Completely Full Bookshelf

Y'all may know that I love the show Steven Universe , and one of the show's soundtrack composers, aivi, has a solo EP called tiger & water  that I've been listening to—and I'm completely obsessed with it! I especially recommend track 3, "Undercurrent," which has a guest vocalist and is just brilliant. Now for books! I'm excited to recommend a pair of MG graphic novels today—let's dive in! Middle Grade: A-Okay Written and illustrated by Jarad Greene Graphic novel · 2021 Recommended by Kellee Moye Add it on Goodreads · Preview the illustrations · · · The publisher says: · · · A-Okay by Jarad Greene is a vulnerable and heartfelt semi-autobiographical middle grade graphic novel about acne, identity, and finding your place.   When Jay starts eighth grade with a few pimples he doesn’t think much of it at first…except to wonder if the embarrassing acne will disappear as quickly as it arrived. But when his acne goes from bad to worse, Jay’s prescribed a ...

Happy Father's Day and Juneteenth to y'all! I feel like I've lived seventeen lifetimes this past week—not necessarily in a bad way, just in a "whoa" way. There was household chaos, professional development, extracurriculars, even writing if-then statements to use in a statistical analysis program for school. There was also a trip to the movies to see  Kiki's Delivery Service  (from Studio Ghibli), which is so completely beautiful  and tells a warm, gentle story of a girl with a zest for life and magical powers who faces the lonesome tests and challenges of independence. And amidst all of it, somehow I crammed in graphic novels more quickly than I've maybe ever done before. It was crazy , y'all—and I had so much fun! So let me bring these books to your attention forthwith! (Sidenote—non-graphic novel fans, I suggest you jump down to my review of Understanding Comics !) Middle Grade Borders Written by Thomas King (based on his short story) and illustrate...

Update (5/13/2024): I'm looking back at this review and realizing I give way  too much plot away in it, so maybe proceed with caution if you haven't read the book yet! (I had so much to say at the time, I couldn't contain myself...) Hey y'all! I ended up reading two graphic novels this week, but I'm saving the second for next week's post, because the review today is long enough as is. So enough dawdling—let's dive in! Young Adult Northranger Written by Rey Terciero (also known as Rex Ogle) and illustrated by Bre Indigo Graphic novel · 2023 Add it on Goodreads · Preview the illustrations View content warnings · · · The publisher says: · · · In this swoony and spooky teen summer romance graphic novel set on a Texas ranch, sixteen-year-old Cade Muñoz finds himself falling for the ranch owner’s mysterious and handsome son, only to discover that he may be harboring a dangerous secret. Cade has always loved to escape into the world of a good horror movie. After a...

Hey y'all! This weekend, I had the chance to see Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse , the sequel to Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse  from five years ago. The new movie is pretty much as flawless as movies come, with a thoughtful plot, compelling characters, gorgeous and creative animation, insights about race, and so much more. It ends on a cliffhanger, but I'm honestly just excited for the follow-up in March 2024 because I have so much faith in the creators to do the ending justice! As far as reading goes, it was an enjoyable if slow week! I took my time working through Good Talk , although my pace definitely increased as I got more immersed in Mira Jacob's story. Then I raced through Living with Viola  in two days, which meant I have a breezy post of two graphic novels to share today. Let's dive in! Middle Grade Living with Viola Written and illustrated by Rosena Fung Graphic novel · 2021 Recommended by Cheriee Weichel Add it on Goodreads · Preview the ill...