Graphic Novel – Page 5 – Sneak Peek Books

Roller Girl

Ever since second grade, twelve-year-old Astrid has done everything with her best friend Nicole. When Astrid’s mother takes her and Nicole to a roller derby event, Astrid decides she wants to be just like roller derby girls and signs up for a roller derby summer camp. Astrid assumes Nicole will sign up with her, but Nicole signs up for ballet instead. This starts a conflict between the two friends and is the start of a difficult summer for Astrid.

At first, Astrid seems like an angry, bratty character who chases her best friend away. However, as the story progresses, the reader begins to see deeper into Astrid’s mixed emotions. Astrid struggles with the idea that Nicole wants to spend time with other people, including boys. When Astrid eavesdrops on one of Nicole’s conversations, she is upset that Nicole doesn’t stand up for her and reacts in anger. Like many preteens, Astrid must learn the difficult task of navigating friendships, but, in the end, she learns some valuable lessons including how to control her anger, how to forgive, and how to put other’s needs first. Another positive aspect of Roller Girl is that Astrid shows that through hard work and perseverance, a person can improve their skills and contribute to their team.

Readers will be drawn to Roller Girl because of the colorful cartooning that excels at showing the characters’ emotions. They will continue reading because of the fast-paced plot that covers many issues that preteens deal with: friendship, boys, parents, honesty, and feeling like a failure. The conclusion is heartwarming because Astrid changes from an angry girl into a supportive friend.

Sexual Content
• When Astrid sees her friend with a boy she thinks, “Was she on a DATE with Adam? I don’t know why this made me feel so weird . . . but it did.” As her friend walks away she wonders, “Was she going to hold hands with Adam? Was she going to KISS him?”

Violence
• In one of the pictures, siblings are shown hitting each other.
• When Astrid overhears her best friend talking to someone else about how to stop being friends with Astrid, she feels angry and throws soda at them. “I don’t know why I did it. I didn’t mean to hit them—I just meant to throw my soda at their feet.”
• Astrid is learning roller derby, which has pushing, shoving, and blocking. At practice, Astrid is thinking about hitting Nicole and hits someone else instead.

Drugs and Alcohol
• A girl tells Astrid’s friend that Astrid is “probably on drugs or something.” Astrid does not do drugs.
• When Astrid’s mother finds out Astrid has been lying to her, she says, “. . . and you’re going to be a teenager soon. How do I know you won’t lie to me about smoking, or skipping school, or doing drugs?” Astrid wonders, “Why does everyone think I’m doing drugs?”

Language
• Several characters call others names including “jerk”, “moron”, “rat-faced jerk”, “weirdo”, and “losers.”
• “OMG” and “OHMYGOD” are used as exclamations.
• “Crud” is used once.
• A character calls her siblings “turd buckets.”
• Astrid talks about how other kids call her “Ass-turd.”

Spiritual Content
• None

Tales from a NOT-SO-Popular Party Girl

Middle school can be traumatizing for any girl. But for Nikki, middle school is a nightmare. Nikki dreams about going to the Halloween dance with Brandon, but so does popular mean girl MacKenzie. Then in a strange turn of events, MacKenzie resigns as the dance chairperson and so do all of the cool kids, leaving Nikki and her two friends in charge. Now Nikki and her friends must decide if they should cancel the dance or if they can plan it all on their own.

To add to the drama of Nikki’s life, her little sister has a tooth fairy phobia that has become Nikki’s problem. Her parents drag her to a funeral where she has an uncontrollable fit of hiccups. And to cap it all off, she has to dress as a rat at a little kid party and paint faces—on the same night of the Halloween dance.

Dork Diaries is written in the form of a diary, which allows Nikki’s thoughts and feelings to take center stage. The diary contains a lot of text talk such as BTW and OMG. Plus, there are many references to pop culture stars such as Jessica Simpson and Tyra Banks. Although Nikki’s days are filled with funny events, the books show a stereotypical junior high full of mean girls, boy drama, and cool kid drama.

Throughout the book, there are cute drawings that add to the storyline. Because the story is written in diary format, most paragraphs consist of one to two sentences and the vocabulary is typical of a preteen. Although the story is entertaining, there is no educational value.

Sexual Content

When Nikki thinks Mackenzie is going to the dance with Brandon she says, “She was buying a new lip gloss JUST for Brandon. I knew what THAT meant.”

Violence

When Nikki was embarrassed she thinks, “I was so angry I wanted to grab them both by their necks and squeeze until their little heads exploded.”
A cool girl purposely bumps Nikki’s food plate, which splashes chocolate onto Nikki’s dress.

Drugs and Alcohol

None

Language

The narrator uses words like crud, craptastic, dagnabbit, darn, OMG and what the . . .”

Supernatural

None

Spiritual Content

None

Alamo All Stars

Nathan Hale tells the tale of the Texas Revolution. In the early 1800s, Texas was a dangerous place. The Mexican government, Native Americans, and settlers from the United States fought over the land. The tale begins when “land pirates” began moving to Texas. It also covers the Alamo and the victory over Santa Anna at the Battle of San Jacinto.

The tale includes Stephen F. Austin, who led the charge to settle the frontier. Other interesting characters who make an appearance include the following: Patrick Jack, William Barret Travis, Jim Bowie, and David Crockett. Readers will learn about politics, military action, and prominent people. At the end of the book, maps and biographies give more historical insight.

Designed for reluctant readers, Alamo All-Stars brings history to life. Because Texas history is complex and full of battles, readers may have a difficult time keeping all of the names straight. Alamo All-Stars details many different battles. Although the pictures are not graphic, there are many battle scenes and a lot of death.

Sexual Content

None

Violence

James Long travels to Texas in the hopes of making Texas its own republic. He is killed. “He was shot dead by a prison guard.” A picture of Long lying in a pool of blood is shown.
Mexico goes through a string of emperors. One is killed by a firing squad.
Jim Bowie and Norris Wright get into a fight. “Wright blasted him square in the face.” The pistol misfires, so Bowie is uninjured.
During a duel, a fight breaks out and several people are killed. Jim Bowie is injured. “I see two bullet holes, one in the leg, one in the lung, seven sword slashes, one through the left hand, and a serious bludgeon wound on the scalp.”
Jim Bowie and a group of men get in a battle with Indians. Several people are injured.
General Santa Anna takes an army of 3,500 to attack and slaughter rebels in the town of Zacatecas. After the battle, Santa Anna tells the soldiers, “Do whatever you want. Take whatever you want. Kill whomever you want.”
The people of Texas do not want Santa Anna’s soldiers to be in Texas, so they resist. The end of the book tells of battle after battle. One picture illustrates a sharpshooter falling out of a tree after being shot. In other battles, dead soldiers are shown but not in gory detail.

Drugs and Alcohol

After being captured and then released, Travis says, “Bring me a barrel of whisky. . . . whisky for everyone! Even the soldiers who held me prisoner!”
David Bowie is drunk in a bar.

Language

During a pistol fight, one of the men says, “Damned rascals killed me.”
David Crockett goes to the Alamo. When he introduces himself he says, “I was knocked down and dragged out in the world of politics . . . so I told them all to go to hell and I would go to Texas.”

Supernatural

None

Spiritual Content

During a fight someone tells Jim Bowie, “you better start makin’ yer Catholic prayers if you want to get home to that purdy wife of yours.”

One Dead Spy

Nathan Hale is standing on the gallows, waiting to die. As he awaits death, he tells the story of the Revolutionary War. Nathan explains how the rebels were able to defeat an army that was bigger than they were. His story is full of narrow escapes with danger and acts of heroism. Nathan, a teacher who turned into a spy, tells how the British were able to capture and execute him.

The Revolutionary War and America’s fight for independence comes to life in the form of a graphic novel. Although the story revolves around war and the death of soldiers, the pictures are not graphic or gory. As Nathan tells his story, the image of the rope hanging from a tree appears repeatedly. The executioner and the British soldier seem excited to end Nathan’s life. However, at the end of the book, Nathan lives to tell another story in book two.

One Dead Spy turns history into an easy to read, entertaining format. The book ends with short biographies of other important historical people.

Sexual Content

None

Violence

The narrator of the story, Nathan Hale, is sentenced to death. “The prisoner, Captain Nathan Hale, was caught spying . . . he is sentenced to hang by the neck until he is dead.”
The story includes facts about the Boston Massacre, when the British killed men for throwing rocks. “They shouldn’t have thrown rocks at armed soldiers!”
When 2,000 British soldiers charge, “there were 1,000 rebels sniping at them from the hilltop.” The rebels flee when they run out of ammo.
The rebels are starving. When they see a cow, they are excited. But the cow is killed by the enemy.
Through the novel, Nathan Hale describes the Revolutionary War battels. Although there are pictures of the armies and the dead soldiers, the pictures are not bloody. Sound effects are added. “BLAM CRACK BOOM POW POW FWAM.”
Nathan Hale and another man are on a scouting mission when the enemy’s scouts shoot at them. Nathan gets a “little war tattoo” when he holds his musket too close to his face. Nathan’s companion then explains that a red badge is a bullet hole.
When the British capture enemy soldiers, many are hung. Others are put on prison ships. The prisoners, “spend months chained, floating in New York Harbor. Many die there from disease and starvation.”

Drugs and Alcohol

After a battle, the soldiers “liberated the fort, they found the liquor storage and liberated that too.”

Language

Damn is used. Ethan Allen tells someone, “Go now and complain to that damn scoundrel, your governor!”
Several times someone calls the enemy, “Damn dirty rats.”
One of the characters yells, “Poppycock!”

Supernatural