LONG WAY DOWN: THE GRAPHIC NOVEL by Jason Reynolds & Danica Novgorodoff

 

Will knows the Rules: No Crying, No Snitching, and Get Revenge. When his brother is shot and killed, Will knows he should follow those Rules. He doesn't cry, he doesn't snitch (even though he knows who did it), and he grabs the gun from his brother's dresser drawer and vows revenge.

LONG WAY DOWN is the story of Will's elevator ride to revenge the death of his brother. Just seven floors down, but he is visited by the ghosts of significant friends and family members who were also shot and killed. Their words of wisdom will hopefully help Will know the right direction to take once he reaches the lobby.

Author Jason Reynolds's excellent novel in verse has been transformed into this amazing graphic novel. The drawings of Danica Novgorodoff add the perfect amount of visual detail to enhance an already powerful story. Get your hands on a copy ASAP.

DAMSEL by Elana K. Arnold

 

Prince Emory's quest begins after the death of his father, the king. Tradition dictates that the king-to-be must slay a dragon and rescue the damsel who will then become the wife of the new king. Emory travels to the dragon's lair, braving the treacherous journey and killing the monster. He rescues the beautiful maiden and carries her home. 

Upon waking, the damsel has no memories of her past, but that is to be expected. It is up to the prince to give her a name and return with her to the castle. Emory names the girl Ama. He is very pleased and so she shall be his bride.

Ama finds herself trying to adjust to a new life. With no memories of the past, she struggles to feel comfortable as the pampered soon-to-be queen. Something isn't quite right. She knows she must please the prince and the queen-mother and fit into this new role, but she longs to know more about the dragon and how she came to be his prisoner. 

Author Elana K. Arnold creates a fascinating fairy tale world in her award winning novel DAMSEL. Readers will rush to turn the pages as they follow Ama's story of rescue and royalty. It's easy to feel suspicion when it comes to Prince Emory and the life he insists Ama must now live. This reader is eager to read Arnold's latest offering, RED HOOD, which promises another fairy tale based adventure.

CLOSER TO NOWHERE by Ellen Hopkins

 

Hannah and Cal are cousins, but they have little in common until the day Cal moves in with Hannah and her parents. Their mothers were twins. Cal's mom died of cancer and his dad ended up in prison which resulted in Hannah's parents becoming his guardians. Hannah's normally quiet, orderly home became a much louder and messy place with the addition of cousin Cal.

Cal is prone to meltdowns and nightmares that throw everything into a tizzy for Hannah and her parents. There are constant arguments about Cal and the best way to discipline him. He gets in trouble at school and tells exaggerated stories that he thinks are entertaining but are actually big fat lies. When things get to be too much, he takes off leaving everyone to worry and fret until he decides to show up usually by evening or mealtime.

Hannah can't imagine what it would be to like to lose her mother, but she's getting really tired of dealing with Cal. He has to go everywhere with them because he can't be trusted to stay alone. He's ruined more than one family activity and caused Hannah to lose a chance to advance levels during her gymnastic competition. Things get even worse when news arrives that Cal's father has been released from prison at the same time Hannah's parents announce they'll be living separately for awhile.

Well-known author Ellen Hopkins has used her amazing talent to create this middle grade novel in verse. Inspired by her experiences raising her grandson, she gives readers a peek into living with a troubled child who's been dealt a raw deal. Both Cal and Hannah are realistic characters readers will immediately come to know and relate to as they navigate huge changes in their living circumstances. CLOSER TO NOWHERE will be popular with Hopkins's fans and no doubt earn her many new followers.

THE ASSIGNMENT by Liza Wiemer

 

Logan March is looking forward to her class with one of her favorite teachers. Mr. Bartley usually challenges his students to think for themselves and open their minds to different opinions. When Logan and her best friend Cade Crawford enter the new class, they are shocked to hear about their first assignment.

Mr. Bartley wants his students to debate the issue of the Wannsee Conference that supported the idea of ethnic cleansing during WW II. Half the class will be debating their support of the Nazi point of view. Logan and Cade find this to be deplorable. How can Mr. Bartley expect students to take the side of the Nazi regime and defend their rights to exterminate millions of Jews and others they deemed less than superior. 

Logan and Cade speak up and express their feelings that the assignment is immoral, but their protests fall on deaf ears. They take their concerns to the principal who defends Mr. Bartley's assignment and insists they must follow directions. Driven by their disgust toward the assignment, Logan and Cade develop an alternative assignment that they present to the administration, and they are finally given permission to be excused from the debate.

Not everyone feels the same as Logan and Cade, and the result is vandals defacing their lockers, posting hateful comments on social media, and even spray painting hate speech on Cade's family home. The media becomes involved which shines an unwanted spotlight on the school and community. The protest for the assignment even begins to effect Cade's family's business. Can the two successfully make their point and shut down the assignment? Will anything be accomplished or learned from having the debate or will it just rip the school and town farther apart?

THE ASSIGNMENT by Liza Wiemer is inspired by another book titled THE WAVE by Todd Strasser and a real life classroom situation. Readers will experience firsthand how hate can divide and disrupt as they witness Logan and Cade fight for what they believe is right.

FLAMER by Mike Curato

 

Aiden Navarro is hoping the summer passes slowly because at the other end he will be entering high school which has him dreading continued attacks by bullies and few friends. He is at a kind of crossroads in many ways. First, going from a Catholic school education into a public school setting means he might have a chance to start fresh but most likely not. He is pretty sure he doesn't like girls with the exception of Violet, his pen pal, but he's also sure he hates boys since they are mean and disgusting. It would be nice to have some answers but so far he hasn't found any.

Maybe a week at scout camp will help Aiden relax and forget what is in his future. He has always liked Boy Scout activities. He enjoys tent camping and canoeing. He knows how to gather wood and build a decent fire. This summer he learns that archery sounds pretty cool, but he sucks at it. He also knows it's a guarantee that he'll have to deal with bullies and being called a faggot, but that seems to go with the territory.

One positive is meeting Elias his tent mate. They become fast friends. Elias gives good advice, even in archery, and he stands up for Aiden with some of the bullies. The downside is Aiden might just like Elias a little too much. Some vivid dreams have him wondering just exactly where their relationship could go.

Author and illustrator Mike Curato patterns this well done graphic novel on his own personal history. He recalls how difficult it was to come to terms with being gay as a young teen, and he pours his experience out on the pages. Readers of all sexual preferences will find something to relate to in this story of self-discovery and growth.

DEEPFAKE by Sarah Darer Littman

 

Will and Dara are seniors. They have known each other for years, and now they are in competition for valedictorian. Both of them have recently received the news that they have been accepted to their first choice colleges. Will's made it into Stanford, and Dara's all set to attend her dream school, John Hopkins. They are now able to sit back and relax as they watch the rest of their friends wait for news of their own college choices.

 

Over the summer Will and Dara hooked up while working at a summer camp. Each agreed that keeping their romantic relationship is best so no one can say there was unfair influence in the close contest for valedictorian. Besides, Will's best friend MJ is also in the running for the top spot.

Their worlds are threatened with collapse when a video surfaces on a school gossip site. In the video Dara clearly claims Will paid someone to cheat on the SAT. Their newly revealed relationship is facing collapse, and Will's SAT scores are now under investigation. His place at Stanford may be in jeopardy as well. Dara insists she never said such a thing let alone made a video making the accusation.

In alternating voices and plenty of flashback scenes, author Sarah Darer Littman details Will and Dara's attempts to find out who made the damning video and who posted it on Rumor Has It. Littman deftly reveals the all-to-easy method of creating deepfake internet content and illustrates how damaging it can be. Readers will be immediately caught up in the competitive college acceptance fever and the effects of gossip on the relationships of high school life. Littman is also the author of BACKLASH, WANT TO GO PRIVATE?, ANYTHING BUT OKAY, and more.

BENBEE AND THE TEACHER GRIEFER by K.A. Holt

 

If you haven't read a book by author K.A. Holt, here's a great place to start. Her novels in verse have well-developed story lines and unique characters that make them fast-paced reads that are sure to touch the hearts of every reader. I haven't met a book of Holt's I haven't thoroughly enjoyed.

BENBEE AND THE TEACHER GRIEFER is about a small group of Florida summer school students hoping to pass their retakes of the FART. Well, everyone calls it the FART, but it's actually the Florida Rigorous Academic Assessment Test - FRAAT. Ben, Benita, Jordan, and Javier are all taking remedial reading summer school with Ms. J. to brush up on the skills they need to earn a passing score required on the test.

The tiny class is meeting in a room #113 which is really just a few desks crammed under the stairs at the end of a hall. Ms. J. quickly discovers that her students would much rather be playing a video game called Sandbox rather than reading aloud from a book she chose for the summer session. As a teacher willing to recognize what she labels as "divergent" students, she asks Benita to stay late one afternoon to help her choose a better book in the school library. Benita, or BenY as she prefers, selects a book called SAVE UR SERVER, SAVE UR SELF, a book about strategies for the Sandbox video game.

It takes some convincing, but Ms. J. agrees to let them read the book. They also agree to another deal which is that if they read aloud for 10 minutes each day in class, Ms. J. will play Sandbox with them for 10 minutes IN CLASS. The four students can't believe their teacher is actually willing to play a video game and at school to boot. 

As the summer passes, Ms. J. and her students learn about trust, friendship, and how being divergent is not a bad thing. As each student's unique story is revealed, readers will see them gain understanding of just what it means to help each other through the tough times. They even join forces to help Ms. J. in her time of need. Overall, a perfectly divergent tale.