CJ feels the rain, and plaintively asks his nana, "'How come we gotta wait for the bus in all this wet?’" Doesn't help that CJ's friend happens to drive right by with his dad in their own car. But never, ever underestimate Nana's wisdom because she knows exactly...
After yesterday's SuperMutant Magic Academy, here's a Jillian Tamaki bonus for non-kiddie readers. It's lucky #7 in rebel San Francisco-based publisher Youth in Decline’s Frontier, "a quarterly art and comics monograph series," as described on the company's website. "Inspired in part by South Korea's SSE Project...
Canadian Japanese cousins Mariko Tamaki and Jillian Tamaki have become quite the award-winning dynamic duo in the graphic industry with their bestselling collaborations, Skim (four Eisner nominations) and This One Summer (a 2015 Caldecott Honor). Both titles have been intensely honest, openly revealing, as well as uniquely engaging examinations...
Found in Translation For a nation of immigrants, our literary preferences surely seem to lean toward xenophobic. Among American presses, translated titles make up a mere 3% of published titles. The statistics aren’t too different in the United Kingdom: “Some call it the two percent problem,...
Daughters of the Samurai profiles three remarkable women who influenced modern Japanese history Set aside ample time: You won’t welcome intrusions while reading this unprecedented, true story featuring young Japanese girls who arrived stateside without language or cultural training, and matured into three of the most...
Olympian Bruce Jenner's April 24, 2015 interview with Diane Sawyer will likely be remembered as one of those critical moments for the LGBTQ community, especially those who identify as transgender. While every human being should be equally valued, Jenner's hugely public persona will create a more focused spotlight on...
Hungry? Stop and get something to quell those belly rumbles. Save yourself the slobber before reading! And, in case you didn't notice, we're starting here with volume 6 ...
In case you've missed the recent headlines, Cuba has been in the news a lot: "We are separated by 90 miles of water, but are brought together through shared relationships and the desire to promote a democratic, prosperous, and stable Cuba," a recent official White...
In Latin, Deo gratias, means 'thanks be to God.' And yet in Belgian graphic artist/author J.P. Stassen’s arresting title of the same name, gratitude and God have all but disappeared. The titular Deogratias here was once a teenage boy – mischievous, a little desperate, in love with...
By age 4, Liz Prince knew something important about herself: she could be "totally happy as long as [she] didn't have to wear a dress." Before you pass any judgments, Prince explains at age 31, "I look like a total tantrum-throwing brat, which I wasn't...
Việt Thanh Nguyễn – Associate Professor at USC in English and American Studies – has a 25-page CV online that highlights countless publications, including articles, essays, book chapters, reviews, blog posts, commentaries, short stories, and more. His accomplishments are numerous: citations, awards, fellowships, etc. All...
April is National Poetry Month: do you know where your verses are? If you're looking for entertaining true love set to 5/7/5 syllabic meter, you won't do better than this adorable twosome...
"I WISH YOU WOULD BOTH JUST DISAPPEAR!!!" What child hasn't at least thought that about their parents at some point?! If you're half-witch, and half-human, and you actually voice such words really loudly on your 10th birthday – cake candles and all – you just...
In real life, Linda Lavin (known to a certain generation as TV's Alice, also known to others for her almost-half-century of on-stage success) isn't quite as old as the titular Boston Girl, but she absolutely epitomizes the ideal narrator here. The year is 1985, and...
After four novels, four poetry collections, editing an anthology (and multiple awards), Eric Gansworth – who is also a playwright and visual artist – takes on young adult fiction for his 10th title. His 7th-grade hero, Lewis Blake, calls the Tuscarora Reservation in upstate New...
Both my kids regularly refer to me as 'the crazy cat lady.' When Eldest gets especially annoyed, I get shooed off with advice to conduct feline conversations instead. So imagine my delight in discovering a shared obsession with Canadian Korean cartoonist Seo Kim! Currently Los Angeles-domiciled and...
Here's a narrative I haven't seen often: a not-yet-an-immigration story. Young Aref has one more week left to spend in his idyllic home in Muscat, the capital city of his native Oman. In too-few days, he and his mother will fly to the other side of the...
As the story begins, the titular 'I' is dead. That's actually not a spoiler – "The day after Meg died ...
Juna and Hector are best friends as well as apartment neighbors. They share regular "kimchi jar adventures," filling the large, clear jar with "colorful rocks and small bugs." One day, Hector is no longer with his grandmother downstairs; while Juna was out, Hector left to...
So when's the last time you took screen shots of book pages and sent them to friends and family because you wanted to guffaw in virtual company? Once upon a time, my middle brother and I would have long lasting giggle-fests triggered by what might not have been...
