Babymouse #1: Queen of the World!

Submitted by Elizabeth, Age almost 10 from New Hampshire

Rating:

Featured in "What's in a Name?"

Babymouse wears a pink heart dress and loves to eat pink cupcakes. She has a baby brother named Squeak and her best friend is Wilson Weasel. Babymouse gets pushed around by a mean cat named Felicia Furrypaws at school. Babymouse gets into all kinds of trouble and Wilson always helps her out. Unlike Babymouse he does everything right. My favorite book is Babymouse Burns Rubber. Have a squeaky day!

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...]

  (12:38) 
Download the MP3 (6.1 MB)
• Our mystery book series, as revealed and reviewed by an actual comic artist (for reals!)
• Our Graphic Novel picks (Robot Dreams, Owly, and Rapunzel’s Revenge)
• A nice break from Karen [Editor's Note from Karen: Whatever…]

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!

This book trailer for the Bone series was originally the Mystery Book Theater video for our Graphic Novels theme. For more on the Bone series, check out our “Pretty as a Picture” podcast.

Believe it or not, Jeff Smith dreamed up his three main characters for the Bone series when he was in kindergarten! It took quite a few more years before the rest of the world could meet them, but now anyone can see their adventures in the published graphic novels — and sometime in the future, movie-goers will hang out with them in theaters too. In the meantime, check out our video introduction to this trio of unlikely heroes.

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…)

Sweet, pastel-shaded shorts. Bold, colorful, action-packed adventures. Dark, spooky tales. Even adaptations of favorite books. These may sound like film genres, but movies aren’t the only way to visually escape into a story… Feast your eyes on graphic novels!

We’ve picked a few (in no particular order) — plus some “hybrid books,” which are told in alternating illustrations and text:

Graphic Novels:

1. Rapunzel’s Revenge by Shannon and Dean Hale (Karen’s pick)
2. Robot Dreams by Sara Varon (Nancy’s pick)
3. The Baby-Sitter’s Club series (graphic novel version), written by Ann M. Martin and illustrated by Raina Telgemeier
4. Artemis Fowl series (graphic novel version), written by Eoin Colfer and Andrew Donkin, art by Giovanni Rigano, color by Paolo Lamann
5. Amulet series by Kazu Kibuishi
6. Magic Pickle series by Scott Morse
7. Coraline (graphic novel version of Neil Gaiman’s original) adapted by Craig Russell
8. Into The Volcano by Don Wood
9. Amelia Rules! series by Jimmy Gownley
10. Frankie Pickle and the Closet of Doom by Eric Wight
11. Mail Order Ninja by Joshua Elder
12. Owly series by Andy Runton

Hybrid Books:

1. Diary of a Wimpy Kid series by Jeff Kinney
2. The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick
3. Dear Dumb Diary series by Jim Benton
4. Adventures in Cartooning by James Sturm
5. Amelia’s Notebook series and Max Disaster series, both by Marissa Moss

If you’ve read any of these, send in your book review. Or send in a review of your favorite graphic novel or hybrid book!

UPDATE 3/16/10: We revealed the answer to our Graphic Novel Mystery Book Theater in the “Pretty as a Picture” Podcast, so take a listen if you want to know the answer. Or just tune in to meet our special guest, a real-life cartoonist!

Reviewed by: Josh, Age 11 from Rhode Island

Rating:

This book is a vethink ry thrilling book, I it is the best boone book. And if you have never read the Boone seris you should they are great!!