Korobá: The Case of the Missing Kolo by Àlàbá Ònájìn (Candlewick Graphic novels #Nigeria #Africa #mystery #middlegrade)

Holiday House Publishing
ISBN: 978-0823465057
Hardcover $24.99
Paperback $14.99

My thoughts: This is a story set in an African village where folks live in poverty. It is a story presented well with lively characters and well executed graphic novel drawings. The story recounts the excitement of an upcoming event in the village, the need to have some funds for the event, the act of saving ahead for the event. And then the mystery of the missing funds.

Lively drawings recount the story and give a peek into life in an African village.

I think this will be a good choice for reluctant readers as well as those who wish to read about cultures other than their own or who simply enjoy a graphic novel.  

About the book: A charismatic young sleuth takes on a case close to home in this new graphic novel series set in a vibrant African community.

Ten-year-old Korobá knows everyone in Makoko, the Nigerian fishing village where she lives.

She knows her way up and down the bright, colorful waterways, knows where to sell fried shrimp, and knows what to look for at the crowded daily market. Makoko is her playground, and she roams free with her best friends, Saidat and Joba, and her adorable dog, Popi.

The last thing Korobá would expect in Makoko is a thief. Yet Saidat’s wooden piggy bank—her Kolo—has been stolen. The children of Makoko save coins in their Kolo all year long, waiting to spend their money at the annual harvest festival. Saidat saved and saved, but now she will have nothing. It’s not fair!

Korobá knows what good detectives do…(sort of?). Should the primary suspect be Saidat’s grumpy cousin, visiting on vacation? Or could it be the village carpenter, who has been doing some work on Saidat’s house? It's up to Detective Korobá to catch the thief and find the missing Kolo before Breaking Day!

Buckle up, budding mystery fans… It’s time to join Korobá and friends on their thrilling chase for the culprit. With rich, detailed illustrations—featuring some very important clues—that bring Makoko to life, this one-of-a-kind graphic novel series is a modern day Tintin meets Encyclopedia Brown.

Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy to facilitate a review. Opinions are mine, alone and are freely given. #Mystery #Graphic Novels #Middle Grade #Childrens #Comics #Nigeria #Africa #Graphic #Novels Comics

How to Survive the End of the World: A Graphic Exploration of How to (Maybe) Avoid Extinction, STEM [Non-fiction, Graphic Art Publication]

How to Survive the End of the World: A Graphic Exploration of How to (Maybe) Avoid Extinction by Katy Doughty & illustrated by Katy Doughty 

ISBN: 9781536232790
Hardcover $24.99
Age 14-Up, Grades 9-Up
MIT Teen Press 

My thoughts: I have mixed feelings about this book. Firstly, I don't care for graphic novels, etc. As a child I did love the comic books and the Sunday newspaper comics section. But those days are past. However, I do concede that there is a certain attention-grabbing quality to a graphic book or story, and I also acknowledge that the genre is actually "genre spanning" and can be a useful tool to get reluctant readers to read or to educate interestingly about the mundane.

So where does How to Survive the End of the World......" fit into the mold of genre, interest, educate, or entertain? This quality hardcover book begins with early Earth's existence and events that geology has preserved. A look at plagues that nearly wiped out broad swaths of mankind and onto modern man's creation of tools that could potentially destroy mankind and any form of life on Earth. So the book has a bit of history, and bit of education, a lot of caution, some encouragement, and tid-bits of "how to survive" tucked into the pages.

The comics, or should I say "illustrations," are done creatively and will forge images in the reader's mind without terrifyingly raw reality. 

A product of MIT Teen Press, the intellectual quality of content promises to be worth delving into and is such that will engage children with bright, questioning minds. 

Having recently experienced the Covid Pandemic and the isolation, fear, alarm that ensued, readers will appreciate the part of this book that covers pandemics and plagues throughout history and how mankind survived -  often with great loss. They'll get a glimpse into solutions and pros and cons of fighting disease. 

Readers will take a look at current concern many have of machines, technology, robots taking over mankind. Then there is a look at present fears and past events of when huge chunks of rock (meteors and meteorites) fall from the sky and devastate the land. These are very present fears and the book takes a reassuring look at such.

"It takes courage to imagine the end of the world--an even more courage to try to change the ending." [pg. 224, How to Survive the End of the World: A Graphic Exploration of How to (Maybe) Avoid Extinction]

About the book: In a full-color debut, a graphic novelist takes an engrossing, gleefully existential deep dive into the many ways that humanity could—and almost did—meet its end.

Since 99.9 percent of all species that have lived are extinct, it’s bound to be our turn eventually, right? So what’s most likely to kill us? A well-timed asteroid? Some new robot overlords? With wit and dry humor, debut graphic novelist Katy Doughty blends science and history to explore our chances of surviving disasters such as plagues, global warming, and alien invasion. Drawing on interviews with experts in fields like infectious diseases, AI, and interplanetary exploration, she combines cutting-edge research with compelling visuals: mugshots of the deadliest microbes, graphs of the winners and losers of mass extinction events, and a whole lot of dinosaur drawings. For apocalypse aficionados, the morbidly curious, and the just plain curious, this is your antidote to existential dread—a timely, imaginative, and ultimately hopeful take on humankind’s ability to survive the odds. 

DISCLOSURE: I received a complimentary copy to facilitate a review. Opinions are mine, alone and are freely given.

The Odyssey: A Graphic Novel by Gareth Hinds (Graphic Author & Illustrator)

The Odyssey: A Graphic Novel by Gareth Hinds, Graphic Author & Illustrator

ISBN: 9780763642686
Candlewick Press $18.99 USD

My thoughts:  "The Odyssey" is a heavy weight read. It's old. It's ancient. And typically, a "comic book reader" or lover of graphic novels isn't going to read The Odyssey. But perhaps the strength of the story and the characters, the epic living of ancient times can be captured in graphic form and whet the appetite for a serious read of the real "The Odyssey."

My review is of a paperback copy that is quite hefty. Soon to be published will be a Deluxe Hardcover edition and likely a collector's book. The story has love-story written into it and as such the graphics do tend toward the adult reader. This is not a young child's book. It is more a slip-into-reading-classics introduction.

That being said, The Odyssey is an action-packed, boy friendly read that may capture YA readers' attention. The graphic drawings done with broadly sweeping, articulate pencil swipes and muted washes of color capture the action and Grecian life of ancient times. Surreal in detail and story, this graphic retelling of The Odyssey may be accepted favorably by followers of the classics with new interpretation of the story imagery.

About the book: A New York Times bestseller!

With bold imagery and an ear tuned to the music of Homer’s epic poem, award-winning graphic artist Gareth Hinds reinterprets the ancient classic as it’s never been told before. A New York Times bestseller, now in a sumptuous collectible edition with new cover design, gold foil, and painted edges.

“Gareth Hinds brings The Odyssey to life in a masterful blend of art and storytelling. Vivid and exciting, this graphic novel is a worthy new interpretation of Homer’s epic.” —Rick Riordan, author of the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series

Fresh from his triumphs in the Trojan War, Odysseus, king of Ithaca, wants nothing more than to return home to his family. Instead, he offends the sea god, Poseidon, who dooms him to years of shipwreck and wandering. Battling man-eating monsters, violent storms, and the supernatural seductions of sirens and sorceresses, Odysseus will need all his strength and cunning—and a little help from Mount Olympus—to make his way home and seize his kingdom from the schemers who seek to wed his queen and usurp his throne. Gareth Hinds masterfully reinterprets a story of heroism, adventure, and high action that has been told and retold for more than 2,500 years—though never quite like this.

DISCLOSURE: I received a complimentary copy to facilitate a review. Opinions are mine, alone and are freely given.