step-family

Dogs slobber! They smell! They POOP! And they bark!

Dog Trouble by Kristin Varner

November 6, 2024 by BlackRaven Leave a Comment

Dog Trouble by Kristin Varner came up in my older online reader copies. I was at first not thinking I would read as I am a cat, not dog person, and the cover made me think I knew what was going to happen (a lot of chasing rowdy dogs that really aren’t cute but annoying and a kid who doesn’t “get” the seriousness of things). But it was more than that. At first things felt like “all the other books” about separated and/or divorced families […]

Cooking and a Big Mix-Up

Summer Vamp (A Graphic Novel) by Violet Chan Karim

August 2, 2024 by BlackRaven Leave a Comment

Summer Vamp (A Graphic Novel) by Violet Chan Karim is a fun book. It is not an OMG BEST EVER book, but fun. I enjoyed reading it. As an adult, I am not the intended reader, but I can see where kids will love the vampire angle and the ideas of “coming of age” in a silly and relatable way. And at the same time it is a “grandparent book” or “This is a nice book with nothing really bad happening so the grandparent will […]

Modern nostalgia

Bunnicula: The Graphic Novel by James Howe

Wait Till Helen Comes Graphic Novel by Mary Downing Hahn

July 11, 2022 by BlackRaven 2 Comments

My 1980’s childhood called and wants its books back. Or at least, it wants to share with you two treasured favorites of mine now in a graphic novel format. Bunnicula and Wait Till Helen Comes are two books I still recommend today. They are “safe” for a younger reader, but still have the edge of a modern reader. Bunnicula: The Graphic Novel by James Howe, Andrew Donkin, and illustrations by Stephen Gilpin is what you loved as a kid now in a graphic novel format. […]

Publisher review says: “Perfect for fans of American Born Chinese and Hey, Kiddo” and I agree.

Almost American Girl: An Illustrated Memoir by Robin Ha

October 7, 2019 by BlackRaven Leave a Comment

Almost American Girl: An Illustrated Memoir by Robin Ha is a lovely memoir of becoming not just Korean or not just becoming American but becoming both at the same time and through that, finding yourself. This graphic novel reads as a fiction story, though based on Ha’s life. What was supposed to be a vacation to Alabama to visit a friend of her mothers, turns into a permanent situation. Ha’s mother has decided that marriage to this friend is the right choice for them. Even […]

Emmalita
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Maximoff
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Maximoff
on “For a quart of ale is a dish for a king”- William Shakespeare
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