It Won’t Always Be Like This by Malaka Gharib
It Won’t Always Be Like This is a graphic memoir focusing on the author’s childhood summers spent in Egypt with her father’s family. I really appreciated being able to read a graphic memoir about this subject, because I love family stories and I feel like this is the kind of story we need more of. There is a lot of complexity in this story, but I think Gharib does a fantastic job weaving in nuance and small, emotional moments, too. I was a little unsure of the art style at first, but I quickly found that it fit the story well and was reminiscent of how our memories can feel a little “watercolory” over the years. I’d recommend this to anyone who likes family stories or graphic memoirs.
Thank you to Clarkson Potter and NetGalley for providing a copy for review.
Anne by Kathleen Gros
Anne is exactly what it says in its title: a modern-day sort-of adaptation of Anne of Green Gables. Having never read the original (I know, boo, hiss, etc.), I can’t speak for how true it comes to the source material, but what I can say is that this story is so sweet that I don’t think its adherence to the source matters. Anne is incredibly likeable, her problems are real problems, and she and her friends feel like real kids; the author clearly put time and effort into adapting this into a modern story, and it shows. The art style is perfect for the story, and I’m so glad full color was chosen for the interior – it’s what Anne would have wanted!
Thank you to Quill Tree Books and NetGalley for providing a copy for review.
Over My Dead Body by Sweeney Boo
Over My Dead Body is a graphic novel set at Younwity Institute, a school for witches to hone their craft. Abigail’s friend, Noreen, has gone missing, and she’s enlisted friends Goldie and Enver to help in the search. I loved the art style; it worked really well for the story and the setting considering that it deals with heavy topics and horror. Several of the big surprises at the end were pretty obvious early on, but I’m willing to forgive graphic novels for that if the character development is good – and it definitely is here. I’d recommend this to fans of other witchy reads, or those who want a mild horror/creepy graphic novel for Samhain.
Thank you to HarperAlley and NetGalley for providing a copy for review.
Play Like a Girl by Misty and David Wilson
Play Like a Girl is a graphic memoir about the author’s time in middle school and playing on the seventh-grade football team. In terms of technicality, this is the perfect graphic novel: the plot, characters, and panels all move along smoothly, and the story itself makes you root for Misty all along the way. The art style captures the feelings of middle school really well – both the awkwardness and the way we perceive others as being “cooler” than ourselves. While I don’t know a thing about football, you don’t need to in order to read this book – in the end, it’s really all about how to find your real friends, even if you have to leave some old ones behind.
Thank you to Balzer + Bray and NetGalley for providing a copy for review.
