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Category Archives: Manga

Six sensational stories of friendship

30 Jun

It’s fitting to end this week of posts with books that feature a friendship. We all need friends in this world and these are some of my favorites.

  1. Hilo series by Judd Winick: When an alien kids come down to earth, friends rally around Hilo and welcome him into their circle.
  2. Laid Back Camp manga series by Afro: Camping buddies.
  3. Heavy Vinyl comic series by Carly Usdin illustrated by Nina Vakueva: Girl power friendship set among the backdrop of a 90s record store but they have a secret about what else they do.
  4. A Place at the Table by Saadia Faruqi and Laura Shovan: Differences become shared experiences.
  5. Cornbread & Poppy series by Matthew Cordell: Opposites attract.
  6. Simon Sort of Says by Erin Bow: Friends are there when you need them the most, especially for comic relief.

My wish is that you enjoyed the collection of lists over the past month to find and use in your own classrooms, libraries, personal collections, and TBR piles. Happy summer!

 
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Posted by on June 30, 2024 in Audiobooks, Authors, Childrens, Comics, Fiction, Graphic novels, Illustrators, Manga, Middle grade, Verse, Young Adult

 

Six sensational books related to beauty standards

24 Jun

There can be multiple list or a super long list of books featuring conversations about beauty standards whether it deals with eating disorders, disability, fashion/style, or body positivity, however here are six that stick out to me.

  1. Hungry Ghost by Victoria Ying: Mom’s focus on body and a tragedy lead Valerie down the path of an eating disorder.
  2. Lu by Jason Reynolds: Born with albinism, Lu is the co-captain of his track team and helping other makes things right as the stellar main character in the four part series of Reynolds’.
  3. Boys Run the Riot by Keito Gaku: The transgender character finds refuge in fashion.
  4. The Skin I’m In by Sharon Flake: This classic in which a student and her teacher bond over conversations of self esteem related to colorism.
  5. A Face for Picasso by Ariel Henley: Henley details the quest to “normalize” her face having been born with Crouzon Syndrome and always comparing herself to her twin.
  6. North of Beautiful by Justina Chen Headley: Born with a port wine stain, the quest to cover it rather than accept it is Terra’s journey of self acceptance in this YA title.
 
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Posted by on June 24, 2024 in Fiction, Graphic novels, Illustrators, Manga, Middle grade, Nonfiction, Young Adult

 

Six sensational stories with witches

20 Jun

It might not be spooky season, but that’s okay because a book with witches is immemorial!

  1. A Break with Charity by Ann Rinaldi: I devoured every book Rinaldi wrote when I was a tween and this was one of my favorites.
  2. Witch Hat Atelier by Kamome Shirahama: I own the entire series and the spinoff Witch Hat Kitchen because the atelier of little witch girls is the sweetest.
  3. The Witch of Blackbird Pond by Elizabeth George Speare: A contemporary classic about the dangers of assumptions.
  4. The Witches by Roald Dahl: Whether in original format or the movie version which is unforgettable, I’m glad to have reread Dahl’s book to remember reading it as a child and being scared out of my mind!
  5. Garlic and the Witch by Bree Paulsen: This and its sequel featuring vegetables as characters and a mansion on the hill will delight all readers.
  6. The Okay Witch by Emma Steinkellner: If ever I’ve wanted a wardrobe, it’s hers.
 
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Posted by on June 20, 2024 in Authors, Childrens, Fiction, Graphic novels, Illustrators, Manga, Middle grade, Young Adult

 

Six sensational manga series

18 Jun

Reading a first volume of a manga series is make or break for me. I’ll know by the end whether I’d want to invest more time in the rest of the series and they typically hold strong if the storyline, characters, or setting (or all three!) are compelling. Here are some of my favorites:

  1. The Girl from the Other Side by Nagabe: A unique relationship between a fantastical creature “from the other side” that the girl calls Teacher.
  2. Blue Box by Kouji Miura: A sweet sports romance.
  3. The Way of the House Husband by Kousuke Dono: It can’t get more humorous than a reformed gangster taking care of his wife and the household.
  4. Cells at Work by Akane Shimizu: I wouldn’t want to learn about the human body any other way.
  5. Spy X Family by Tatsuya Endo: A spy, an assassin, a telepath, and a dog with premonitions create a found family for a mission without knowing each others’ true identities.
  6. Witch Hat Atelier by Kamome Shirahama: A magical adventure, a delightful protagonist in Coco, and an atelier that trains witches in sigils and glyphs.
 
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Posted by on June 18, 2024 in Manga, Middle grade, Young Adult

 

Six sensational books about dads

16 Jun

It’s Father’s Day here in the United States, so it’s natural to highlight stories featuring dad’s prominently– the good, the bad, and anything in between.

  1. Brownstone by Samuel Teer and Mar Julia: A dad wanting to teach and get to know a daughter who he hasn’t raised but wants to reconnect starting over a summer while fixing up a brownstone.
  2. The Fire, the Water, and Maudie McGinn by Sally J. Pla: A dad who doesn’t see his daughter’s autism as a hindrance for her personal growth.
  3. My Brother’s Husband by Gengoroh Tagame: Single dads raising daughters and gay culture in Japan.
  4. Spy X Family by Tatsuya Edno: How do you be your spy self, find a wife, and adopt a girl all in the name of a work assignment?
  5. Peak by Roland Smith: Pushing his son to the limits of mountaineering but maybe he has different ambitions.
  6. Hair Love by Matthew A. Cherry illustrated by Vashti Harrison: It takes all types of hair to be a dad and help a daughter with hers.
 
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Posted by on June 16, 2024 in Childrens, Fiction, Graphic novels, Manga, Middle grade, Young Adult

 

Six sensational school stories

15 Jun

With school coming to a close for us in New York State, I’m dedicating today’s post to six sensational stories that rely on school as a primary backdrop for the story. This doesn’t include the boarding school stories typically providing the vibe for dark academia books which will come in a future post.

  1. Assassination Classroom by Yusei Matsui: A classroom of students whose quest it is to try to surprise and kill their alien octopus teachers before he destroys the world… good luck.
  2. The Superteacher Project by Gordon Korman: How many of your teachers do you think might have been robots??!?!
  3. The Pregnancy Project by Gabby Rodriguez with Jenna Glatzer: A memoir of a girl who faked a pregnancy in her senior year of high school to capture the attitudes of teen pregnancy provides a mirror for us all.
  4. Schooled by Gordon Korman: How does a kid go from homeschool to middle school and not make a few mistakes?
  5. Invisible by Christina Diaz Gonzalez and Gabriella Espstein: The racism the students experienced being put together in the cafeteria for a service project bonds them in more ways than one.
  6. Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson: Ostracized after Melinda called the cops at a summer party, it’s making her first year of high school miserable, especially when she has to see HIM; luckily her art teacher is helping her lean into her pain.
 
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Posted by on June 15, 2024 in Fiction, Graphic novels, Manga, Middle grade, Nonfiction, Young Adult

 

Six sensational books with dog companions

09 Jun

Dogs are the best. As mentioned in a previous post about books with animal companions, I promised I’d do a post specifically about dog companions because dogs are the best.

Pictured here is Baxter, our American Great Dane rescue who we’ve had for a little less than a year. Have I said it already? Dogs are the best.

Here are some favorites with dog companions.

  1. Spy X Family series by Tatsuya Endo: Bond was originally trained by a secret group as a weapon of mass destruction, now he’s the fourth family member with a special skill.
  2. Doomsday With My Dog series by Yu Ishihara: Haru keeps a girl company waxing philosophical about life at the end of time.
  3. Alone by Megan E. Freeman: George helps Maddie survive after being left behind.
  4. A Soft Place to Land by Janae Marks: Tank is Joy’s dog walking side hustle and neighborhood boop, bringing her comfort during hard times.
  5. And Then, Boom! by Lisa Fipps: Lucky, Lucky Dawg, and Lucky Duck beg the question– who rescued who as readers immerse themselves in Joe’s world. This book will gets its own blog post, but the dogs certainly fill a void after the death of Joe’s grandma.
  6. Something Like Home by Andrea Beatriz Arango: Sparrow is a dog learning to provide therapy which is exactly what Laura needs after her traumatic experience.
 
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Posted by on June 9, 2024 in Audiobooks, Authors, Fiction, Illustrators, Manga, Middle grade, Verse, Young Adult

 

Six sensational gaming stories

05 Jun

Between eSports and gaming as a hobby, video games are everywhere, so there are of course major plots of books for teens centered around it. Here are my favorites.

  1. Game Over: Rise of the Raid Mob by M. J. Sullivan: The first in a series, though I’ve only read the first so far. The integrated content is what got me hooked.
  2. Cat + Gamer by Wataru Nadatani: A twenty-something girl who games and a cat. It’s the most delightful manga.
  3. Slay by Britney Morris: I think this book was so well-plotted AND includes so much to talk about featuring Black girls in gaming.
  4. Bunker 10 by J. A. Henderson: This is one that doesn’t get as much love because it came out a while ago, but the teen geniuses holed up in a bunker with an *explosive* ending has the makings of an epic story.
  5. Ready Player One by Ernest Cline: Instant classic.
  6. Warcross by Marie Lu: A snarky, competent, do-it-yourself girl in Emika Chen and a massive empire collide.

 
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Posted by on June 5, 2024 in Fiction, Manga, Middle grade, Young Adult

 

Teen sports books

11 Feb

With the one of the biggest nights in sports happening tonight, I wanted to highlight twelve teen sports books from the more nontraditional sports rather than the mainstream ones with an inspirational one-liner.

  • No Barriers: A Blind Man’s Journey to Kayak the Grand Canyon (Young Adult Adaptation) by Erik Weihenmayer and Buddy Levy about kayaking
    • There’s nothing you can’t do if you set your mind to it.
  • Life In Motion (Young Readers Edition) by Misty Copeland about ballet
    • Dance like you mean it.
  • Proud: Living My American Dream (Young Readers Edition) by Ibtihaj Muhammad about fencing
    • En garde!
  • Exit, Pursued by a Bear by E.K. Johnston about cheerleading
    • You’re stronger than you appear.
  • Press Play by Eric Devine about lacrosse (and football)
    • Don’t let the bad people win.
  • Leverage by Joshua Cohen about male gymnastics (and football)
    • Stand up when it matters.
  • Hockey Girl Loves Drama Boy by Faith Erin Hicks about girls hockey
    • Be who you are.
  • Blue Box by Kouji Miura about badminton (and basketball)
    • All’s fair in love and sports.
  • One Good Punch by Rich Wallace about boxing
    • If you get knocked down, get back up again.
  • The Fire, The Water, and Maudie McGinn about surfing
    • You have to start somewhere.
  • Peak by Roland Smith about rock climbing/mountain climbing
    • It’s in your blood.
  • Swim the Fly by Don Calame about swimming
    • Surround yourself with people who support you and make you laugh.
 
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Posted by on February 11, 2024 in Fiction, Graphic novels, Manga, Nonfiction, Young Adult

 

This week

30 Dec

I love the week between Christmas and New Year not only because I have it off since I work in education, but because I get to read because it’s vacation. Plenty of audiobook listening when cleaning and organizing plus plenty of tea sipping print book time. So when I saw a blogger @epiblogue’s Instagram post:

I felt seen. It’s a fun series of ladies lounging and reading their books. This one was my favorite and yes, this is exactly what “that week between Christmas & NYE” looks like for me minus the extra thick frock and fan, however I do have a chaise and a book. Endless books. This week has included Duel by the Bagleys, Tremors in the Blood: Murder, Obsession, and the Birth of the Lie Detector by Katwala, Ruptured by Rossmassler Fritz, Mascot by Waters and Sorrel, Crazy Food Truck by Ogaki, All the Fighting Parts by Sawyerr, Home Made: A Story of Grief, Groceries, Showing Up- and What We Make When We Make Dinner by Hauck, New Year’s Kiss by Matthews, The Shadow Prince by Durham, and 100 Unforgettable Dresses by Rubenstein.

 
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Posted by on December 30, 2023 in Adult, Audiobooks, Authors, Fiction, Manga, Middle grade, Nonfiction, Verse, Young Adult

 
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