Wandering Son: Volume 3

by Takako Shimura, 219 pages

Nitori's sister Maho wants to be a model so she can meet her idol, Maiko-chan, but finds her brother draws more attention than she does.  She also has a crush on a boy named Seya who has a crush on her brother, whom Seya mistakenly believes is one of her girlfriends.  Pragmatic once she gets over her initial emotional reactions, Maho settles on a surprising pair of solutions: drag her cute brother along to her audition and set him up on a "friend"-chaperoned date with her crush.

Meanwhile, the bullying at school ratchets up after Nitori and Takatsuki's exchange diary is grabbed by another student and read out loud.  The resulting uproar causes a rift between friends and makes both Nitori and Takatsuki question whether they should just give up trying to be themselves.

Maho's a little crazy, but she means well and I'm starting to like her.  She makes things complicated (as if they weren't complicated enough already), but it's not malicious and she's aware of her own faults and willing to jump up and defend her brother from anybody who doesn't respect him, just as he proves he's willing to do for her (aw, sibling bonding!).

Even as their lives get messier, Nitori and Takatsuki find new and old allies rallying to their side and picking up their spirits.

Wandering Son: Volume 2

by Shimura Takako, 221 pages

It's getting harder for Nitori and Takatsuki to keep their secret, especially for Nitori as people are less likely to question a tomboy than a boy in a dress. But even when he's dressed like a boy, he can't hide that he's different. While on a school trip to a famous shrine, Nitori has his first real experience with bullying about his feminine looks and personality and is surprised when Chiba comes so vehemently to his defense all Anne-of-Green-Gables style.

Go, Chiba! I worry so for these children and the scary, difficult way ahead of them, but at least they have each other and the love and support of more and more friends and family all the time.

Finder: Voice

by Carla Speed McNeil, 215 pages

What do you do when you lose something precious? Find a Finder, of course; or become one yourself in the process.

I love this wonderful, thoughtful, out-there, psychological sci-fi-ish series! For more details, please read my full review at NoFlyingNoTights.com!

The Finder Library: Volume 2

by Carla Speed McNeil, 636 pages

There may be no shared plotline in this second collection of stories set in the Finder universe, but they still share ideas and the presence--out front or in the background--of our titular hero / guide / everyman.

For more details, please see my full review on NoflyingNoTights!

The Finder Library: Volume 1

by Carla Speed McNeil, 634 pages

With permission from Jen H., I'm posting a link to my review on NoFlyingNoTights.

This is a thoughtful, crazy complicated, awesome sci-fi / fantasy graphic novel set in the future with lots to say about universal issues familiar to our present-day selves. Minus the centaur taxi-drivers and anthropomorphism-inducing STDs, of course. Maybe. :P

Wandering Son: Volume 1

by Takako Shimura, 203 pages

What do you do when you suspect you were born in the wrong body? Fifth-graders Nitori and Takatsuki find they share the same secret--each wishes they were the other's gender. With one another's encouragement and a little nudge from a mutual friend, they begin the process of self-discovery, comforted that they are not alone in their predicament. But acknowledging to themselves and each other what they truly feel is not the same as opening up to their families, friends, teachers, and the rest of the world. Will they ever be able to be themselves?

Although the characters are rather difficult to distinguish from one another until you get to know them, and scene-change queues don't always register right away, this well-written, simply-drawn story deals with the confusion and pressures of its adolescent principals gently and thoughtfully. Puberty is awkward enough without their added complications, and the reader readily wishes these youngsters happiness and acceptance, though the journey will surely be long and far from easy.

Wandering Son was recognized as a recommended work by the 2006 Japan Media Arts Festival judges and was nominated for YALSA's 2012 "Great Graphic Novels for Teens" list.

Look me in the eye

John Elder Robison
pages 282

Sub-titled "my life with Asperger's" this memoir is an insightful look into the world of Autism, specifically the spectrum known as Asperger's Syndrome. Robison, whose younger brother is writer Augusten Burroughs of "Running With Scissors" fame was not diagnosed until he was well into adulthood. Reading how his life was shaped by the unique perspective of Asperger's is fascinating. Socially stunted and an over-logical sense of thinking, John Elder lived a childhood labeled weird, retarded and at times psychotic. Living in a home of highly intelligent, yet dysfunctional parents created an isolation that left him on his own to try to learn how to cope in a world that does not even today understand the nuances of Asperger's much less how to best deal with those affected by it. Writing these memories is a cathartic experience for the author, yet because of his Asperger's he is also able to detach from it and objectively examine it. If you know anyone who deals with Autism on a personal level I would highly recommend this book because it is such an uplifting and demystifying experience. Wonderfully written, it would be an entertaining and
informative read for anyone. Loved it! It get's top rating.
Rock, Chalk, Jay, Hawk

Gemini Bites

by Patrick Ryan, 229 pages

Kyle's life already resembles a primetime sitcom. With six siblings, one of whom apparently hates him, and a pair of loving but quirky parents, the last thing the semi-outed sixteen-year-old needs is a tenth body thrown into the mess. But that's just what he gets when his dad announces that Kyle's classmate Garret will be moving into their newly remodeled game room for a few weeks. Garret obviously has some issues of his own, but Kyle finds himself drawn to the strange, artistic boy despite the latter's insistence that his night-timey goth look is more than just skin deep. Unfortunately, Kyle's über-competitive twin sister Judy (a.k.a. Monster) can't stand to see Kyle win at anything. Not even vampire love.

Gemini Bites is a well-written, quickly-paced teen novel that broaches some sensitive topics with frankness and gentle humor. Kyle's and Judy's voices are distinct (his more self-effacing, hers more assertive) yet clearly related as they each deal with insecurity and identity issues in their own way. If the parents come off as perhaps a little too laid back and indulgent, their supportive, positive relationships with their children and with one another (rare finds in contemporary teen lit) put the reader in a forgiving mood. Sometimes, it's nice to be reminded that not all families are hopelessly dysfunctional.

An involving, sweet, funny read about shared bonds and the importance of being oneself.

Set to Sea by Drew Weing

I am both baffled and enchanted by this little graphic novel. Set to Sea is the story of gentle giant who is also a poet. Kicked out of the tavern for being unable to pay his bar tab, he wanders the streets staring longingly into bookstores and libraries as he tries to write the words in his heart. Unfortunately, the beer catches up and he falls asleep on the pier only to wake up on a ship headed to Hong Kong.  Oh, and then the pirates attack!

I could give you the whole plot line but you’d think I was mad. The drawings are deceptively simple and the text minimal. Instead, his story grows on you like any good fable, long after you’ve turned the last page.  We are all complicated creatures often moved into cathartic change by volatile events in life. Our gentle, poet giant is no exception.  2010, 144 pages.