Flamer by Mike Curato

Summary from Goodreads:

Award-winning author and artist Mike Curato draws on his own experiences in Flamer, his debut graphic novel, telling a difficult story with humor, compassion, and love.

I know I’m not gay. Gay boys like other boys. I hate boys. They’re mean, and scary, and they’re always destroying something or saying something dumb or both.

I hate that word. Gay. It makes me feel . . . unsafe.

It's the summer between middle school and high school, and Aiden Navarro is away at camp. Everyone's going through changes—but for Aiden, the stakes feel higher. As he navigates friendships, deals with bullies, and spends time with Elias (a boy he can't stop thinking about), he finds himself on a path of self-discovery and acceptance.

Review:

This book is stunning. The artwork just called to me in a way only some graphic novel artwork does. When I learned that this author/artist is the same one who does the picture books, Little Elliot, it all weirdly clicked for me. I love those books too! I remember telling my friend at a library conference, after picking up Little Elliot, Big City, that this author was going to be HUGE. I just knew it. As a children’s librarian, you sometimes just know which books are going to make it and take off.

I’m so excited to see Curato branch out. This was powerful stuff. Some of it was hard for me to read. There were moments I had to take a breath and put the book down. It got dark. When you’re a kid and it’s not just one bad thing, but several in a row, and each feels like the end of the world….I know what it feels like. I’ve never been that kid alone at the chapel with a knife, but my heart ached for him. And I can see so many hearts aching for him and relating to him.

Not all of this is dark. Some of it is boating under the stars and camping. Some of it is inappropriate dick jokes and camping with friends. Some of it is guys growing up in the woods and figuring out who they are. But some of it is feeling all alone and not knowing how to move forward. And some of it is just learning to go one day at a time and seeing that things aren’t always as bad as they originally seem.

What really makes this book stand out is the art. Curato captures facial expressions and humor so well. It’s like he’s been doing this for years. It was like reading a real pro (like Jennifer L. Holm or Lincoln Peirce). And then there’s other pages, where you get these backdrops of the scenery, and it’s beautiful, like something from a fantasy graphic novel. And then comes in the fire metaphor adding a whole other layer. I keep going back to flip through the pages. That’s how visually appealing the whole thing is. It’ s not every day I’d want to return to such a story. 

This was a dark, yet at times humorous story about growing up. It’s not what I expected. It’s both powerful and beautiful. I can see this story helping a lot of people. The artwork is so impressive, I keep returning to it, wanting to look at it some more. I give it a 9/10.

If the Shoe Fits by Julie Murphy

Summary from Goodreads:

After having just graduated with a degree in shoe design, and trying to get her feet on the ground, Cindy is working for her stepmother, who happens to be the executive producer of America's favorite reality show, Before Midnight. When a spot on the show needs filling ASAP, Cindy volunteers, hoping it might help jump-start her fashion career, or at least give her something to do while her peers land jobs in the world of high fashion.

Turns out being the only plus size woman on a reality dating competition makes a splash, and soon Cindy becomes a body positivity icon for women everywhere. What she doesn't expect? That she may just find inspiration-and love-in the process. Ultimately, Cindy learns that if the shoe doesn't fit, maybe it's time to design your own.

Review:

I don’t read a lot of Adult Fiction. And when I do, it isn’t typically Romance. However, I love Julie Murphy. She has yet to write anything I haven’t liked. And while I’m not a huge Cinderella fan, I do tend to like Project Runway-oriented shows and stories, so when I got this book for review, it called to me. I also love the cover. I love everything about a plus-size Cinderella. I wish there was a character like Cindy on a show like the Bachelor.

This all being said, I really enjoyed reading this. I needed something light and fluffy. This fit the bill. It reminded me a little of the YA series: The Selection, where I ended up liking more of the contestants than I thought I would. I didn’t hate Cindy’ s step mom or step sisters like you usually do in Cinderella retellings, and this was nice. There was a little more female empowerment and a little less slut-shaming than you tend to see in reality shows about finding Mr. Right.

I’m not sure all the “stolen” moments between the love interests were believable. Like they seemed to get away with quite a bit. With that many cameras and crew people around, would sneaking into hiding places so many times really have been possible? I’m not so sure. Also, there love was bit instant for my liking. I found Cindy way more interesting than Henry. I found Henry’s backstory and family interesting, but all of his time with Cindy seemed kind of generic. I get that a lot of it was on TV, but still…

There’s a lot of little fun details in this book. It was fun reading the behind the camera moments of things, like how the show set everything up -from the dates, to the make up. I liked reading about the crew and how they bet on the girls. The fashion tidbits were fun.  I guess all in all, this was just a fun, light read (though there is a lot of mention of Cindy losing her dad).

Was there anything that really made it stand out as Adult instead of YA? Not really (besides the age of the main character, who was just out of college). And okay, there’s some adult relationship stuff, but it’s not really present. It read very much like a YA book in that regard. I can see a lot of Murphy’s YA fans loving this. I give it a 7/10.

Wundersmith: The Calling of Morrigan Crow by Jessica Townsend

Summary from Goodreads:

Wunder is gathering in Nevermoor ...

Morrigan Crow may have defeated her deadly curse, passed the dangerous trials and joined the mystical Wundrous Society, but her journey into Nevermoor and all its secrets has only just begun. And she is fast learning that not all magic is used for good.

Morrigan Crow has been invited to join the prestigious Wundrous Society, a place that promised her friendship, protection and belonging for life. She's hoping for an education full of wunder, imagination and discovery - but all the Society want to teach her is how evil Wundersmiths are. And someone is blackmailing Morrigan's unit, turning her last few loyal friends against her. Has Morrigan escaped from being the cursed child of Wintersea only to become the most hated figure in Nevermoor?

Worst of all, people have started to go missing. The fantastical city of Nevermoor, once a place of magic and safety, is now riddled with fear and suspicion…

Review:

I was surprised by how much I loved this book. I really enjoyed the first book, but I was putting off reading book 2 for some reason. I guess it’s often the case that sequels are typically weaker than their predecessors in the kid lit world of fantasy novels. I was pleasantly surprised though here. The world building continued to impress me. It didn’t end with book one. Now that the chosen few kids passed the trials, we really get to see what the kids learn in this crazy, magical world of secret abilities.

And oddly, this book 2 reminded me a lot of Chamber of Secrets. There was this same sense of prejudice and ostracizing going on. Morrigan, like Harry, has to prove herself over and over, in a world where it just seems like it would be so much easier for her to be evil. I found myself relating to Morrigan. Who hasn’t been judged for something they cannot control?

On top of that, this is a book where other strong friendships are formed. I loved watching Morrigan branch out a bit. Of course the school, the transportation, and the world were fascinating. But, behind it all, were the relationships. The families and the friendships were just so good. There’s also the overarching villain and supspenseful mystery that involved teachers, creatures, and eventually peers being kidnapped.

There’s mythological markets, secret passages, insane maps, rescue missions, blackmailing, bullying, dragons, propaganda, and Wunder. It’s hard to put this book down. I cannot wait to read the next installment. I already ordered it, so it’s just a matter of time at this point.

All in all, I highly recommend these books to fans of middle grade fantasy. I give this one a 9/10.