"Elfquest Archives: Volume 1" by Wendy & Richard Pini

I’d like to start by saying that I really don’t prefer the science fiction/fantasy genre. You won’t ever find me reading Japanese manga, and those box office hits adapted from famous comic strips aren’t worth the nine dollars I pay to see them. I knew that finding an interesting graphic novel to read was going to be a challenge, so I decided to revisit Wendy and Richard Pini’s Elfquest series, which I remember reading ten years ago. Upon taking a (very long) stroll down memory lane, I soon discovered I had a hard time putting this book down and read the entire thing over the course of the afternoon. Although I wonder if I still would have liked this graphic novel had I not read it once before, the first Elfquest Archives edition is enjoyable because of its sophisticated grammar, original storyline, and amazing artwork.

Elfquest tells of the young elf chief Cutter and his very toned and good-looking tribe of woodland elves who ride around on the backs of wolves and share the forest with a clan of human Neanderthals who relentlessly torment these “demons.” When the humans set fire to the woods, the elves are forced to escape to the cavern of the trolls, who are inhospitable and untrusting of them as well. King Greymung deceitfully leads the elves to the end of a tunnel where he promises they will find a forest, but instead they discover a barren desert. After three days of traveling by night, the elves are shocked to find a small village of their own kind nestled in a valley surrounded by mountains. Compared to Cutter’s Indian-like tribe, the Egyptian-looking desert elves living in the valley known as Sorrow’s End are more civilized and initially frown upon the Wolfriders’ “barbaric” ways before learning to accept them. Further trouble arises when Cutter “recognizes” an elf named Leetah as his soul-mate. Unfortunately, the reluctant Leetah already has a suitor, who Cutter must challenge him to try and win her as his mate.

I believe that Elfquest will interest male adolescents in addition to female readers. Boys will appreciate the action, fighting, and images of bloodshed, while girls will favor the story’s romantic side. However, I would not recommend this book for any age younger than twelve because of illustrations depicting sex, violence, and nudity. I actually think the somewhat graphic nature and shocking nature of the novel makes it more intriguing, adding a sense of mystery and flavor to the story. For example, the Pinis illustrate and narrate the very liberal nature of elves, such as a nude bath scene, group sex, and a part that may leave the reader wondering if Cutter and his best friend Skywise are having sex and are in fact bisexual.

Although I am unaware if the other books in the series are as good as the original, Wendy and Richard Pini’s Elfquest Archives: Volume 1 is a fairly quick and entertaining read for those who appreciate great artwork and would like a break from reading extensive novels that lack visual appeal.

Magic Lessons by Justine Larbalestier

Book Talk: Magic Lessons

Magic Lessons written by Justine Larbalestier is the first book in the fantasy trilogy about magic! Some chapters are told in a first person point of view, from Reason the main character and others are told in a third person point of view, from inside either Jay-Tee's or Tom's mind, who are two of the other main characters in the book. These three different points of view could be confusing, but Justine Larbalestier pulls it off wonderfully. Magic Lessons is a perfect fantasy book for older adolescence to read to give them an outlet or escape from the real world. This fantasy trilogy gives readers the chance to look to fantasy to stretch their understanding of the real world. The best part of this book is that even though it is far fetched the relationships the characters share are real life situations which can make many connections for the reader.
Throughout the book Reason and her friends are trying to figure their magic out. They learn that if they use too much of their magic then they will use up their energy and die but if they don’t use enough of their magic then they will become insane. Since the characters are trying to figure out how all this magic work, it is also teaching the readers about this interesting magic filled world.
The book takes place both in Sydney Australia and New York City which gives quite a variation in scenery and atmosphere throughout the book. The characters can travel to these different places using this specific door. Throughout the book there is a lot of magic but that’s not all that the book deals with its filled with relationship issues with complex characters, a sense of danger throughout, and suspense!
Anyone looking for a good fantasy book? Then Magic Lessons is a must read Justine Larbalestier does a great job in combining fantasy to real life to create a non-stop page turner, loaded with excitement and thrills!
….Then, with a scream, she leapt backward and landed on the balcony with a thud. The glow-in-the-dark yellow thing was on her forearm, stinking into her. Reason tried to rip it off with her right hand. Tom grabbed at it, but the slick stuff slipped through his fingers. It disappeared without a sound into reasons arm.

Monster

The best time to cry is at night, when the lights are out and someone is being beaten up and screaming for help. That way even if you sniffle a little they won’t hear you. If anybody knows that you are crying, they’ll start talking about it and soon it’ll be your turn to get beat up when the lights go out.

There is a mirror over the steel sink in my cell. It’s six inches high, and scratched with the names of some guys who were here before me. When I look into the small rectangle, I see a face looking back at me but I don’t recognize it. It doesn’t look like me. I couldn’t have changed that much in a few months. I wonder if I will look like myself when the trial is over.

They say you get used to being in jail, but I don’t see how. Every morning I wake up and am surprised to be here.

Imagine having to spend the night in jail.

Now imagine having to spend a week, month, or year in jail.

Now imagine having to spend time in jail for something you didn’t do. A crime no one, not even your defense attorney, believes you didn’t commit. Steven is a 16 year old boy who was in the wrong place, at the wrong time. And now he’s paying for it. Accused of murder by the others at the scene of the crime, Steven’s on trial, and no one knows what to think. Even his own family can’t hide their doubt about his involvement in the crime. Steven has no one, not even family, to truly cling to. He’s on his own, and he’s in prison.

Walter Dean Myers writes a masterful story about a young man wrongfully accused of murder. The unique setup of the book combined with Myers’ moving story line results in a captivating, eye-opening story. Monster is the story of racism which occurs every day, told through the eyes of a 16 year old aspiring film director. This book will open your eyes to the racism taking place all around, and it will soften your heart to Steven, a young boy trying to make his way through life.

Eyes of the Emperor

I was born in the United States; my great-grandparents came over from Italy and Ireland. My best friend was also born in the US, but her parents came here from Spain.

Eddy’s parents moved to Hawaii from Japan before he was born. When the Japanese bomb Pearl Harbor, Eddy joins the US Army to show where his allegiance lies. The Army, however, can’t see past his Japanese looks… his eyes like the Emperor’s. Eddy and the other men from Japanese descent are shipped off to an island in Mississippi where they are first treated like the enemy, kept on machine-gun watch all day, and not allowed to anywhere, even when they have to go to the bathroom. Finally Eddy’s former high school teacher, Major Parish, brings a group of the boys to another island for some special training. Eddy’s hopes and desires to make his father proud are finally about to be realized; he’s about to become a special agent for the US Army. Or so he thinks.

Major Parish hesitated. “You see, men… you are here to represent the enemy these dogs will encounter in the Pacific. We’re going to train them to find you by your Japanese scent. You’re not the trainers… you’re… you’re the bait. We’re going to teach them to smell you, track you down, and attack you.

Eyes of the Emperor is based off of real events that took place after the bombing of Pearl Harbor. While Eddy is a fictional character, the pain, suffering, and degrading tasks the men of this story go through really happened. Eyes of the Emperor is a moving story about the horrors of bigotry, and about the resolve and willpower of a group of extraordinary young men.

Al Capone does My Shirts

“I want to be here as much as I want poison oak on my private parts.”

Welcome to Moose’s new life: life on Alcatraz Island! It’s a life filled with secret buildings, restricted areas of the island, and mystery. Most importantly, it’s a life where Moose has to constantly look after his sister Natalie. When Natalie was turned down from a special school she becomes Moose’s charge. Forced into caring for Natalie every day after school, Moose has to sacrifice baseball, hanging out with friends, and the other things middle school boys like to do.

Finally Moose decides to start having fun again… which means he HAS to take Natalie along with him. Little does he know the trouble in store for him on Alcatraz Island…

Al Capone Does My Shirts is a heart-warming story about a young boy forced into the caretaker role over his sister. The compassion and love Moose shows for Natalie is sure to move any reader, and make you think twice before your next sibling rivalry.

"Feed" by M.T. Anderson

Titus and his friends Marty, Link, Calista, Loga, Quendy, and Violet are adolescents living in the future United States, where they go on vacations to the moon and other planets, drive flying cars like the Dodge Gryphon, and stay up to date with the latest fashions and trends via a device called the “feed,” which is a computer chip implanted in their brains that keeps them continuously connected to the internet. The feed allows one to mentally watch television, access games, share music, talk to friends by means of “broadcasting,” and “be supersmart without ever working.” In fact, Titus finds it hard to find the right words to talk without using the feed.

Anderson addresses the evils of corporate America through this controversial computer chip implanted in the heads of children at an early age. He writes that the feed “knows everything you want and hope for” and sends consumer needs to corporations where it is profiled. The company then advertises it products back to the individual, similarly to pop-up ads on the internet. An overwhelming percentage of the future American population has the feed, which is often protested by those who argue that large corporations are taking over the nation with their excessive amounts of power. Titus’s liberal-minded girlfriend Violet states her frustrations against the feed:

Everything we do gets thrown into a big calculation. Like they’re watching us right now. They can tell where you’re looking. They want to know what you want. [. . .] They’re also waiting to make you want things. Everything we’ve grown up with—the stories on the feed, the games, all of that—it’s all streamlining our personalities so we’re easier to sell to. I mean, they do these demographic studies that divide everyone up into a few personality types, and then you get ads based on what you’re supposedly like. They try to figure out who you are, and to make you conform to one of their types for easy marketing.

Although a useful and entertaining device, the feed’s foremost setback is its connection to a person’s memory, emotions, and body function. Therefore, if one were to be disconnected from the feed or have it malfunction, there could be serious mental and physical consequences for the individual. When Violet’s feed begins to malfunction and refuses to stabilize, she worries she may die.

Although M.T. Anderson’s novel has many interesting concepts, it would be easier to follow the story if the narrator Titus were to explain more of the oddities in his futuristic world and to give more explanations in the beginning chapters instead of leaving the reader confused about events for quite some time.

The author also states that he studied adolescents to write the novel, however his characters seem somewhat awkward, perhaps because they use futuristic terms that are not thoroughly explained to the reader. There is also a significant amount of vulgar language, and although teens tend to swear a lot, some of it seems unnecessary and makes the story seem crude.

Olives Ocean by Kevin Henkes

“Why did one girl die and not the other? Can you put the sea in a bottle, keep it?” (Henkes 175). These are some of the questions that Martha struggles with in the book Olive’s Ocean. Olive’s Ocean written by Kevin Henkes is a sweet tale that has plenty of useful life lessons. The book is about a girl Named Martha she receives a journal entry from Olives mother. Olive was killed by a car and the journal entry says how she would love for one say to become friends with Martha. Martha feels terrible because she always though Olive was a weird girl and would never talk to her. When Martha goes away for the summer she finds her self thinking about Olive and what it would be like is she was still alive.
Martha doesn’t just face the issues with Olive but she also finds herself in many different situations during her vacation which were family problems, almost drowning, boy issues which included being humiliated, falling in love, and first kisses. “I did something good for Olive. Tate is kind of nice. I love Godbee. Lucy’s cheeks are perfect. I almost drowned, but I didn’t. I’m alive” (Henkes 168).
Martha takes the reader through her summer experiences and how she learns to deal with her feelings. One way that helped her express what she was feeling was a deal she made with Godbee(her grandmother). The deal was that they both have to tell each other a secret each day; they both become very close and learn a lot about each other and themselves.
At the end of the summer Martha realizes how much she has grown up. The story ends with Martha bringing a special present back from her vacation to give to Olive. She is disappointed to find that she cannot give her gift to Olive’s mother but finds another special way to share her present with the Olive. This is a very sweet story that any teenage would enjoy and be used to help them through equally trying times.