Maus by Art Spiegelman

I actually read Maus in two parts, My Father Bleeds History and And Here My Troubles Began both graphic novels by Art Spiegelman. I haven't read many graphic novels but it's a form I have really enjoyed, so when a friend lent me these books I was definitely intrigued. Although two separate books, this is another one of those year-late reviews so I'll be doing a short overall review of both.

Maus is the story of Vladek Spiegelman (the author's father) and his wife in Hitler's Europe. The form may be illustrated, but this is not a lighthearted read. It is an emotional, powerful story of grief, pain, and survival. Mostly, it is a story about love, but not an easy love. But a deep one. The book combines both Vladek's story and Art's, as the aftermath of the Holocaust still impacts his father decades later. It painfully shows how the scars are always left behind after such a horror.

I don't have much to add about Maus. This is a classic book, or at least it should be, and I'm not sure how I didn't discover it sooner but I am very grateful that my friend passed it onto me. It may have pictures, but it is not an easy read. However, it is most definitely a worthwhile one.

I Am Pusheen the Cat by Claire Belton

I'm a big fan of the tumblr, so of course I had to pick up I Am Pusheen the Cat by Claire Belton, the book featuring the same adorable little cat and cartoons. In terms of how Pusheen translate into book-form, it succeeds but doesn't excel. Although I read an e-copy, this would make a great coffee table book or gift for a cat lover. The cartoons are cute and funny, just like they are online. But there's no animation to them the way that Pusheen moves in the online images, and those movements are just really adorable. There is a lot of repetitive in the book from online, but if you love the online stuff, that's not really issue, I just wanted a little more original content. It also sorta attempts a storyline to Pusheen, but doesn't quite make it there. That's okay. I'm fine with Pusheen just being adorable moments like these:

I Am Pusheen the Cat is a cute book, but it's still the sort of thing I prefer in online format. That's okay. The Pusheen website is still there. And for big fans or for helping having a little bit of the Pusheen happiness offline, this book works. It's impossible to pick up Belton's book and be sad. That's good enough for me.

Release Date: November 1st 2013 Pages: 176  Format: Egalley
Source: Edelweiss  Publisher: Touchstone Buy It: Book Depository

The Year of the Beasts by Cecil Castellucci and Nate Powell

The Year of the Beasts by Cecil Castellucci (Author) and Nate Powell (Illustrations)
 
Release Date: May 22nd 2012
Pages: 192
Format: E-galley
Source: NetGalley/Publisher
Publisher: Roaring Brook Press
Buy It: Book Depository

Every summer the trucks roll in, bringing the carnival and its infinite possibilities to town. This year Tessa and her younger sister Lulu are un-chaperoned and want to be first in line to experience the rides, the food . . . and the boys. Except this summer, jealousy will invade their relationship for the first time, setting in motion a course of events that can only end in tragedy, putting everyone's love and friendship to the test.

This is a pretty strange book, and it took me awhile to get used to– probably like three quarters of it's short, less than 200 pages– but at the end everything came together, two storylines: one in words, one in graphic novel form, and together they combined to make for a strong and emotionally compelling story.

I really felt like Castellucci, who wrote the text, captured the feeling of sisterhood and the complexities of that relationship extremely well. Lulu and Tessa have always been really close, and even if Lulu sometimes gets on her sister's nerves, Tessa loves her. But then a fateful moment at a carnival leads to Lulu beginning a relationship with Tessa's crush, the boy she wanted more than anything... and where does that leave the two of them as sisters? The jealousy that Tessa felt was so real it was painful, and even when she does manage to find a boy of her own, it does little to heal the damage that has already been done. The Year of the Beasts captures Tessa's inner conflict, her mix of happiness and anger, in an incredibly authentic and believable way.

Powell's drawings are dark and beautiful, even if I found their connection to what I thought was the "real" story to be very confusing at first. When I realized how things worked, and went back and looked at them again, I was even more impressed. Ultimately, The Year of the Beasts isn't a book that instantly blew me away, it was far more subtle in its power, but when I was finished the story I was left with a lasting and emotional image of sisterhood both from Castellucci's words and Powell's images.

Teen Boat! by Dave Roman and John Green

Teen Boat! by Dave Roman (author) and John Green (illustrator)

Release Date: May 8th 2012
Pages: 144
Format: Hardcover
Source: Publisher
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Buy It: Book Depository

High school can be a time of terrible angst—Fs on tests, bullying jerks, broken hearts, and late-stage puberty are just some of the potential issues that all teen boys face. But what about the issues facing a Teen Boat?

Whoops! When I got Teen Boat! in the mail I thought the illustrations were by some guy named Dave Roman (actually a well-established author of graphic novels) and that John Green, like Looking For Alaska John Green, was the writer. Turns out John Green is also the name of an illustrator, with a few titles under his belt. So there was definitely an adjustment when I started reading Teen Boat! but it didn't take long for me to start enjoying its unique charm.

At it's heart, this is really an absurd graphic novel, and in that sense it reminded me of this series that used to be really popular when I was a kid, Captain Underpants. I really think this book would be perfect for the same kind of elementary school aged audience. Green's drawings are really well done, and they capture the boy-to-boat transformation in a way that makes it seem slightly less ridiculous than it actually is, and just as awesome.

Teen Boat Transformation © Dave Roman and John Green

Roman's words work perfectly with Green's drawings and it wasn't a surprise for me to read these two guys are best friends. The book just has a perfect harmony between text and image. I especially appreciated Roman's many nautical puns, they had me chuckling out loud quite a few times. What I didn't like was Teen Boat's treatment of his best friend Joey, a girl that clearly has a crush on him– but I honestly couldn't tell you why, since all he does is treatment her like dirt and assume that she'll always be there. I would have loved a little more development on that storyline, at least having Joey stand up for herself a bit even if Teen Boat didn't realize what he did was wrong. Instead, she just crushed on him more.

Weak female character aside, Teen Boat! was a cute read, and definitely outside of my usual picks. If I'd known that it was the wrong John Green, I don't know if I would have read it, and so in the end I'm grateful for that mishap; one that belongs perfectly among the befuddled pages of the book itself. In the end, this is an odd and charming book with great drawings and a crazy storyline that doesn't take itself too seriously; Teen Boat! is a great choice for middle grade and the younger spectrum of young adult readers. But even if you're a bit– or like me, a lot– older it's a funny reminder about why I'm so glad that I'm not a teen anymore!

The Arrival by Shaun Tan

 The Arrival by Shaun Tan
 
Release Date: October 12th 2007
Pages: 128
Format: Hardcover
Source: Borrowed
Publisher: Lothian Books
Buy It: Book Depository

In this wordless graphic novel, Tan captures the struggles and joy of the immigrant experience through clear, mesmerizing images which tell the story of a man who leaves his homeland and his family to build a better life.

When this book was first recommended to me but my younger cousin, I admit that I was confused. A story with no words? But considering the topic of The Arrival: immigration, a story with no words is exactly the perfect way to tell it. In Tan's gorgeous drawings, even the names of signs are in an invented foreign language, so that just like the character, they make no sense to the reader. Instead, you are immersed into this world you don't understand, with no way to communicate, nobody to talk to: it is a powerful and emotionally compelling experience.

The Arrival has sad and happy moments, and the way that Tan visualizes certain emotions is poetic and real. In one instance, upon arriving in a new place, a man opens his suitcase and is filled with the warmth of home where his wife and daughter are eating supper. In another, there is the small victory of being able to communicate with a stranger.

And about the drawings... wow. They are so gorgeous and detailed, so many tiny pictures and portrait, it doesn't surprise me that this book was several years in the making. Tan is an incredibly talented artist, but he is also an incredibly talented storyteller. Overall, I was incredibly impressed and swept away by The Arrival and I will definitely be picking up more books by Tan in the future. Maybe even one with words.

The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho (Graphic Novel)

The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho was originally published in 1988 and has since become a worldwide success. It is the story of a boy, Santiago, who became a shepherd to travel but then sells his sheep to head towards the Egyptian pyramids and find a treasure he has dreamed of. Not knowing what the treasure even is, he is forced to rely on himself and his faith to get him through the journey and the obstacles he will face. However along the way Santiago encounters many people including a man who says he was a king, a man who sells crystal, an alchemist, and a beautiful woman. As Santiago travels far from his homeland he learns to trust others despite being wronged, learns to follow his own personal legacy, and finally realizes that all he wanted was closer than he ever imagined.

I originally read The Alchemist as part of an extremely short-lived high school book club about six years ago, and I absolutely loved the book at the time. Earlier this year I picked up Coelho's Veronika Decides to Die and found once again both a powerful message and distinct ability to observe the world- so I certainly had high expectations for this adaption.  The illustrations in The Alchemist were gorgeous but personally the graphic novel lacked the power that the written version had. I felt like portions of the book the reader is able to soak up in the novel were simply skimmed over in the graphic novel and the power of Coelho's words were diminished. This was the first time I had read a graphic novel and so that was definitely a unique experience, but I found that as lovely as the illustrations were they didn't add anything to the book and I'm not sure how successful The Alchemist would be if the reader hadn't already read the novel. This is definitely a case where I'd recommend reading the full version first, and if you enjoy it then definitely pick up the adaption, as it is very well rendered but the graphic novel of The Alchemist just quite measure up to the original. 

Buy it
Number of Pages: 384 pages
Published: November 2010
Source: 

This review was a part of TLC Book Tours. Click here to read what other tour hosts thought. For the purpose of this review I was provided with a copy of the book which did not require a positive review. The opinions expressed in this post are completely my own.