While I love the artwork in Raina’s graphic novels this is the first of her Smile series that I’ve actually finished reading.
Given how popular her graphic novels are I think my not falling in love with them is probably an ‘it’s me, not you’ thing.
Even though I don’t have emetophobia I’m so glad I didn’t read this graphic novel while I was eating, as it definitely depicts a significant amount of vomiting, fear of vomiting and other stomach upsets.
While I’m not keen to reread this graphic novel I did really love the illustrations. I also learned something new: if you drink water after eating artichokes it takes sweet. I found that tidbit really interesting, but I wasn’t quite as smiley when I found out it also works if you reverse the process.
I loved the message that it’s perfectly okay to need therapy and I thought anxiety was portrayed realistically.
⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 3.5 out of 5.
Once Upon a Blurb
Raina wakes up one night with a terrible upset stomach. Her mum has one, too, so it’s probably just a bug. Raina eventually returns to school, where she’s dealing with the usual highs and lows: friends, not-friends, and classmates who think the school year is just one long gross-out session. It soon becomes clear that Raina’s tummy trouble isn’t going away … and it coincides with her worries about food, school, and changing friendships. What’s going on?
Raina Telgemeier once again brings us a thoughtful, charming, and funny true story about growing up and gathering the courage to face – and conquer – her fears.
I’ve read this book at least five times but haven’t known what I’ve wanted to say before now. Today I was reminded of the importance of laughter when things aren’t going smoothly. As a result I’ve appreciated Celeste’s humour much more than I have during previous reads.
When Celeste the giraffe compares herself with the other animals she doesn’t think she’s good enough. She can’t roar like a lion. She’s not as fast as a cheetah. Each time she tries to imitate another animal she fails.
Eventually she realises that while she will never be a good snake, rhino, monkey or other animal, she is uniquely qualified to be herself.
The rhythm flows well most of the time and of course this book includes the requisite fart joke:
‘Maybe I could be a fish! I’m great at blowing bubbles!’ But the bubbles came out the other end, which started MAJOR TROUBLES.
Matt Cosgrove’s illustrations are adorable, bringing out the humour of Celeste’s attempts to mimic the other animals. The animals are all very expressive and the colours are vibrant.
My favourite Celeste expression comes when she crashes into a tree. I have a soft spot for the innate cuteness of an animal sticking its tongue out. Don’t worry; she’s okay!
If I was reading this book with a kidlet I don’t think I’d be able to resist pretending I was each of the animals in the book and encouraging them to do the same. I’m not saying that we’d be competing or anything, but I am saying I would win and would expect fits of giggles to ensue.
I’m definitely going to be recommending my librarians consider adding this book to the ones they read to local preschoolers. I think the kids would love it.
⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 4 out of 5.
Once Upon a Blurb
Celeste was a friendly, happy little giraffe. She had a kind heart and she made others laugh. But Celeste sometimes worried that she wasn’t enough. It seemed like other animals did much cooler stuff. Join Celeste the Giraffe on her hilarious journey as she finds out what it is that makes her unique.
Ninja Kid and his sidekick, H-Dude, are back to save the day. The Shaw Family Circus are coming to Duck Creek and they’re allowing some locals to be part of the performance. Kane and Nelson are working hard on their act.
In the background, awesome, gorgeous, quirky Grandma Pat has been working on a new invention to help thwart Dr Kane, who hasn’t been seen for a suspiciously long time. She just knows that he’s been hiding out, working on a new evil scheme.
The circus has all of the imaginative acts that I’ve come to expect from Anh Do’s books. The animal performances are funny and cute. I loved the singing horses and trampolining goats. The dancing rhino was definitely the standout act though.
Sarah and Tiffany have more page time in this book and, true to form with heroes in disguise stories, they are still clueless as to their friends’ secret identities and their mysterious disappearances every single time the heroes appear.
I’d recommend reading these books in order, especially as there are some spoilers from the first three books in the series included in this one. Grandma Pat is still my favourite character; hopefully she’ll be present more in the next book.
As usual, Jeremy Ley’s illustrations bring all of the fun to life. I love all of the literal humour in his pictures. In this book that included Nelson’s heart in his mouth and an avocado Kenny.
Now I just need to sit here looking patient while I wait for Dr Kane to unleash his next evil scheme upon Duck Creek.
Sorry, Nelson. You know it has to happen! I believe in you, though. You and H-Dude will prevail!
⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 4 out of 5.
Once Upon a Blurb
The circus is coming to town, and Nelson and his friends have a chance to be part of the show!
Nelson’s amazing ninja skills will be perfect! But what will ninja Nelson do when big trouble arrives at the big top!
‘It is very thin here, the veil,’ she whispered, leaning forward as if she was telling a great secret. ‘Some places in the world are like that, and this is one of them.’
Shortly after we’re introduced to Finn, a young boy who has lived in the small village of Wichant his entire life, a strange woman, only known as the Housekeeper, buys him from his grandparents for a bag of gold.
The Housekeeper takes Finn to the mysterious Edge House on the clifftop. There Finn is shown seven exquisite paintings. These are not ordinary paintings, though. The scenes depicted on them are more realistic than Finn realises.
Behold the Glimme, where dragons fly,
And see a wondrous tale unfold.
This is quite possibly one of the most beautiful books I will ever have the privilege of picking my jaw off the floor over. I was interested in the story but once I caught a glimpse of Marc McBride’s illustrations I was hooked. They’re an incredible blend of realistic and surreal. The attention to detail and the combination of dark and dreary with vibrant colours, often appearing in the same image, was captivating.
I almost didn’t care about the words that accompanied the story of the pictures initially and came close to allowing myself to remain hypnotised by the dragons and castles. I planned on drooling over the pictures and then sending the book back to the library unread, because of Book Nerd Problem #486: practically every book I currently want to read arrived at the library at the same time!
Then I glanced at the first couple of pages of text and the words sucked me in too. I’m not usually drawn to adventure stories where I’m spending so much of my time witnessing battles and the travelling time between them but I enjoyed this story. My favourite characters were Finn, artist turned hostage turned unexpected hero, and Lone Annie, a scarred woman who foresees the dragons, giants and other very specific encounters our intrepid adventurers face.
The illustrations lined up with the storyline so well (one of my pet peeves is when the details of an illustration are different to what the story describes) and it made sense to me when I learned that the illustrator approached the author with a set of paintings, asking them to write their story. I’m having so much trouble choosing a favourite so I’m going to show you two of them. This is Finn inside the Edge House. See all of the books? Dream house!
The other is my favourite dragon illustration. This is Greenfire chatting to Chieftain Gor. Check out the details!
Now, this may be a case of me seeing what I want to see but I could have sworn there was a Predator in the foreground of the painting showing the feast in Castle Nye. In this story his name is Quinlin and it’s only when he’s seen in profile that he makes me think he was a Predator in another life.
The artist’s secret is the key
To doors no eyes but mine can see.
You would be forgiven for thinking I’ve shown you practically all of the illustrations contained in this book but I haven’t even come close. There are so many characters you have yet to be introduced to, locations you have not glimpsed and fantasy elements come of life that await you within its pages.
Although they’re gorgeous, the photos I’ve taken of the book’s pages do not do these illustrations justice at all! You’ve got to experience them for yourself!
My only regret related to this book? I waited and waited for my library copy to arrive and by the time I opened the first page and realised just how extraordinary this book truly is, I’d missed out on the opportunity to buy my own signed copy. Lesson painfully learned!
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 5 out of 5.
Once Upon a Blurb
Lone Annie sees dragons in your future. She sees giants. She sees fire and water. She sees death. Finn’s life in the village of Wichant is hard. Only his drawings of the wild coastline, with its dragon shaped clouds and headlands that look like giants, make him happy. Then the strange housekeeper from a mysterious clifftop mansion sees his talent and buys him for a handful of gold and then reveals to him seven extraordinary paintings. Finn thinks the paintings must be pure fantasy: such amazing scenes and creatures cannot be real! He is wrong. Soon he is going to slip through the veil between worlds and plunge into the wonders and perils of The Glimme.
I was introduced to Zog when I borrowed the short film from the library. After watching it twice I finally read the book, and Zog became my new favourite dragon. Naturally I then ordered the sequel from the library and bought my own copy of the film so I could watch it to my heart’s content.
I’ve been eagerly anticipating this read and I’m so disappointed that I was disappointed by it. At the end of the first book, Princess Pearl, Gadabout the Great and Zog head off on a new adventure. This book begins with the Flying Doctors living the life of their dreams. Pearl is finally a doctor, Gadabout is performing surgery and Zog is flying them from patient to patient.
They tend to a sunburnt mermaid, a unicorn with an extra horn and a lion who’s got the flu. Everything was going well and I was along for the ride … until Pearl is imprisoned by her uncle because, “Princesses can’t be doctors, silly girl!” The men (Gadabout and Zog) are then charged with trying to save this damsel in distress. It isn’t until Pearl diagnoses her uncle’s illness and cures him that he decides it’s acceptable for a Princess to be a doctor. As if she needed his permission! Released from captivity, Princess Pearl and her two male saviours (who, incidentally, tried to save her but didn’t) go off on their merry way, smiling and waving to the man who imprisoned her.
Nope, sorry. That’s not a book I’d want to read again or put in front of a child. The first book? No hesitation. I still absolutely love it. I just wish I’d stopped there and imagined for myself the wonderful adventures that were to come for the Flying Doctors.
I loved the illustrations in this book; they’re the reason I’m giving this book 3 stars instead of 2.
⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 3 out of 5.
Once Upon a Blurb
Meet the Flying Doctors: Princess Pearl, Sir Gadabout and, of course, their trusty ‘air ambulance’, Zog the dragon, as they fly around the country, tending to a sunburnt mermaid, a distressed unicorn, and even a sneezy lion.
Hot Dog, Lizzie and Kev are trying to come up with the perfect act for the Toy Town Talent Show. With a voucher to spend on toys as the winning prize, the friends are already daydreaming about the toys they will choose.
The day after the talent show Lizzie’s sister, Emma, is getting married. When the wedding plans fall apart at the last minute it’s up to Hot Dog and his friends to step in and save the day.
As usual I loved Dan McGuiness’ illustrations, but especially enjoyed seeing Lizzie playing the drums.
and watching the cute Daredevil Hamsters perform their act.
This is such a fun series for both the target audience and adults who aren’t embarrassed to admit they still love kids’ books. With friendship and teamwork at the core of each of the stories, they provide readers with both lessons and laughs.
⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 4 out of 5.
Once Upon a Blurb
Hotdog and his friends want to win the Toy Town Talent Show, but the competition is tough!
I’d like to introduce you to my new favourite dragon, Zog.
He’s Madam Dragon’s most enthusiastic student and he desperately wants to earn one of his teacher’s golden stars.
Throughout the book Madam Dragon’s students learn all of the dragon basics, including flying, roaring and breathing fire.
“Now that you’ve been shown, you can practise on your own”
While Zog is practicing his new skills he encounters Pearl, a caring, friendly young girl. Throughout the years they continue to meet and become friends.
I usually try to read the book before I see the movie because the book is always better, right? This time was different. I was introduced to Zog and Pearl via the short film, and it was only as I was watching the Special Features that I realised Zog had books written about him long before he was animated.
I borrowed the DVD from my library, assuming I’d make it maybe 5 minutes before ditching it. This was not to be. I fell in love with this orange dragon! Then I introduced Mum to him and as we watched it together, she fell in love with him too. We plan to watch it at least another couple of times before my loan expires.
Naturally I followed up by borrowing the book from the library, which solidified my love for these characters. While I adore this book, I actually enjoyed the movie more. Shh!!! Don’t tell the book I said that.
What clearly came across to me in the movie was that while Zog and Pearl tried their best to live up to others’ expectations of them, they were denying who they really were. When they were honest with themselves and others about how they were feeling and what they truly wanted out of life, they were given the opportunity to fulfil their dreams.
It was obvious in the movie that Zog didn’t really fit in with the other dragons. Pearl’s story was also expanded so I gained more of an understanding of the role she was being trained to fill. I liked them in the book but their personalities came to life on screen and I was more focused on their friendship developing through the years. I smiled while I read but I laughed throughout the movie.
Now that I know of Zog’s existence I’m looking forward to going on more adventures with him. I’ve already ordered Zog and the Flying Doctors from the library so you’ll be hearing all about that just as soon as I can wrestle a copy from a child’s hands a copy becomes available.
I’m adding the movie to my list of DVD’s I absolutely must own. This is one of those stories that I would happily read/watch over and over, with or without a child.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 4.5 out of 5.
Once Upon a Blurb
Zog, a young accident-prone dragon, who wants to be the best student in dragon school, is the keenest dragon in the school, but will he ever win a golden star?
The WeirDo series always makes me wish I could turn back the clock to enable me to appreciate them from the perspective of a child. Sure, adult me loves them but I’m certain kid me would have reread them so often my copies would be practically falling apart. Kid me definitely would have been in awe of their brilliant lenticular covers!
In Weirdomania!, Miss Franklin has asked her class to write about the jobs their parents have previously done. Weir’s mother currently works at the animal hospital and his father is a firefighter but he doesn’t know any jobs they’ve held before these ones.
Weir and his friend Bella learn interesting and funny new stories about their parents. They also discover their families share a love of wrestling, in particular a champion wrestler called ‘The Block’. (Hmm, that name sounds familiar …)
There are plenty of dad jokes to go around in this book, so many in fact that even the kids join in.
‘I guess I’m just a chip off the old BLOCK!’
Bella and her family are looking forward to seeing ‘The Block’ beat his opponent, Ka-Boom, at Wrestle-Crazia but Weir’s family don’t have tickets. Weir is hoping to win them by putting together the best costume for Funny Friday, but first he needs to think of a brilliant idea.
It all works out in the end and everyone has a great time at Wrestle-Crazia,
where things go even better than expected!
I really enjoyed this story. I loved finding out the occupations of some of the parents of Weir’s classmates. Weir’s imagination was working overtime coming up with so many funny and unusual ideas for costumes, all of which came to life in the illustrations. I even learned something new about one of Weir’s family members.
The jokes are always so corny in this series but I still can’t keep the smile off my face whenever I read another book. Even the animals think this book’s funny!
As usual, Jules Faber’s illustrations enhance the humour, complimenting Anh Do’s story perfectly.
I would be quite happy to go back to the very beginning and binge reread the entire series. I love Weir and his family and I can’t wait to find out what they’re going to be doing next!
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 5 out of 5.
Once Upon a Blurb
What’s a sheep’s best wrestling move? The LAMB CHOP!
Everyone is going nuts for WRESTLE-CRAZIA the coolest wrestling show around! Can Weir come up with an awesome idea to WIN tickets for his whole family to see the show? It wont be easy … but it will be FUNNY!
Best friends Hotdog the dog, Kev the cat and Lizzie the lizard are enjoying their ice creams when Hotdog finds something exciting – posters advertising acting auditions for a new movie called The Volcano Monster! Hotdog wants to be the ninja, Kev wants to be the ballerina and Lizzie wants to be the volcano monster.
It’s only a week until the auditions so the friends need to start training if they’re going to be as heroic, brave and terrifying as the movie makers need them to be. The trio help each other perfect the talents they will need to show during their auditions. The only problem is that Lizzy is scared of heights and a volcano monster isn’t.
I always enjoy the humour in Anh’s books, even though it’s usually of the dad joke variety and super cheesy. This series always majors on friendship, with teamwork, being a good sport and looking out for others at the forefront, so there’s always a great message beneath all of the fun.
Once things quite literally heat up in this story it did wander into ‘don’t try this at home, kids!’ territory so it may be a good idea to follow up with your child after you finish reading to make sure they know that the ways the main characters deal with danger here isn’t something your child should attempt to replicate.
Dan McGuiness illustrates this series and once again he’s captured both the heart of the characters and the humour of the author. Be on the lookout for some cute porcupines, Kev in a tutu and a cucumber on an amusement park ride. The kitchen sink is even thrown in for good measure.
Each book in this series has splashes of a specific colour (usually in two or three shades) that make the illustrations pop; key words are also coloured to match. The colour for this book is red, which seemed appropriate given the volcano monster movie is central to the story.
While not my favourite book in this series it’s nonetheless a really entertaining read and I’ll be looking out for the next adventure featuring Hotdog, Kev and Lizzie.
⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 4 out of 5.
Once Upon a Blurb
Hotdog, Lizzie and Kev want to be movie stars! But first they’ll have to try out with all the other actors to find the perfect roles.
Do Hotdog and his friends have what it takes to get the parts?
If I could run all the time, life would be fine. As long as I keep moving, I’m in control.
Kate Malone runs at night. She does the housework and makes sure her younger brother and Reverend father are looked after. She is on the honour roll and can’t wait to attend her dream school, MIT. She barely sleeps. Her life is perfectly planned. Until it isn’t.
Teri Litch is an outcast. She wears her attitude like armour. She and her brother stay with their neighbours, the Malone’s, after a fire damages their home.
Family secrets are revealed and carefully constructed masks the characters wear for the world disintegrate as their lives collide.
I loved that Catalyst takes place in the same town as Speak and that Melinda has a short scene in this book. It’s the year after Melinda’s story so I gained some insight into what’s happened in her life since I saw her last. I specifically chose this as my next Laurie Halse Anderson read because I knew I’d get to see Melinda again.
Much like Melinda’s story in Speak, Kate and Teri’s stories are not complete at the end of this book. There is no happily ever after nor is there an epilogue filling the reader in on what happened in these girls’ lives after their final conversation. Sometimes a lack of resolution can annoy me but it didn’t here; life keeps going and what we have here are a few chapters in these characters’ lives. Life is messy and we don’t get to have everything neatly packaged up and prettified with a ribbon just because we want it to.
Okay, I know this contradicts what I just said but I would love to read a book written from Teri’s perspective! I’d like to find out what happens in her next chapter (hopefully something overwhelmingly positive) and, scary as it may be, I want to spend some time in her head. I didn’t feel much of a connection with Kate but Teri intrigued me as soon as I met her.
I liked the idea of using scientific terms as the chapter headings but, because my scientific nerd status is currently ‘wannabe’, their relevance to the content of each chapter went over my head. I didn’t want to get bogged down researching each term to figure out the connections but I imagine I’ll do this during a reread.
I read a review prior to starting this book that absolutely ruined the main reveals for me. Thanks, reviewer that shall not be named who didn’t hide their spoilers! Because I knew these going in, I was easily able to pick up on clues of what was to come and the reveals lost some of their emotional impact. I would have loved to have had the chance to figure these out for myself so will be more selective with the reviews I read before I’ve finished a book in the future.
Bonus Points for the Author: Anyone who includes Tori Amos in their book’s acknowledgement section gets a lifetime Kindred Spirit award from me. 🏆
⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 4 out of 5.
Once Upon a Blurb
Meet Kate Malone – straight-A science and math geek, minister’s daughter, ace long-distance runner, new girlfriend (to Mitchell “Early Decision Harvard” Pangborn III), unwilling family caretaker, and emotional avoidance champion. Kate manages her life by organising it as logically as the periodic table. She can handle it all – or so she thinks.
Then, things change as suddenly as a string of chemical reactions; first, the Malones’ neighbours get burned out of their own home and move in. Kate has to share her room with her nemesis, Teri Litch, and Teri’s little brother.
The days are ticking down and she’s still waiting to hear from the only college she applied to: MIT. Kate feels that her life is spinning out of her control – and then, something happens that truly blows it all apart. Set in the same community as the remarkable Speak, Catalyst is a novel that will change the way you look at the world.
Schizanthus Nerd 