swears! Kids' book awards!. Elsewhere in the world of controversy, we found out from achockablog that Matt Ottley's Requiem for a Beast was named the Children's Book Council of Australia's "Picture Book of the Year"--despite having swears and "illustrations of a bloody axe," among other things. By many accounts, the book--explicitly intended for "adults and young adults"--is dark, complex, and also fairly awesome. But one former Book Council president isn't happy: "I really have a problem with this book. It shouldn't be on the shortlist, let alone win."

Some obligatory Twilight. I now believe Heidi that when you're reading about YA on the Web, you can't help but read about the Twilight Saga, whether it's funny Robert Pattinson interviews or commentary in the Washington Post from the author of Why Gender Matters. My favorite (sorry, I'm sure I'm getting to this late) was the cute Twilight trailer spoof:

Advice from college guys for high school guys. Guys Lit Wire is a great site for teen guys--or anyone who recommends books to teen guys--to find new ideas on what to read. (You can even find ideas from me there from time to time.) Kelly Herold's "Higher Learning" interviews are especially good, in which "college guys talk about what they're reading, what they read in high school, and what books are important to them now." She just posted her third, with Ben, a second-year student at Grinnell College, who cut his teeth on the likes of Lois Lowry's The Giver and Jack London's Martin Eden.

Show your librarian some love! Okay, this isn't specific to YA, but everyone should know that nominations just opened last Friday for the "I Love My Librarian!" awards....

--Paul

Every other Friday, Omnivoracious will turn the spotlight on one or more graphic novels, with future installments also including news and special features. You can let me know who or what you'd like to see featured by commenting on this post. (In October, Graphic Novel Friday will return to its normal weekly schedule.)

Ah, The Amazing Remarkable Monsieur Leotard--how well I remember you. Your acrobatics displays were such a fine fusion of geometric precision and untamed artistic angst. Your path across the hushed air spelled out in graceful cursive any number of elegant phrases in French.

What a shame you die on page 13 and are replaced by your young nephew Etienne.

But that's the way it is with Eddie Campbell (and story co-conspirator Dan Best)--never happy to leave well enough alone. Thus, a great man dies not at the end of this wonderfully chaotic freak show of a graphic novel, but near the beginning. This provides the catalyst for Etienne's rather unusual and surreal adventures. Talking bears in waistcoats? Check. The Titanic? Check. Calabrian fighting midgets? Of course!

Campbell's light touch with the art--beautiful yet often disturbing watercolors--proves supple and fluid enough to convey scenes of whimsy and scenes of horror. This might just be my favorite Campbell yet--I can't recommend it highly enough.

Of course, he's not done even when it seems like he must be. The last page reads: "Nothing occurs on this page." And so it goes. Long live the amazing remarkable monsieur Campbell!

In this edition of YA Wednesday, we walk the blurry lines between kids and YA, and YA and grown-ups.

The Kids want YA: What's a librarian to do?
Last week, Publisher's Weekly kicked off a new column, Talkback, with kid-lit opinion pieces submitted by readers. In "My Say: When YA Books May not be OK," a children's librarian explains her process of interviewing too-young children who ask about YA titles, to make sure they're ready for the YA room:

"In recent years, the trend in YA fiction has been toward a proliferation of darker, edgier fare, aimed at a more mature audience. As a result, I don’t ever send younger kids to browse “over there” unaccompanied. It feels too much like throwing them into the deep end of the pool."

Roger Sutton questions her tactics, and wonders if they even work: 

"What we don't know from the essay is how easily kids are allowed to dodge the librarian's best intentions entirely and simply go to the YA or adult books by themselves. That would have been my own strategy as a sixth-grader, particularly if I had had a previous encounter with a librarian that made me feel snooped upon or deflected."

The bright lights of Beijing
If watching synchronized diving, impossible gymnastics contortions, and cross-country biking in the rain inspires you (to contort or dive or... read!), check out School Library Journal's YA-recommended list (posted in early summer) of books by or about Olympic champions including: 

Letters to a Young Gymnast by Nadia Comaneci. (Was there any girl in the 70s who didn't want to be Nadia Comaneci, the first perfect 10?)

Venus to the Hoop: A Gold Medal Year in Women’s Basketball by Sara Corbett, which follows the 1996 U.S. Women's Basketball Team all the way to Atlanta.

Gold in the Water: The True Story of Ordinary Men and Their Extraordinary Dream of Olympic Glory by P.H. Mullen, Jr., an "adrenaline-charged account" of the Santa Clara Swim Club in 2000. 

All American: The Rise and Fall of Jim Thorpe by Bill Crawford

Triumph: The Untold Story of Jesse Owens and Hitler’s Olympics by Jeremy Schaap 

(The video here is Beijing Welcomes You, a music-video-style promotion with welcoming messages: "Flowing charms are filled with vigor and enthusiasm." I also highly recommend Stand up, a history of China's Olympic teams, sung primarily by Jackie Chan.)

Still weighing in on Breaking Dawn
Gail Gauthier speculates on one possible reason that Breaking Dawn disappointed some fans--the characters grew up too much:

"Bella and Edward are no longer in high school. They're dealing with grown-up, family problems, not teen problems. When young readers were reading about people they could relate to in the earlier books, they were willing to ignore the way so many characters roll their eyes, chuckle, and snore, the improbabilities regarding plot, and the scenes that went on way too long. But Bella becomes matronly in Breaking Dawn, and Edward seems as if he ought to be out playing golf."

And a few quick links...
The YALSA blog posted this video encouraging people to register for the first ever Young Adult Literature Symposium, "How We Read Now," coming up this November in Nashville. 

Cynthia Leitich Smith (Cynsations) interviewed Zu Vincent, author of The Lucky Place. Vincent talked about influences, challenges, and her experience at the Vermont College MFA Program in Writing for Children and Young Adults (responding to a question that must have been awkward coming from CLS, who's a faculty member there):
"The Vermont College writers' community is so caring and the faculty amazing, you can't help but dig in."

Is Colleen Mondor the busiest blogger in YA-dom? I think so. Her August 2008 Bookslut column, Bookslut in Training, features a wide coming-of-age variety. She particularly recommends Barbara Shoup's Wish You Were Here. 

She also moderates Guy's Litwire, which reminds me that I totally forgot to plug Paul's post there two weeks ago, with three guys from Fantagraphics Books talking about their early comics influences.

Speaking of Seattle-based comics folks, David Lasky signed with Abrams to publish his graphic novel about the Carter Family. It's not YA, but Lasky's earned serious teen cred by teaching at the nonprofit kids' writing center 826 Seattle, where he helped budding teen comic artists create and publish three 826 Seattle Comic Books: All Systems Go!, Family Portraits, and Happiness?. Oh yeah, and it's all volunteer. --Heidi

Every other Friday, Omnivoracious will turn the spotlight on one or more graphic novels, with future installments also including news and special features. You can let me know who or what you'd like to see featured by commenting on this post. (In October, Graphic Novel Friday will return to its normal weekly schedule.)

Alex Robinson's Box Office Poison is one of my all-time favorite graphic novels. Since then, he's published Tricked and now Too Cool to be Forgotten. The noir-ish Tricked suffered from a plot twist that undermined most of the great set-up, but was still definitely worth reading. Too Cool to be Forgotten suffers from a similar flaw, in that Robinson flirts with the "it was all a dream" cliche. It's almost as if since Box Office Poison he doesn't trust himself to tell a great story with great characterization sans structural cleverness. If you can overlook that, however, Too Cool to be Forgotten is a potent mix of nostalgia and longing, with universal high school experiences thrown in as a bonus.

The concept is simple: Andy Wicks has been trying to quit smoking, but can't. This inability to quit is symptomatic of a larger problem: he's leading an unhappy life. When he's transported back to his high school years circa 1985, he gets to relive his past, including the moment he had his first cigarette. During this sojourn, he faces several key turning points in which he has to decide if he's going to follow the desires of his younger self, or rein that younger self in. Despite making Wicks a little whiny throughout, Robinson has, in the core story, created a fascinating snapshot of a lost time that's tantalizingly almost but not quite within reach.