Little White Duck: A Childhood in China by Na Lin and Andres Vera Martinez

A memoir graphic novel? This brilliant rendition of Na Lin's young life in China in the '70's offers readers a rare, autobiographical window into her life. Lovely.

The book begins with Mao's death and her family's actions and reactions. The story continues through a number of major life events, all when the author was young--maybe 5-10 years old throughout the 8 stories. The illustrations/graphics/comics captured me. The stories flow from one to another, some happy and some heartbreaking. The author ties in teachings from Confucius and how seeing her parents' hardships offered her an "easier way to build our own future."

Stories within stories, truths stacked within truths. Rich indeed.

Anthem for Jackson Dawes by Celia Bryce

I am kinda following in my daughter’s footsteps these days, feeling drawn to YA stories with a little romance. But the draw I feel tends to have said romance as a byproduct of another story line including some massive life tension and struggle. I like hearing how authors introduce and resolve the challenges of the story, and I like searching into how realistic the solution they come up with is. One theme I really appreciate is hope; I look for that theme routinely in the stories I read.

Anthem for Jackson Dawes is one such story. Being treated for brain cancer, Megan is in the hospital for the first time getting chemo. Within seconds of arriving on the children’s floor, Jackson Dawes enters Megan’s life. Literally. He trumps right into her room, forcing himself into her life. She is none too receptive to any visitor, but her wishes go disregarded by Jackson. After Jackson finally leaves her room, she begins to witness who Jackson is on this ward: the Pied Piper of the sick youngsters who inhabit the floor, the escape artist who explores the rest of the hospital on sleepless nights, and the dear one to the medical staff. As Megan’s treatment continues, she and Jackson grow closer, and Meghan takes off with him at night, breaking all sorts of rules as they maneuver their challenging illnesses and the escape hatch the giant hospital offers. While the title makes it obvious that Jackson passes, it is Megan’s life that holds center stage: the twists and turns of life, finding her way to live with cancer, her transitions from relying on her family to allowing herself to grow closer to her new friend and taking risks that fill her all come together to create a storyline that is engaging, creative, and realistic from what I can tell. Granted I have not had cancer, so I would like to know how realistic the author’s exploration of that topic is and that didn’t stop me. I feel as if Jackson Dawes could live in my life and as if in small ways, Megan’s internal challenges mimic mine. To me, those qualities make for good reading.

The Snow Child by Eowyn Ivey

The cover alone made me want to be in the peaceful nighttime of deep winter, where the ground is covered by snow, the sky is black black black, those brilliant stars pierce black, and things hide in shadows. My connections and embrace of the serious quietude to wintertime's night on the cover led me into that book hook, line, sinker.

The story leads us into the mostly quiet and at the beginning, uneventful lives of Jack and Mabel. Never able to have a child of their own, they meander through life up in the wilds of Alaska, homesteading and barely making ends meet in the 1920's. Life becomes survival, and Mabel and Jack float emotionally apart; grief from the loss of their son in utero seals their conversations into silence. Until a little mystery named Faina shows up. A "snow child," Faina lives in the woods, tricking Mabel and Jack's eyes, causing them to question if they are going a little crazy, seeing snow children emerge in the middle of snow fields right before their eyes. But it becomes true: there is a girl living in the wilds of Alaska in the dead of winter. And she is quite healthy. Mabel and Jack develop a sweet relationship with the child over time, and readers will too. This story, wisely told by well-developed writer Eowyn Ivey, becomes one of hope and living life in the moment, meaningful relationships and beautiful life flowing every day and night. Some of the story is predictable but in that good familiar way.

I enjoyed this read for its simple pleasure. I look forward to more from Ivey, and more from that lovely, vast land to our far north. Let me know what you think. 

Devil's Pass by Sigmund Brouwer

Devil's Pass: the title alone sounds intriguing, right? Incites mental images of mystery, being hunted (or being the hunter, adventure in the great outdoors, right? Or does it make you think Gary Paulson-ish work, given the cover shot? Welllllllll, you are kinda on the right track, but there is more here, much, much more.

Brouwer, a well-established Canadian author, launches  us into the book through the main character, a grisly teen who refuses to connect with people around him. "Webb" or "Webby" as his grandfather lovingly called him, is on a journey dictated by the man most important to him: his grandfather. After his grandfather dies, a mysterious meeting with all 7 male cousins ensues, and there Webb learns his mission. Brouwer keeps his readers in suspense the rest of the read, aptly teasing his reader with clues while also upping the ante of outcome. I love the cover of this edition of the book, I love the visual imagery my mind created while I read--both about who he was with and the amazing treks he took from Arizona to Canada, and I treasured the resilience of Webb. The underlying message his grandfather sent him was not lost on me at all, and I found myself, an adult female reader, wanting to journey more with this older teen male. I imagine this young man would have been a tricky blast to work with in the classroom. Devil's Pass was indeed a gold-star read for me: engaging, realistic, and visual.

Possibly more interesting, this book is actually part of a series of seven, all written by different authors. According to www.seventheseries.com website, "the stories take place at the same time during summer vacation." The seven boys all share the same grandfather and his will lays out the seven different tasks, one for each boy. Evidently the books stand alone individually but I think I will search the others out and see where they take me. Intriguing indeed....I am guessing there is a good story out there about how this series was dreamed up. Never fear: I am on the hunt for us! (Unless one of you know the inside scoop.)

The White Bicycle by Beverley Brenna

The final book in a series of three, The White Bicycle gives readers an tour inside the life and brain of a teen girl dealing with Asperger's Syndrome and that wickedly difficult transition of growing independent. Her diary entries over the summer. Taylor writes from France where she has taken a job for the summer. There in the lush offerings of the south of France, she discovers friendship and explores the possibility of what having brothers might be like. Without the usual "Dear Diary" entrances, we get an unobstructed view of life from Taylor's seat. We get a really clear (and sad) sighting of her mother and the challenges (and gifts) that her mother gives her throughout life. Taylor does some decent detective work over the summer, figuring out---wait a minute, I can't tell you: you are gonna read this book and don't want me to spoil it, do you?--all sorts of interesting details about her own power and possibility in life.

Author Brenna spent some serious time researching this baby. As I read, I appreciated the rich details she returns to repeatedly, mirroring what I know of the experiences of people who have at the least Asperger's. I loved the simplicity the author wrote the story with. Figuring out how to deal with a mother who is a pain in the butt and doesn't always tell the truth, finding how to develop independently, and discovering how to act responsibly is is not an easy set of actions. But The White Bicycle leads us on a rich ride of life....one that sounds very realistic indeed. And I love how the main character is a girl!!

I have a question though: how accurate is this portrayal? Readers, do you know?

The Silence of Our Friends by Mark Long and Jim Demonakos/ Illustrated by Nate Powell

I am a fringe reader of graphic novels. I am not too hip on superheros and comics beyond the few I check out a few in The Oregonian, and I don't like super-violent or super-sexy reads. However every now and then I read a superb graphic novel that I selfishly think was written for me. The Silence of Our Friends is one of those reads.

Like other books I have reviewed lately, The Silence of Our Friends is based on Long's experiences growing up during the civil rights movement, for him in Houston, Texas. Demonakos is a comic devotee to the nines and Powell has some serious artistic compliments in the form of awards sitting at his feet. The three of them take solid liberty in translating one small story of that supremely difficult time. A white newspaper reporter finds himself drawn to justice through a friendship and a wrongly-blamed group of college students. The title comes from that amazing man Martin Luther King Jr. whose voice lives on more than adequately in this graphic novel.

I really loved this book. I loved the storyline (always do---can't learn enough about that time through the voices of those that experienced it themselves in one way or another), the illustrations/graphics, and the weaving of the story. Another sweet one I encourage you to seek out!

The Deer Watch by Pat Lowery Collins

Nature and witnessing, deer and humans, watching and moving all circle through the gentle storyline of this picture book. Collins brings an adept hand to her framing of a father and son's explorations in the forest as they search to see deer. The author speaks of her own witnessing of how most wildlife has moved further into the woods near her house, and her book seeks to recapture the simple beauty of seeing wildlife in their natural home.

Father and son set out quietly one early morning, walking past their home, crews building with heavy machinery nearby, and the beginnings of the wilderness within walking distance of their home at the coast. Once at the openings of the forest, the boy must find how his own stillness welcomes the stilled movement of the animals just waiting for him to find silence to move. A sweet tale, realistic in our daily suburban lives, this book invites readers to return to the natural world and reflect on its lovely gifts of life. The story line is well supported by some lovely acrylic paintings that sing out to readers, further encouraging our turning to nature to find one more sampling of beauty in our world.