This vintage paperback is packed with the kind of fast-talking, absurd humor that doesn’t show up much anymore. Poor Cosmo Topper once again finds himself dragged into supernatural chaos thanks to the endlessly mischievous George and Marion Kerby. What follows is part ghost story, part screwball comedy, and part social satire, all wrapped together with Smith’s playful writing style. 

What I appreciated most is that the book does not turn Roxie’s family into a lecture. Her parents are capable, loving, funny, and real. Their blindness is part of the story, but it is not the whole story. That makes the book feel honest in a way young readers can understand. 

The Golden Book presentation adds a lot to the charm too. The illustrations have that warm nostalgic feel that instantly transports you back to childhood, even if you’ve never seen this exact edition before. It feels familiar in the best possible way.

The story follows a man returning to his childhood home in Prague, where he discovers three keys that unlock memories, history, and imagination all at once. It’s a layered, thoughtful story—but honestly, the artwork is what pulls you in and keeps you there.

I delighted in the theme of ‘do not grow up too fast’ and ‘be careful what you wish for.’  The final confrontation with the antagonist at the end felt rushed, but I loved some of the characters Mel meets along the way and the fantastical settings of some of the environments.

I felt that James Proimos had a genuinely fun time writing up the stories, and this is proof that there takes a particular skill to write a children’s graphic novel that carries on its humor, skill, and style that keeps all ages engaged.

The dynamics between humans and fae races are exciting, and seeing how one of the main characters, Cinder, tries to navigate his place between both worlds is.  It is an excellent allegory to those who struggle to find their family and, in the end, gives the reader permission to recognize that our family is who loves us and allows us to grow.

I stumbled upon this one in the library's adult section, among the other graphic novels that touch on adult themes.

This one is about how recently separated conjoined twins can continue their lives separate from each other.

Rafael’s art was reminiscent of some of the classic newspaper comic strips and had a warm and adventurous storyline.

It wasn’t until I was halfway through the story that I noticed that it was the second book in a series, but one does not have to read the first book, ‘Giants Beware’ to enjoy this book.

Over the vacation a couple of weeks ago, I read volume two of ‘The Graveyard Book’ which was the graphic novel adaptation of Neil Gaiman’s book of the same name. it was a very good second act to the story. The protagonist, Nobody is a little older than he was in volume 1 and has a much stronger curiosity about what lies outside the graveyard.

This past week I finally finished reading ‘Covid Chronicles’ comic anthology from Graphic Mundi. This is a whopping 270+ page book with 65 individual stories. This book serves both as a therapy for all of us who lived (and are living) through COVID and serves as a time capsule. Although the book was published less than 2 years ago, it is also good to see how far we have come with the science and understanding of COVID.

I really loved Mika’s illustration style and the simple and direct story is full of heart and is accessible for humans to read at any age.

The message of the book is universal: Fresh donuts taste better than burnt pancakes!

The main plot of this African Science Fiction story starts with four alien races splitting up the earth into their own territories. Parallels to colonialism are the message and allow the reader to be educated on our world history. The presumption of the colonizers being welcomed along with the clash of technologies allows for the beginnings of a compelling story.