Hi everyone, I thought I’d give you a short post this week of a trio of graphics I found recently. The three titles I ended up reading were quite interesting reads, but then, that’s my opinion. Why don’t you read further and find out for yourself…
A quick note that these teen reads will need guidance for younger readers.
The girl from the sea by Molly Knox Ostertag (Graphix, 2021) takes the reader to the small island of Wilneff, off the coast of Nova Scotia. We meet fifteen-year-old Morgan who has a secret: she can’t wait to escape Wilneff and get as far away as possible from her family and her group of friends who don’t actually know Morgan at all. Then one night Morgan is saved from drawing by a mysterious girl named Keltie. Suddenly, life on the island doesn’t feel so stifling anymore. But Keltie has some secrets of her own. And as the girls start to fall in love, everything they’ve each been hiding will find its way to the surface, whether Morgan is ready or not. This is not your typical teen summer romance, but it came quite close to one. It was lovely to find out that the author had actually spent her Summers growing up on Wilneff Island. The panels were created really well and the love story was actually quite cute. The main themes of identity and homosexuality were tackled really well, for me anyway!!
The prince and the dressmaker by Jen Wang (First Second, 2018) gives us a graphic historical read. Print Sebastian is looking for a bride – or rather his parents are looking for one for him. Sebastian is too busy hiding his secret life from everyone. At night he puts on daring dresses and takes Paris by storm as the fabulous Lady Crystalia, the hottest fashion icon in the world capital of fashion! Sebastian’s secret weapon is his brilliant dressmaker Frances, his best friend and one of only two people who know the truth: sometimes this boy wears dresses. Jen Wang weaves an enchanting romantic tale of identity, young love, heart and family. What a gorgeous graphic novel this was!! I just loved all the panels as well as this LGBTQI+ themed storyline! Set in Paris at the dawn of the modern age, the story flowed really well. Prince Sebastian’s character popped out of the pages for me and young Frances also felt quite real. I loved how the emotions were captured In the pages. A modern theme of seeking identity set in a time when it was taboo for anything outside the norm. A gorgeous read!!
Project nought by Chelsey Furedi (Clarion Books; 2023) tells a sci-fi story set strangely in New Zealand!! Our main character Ren Mittal’s last memory in the year 1996 is getting on a bus to visit his mystery pen pal Georgia. When he wakes up in 2122, he thinks he might be hallucinating… he’s not! Ren, along with several others, has been tele-ported to the year 2122. Tech conglomerate Chronotech sponsors a time-travel program to help students learn what history was really like from real-life subjects who’ve been transported into the future. Adding to Ren’s complicated feelings, he’s forming a crush on his student guide, Mars. And when he crosses paths with the absolute last person he expected to see in the future, he has a bigger problem on his hands: what if Chronotech isn’t the benevolent organisation they claim to be, and he and his fellow subjects are in great danger? Ren must decide how much to invest in this fleeting future and what he owes his future friends – and himself – before it’s too late, in this suspenseful sci-fi romance. This was not what I expected and I was fairly surprised with the content here. The sci-fi aspect was really well crafted in the panels and I found myself gripped by the story. LGBTQI themes in most of the story are presented in a way that’s not too confusing for everyone and I like how normal it’s made to look in 2122. I found the author/illustrator’s unique style of drawing enchanting and found the characters were really well-rounded. This was a surprisingly good read for me!!
Well, there you have a trio of graphics to keep you entertained. I love graphics as they’re a quick read and have the ability to deliver messages in a way everyone can understand.
Stay safe and keep reading
Miss Mahee
Miss Mahee's Library of Reads 