 This narrative scrapbook, art journal, and mini graphic novel tells the story of a teenage girl from northern England. Three central themes in her life are illustrated with bits of old diaries, energetic and quirky doodles, witty pieces of wisdom, references to TV shows and music, photographs, and even ticket stubs. The themes/chapter headings are ME; FRIENDS, OTHERS, COLLEGE, AND ART; and LOVE. This portrait of teen life is solid, frank, and adorable. The author is 18 years-old. mjw |
| Title: The Isobel Journal: Just A Northern Girl From Where Nothing Really Happens Author: Isobel Harrop Illustrator: Isobel Harrop Publisher: Hot Key Books Copyright: 2013 Original language: English ISBN: 978-1-4714-0227-2 Paperback pages: 208 Age range: 9-19 Genre: Graphic novel Book setting: England Author’s residence: England Subjects: Coming of age, England, Europe, Music, Realistic fiction, Sequential art, Western Europe |
The Isobel Journal: Just A Northern Girl From Where Nothing Really Happens
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Absent-minded Mister Whistler wakes up with a song in his head and a dance in his feet. He gets dressed in dotted boxer shorts, checked trousers, a striped shirt, a waistcoat, a jacket, a fur-collared coat, and his hat. But he is distracted and promptly loses his train ticket. His search for his ticket involves him dancing out of his clothes down to his boxer shorts, only to discover that the ticket was clenched between his teeth the whole time. He gets dressed again, boards the train, but then swallows his ticket. Energetic ink and watercolor drawings and flowing musical notes reveal a happy, hilarious ending. mjw
Twenty-two nursery rhymes from around the globe are presented in English, the original language, and the original alphabet when appropriate. New Zealand, China, Australia, Norway, Ireland, Tonga, Jamaica, Japan, Zimbabwe, Fiji, Indonesia, Denmark, Iran, Germany, Samoa, Switzerland, Russia, Brazil, France, Holland, Iceland, and India are illustrated in bright collage and mixed-media artwork. Children’s Laureate Michael Rosen introduces the collection. Source notes are provided, but the name of the original language is not always given. mjw
Lottie keeps her found treasures and secrets locked in a battered brown leather suitcase that was a gift from her grandfather. Sometimes she wishes there was someone with whom she could share her secrets. But the other children find Lottie odd and her suitcase ugly. Leon, the boy next door, sits alone every day in his back garden playing his tuba to Mozart, his cat. One day, the cat disappears and the music stops. These two different children become friends. Lovely drawings with old photos and collage support this delicate story of acceptance and understanding. mjw
Hamda feels left out. She wants to make necklaces, go shopping, and bake cakes like her older sisters do. She has also made up her mind that she wants to wear the veil. She chooses four different scarves and unsuccessfully tries four different ways to wear them. She finally finds her own special way to prove she’s a big girl. Told in five short chapters and illustrated with bold, colorful patterns, this entertaining story focuses on the Muslim experience of wearing the veil mjw
Like most Muslim girls between the ages of nine and 15 in Mauritania, Lalla wants to wear a malafa, the veil that covers women’s heads and clothes in public. She learns from her mama, her older sister, market ladies, and her grandmother that the malafa is more than beauty, mystery, tradition, and belonging. It is for faith. The second-person narrative and cut-paper collage illustrations explain potentially unfamiliar customs and observances of faith. An author’s note and a glossary of Hassaniya words is included. mjw
Two narratives, one past and one present, are told side by side in this clever, powerful novel. Tony and Alice escape the London Blitz and befriend fascinating old Mrs. H. who has sketched a portrait of a young girl holding a rabbit. Teenage Mallie lives in present day London, works in a pet shop, attempts to find romance for her mom, and purchases the sketch in an antique shop. This story of hope and change is pulled together by the mysterious sketch. A brief biography at the back of the book reveals the famous mystery artist. mjw
TIn 1968, in the coal mining town of Springhill, Nova Scotia, nine-year-old Jenny dreams of being a famous singer, but she suffers from stage fright and has become the target of bullies at school. She makes friends with Melody, a proud Mi’kmaq girl who has moved from a residential school. The girls bond. They both love books, nature, and music. The powerful harmony they develop helps them face challenges of peer cruelty, racism, and grief. The time and place of socially evolving Canada are captured perfectly in the first-person narration. mjw
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