Kampung Boy - A Graphic Novel at its BEST!

I picked up a copy of Scheherazade: Comics About Love, Treachery, Mothers and Monsters the other day. As I thumbed through this collection of short stories, all graphically illustrated by women about women, I was caught off guard by one page, quite simply one frame that lead me to question the appropriateness of the book for a school library. Currently I am reviewing the book in its entirety to make a truly informed decision. I was left feeling disappointed, however, that one frame in an incredibly powerful collection might actually be a deciding factor in our collection development decision.

The very next day I picked up a copy of Kampung Boy by LAT. This book is a graphic novel, comic/visual narrative at its best. The artistry of the drawings is evident, as is the author's background of growing up a boy in Southeast Asia. The picture above shows Mat, the main character when he first sees the cane his new teacher has been given permission to use if he gets out of line. He is young, feeling very small and obviously terrified by the prospects of a whipping.

This story is a delight - watching Mat grow up, learn responsibility, play, listen to his parents discuss difficult issues, make choices about his friends and commit himself to success is a journey that every child should have the opportunity to experience.

This graphic novel is a highly recommended read and available at your school library!

Guilty secrets time

This is so embarrassing, but I am currently reading book 5 of Earth's Children. Yes, that's right -- Ayla and Jondalar and The Clan of the Cave Bear continue ad nauseum. But this post is not about that. Mostly because there's not a lot to talk about there. Yes, Ayla invents a new tool on every page (I'm expecting the thermos bottle any chapter now) and yes, she still enjoys Pleasures often and gloriously, but still -- it's all pretty superficial.

No, what I'm interested in is why we do this -- why are these lousy books so compelling? Why do we read bodice rippers or gratuitous gorefests or books so scary we can't sleep at night? There are so many great books, some of which fulfill all those criteria but which also give the reader lots to think about.

Why do I re-read my favorite teen novels (Izzy, Willy-Nilly, I'm talking about you) so many times that I have great chunks memorized? What is so appeallng about reading something that you don't have to think about? Maybe that's it? But I do still think about them, like all the time -- but the thoughts are all so silly!

Somebody called them "popcorn books" and that's it -- filling with no nutritional value. I'd be interested in your thoughts (or the titles you can't respect yourself for finishing).

Listen Up! A Certain Slant of Light

I realize that this is the Bush "readers" Blog but I am struggling to find time to read! So, I picked up an audio book at the Bush Library and listened to it while I was driving to and from work.

A Certain Slant of Light by Laura Whitcomb was mesmerizing. As one ghost (light) meets another who has taken over a human's body (quick) fall in love I found myself sitting in my driveway at home simply clamouring for what would come next.

Helen and James fall in love as passionately and purely as possible while they inhabit the bodies of two lost souls that attend the same high school. After their first romantic encounter I continued to wonder - could she possibly be pregnant? As the book reaches its peak, Helen, alone in the bathtub, contemplates the value of life -- I was shocked to find the answer to my question.

The books is incredibly well written and I found myself quoting the intricate and descriptive writting. The reader of the audio book delivers a haunting performance as well.