You guys are really in for a treat with our latest podcast, all about graphic novels and hybrid books! Why? We’ll tell you why…

Ha ha! Look what we found through Google Image Search!

Yes, the topic is awesome — ranging from a groundbreaking epic adventure series to adorable wordless tales. And yes, we do have a special guest: real-life cartoonist Mike Dawson, who reveals the inside scoop on something called “the silhouette test.” (What is that? Yeah, we didn’t know either.) And yes, we even have a “top secret” kid-submitted book review.

But the REAL reason why you’ll love this podcast is because Karen had to call out sick! So enjoy your little break from Karen, everyone! [Editor's Note from Karen: What the wha?! Why I oughtta...]

Part 1: Our mystery book series, as revealed and reviewed by an actual comic artist (for reals!)
  (6:22)
Download the MP3 (3 MB)

Part 2: Our graphic novel picks, plus one from you — Robot Dreams, Owly, and Rapunzel’s Revenge
  (6:17)
Download the MP3 (2.9 MB)

And be sure to check out some of Mike’s super amazing comics!

Also, don’t forget: in celebration of Women’s History Month, our new theme is Girl Power books! So send us a review of your favorite super-girl read, tell us about a female you admire, and check out these kick-butt Girl Power books.

— Nancy and Karen and Mike!

Reviewed by: Hahaha me, Age 10 from Maine

Rating:

The day Rapunzel climbs over the wall that surrounds her home really starts it all. She meets her mother. And later gets chucked into…a tree–a prison. After she escapes Rapunzel sets off on a grand journey to reclaim her home, meeting some very interesting people on the way, defeating great beasts, and becoming an outlaw.

Featured in "Pretty as a Picture"

This is the first “graphic novel” I have read and finished. On EVERY page there is action…(except for the last one). I like Rapunzel’s Revenge because it is a classic tale twisted all around, displayed in a creative way, and in my opinion making  lot more interesting than the original story.

(But let’s not tell that to the actual creators of the story…)

In my last post, I told you a little about my recent trip to the country of Myanmar in Southeast Asia. Well, I have plenty more to share, but it’s going to take me a while to go through all the photos (I took over 1,000 pictures during my trip!). So I’m going to hold off on the full 411 for now, and instead I’ll just focus on one part of my vacation — and of course it relates back to a book!

During my time in Myanmar, we traveled to a bunch of different regions in the country. One stop was at Kyaiktiyo, which means “Golden Rock.” It’s a big boulder covered in gold leaf, perched on the edge of a cliff high up on Mount Kyaikto. Unfortunately, it was covered up while we were there because they were retouching the gold leaf, but I found this photo where you can see it in all its glory:

From Boonlong1's Flickr

Pretty awesome, huh? You can get a sense of how big the rock is by looking at all the tiny people on the right side. Like little ants!

According to legend, the Golden Rock is balanced on the tip of the cliff because it sits on top of the spot where a hermit once placed a hair belonging to the Buddha. Whether you believe that’s true or not, you still have to admit it’s an amazing sight!

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