Month: November 2021

Scout Is Not a Band Kid by Jade Armstrong

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Genre: Graphic Novel / Music / Middle School
Pages: 246 pages
Published Date: April 5, 2022
Publisher: Random House Children’s, Random House Graphic
Series: None
Rating: 4 out of 5 
Age: 8 – 12 

DISCLAIMER:  I received an advance copy of Scout is Not a Band Kid from the publisher through NetGalley for the purposes of writing an honest review.

Scout will do anything to see her favorite author, Pristine Wong, at Almontefest. Pristine Wong is doing an exclusive autograph signing at the event, and Scout wants to meet her before Wong retires or, worse, dies. The problem is that her father thinks the trip would be too far away for someone her age to travel to meet an author. So she needs a plan. That plan is to join the Holy Moly Grades Seven Eight Band since they will be going to the same place for a competition. What could go wrong?

Well, first, Scout knows nothing about playing an instrument, and she can’t even read music. She also has some old friends that don’t seem to support her in her quest to meet her favorite author. How could they, since Scout keeps this part of her life to herself because she knows they will make fun of her.

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After the Spring by Hélène Aldeguer

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Genre: Graphic Novel, Political
Pages: 136 pages
Published Date: November 19, 2019
Publisher: ‎ IDW Publishing; Illustrated edition
Series: None
Rating: 2.5 out of 5

This book is the story of four young Tunisians (Saif, Aziz, Meriem, and Chayma) after the events of the Arab Spring, which took place in 2011. Two years after the “Jasmine Revolution,” Tunisia is unstable and facing economic hardship – taken from the back cover. As the situation becomes more severe and calls to activism in the streets

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Across a Field of Starlight by Blue Delliquanti

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Genre: LGTQIA+ / Graphic Novel / SCI-FI
Pages: 352 pages
Published Date: February 8, 2022
Publisher: Random House Graphic
Series: None
Rating: 4.7 out of 5

DISCLAIMER:  I received an advance copy of Across a Field of Starlight from the publisher through NetGalley for the purposes of writing an honest review.

Across a Field of Starlight is a face-paced, science fiction graphic novel with two non-binary characters at the center, Fassen and Lu. When they were younger, they met after Fassen’s ship crash-landed on a planet that Lu (and others from their community) were exploring. Although it was forbidden to talk with each other – Lu lives in a passive society, and Fassen fights against the Empire – they became fast friends.

Fassen wanted to get back to their people to help fight, but they were from a different solar system, and if Fassen left, they would never see each other again. From a crashed ship, Fassen found parts they needed to contact their word, and Lu figured out a way they could stay in touch as they grew up. But their communications needed to remain a secret, or the Empire would find Lu’s home and take it over as it has done with so many others.

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