Still more from last year
I've read this book several times, and it still gets me giggling out loud. Martinet takes romance comics from the 50s and 60s and replaces the dialog to create new plots, often playing off the awkward artwork.
157-161. Bleach Vol. 11: A Star and a Stray Dog, Bleach Vol. 12: Flower on a Precipice, Bleach, Vol. 13: The Undead, Bleach, Vol. 14: White Tower Rocks, Bleach, Vol. 15: Beginning of the Death of Tomorrow Tite Kubo (4/5)
162. The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai: Across the Eighth Dimension Earl Mac Rauch (4/5)
This book is full of pulpy goodness, making reference to Banzai's many other adventures and in general employing an entirely appropriate over-the-top atmosphere. Definitely recommended if you're a fan of the movie.
163. Impulse Ellen Hopkins (2/5)
This novel, written in free-verse poetry, is set at a mental institution and follows three teens who tried to commit suicide. Conner is a rich kid with a "perfect" life who tried to shoot himself. Vanessa, whose mother is also bipolar, is a cutter who went too far one day. And Tony, who lived on the street after being abused as a child, tried to kill himself with a drug overdose. Now they are all at a private mental hospital, trying to come to terms with what has brought them there.
I'd heard good things about Hopkins, but my ultimate reaction to this book was "bleh." I knew it was going to be a "problem novel," but I had hoped that Hopkins might do something interesting here. Instead, the characterization was often either flat (as in the case of Conner and his family) or full of holes (as in the case of Tony). Vanessa is the most well-fleshed-out character, but Hopkins leaves at least one major plot element just sort of dangling -- it's mentioned a few times, and then dropped. I suppose it might be in part due to the first-person nature of the narrative, but I was also disappointed by the way that Conner, Vanessa, and Tony seemed to be the only human characters in the novel. The other patients were characterized solely by their mental illnesses, and were very rarely treated with any kind of sympathy. I also didn't quite feel that Hopkins did a good enough job evoking the different voices of the main characters through the poetry, which was supposed to have been written by them: it all seemed as though it was written by the same person.
I think this could be popular with upper middle and high school students, but it's likely to rub some more mature readers the wrong way.
164. Heartsease Peter Dickinson (4/5)
This is the second book in Dickinson's Changes trilogy. The first book, The Devil's Children, took place immediately after the Changes that caused almost all inhabitants of England to hate and fear machinery. Now, in Heartsease, England has been plunged deeply into a pre-industrial state, and all complex machines are regarded as the work of the devil. This spells bad news for an American who's been sent into the country to investigate the Changes; he is stoned as a witch and left to die. Fortunately, he is rescued by two children -- but now they must all find a way to leave the country, because if the kids are found out, they could all be killed.
This is an excellent adventure story, and I loved the way that Dickinson slowly lets hints about what might have caused the Changes, how the outside world is reacting, and the ways the Changes may be reversed, filter into the plot. I'm looking forward to reading the final book in the trilogy. I also think it would be kind of cool to see these books revived -- I think they're out of print now -- but I haven't come across new editions.
165. Flight, Vol. 5 Kazu Kibuishi (5/5)
I always enjoy these collections so much. Definitely worthwhile if you want to dip into what's going on in the world of graphic novels right now, and HIGHLY recommended for libraries, especially those just starting to build a graphic novel collection.
