Alright, I didn’t really read these while at my job. Contrary to what many seem to believe, library workers don’t actually get to read on the clock (much to our chagrin). But I do see a lot while I am shelving, sorting, shipping, and receiving books, and graphic novels are especially eye-catching. Sometimes I’ll seeRead More
Danika reviews Cold by Mariko Tamaki
Amazon Affiliate Link | Bookshop.org Affiliate Link I’m writing this having just finished Cold, and I can still feel an ache in my chest. My heart breaks for Georgia and Todd, and all the Georgias and Todds. This is a YA mystery told from two perspectives. Todd is a young queer teen who was foundRead More
Susan reviews Laura Dean Keeps Breaking Up With Me by Mariko Tamaki and Rosemary Valero-O’Connell
Mariko Tamaki and Rosemary Valero-O’Connell’s graphic novel Laura Dean Keeps Breaking Up With Me is EXCELLENT. It follows Freddy, a mixed-race high-school girl as she gets dumped by the titular Laura Dean for the third time, and it ripples throughout her friendship group. I’m not gonna lie, I did spend a lot of Laura DeanRead More
Mallory Lass reviews Laura Dean Keeps Breaking Up With Me written by Mariko Tamaki, illustrated by Rosemary Valero-O’Connell
CW: teen pregnancy & abortion, minor homophobia. I fell in love with Tamaki’s writing in female helmed superhero comics like She-Hulk. I was over the moon to hear she had a queer graphic novel coming out, and Laura Dean Keeps Breaking Up With Me is packed with queer representation. Frederica “Freddy” Riley is an averageRead More
Danika reviews (You) Set Me On Fire by Mariko Tamaki
This is a story about college, about fire, and also about love. Before going to college at the age of seventeen, I’d been in love once (total catastrophe) and on fire twice (also pretty bad). From the first two lines of (You) Set Me On Fire, I was hooked. This reads like how a college studentRead More
Erica reviews Skim (words by Mariko Tamaki and drawings by Jillian Tamaki)
When the graphic novel Skim opens, its lesbian teen protagonist, Kimberly Keiko Cameron (aka Skim), has just broken her arm on her mother’s candelabra that she was using for her Wicca altar. The broken arm isn’t really an issue except when Skim tries to photograph her cast with her left hand or writing her name.Read More