Long John Silver: Volume 2: Neptune

by Xavier Dorison (story) and Mathieu Lauffray (art), 50 pages

Events take even darker turns (and things were plenty dark to begin with) as the body count rises and tensions aboard ship reach--and then pass--the breaking point. Silver is not a good man. He is not a hero. And he will most likely be the cause of his own (and many others') unnecessary destruction in the end. But even self-loathing, money-loving, peg-legged pirates have soft spots. Good luck to the unwise man who thinks Silver's weakness is his own strength.

Yeesh. Dude had it comin'.

Uncomfortable to read in places and not always pretty, but the twisted story and atmospheric art pull you in and make you watch out for the next one, anyway.

Pirate Boy

by Eve Bunting Illustrated by Julie Fortenberry 29 p.

I decided I should read some new picture books in case someone comes in and asks for a suggestion when my co-workers who do the story time and children's' activities aren't available.

I picked up this one because I see Eve Bunting's name all the time in the children's books, but I don't think I'd read one of hers before. This book was fun, colorful, and sweet. It reminded me of the same theme as Love You Forever by Robert Munsch. The boy tells his Mom he wants to be a pirate. She says fine and that she will come and get him when he is tired of being a pirate. Then he asks many what ifs of dangerous situations he could get in which are pirate related - pirates, sea monsters, etc. His Mom has a solution for each one on how she could save him.

This would be good for any kid, especially those pirate fans I am sure are out there (I was one as a kid). Probably better for kids 10 and under. This would be a perfect fit for a mom wanting read a book to or with her kid.

Kel

"Beauty Queens" by Libba Bray

396 pages

The fifty contestants of the Miss Teen Dream pageant are in big trouble. On the way to what was supposed to be their final competition, their plane crashes on a remote, deserted tropical island. The thirteen survivors find themselves alone, with no food, no water, and practically no makeup (gasp!). The girls have to get out of their competitive mindset and work together in order to live. And then, just when they think they're getting the hang of survival, a boat full of sexy pirates shows up. On top of that, strange things begin to happen...things suggesting that something sinister is happening on the other side of the island.

Oh, Libba Bray. How you make me laugh! I enjoy Bray's satirical humor, and this "Lost" meets "Miss Congeniality" story is full of it. Sure, the satire is heavy-handed, but it gets the point across. Although most of the characters seem to be just stereotypes at first (exhibit A: the gun-toting, Bible-quoting Miss Texas), the layers peel back as the story progresses and before long I was rooting for every one of them. The story is extremely far-fetched, but isn't that what fiction is for? I rolled with it. In fact, the ridiculousness is one of the things that entertained me the most. Anything goes with this story, so I had no idea what was going to happen next. The ultimate conclusion is a bit predictable, but I'd probably have been upset if it had ended any other way so I'm okay with it. The overall message--"be yourself and don't listen to what society tells you about your worth"--has been preached to teens quite a bit. It's nothing earth-shattering, but I don't think anyone expects it to be after seeing the cover and reading the description. It lives up to what it claims to be: a fun, engaging story that will entertain many adults as well as teens.

Long John Silver: Volume 1: Lady Vivian Hastings

by Xavier Dorison (story) and Mathieu Lauffray (art), 56 pages

Years after the events of Stevenson's Treasure Island, literature's most famous peg-legged pirate agrees to a bold lady's request to help her fill out a ship's crew in order to double-cross her cold-hearted, neglectful, fortune hunter of a husband--for a share of the spoils, of course. But they'll have to make it through the adventure alive first.

Nobody's slate is clean and no one's motives pure in this grown-up semi-sequel inspired by Robert Louis Stevenson's classic. Jen H's earlier review piqued my interest, and now I'm hooked, too. It's dark and moody and the lush art easily conveys tone and temperature through skillful use of color and perspective: snow on the dirty streets is bitterly cold, the fireside of an apartment a little dangerously toasty, the winter sun weak through the tall windows of a loveless mansion. Neatness. I need to read the next one soon!

Long John Silver I - Lady Vivian Hastings by Xavier Dorison & Mathieu Lauffray

Set 20 years after Treasure Island, this French graphic novel focuses on Lady Vivian Hastings. Her long absent and despised husband has sent word through his brother that he has finally found the fabled city of Guyana Capac. He is to sell everything, including the manor, to fund the expedition. Lady Hastings has been far from saintly waiting for her husband's return but in realizing her husband intends for her to live in a convent, she starts scheming with none other than Long John Silver to replace the crew with his men and secure her passage with the entourage. What could possibly go wrong with a ship full of people most concerned with their own skin? 


This graphic novel is only 56 pages, but they are gorgeous pages that will slow down your read as you investigate all the intricate details of the art. The characters are vile and vicious but entirely engaging. Aren't all good pirate stories full of such characters? The story played out in a cinematic fashion. Volume II is out this July with Volume III out in the fall. Dorison and Lauffray make an excellent collaboration. 2011, 56 pages. 

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.