Usually I write round ups for picture books, but when I recently found three graphic novels for the mostly aged eight and up, I had trouble writing fleshed out reviews, as they were simple, but not simplistic. And though a lot is going on, I was thinking a book report would not work. Therefore, I combined them for a quick list of IF YOU NEED A READ, COME AND TRY THESE list.
Ghoster Heights by Corey Lansdell, Corey Landsell, Kelly Mellings, Becca Carey, and Rebecca Taylor
has all those wonderful people as the authors, illustrators, editors, colorists, letterers (and more). They created this sweet and funny story about the specters that we let out into the world which haunt us. These feelings, thoughts and issues range from kid to adult issues and sometimes even overlap (dealing with money issues, wanting your father to be proud of you, being yourself, dealing with bullies). The specters are not real spooks or ghosts, but those emotions and vibes we send out into the world. And our young heroine is the only one in her apartment building that can see them. On top of dealing with those images, it is also a sweet and interesting family story about how you can make a family even with the people you are not biologically related to. Yet, it is also a surface story that is strong (making friends and a ghost who has a very special message for our narrator). And all I can say about the art is that they are colorful, simple, bubbly illustrations and they are nice and fun.
And then we have Heart Takes the Stage: A Heart of the City Collection (Volume 1) by Steenz. This is the graphic novel Drama meets Diary of a Wimpy Kid with something else that I can’t put my finger on. The comic strip feeling allows each story to be its own arc, but they also connect in the long run. Sometimes the flow is a smidgen off, but you are able to piece things together. Some of the humor is not for everyone, such as the Star Trek fans’ love of Wiliam Shatner and the joke about the single mom makes this maybe not for all ages. There is one contemporary event that is handled very interestingly (one girl tries to come out) but only one other character picks up on it, and it is not the main character, Heart (who is probably the worst friend/person I have read about in awhile). And that’s the rub. The character of Heart is really not a nice person and I am not sure why the other characters like her/are her friends. This did not work for me, but I think most kids might get a kick out of it.
An interesting mystery, friendship troubles and maybe even a smidgen of a neurodivergence character present in the story came in the form of Mason Mooney: Paranormal Investigator by Seaerra Miller. Quirky, colorful, busy detailed illustrations support this modern Sherlock Holmes attitude story. Having read via an online reader copy I am not sure how the final look is, as it was set up a bit awkwardly for screen reading, but I enjoyed it once I was able to get the flow. Overall, this is a clever and fun way of having people learn that just because you cried over the “real” ghost hunters autobiography of how at age 16 he overcame his pimple, and he and his friends have a TV show, that does not mean they are going to be helpful with ghost hunting. Or anything really, besides complaining about their lighting. And it is about how Mason learns that being friends might not be easy, and is messy, but might be more important than fame and fortune (maybe). There are “tense” moments (the real ghosts are a bit “spooky”) but overall there is a sense of lightness and humor. I was pleasantly surprised at how fun it was.
