LS5603: Fantasy 3—“The Arrival" By Shaun Tan

1.     BIBLIOGRAPHY

Tan, Shaun. The Arrival. New York: Scholastic Inc., 2006. ISBN 978-0-439-89529-3

2.     PLOT SUMMARY
This wordless graphic novel follows an immigrant traveling from one fantastical land to another (albeit one that seems less dangerous). He arrives alone, leaving his family in his country. He searches for work and meets people that help him in his new life.

3.     CRITICAL ANALYSIS characters, plot, setting, theme, style, authenticity

            Although people say that a picture is worth a thousand words, it can be difficult to establish a character’s personality or explain their motives with no words at all, especially in a way that moves a story along, but this poses no problem to Shaun Tan, who introduces characters with personality and clear actions throughout the book, many complete with backstory.

            The setting is very fantastical, with otherworldly creatures and sights. All the writing is in a script that is not an alphabet on Earth, which neither the main character nor the reader can read, which helps immerse the reader in how the character feels. The whole book is done in either sepia tone or black and white (for flashbacks) which makes it feel like one is going through an old photo album.  

4.     REVIEW EXCERPT(S)

·         From School Library Journal: "  Young readers will be fascinated by the strange new world the artist creates, complete with floating elevators and unusual creatures, but may not realize the depth of meaning or understand what the man's journey symbolizes. More sophisticated readers, however, will grasp the sense of strangeness and find themselves participating in the man's experiences. They will linger over the details in the beautiful sepia pictures and will likely pick up the book to pore over it again and again."

·         From Booklist: " Soft brushstrokes and grand Art Deco–style architecture evoke a time long ago, but the story's immediacy and fantasy elements will appeal even to readers younger than the target audience, though they may miss many of the complexities. Filled with subtlety and grandeur, the book is a unique work that not only fulfills but also expands the potential of its form."

5.     CONNECTIONS

Other graphic novels by Shaun Tan:

Tales From Outer Suburbia ISBN 978-0545055871

Rules of Summer ISBN 978-0545639125

Lost and Found ISBN 978-0545229241

Other graphic novels that are somewhat fantastical in nature and are not what one would expect

Flight, volumes 1-8, (various artists and authors--anthology) volume 1 ISBN: 978-0345496362

Explorer: The Mystery Boxes edited by Kazu Kibuishi (anthology) ISBN 978-1419700095

The Last Dragon by Jane Yolen ISBN 978-1595827982

  

Activity: 24 Hour Comic Book Day

Once a year, the comic community holds a “24 hour comic book day,” a challenge similar to NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month). NaNoWriMo is a challenge to write a novel in a month; 24 Hour Comic Book Day is a challenge to write a 24 page comic in 24 hours. Many comic book stores sponsor the day and a place for artists and writers to stay for 24 hours while they work on creations. While this might not be feasible for a school or library, a similar challenge can be put out to groups of students; to create their own comic. Comics like The Arrival or the short story comics of Flight are great introductions for students to show that there are more varieties of comics than just Batman and Calvin and Hobbes  and can encourage new ideas. The official page for 24 Hour Comic Book Day is http://www.24hourcomicsday.com/

LS5603: Fantasy 2—“The Scorpio Races" By Maggie Stiefvater

1.     BIBLIOGRAPHY
Stiefvater, Maggie. The Scorpio Races. New York: Scholastic Inc., 2013. ISBN 978-0545224918

2.     PLOT SUMMARY
            On the island of Thisby, once a year, there is a race with capaill uisce, carnivorous water horses, a deadly race where all compete for the esteem and prize of winning. There are two main characters—Sean, a young man who owns nothing but has a gift with the water horses and has won three races prior to this one, and Puck Connolly, a girl who has never even watched the races but enters to keep her family together. The story follows their lives over the month of November, when capaill uisce are taken from the sea and trained for the race, and how the water horses profoundly affect the path both their lives are on.

3.     CRITICAL ANALYSIS characters, plot, setting, theme, style, authenticity

            The characters are somewhat uninspired but they have distinct personalities. Puck, like many girls in YA fiction, is deeply stubborn, gets angry and defensive about things she’s passionate about (like her family when under fire), is pretty—but not in a way that most people notice, and not particularly to herself--, has a connection with horses, and garners the main male protagonists attention through no real effort on her part. She also has a problem with authority figures, which is basically a trope in YA fiction. There is nothing wrong with any of these personality traits, other than they make Puck interchangeable with so many other YA heroines. On the bright side, she will no doubt be someone teen girls can empathize with. Sean is talk, dark, brooding, and handsome, and does everything a male counterpart should do. He is deeply mysterious, and loves horses. His world revolves around horses.

            The plot is straightforward—horses need to be trained, and there are difficulties. Problems in Puck’s family intensifies the situation. As long as one doesn’t think too much about what is going on, like why don’t people have better fences after hundreds of years of capaill uisce attacks during two months of the year, especially when they kill off people in the night, is a question left unanswered. It really seems like Thisby needs more engineers and not horse riders. It is, I suppose, a nice enough story, and a light read. While the danger aspect is kept up throughout the entire book and makes for an intense read, there aren’t any deep prevailing themes that will make the reader think once the book is put down. Not that all books need to be thinking books, but this book has been set next to The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins, I expected a little more substance, when in reality it seems closer to Twilight by Stephanie Meyer. A romance with horses.

            This fantastical book will certainly appeal to those who love animals, particularly horses. It seems to skew towards a female demographic for readers, though male readers would also enjoy the danger and the thoughts of stoic Sean. It seems like a slightly more grown-up horse book compared to the ones meant for children. If horses do not hold that mystical sway over the reader to begin with that they seem to for so many girls, it might not be the best read.

It was well-written, and Stiefvater does an excellent job of world-building for the water-horse mythos, something that is not common enough for readers to understand without a lot of exposition, yet she does it in a way that feels effortless and is engaging to the reader.
4.     REVIEW EXCERPT(S)

·         From School Library Journal: "Upon the sea-battered and wind-swept isle of Thisby, fall brings the famed and feared capaill uisce, or water horses, and with them, death . . . The author takes great liberties with the Celtic myth, but the result is marvelous.."

·         From Booklist: "A book with cross-appeal to lovers of fantasy, horse stories, romance, and action-adventure, this seems to have a shot at being a YA blockbuster."

5.     CONNECTIONS

Other books by Maggie Stiefvater

• The Raven Cycle
• The Raven Boys
• The Shiver Trilogy
• The Gathering of Faerie series

LS5603: Fantasy 1—“The Graveyard Book" By Neil Gaiman

1.     BIBLIOGRAPHY
Gaiman, Neil. The Graveyard Book. New York: Harper Collins Publishers, 2008. ISBN 978-0-06-053092-1

2.     PLOT SUMMARY
In the darkness of the night, the assassin Jack comes to put an untimely end to a family. Despite his careful planning, one of the family, a boy barely old enough to be a toddler, escapes the murderer's clutches and finds himself in a graveyard. Like all graveyards, it's full of dead people and their ghosts. However, these ghosts do something very unusual; after finding out what happened to the boy's family, they decide to raise him in the graveyard. As the boy grows, the only living one among his family of dead people, he gains supernatural powers to help him deal with the dangers of the graveyard and the inevitable return of Jack. 

3.     CRITICAL ANALYSIS
The Graveyard Book's characters are memorable by their very nature of being so different. The book spans about 12 years, and many characters come and go, but even the minor characters have distinct personalities, often given by the time period they died in. Many of the characters speak with different accents according to the time they died, which helps distinguish the many ghosts the main character interacts with. Bod, the main character, seems to be a very different main character, almost otherwordly because of his upbringing, but teens will empathize with his feelings of loneliness and not belonging.
Unlike many traditional fantasy books where the call is obvious and the quest spelled out, Gaiman's book meanders down the plot. It reminds me of the movie Spirited Away by Miyazaki; the journey is one that all people take through coming of age, not by an actual quest. It might seem slow at first to a reader, but it moves faster as Bod starts growing older.
The setting, like Harry Potter and the Percy Jackson series, is on our own world, if our world had magic in it. The theme of family is strong throughout the book, and the struggles of growing up are universal. This book may seem a little daunting for younger readers, as Gaiman is not afraid of using bigger words when appropriate. 

4.     REVIEW EXCERPT(S)

• Newbery Medal winner
• Carnegie Medal winner
• Hugo Award winner for Best Novel
• From School Library Journal: "Gaiman has created a rich, surprising, and sometimes disturbing tale of dreams, ghouls, murderers, trickery, and family."
• From Booklist: "This is an utterly captivating tale that is cleverly told through an entertaining cast of ghostly characters. There is plenty of darkness, but the novel’s ultimate message is strong and life affirming. Although marketed to the younger YA set, this is a rich story with broad appeal and is highly recommended for teens of all ages. Grades 6-10."

5.     CONNECTIONS
Other children and YA books by Neil Gaiman:

• The Graveyard Book Graphic Novel: Vol. 1 ISBN 978-0062194817
• Coraline ISBN 978-0380807345
• M is for Magic ISBN 978-0061186479
• Stardust ISBN 978-0061689246
• Fortunately Milk ISBN 978-0062224088
• Please note that Neil Gaiman also does a great deal of novels meant for adults and is possibly most famous for his graphic novel series, Sandman. While an excellent series, plese don't assume that just because it's a graphic novel it is appropriate for children. Sandman is meant for mature readers and while I do not discourage teens from reading it, please be aware it was not meant for teens and has a corresponding amount of adult material in it.