Graphic Novels & Comic Books Book Reviews

SP4RX by Wren McDonald
GRAPHIC NOVELS & COMIC BOOKS
Released: Dec. 13, 2016

"A pulls-no-punches techno-thriller; think Mr. Robot meets The Stepford Wives. (Graphic science fiction. 15 & up)"
In a gritty future, hackers must fight an evil corporation trying to turn humans into mechanically altered zombies. Read full book review >
SHACKLETON by Gavin McCumiskey
GRAPHIC NOVELS & COMIC BOOKS
Released: Dec. 5, 2016

"Through storm, burning cold, dehydration, disease, all 28 men returned after 22 'unexpected' months at sea; the book's a success, too—no small feat for an oft-told tale. (Graphic nonfiction. 10 & up)"
History has always had its ages of exploration, but the start of the 20th century is right up there. Read full book review >

HOW TO SURVIVE IN THE NORTH by Luke Healy
GRAPHIC NOVELS & COMIC BOOKS
Released: Nov. 15, 2016

"Two parts historical, one part invention, a quiet contemplation and celebration of the tenacity of the human spirit. (afterword, author's note) (Graphic novel. 14 & up)"
Two early-20th-century expeditions intertwine with a 21st-century story in Healy's debut graphic novel. Read full book review >
THE EMOTIONARY by Eden Sher
GRAPHIC NOVELS & COMIC BOOKS
Released: Oct. 18, 2016

"Emotionally beleaguered teen and adult readers who overlook the book's juvenile packaging will find both clarity and camaraderie in its definitions. (Nonfiction. 15 & up)"
Words, emotions, and two irreverent senses of humor collide in Sher and Wertz's (Drinking at the Movies, 2015, etc.) debut book for teens. Read full book review >
SHIRLEY JACKSON'S "THE LOTTERY" by Shirley Jackson
FICTION & LITERATURE
Released: Oct. 11, 2016

"A haunting story of humanity's herd mentality, brilliantly rendered."
A stunning graphic adaptation of a chilling classic. Read full book review >

THE SINGING BONES by Shaun Tan
CHILDREN'S AND TEEN
Released: Oct. 11, 2016

"These inscrutable, unsettling sculptures demand that viewers connect art and tale, examining their own reactions to the darkest impulses and glimpses of light within the book—and themselves. (foreword, introduction, bibliography, afterword, annotated index) (Fairy tales. 12 & up)"
Tan's latest book is a portable gallery: each spread features an artfully illuminated sculptural scene facing a paragraph-length "explanation"—an excerpt from one of 75 Grimm fairy tales. Read full book review >
THE NOSYHOOD by Tim Lahan
by Tim Lahan, illustrated by Tim Lahan
CHILDREN'S AND TEEN
Released: Oct. 11, 2016

"Not for babies or toddlers but maybe for middle-graders in the gross-joke phase or perhaps a house-warming gift for a friend with a strong stomach…? (Board book. 10 & up)"
When a couple moves into a new home, neighbors stop by to welcome them. Read full book review >
WHAT COLOR IS THE WIND? by Anne Herbauts
CHILDREN'S AND TEEN
Released: Oct. 7, 2016

"'The blind men and the elephant' reworked into a Zen koan. (Picture book. 9-11, adult)"
A "little giant" with closed eyes asks the titular question, then sets out to collect answers. Read full book review >
WORDS by Christoph Niemann
CHILDREN'S AND TEEN
Released: Oct. 4, 2016

"Combining graphic wit and wordplay, Niemann delivers a joyful package. (index, parts of speech) (Picture book. 5 & up)"
The cartoonist and picture-book illustrator offers a chunky book of some 330 or so words, one per page, each illustrated by a cartoon. Read full book review >
BESSIE STRINGFIELD by Joel Christian Gill
CHILDREN'S AND TEEN
Released: Oct. 1, 2016

"An incredible true story that has as much power as Bessie and the motorcycles she rode. (bibliography) (Graphic biography. 10 & up)"
Being the first woman to ride a motorcycle across the United States did not satisfy Bessie Stringfield; she did it eight times! Read full book review >
THE ATTACK by Loïc Dauvillier
GRAPHIC NOVELS & COMIC BOOKS
Released: Oct. 1, 2016

"A timely and affecting examination of extremism, marriage, and the sheer hopelessness and brutality of war. (Graphic fiction. 16 & up)"
When his wife is identified as a terrorist, a surgeon must come to terms with her duplicity. Read full book review >
THE SINS OF THE FATHER by Jean-Luc Istin
GRAPHIC NOVELS & COMIC BOOKS
Released: Oct. 1, 2016

"Even the most die-hard zombie fans won't be appeased by this. (Graphic horror. 15 & up)"
George Romero's cult classic is reimagined with a modern-day spin. Read full book review >
Kirkus Interview
Clinton Kelly
January 9, 2017

Bestselling author and television host Clinton Kelly’s memoir I Hate Everyone Except You is a candid, deliciously snarky collection of essays about his journey from awkward kid to slightly-less-awkward adult. Clinton Kelly is probably best known for teaching women how to make their butts look smaller. But in I Hate Everyone, Except You, he reveals some heretofore-unknown secrets about himself, like that he’s a finicky connoisseur of 1980s pornography, a disillusioned critic of New Jersey’s premier water parks, and perhaps the world’s least enthused high-school commencement speaker. Whether he’s throwing his baby sister in the air to jumpstart her cheerleading career or heroically rescuing his best friend from death by mud bath, Clinton leaps life’s social hurdles with aplomb. With his signature wit, he shares his unique ability to navigate the stickiest of situations, like deciding whether it’s acceptable to eat chicken wings with a fork on live television (spoiler: it’s not). “A thoroughly light and entertaining memoir,” our critic writes. View video >