Geo Librarian

  HOMEBODY written and illustrated by Theo Parish HarperAlley, 2024 ISBN: 978-0-06-331959-2 Source: public library Ages 14 and up YA Memoir All opinions expressed are solely my own. Book cover & summary provided by the publisher through Goodreads.com. ABOUT THE BOOK In their comics debut, Theo Parish masterfully weaves an intimate and defiantly hopeful memoir about the journey one nonbinary person takes to find a home within themself. Combining traditional comics with organic journal-like interludes, Theo takes us through their experiences with the hundred arbitrary and unspoken gender binary rules of high school, from harrowing haircuts and finally the right haircut to the intersection of gender identity and sexuality—and through tiny everyday moments that all led up to Theo finding the term “nonbinary,” which finally struck a chord. “Have you ever had one of those moments when all of a sudden things become clear…like someone just turned on a light?” A whole spectrum of peopl...

LOST IN THE MOUNTAINS Survival Scout #1 written & illustrated by Maxwell Eaton III Roaring Brook Press, 2023 ISBN: 978-1-250-79046-0 Source: purchased Ages 8-12 All opinions expressed are solely my own. Book cover provided by publisher through Goodreads.com. REVIEW Lost in the Mountains follows the adventures of a young girl named Scout as she works to survive in the mountains after she and her brother get lost.  Scout's brother while a supposed professional guide proves to be seriously incompetent providing lots of humor and eye-rolling moments mixed in with the serious instructional moments. Thankfully, Scout proves to be much more skilled in the mountains, with the help of the narrator and a clingy skunk ally.  The first of a new graphic novel series about surviving disasters is both entertaining and informative. A warning on the title page reminds young readers that none of the skills and techniques shown in the book should be tried without a responsible adult. After h...

With the arrival of COVID, having some knowledge and understanding of disease, pandemics, and vaccines is very important.  These three books are all thoroughly documented and present information is a solid, understandable way that works well for the intended audience (as well as an older audience, I learned quite a bit).  Each book works particularly well in certain ways.  A Shot in the Arm  is a graphic history of the development of vaccines and why they are necessary and helpful.  The Deadliest Diseases Then and Now  focuses mostly on the plague and a bit on the Spanish Flu epidemic of 1918, and concludes with a brief chapter on COVID-19. Hopkinson focuses a great deal on how disease spreads and how scientists developed their knowledge that slowly led to the development of vaccines.  Kate Messner's Plagues and Pandemics  looks more broadly at a variety of diseases and the damage that have done and continue to do in some cases and how scientists ...

THE FAITHFUL SPY A True Story! Dietrich Bonhoeffer and the Plot to Kill Hitler by John Hendrix Amulet Books, 2018 ISBN: 978-1-4197-2838-9 Source: purchased Ages 12 and up YA Graphic Nonfiction All opinions expressed are solely my own. ABOUT THE BOOK   Interweaving handwritten text and art, John Hendrix tells the story of Dietrich Bonhoeffer and his fight against the oppression of the German people during World War II. Bonhoeffer was a German Lutheran pastor and theologian who was shocked to watch the German church embrace Hitler's agenda of hatred. He spoke out against the Nazi party and led a breakaway church that rebelled against racist and nationalist beliefs of the Third Reich. Struggling with how his faith interacted with his ethics, Bonhoeffer eventually became convinced that Hitler and the Nazi Party needed to be stopped--and he was willing to sacrifice anything and everything to do so. REVIEW Wow! Hendrix has really out done himself with ...

RAID OF NO RETURN Nathan Hale's Hazardous Tales #7 by Nathan Hale Amulet Books, 2017 ISBN: 978-1-4197-2556-2 Graphic Novels (fictionalized nonfiction) Source: purchased All opinions expressed are solely my own. ABOUT THE BOOK A top secret mission needs volunteers. After the bombing of Pearl Harbor in 1941, the United States joined World War II. And soon after that, young pilots were recruited fro a very secret - and very dangerous - raid on Japan. No one in the armed forced had done anything like this raid before, and none of the volunteers expected to escape with their lives. But this was a war unlike any other before, which called for creative thinking as well as bravery. Nathan Hale's Hazardous Tales are graphic novels that tell the thrilling, shocking, gruesome, and TRUE stories of American history. Read them all - if you dare! REVIEW As with his other books in the Hazardous Tales series, Nathan Hale takes an historical event and turns it into a ...

SHARKS: NATURE'S PERFECT HUNTER Science Comics by Joe Flood First Second, 2018 ISBN: 978-1-62672-788-5 Source: purchased MG Nonfiction Ages 9-12 All opinions expressed are solely my own. ABOUT THE BOOK For over 400 million years, sharks have been the ocean's top predator! They're vital to our ecosystem, but their importance is often overshadowed by our own fear—even though they hardly ever threaten humans. Dive in for an intimate look at the dynamic hammerhead, infamous great white, primordial megalodon, and the gentle nurse shark, the rare species that will let a scuba diver pet them! This book is filled to the gills with jaw-dropping illustrations and razor-sharp facts that shed light on these fascinating creatures of the deep, including their undersea terrain, cunning adaptability, and staggering variety. REVIEW Sharks are a fascinating animal.  And many children are interested in learning about them.  So this addition to the Science Comi...

VOLCANOES: FIRE AND LIFE Science Comics by Jon Chad First Second, 2016 ISBN: 978-1-62672-360-3 Source: purchased Graphic Nonfiction Ages 9-12 All opinions expressed are solely my own. ABOUT THE BOOK Get ready to explore the depths of the ocean, the farthest reaches of space, and everything in between! Volcanic eruptions, vampire bats, feathered velociraptors, and more await you in SCIENCE COMICS. In a not-so-distant future our world is as cold as a frozen burrito. But can humanity save itself by harnessing a power that dwells inside the Earth? Explode into the world of geology in Volcanoes: Fire and Life! A lot of magic happens under the Earth's crust. Thanks to magma vents, shifting continental plates, and volcanic eruptions, we know that our planet is alive and in motion. Alongside Aurora, a young explorer, you'll learn that volcanoes are just one of the massively powerful forces at work on our planet. From catastrophic destruction to the cre...

MARCH, BOOK 1 by John Lewis, Andrew Aydin, & Nate Powell Top Shelf Productions, 2013 ISBN: 978-160309-300-2 Graphic Nonfiction  Ages 12 and up Source: Myrick Marketing All opinions expressed are solely my own. ABOUT THE BOOK Congressman John Lewis (GA-5) is an American icon, one of the key figures of the civil rights movement. His commitment to justice and nonviolence has taken him from an Alabama sharecropper’s farm to the halls of Congress, from a segregated schoolroom to the 1963 March on Washington, and from receiving beatings from state troopers to receiving the Medal of Freedom from the first African-American president. Now, to share his remarkable story with new generations, Lewis presents March, a graphic novel trilogy, in collaboration with co-writer Andrew Aydin and New York Times best-selling artist Nate Powell (winner of the Eisner Award and LA Times Book Prize finalist for Swallow Me Whole). March is a vivid first-hand account of John L...

ATLAS OF ANIMAL ADVENTURES A collection of nature's most unmissable events, epic migrations, and extraordinary behaviors illustrated by Lucy Letherland, written by Rachel Williams and Emily Hawkins Wide Eyed Editions, 2016 ISBN: 9781847808417 Ages 9-12 Middle grade nonfiction Source: publisher for review (Thanks!) All opinions expressed are solely my own. ABOUT THE BOOK From the team behind the best-selling Atlas of Adventures. Head off on a journey of discovery, with this book that collects together nature’s most unmissable events from between the two poles, including epic migrations, extraordinary behaviors, and Herculean habits. Find hundreds of things to spot and learn new facts about every animal. REVIEW Wide-Eyed Editions has created a rather delightful atlas that works well for reading straight through or for just browsing.  Not only is the book crammed with fascinating information about various animals around the world, but the illustrator ...

DINOSAURS: FOSSILS AND FEATHERS Science Comics by MK Reed and Joe Flood First Second, 2016 ISBN: 978-1-62672-143-2 Ages 8-12 MG Graphic Nonfiction Source: purchased All opinions expressed are solely my own. ABOUT THE BOOK Every volume of Science Comics offers a complete introduction to a particular topic--dinosaurs, coral reefs, the solar system, volcanoes, bats, flying machines, and more. These gorgeously illustrated graphic novels offer wildly entertaining views of their subjects. Whether you're a fourth grader doing a natural science unit at school or a thirty-year-old with a secret passion for airplanes, these books are for you! This volume: in Dinosaurs, learn all about the history of paleontology! This fascinating look at dinosaur science covers the last 150 years of dinosaur hunting, and illuminates how our ideas about dinosaurs have changed--and continue to change. REVIEW What an awesome book!  Combining fascinating nonfiction content with the att...

ALAMO ALL STARS Nathan Hale's Hazardous Tales #6 by Nathan Hale Amulet Books, 2016 ISBN: 978-1-4197-1902-8 Historical graphic novel Ages 9-12 All opinions expressed are solely my own. ABOUT THE BOOK From Nathan Hale, #1 New York Times bestselling author and Texas Bluebonnet Award Master List maker, comes the definitive graphic novel about the Alamo. Hale relays the facts, politics, military actions, and prominent personalities that defined the Texas Revolution in factual yet humorous scenes that will capture the attention of reluctant readers and fans of history alike. In the early 1800s, Texas was a wild and dangerous land fought over by the Mexican government, Native Americans, and settlers from the United States. Beginning with the expeditions of the so-called “Land Pirates,” through the doomed stand at the Alamo, and ending with the victory over Santa Anna at the Battle of San Jacinto, the entire Texas saga is on display. Leading the charge to s...

THE SPINNY ICKY SHOWDOWN The Adventures of Arnie the Doughnut #3 by Laurie Keller Henry Holt & Co, 2015 ISBN: 978-0-8050-9074-1 Ages 6-10 Source: purchased All opinions expressed are solely my own. ABOUT THE BOOK Now that Arnie has conquered the bowling alley and the planet Ufonut, he's back for another round of wild adventures. This time the venue is a traveling game show (in the spirit of WIPEOUT!) that comes to town. Arnie, Peezo, and their other friends can't wait to participate in the crazy obstacle course. But Arnie and his crew are in for a challenge once they see their competition! REVIEW Arnie and Peezo are back in an all new adventure.  This time they are excited to be participating in their favorite 'reality' show called The Spinny Icky Showdown.  But with a pickpocket hiding amongst the participants and Peezo's fear of the Pumpernator (a pumpernickel loaf who is very muscly) threaten to ruin things for everyone.  But Arni...