YA Book Review: Ghost World by Daniel Clowes

This is a book review for Ghost World by Daniel Clowes. This is one of my all time favorite books and I've even had the wonderful opportunity to meet Daniel Clowes himself this past May :) He signed a couple of my original Eightball comics and he signed the complete Eightball collection that I purchased that day at the bookstore. Here is a picture of me getting my comics signed!

Clowes, Daniel. Ghost World. Seattle: Fantagraphics, 2001. Print. Ages 16+

This graphic novel follows best friends Enid and Rebecca, two recent high school graduates and best friend, as they spend their summer in their uninspiring suburb.  Ghost World, based on the seminal comic book Eightball , released in the 1990s, is comprised of eight related short stories about the day-to-day lives of snarky teenage girls living on the brink of adulthood. The conversations between Enid and Rebecca are dark, witty, and hilarious: “He always accuses me of trying to look 'cool'... I was like, 'everybody tries to look cool, I just happen to be successful...' What, does he think that most people are trying to look bad?” Clowes has crafted a masterpiece with conversational language that is completely genuine of angsty teenage outcasts.  Ghost World also contains a colorful array of quirky characters, including weirdos they spy on at their favorite diner such as a Neo-Nazi, suspected Satanists, and a psychic who looks like Don Knotts.  The best part of Ghost World is that Enid and Rebecca’s lives realistically embody the transitional period which young adults experience post-graduation in a way that is authentically hysterical without feeling contrived. Through Enid’s display of raw emotions, crude language, and unfiltered criticism of the people around her, she becomes a loveable character that is witty, sarcastic, strong, and smart. Enid shares her innermost thoughts in a way that may resonate with teens and young adults today: “The trouble is, the kind of guy I want to go out with doesn’t even exist… Like a rugged, chain-smoking, intellectual, adventurer guy, who’s really serious, but also really funny and mean…” Clowes depicts the journey of Enid and Rebecca through dense text paired with remarkably detailed artwork, providing readers with a clear understanding of the insecurity and frustration the characters are feeling.  Clowes successfully draws readers into this dreary suburb through meticulous sketches drawn in aqua-blue, white, and black, as if the lives of Enid and Rebecca are lit by the blue hue of a vintage tube T.V.  Aqua-washed illustrations paired with precisely drawn facial expressions of the colorful assortment of people in Enid’s life provide the perfect framework to tell the story of a nonconforming teen just figuring things out.


-Sarah Prokop

YA Book Review: Tomboy by Liz Prince

Prince, Liz. Tomboy: A Graphic Memoir. San Francisco: Zest, 2014. Print. Grades 9+

This brutally honest, funny, and sometimes agonizing graphic memoir provides insight into the raw emotions experienced by Liz Prince, a self-identified tomboy.  As early as the age of two, Prince would cry hysterically when she was forced to wear dresses and, like many girls, became ashamed of her body as she got older, even covering herself with a t-shirt as she went swimming at summer camp.  “I was suddenly aware that I was under-performing in ways I didn’t even know existed. From then on, I always showered in my swimsuit, I changed clothes in the out-house (which defeated the purpose of showering) and worst of all, I developed the habit of SWIMMING IN A T-SHIRT.” Tomboy is also a timeline of Prince’s evolving thoughts about her own sexuality and gender identity as she lived through years of bullying and rejection from boys. “Dear God, I won’t pretend to know what your plan is for me, but please don’t make me be a girl. So, can you make sure I never get boobs or have my period?” Her unique perspective on the gender stereotypes deeply embedded in American culture is refreshing, empowering, and very genuine. Throughout the story, Prince eventually discovers a community of like-minded nonconformists, interested in comics, punk music, and zines, and transforms herself into a strong young woman who is comfortable with her identity as a tomboy.  This message of self-acceptance will likely strike a chord with young adult female readers who have struggled with bullying, body image issues, or concerns about gender-identity. The black and white artwork in Tomboy is very reminiscent of the raw style of Jeffrey Brown (Author of Clumsy and Funny Misshapen Body) and delivers a touch of casual charm.  Prince’s clean trademark artwork is child-like but authentic which perfectly supplements the text that evokes so many emotions.  Prince also exaggerates many of the facial expressions of the characters in her book, making her character one that readers will likely sympathize with. Ultimately, Tomboy is the perfect coming-of-age tale for any teen who considers themselves an “outcast” as it provides an honest message that it is absolutely possible to eventually gain self-acceptance, despite the heart-wrenching agony of childhood traumas.

Book Review: Thirteen Chairs

Shelton, Dave. Thirteen Chairs. New York: Scholastic, 2015. Print. Grades 6-12. 

Jack is a curious boy who decides that he has to know what is inside a nearby house which is rumored to be haunted. Upon finally entering the supposedly haunted house he has walked past for several years of his childhood, he encounters a room filled with unusual characters telling ghost stories by candlelight: “The only light comes from the candles on the table, one for each of those seated there, casting shifting, looming shadows onto the crumbling plaster of the walls.” Stories are told from the perspectives of each unique character sitting in the room, bringing readers a very diverse mix of paranormal stories. Jack takes notice of one peculiar man in particular: “[Piotr] is enormous. He looks as if he might have been carved from a mountain. From within his extravagant rust-and-ashes beard there appears a wide and welcoming grin of crooked teeth”. Piotr shares his own tale, The Red Tree, in which a woodcutter is strangled to death by the limbs of a tree. Shelton writes the story as though it is really being told aloud by a non-native speaker: “And woodcutter feel blood is all spilling out, running down his body, running down onto tree…. [blood] is making red tree.” Thirteen Chairs seamlessly intertwines thirteen distinct stories into a single narrative reinforced by the author’s mysterious black and white ink drawings shown at the beginning of each story, giving a glimpse into the terror contained in the consecutive pages. Ultimately, Shelton brings us a creatively organized collection of short tales to chill the bones of middle and high school readers. Fans of Alvin Schwartz’s Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark will likely be thrilled by the horror contained in this book and the short story format may delight reluctant readers. Thirteen Chairs will also be the perfect recommendation for those who are constantly pestering the Youth Services Librarian for “something truly spooky."