Review: "Dawn & The Impossible Three: The Baby-Sitters Club Graphic Novel #5"

Dawn & The Impossible Three: The Baby-Sitters Club Graphic Novel #5 by Gale Galligan

4 out of 5 stars

This is the first of the graphic novels adapted by Gale Galligan and I think she did a great job keeping the art style similar enough to Raina Telgemeier's that it's not jarring or even really noticeable. The only thing I noticed, after really looking, was the noses lol. I'm still sad they skipped over Claudia & the Phantom Phone Calls and also The Ghost at Dawn's House. Looking ahead, I'd rather they had skipped over Kristy & the Snobs. I did decide awhile back to only get the first 10 of the graphic novels, because I really don't have the room to keep going with them. I also am still hoping for some Super Specials though and would definitely get the first 2 of those.

This story combines Dawn's first book and Mallory's (which is actually #14 in the regular series). I wasn't crazy about this change because now we don't get Jessi's introduction. But otherwise, I think it worked out okay. It starts out with Dawn complaining about fall in Connecticut, instead of sunny California, and going to sit for the Pikes, with Mallory as a sort-of helper for the first time. The BSC girls are considering letting Mal join as a junior sitter but make her take this ridiculous test first that she of course fails. They agree to give her a trial run job but Dawn has some doubts when Mallory tells her about all the accidents her siblings have gotten into that she's taken care of. I mean, it's the Pike kids, there's gonna be daily accidents at that house. Mallory ends up saving the day though, when she stops Dawn from giving Marnie Barrett chocolate, which she is allergic to, and Mallory is an official BSC member by the end of the book.

Meanwhile, Dawn starts sitting for the 3 Barrett kids and running Mrs B's house for her. We don't get Marnie's "ham face" which I was sad about, but then I realized their dad's name is Ham so maybe they were referencing him all along?? I was also sad I didn't get "Let's All Come In", Karen's best game invention. We do get the Pike triplets' "Bizzer Sign", which seems even more annoying in graphic novel format. Buddy Barrett going missing (being picked up by his dad without telling anyone) is definitely more harrowing. Poor Dawn panicking when she can't find him.

Kristy continues to be jealous of Dawn & Mary Anne's friendship. Mary Anne's dad agrees to let her redo her room some and Dawn brings some old junk over. Kristy does join them but basically ignores Dawn. Later, the girls are all talking about Kristy's mom getting married and she tells them she will be moving into Watson's McMansion and Dawn tries to cheer her up by listing things she can do with her new room and Kristy blows up at her. It all comes out later though that Kristy is really worried about the club because she won't be able to walk over anymore. All the other girls reassure her that there would be no club without her and they will figure it out. 

In the meantime, in a move COMPLETELY out of character, Dawn suggests she & her mom "just do hamburgers, hot dogs, and potato salad" for their family/friends cookout. Dawn, who gags at the school lunches and lectures everyone on their club snacks? No way. So yeah, they all figure things out in the end and everyone is happy again.

5 5-Star Books I've Read in the Last Year

The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern
A story about stories. Adventure, fairy-tales, contemporary romance, pirates, secret book groups, timeless love, twists and turns, endless libraries, Harry Potter and Where the Wild Things Are references. This book has it all. The Night Circus was my favorite book in 2013 and I've been waiting breathlessly for her to release another book. I was absolutely not disappointed, but I know some people were. This is a love/hate book. You will have strong feelings for it. Luckily for me, they were strong feelings of "omg I adored this book, it sucked me in and didn't let go!"

Not all stories speak to all listeners, but all listeners can find a story that does, somewhere, sometime. In one form or another.

The Girl Who Drank the Moon by Kelly Barnhill

"Every year, the people of the Protectorate leave a baby as an offering to the witch who lives in the forest. They hope this sacrifice will keep her from terrorizing their town." But it turns out that Xan, the witch, isn't terrorizing their town, in fact she thinks the town people are a little crazy, leaving innocent babies in the woods each year. So she feeds them on moonlight and takes them to the next village over, where the people are more than happy to raise the star children. Xan just wants to live peacefully in her swamp with her swamp monster friend and tiny dragon who doesn't know he's tiny. Then she accidentally feeds a baby too much moonlight and things change forever. This middle-grade book broke my heart for awhile but then put it back together.

How many feelings can one heart hold?... Infinite, Luna thought. 

The way the universe is infinite. It is light and dark and endless motion; 

it is space and time, and space within space, and time within time. 

And she knew: there is no limit to what the heart can carry.

Pumpkinheads by Rainbow Rowell
This graphic novel will have you yearning, yearning I say!, for crisp fall weather, caramel apples, and all things pumpkin (even if you can't stand pumpkin any other time of the year). Think if this was made into a cartoon special! It would become an instant classic, like It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown. Deja & Josiah are seasonal bffs who work each fall at the local pumpkin patch. It's their last year & they want to have the best night possible. And they totally do. I want to reread this now but I will restrain myself. Maybe.

Like every autumn smell all at once.

We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson
A dark twisty tale that will leave you breathless at the end. Two sisters and their uncle live together in a large old house after the rest of the family dies under suspicious circumstances. They do not like to go into town or interact with anyone outside their little circle. Until they are forced to and bad things happen. I was completely bewitched by this classic from the very first page. When I finished, I hungered for more and more.

On the moon we have everything. 

Lettuce, and pumpkin pie and Amanita phalloides. 

We have cat-furred plants and horses dancing with their wings. 

All the locks are solid and tight, and there are no ghosts.

The Remarkable Journey of Coyote Sunrise by Dan Gemeinhart
For 5 years, Coyote and her dad, Rodeo, have been travelling the country in their renovated school bus. They are running from sadness but eventually it will catch up to them. I love roadtrip stories and this one was full of adventure, quirky friends they meet along the way, crazy animals, laughter, songs, tears, and everything you need! When I finished this book, I wondered if I could have a favorite author after only one book. I haven't read any of his others yet, so I'm not sure, but if they're like this one then he will definitely be in the running!
I just wanted everyone to be happy...

It's hard, though, when everyone carries around a heart 

inside them that is so loud and so strong and so easily broken.

Review: "Claudia & Mean Janine: The Baby-Sitters Club Graphic Novel #4"

Claudia & Mean Janine: The Baby-Sitters Club Graphic Novel #4 by Raina Telgemeier
5 out of 5 stars

This was probably my favorite of the graphic novels so far, even though it is one of the saddest books in the series. I'm just saying it now: if they do Claudia & The Sad Goodbye, I don't know if I'll be able to read it!

Okay, so the story starts off in the last week of school. Claudia has a big math test and Janine is trying to tutor her (which is obviously not working, because she doesn't know her basic times table!?) They get in an argument and Janine storms off; Mimi comes in and helps Claudia. Claudia doesn't know what she or her family would do without Mimi.

At the BSC meeting the next day, Stacey has a chic new haircut and Pete Black held her hand, Kristy thinks boys are gross and still doesn't like Dawn, and they come up with the idea for a summer playgroup as soon as school lets out. Because they can't spend even one week just chilling and watching Price is Right or whatever. Claudia and Janine continue to fight and cause Mimi to have a stroke. (Not really, but that's what Claudia thinks.) It's really scary and sad and well-done for younger people.

The playgroup goes well: Andrew makes Prissy Jenny Prezzioso wear her art smock because he's a monster, the kids give Louie the dog a bath, they make lots of money. Kristy & Dawn spend some time together alone and come to a friendly understanding of sorts. Mimi comes home and starts her recuperation, learning words again and how to use her motor skills. Jamie Newton loves his new little sister, Lucy, but gets upset when she gets all the attention and almost pours the punch bowl over her head. Claudia realizes she and Janine are acting like Jamie. They finally talk and both realize they're jealous of the other. They make up and Janine even admits that she hides candy in her room too. The book ends towards the end of summer and the girls realizing they've been the official Baby-Sitters Club for one year.

Now let's talk about the artwork. Overall, very good and in line with the descriptions. Claudia's room looks a lot better in this one. Plenty of art supplies and stuff on the walls, snacks hidden away, and we even get to see inside her closet! Her fashion was very on-point throughout the book too.

We see Jeff in this one and Dawn's house and the old spooky barn. And more of the neighborhood kids in the playgroup. Andrew and Karen are so cute. Also, there's apparently at least one other black family in Stoneybrook (at least in Raina's world), before the Ramsey's show up, because their kid is at the playgroup. He never gets named though. I wonder if they'll talk about that when Jessi finally shows up, if she does.

After the end of the book, Raina talks us through how the graphic novel is formed and it was really interesting to read. I can't wait to read the next one!

Review: "Mary Anne Saves the Day: The Baby-Sitters Club Graphic Novel #3"

Mary Anne Saves the Day: The Baby-Sitters Club Graphic Novel #3 by Raina Telgemeier
4 out of 5 stars

Claudia's purple hair is still driving me crazy, but at least they're being consistent. I really love that they're continuing these graphic novels. They're a great way for new fans to get introduced to the series and for old fans (like me lol) to have something new to take them back to their childhood. Again, the cover outfits and styling are pretty accurate, which is nice. Although, is Claudia wearing Uggs??

Okay, brief review of the plot if you've forgotten (or go read my original review here): Kristy takes a job for Jamie & Lucy Newton without offering it to the others first and causes the BSCers first big fight. Lots of name-calling and tears. Mary Anne meets the new girl, Dawn Schafer, and they totally hit it off. Mary Anne saves the day (see what I did there?) when Jenny Prezzioso gets super sick. The BSCers realize they're being stupid after they nearly ruin Jamie's party, they make up, and ask Dawn to join the club.

 (click any of the pictures to make bigger and see details!)

Now let's talk details. Once again, love the artwork and seeing the minor characters come to life. I never pictured Mary Anne's dad with a hipster beard though. Dawn is pretty plain but at least they got her long blonde hair right. And she has peace earrings on. But I just realized they never show Jeff, that's weird. The Prezzioso's are exactly how I pictured. Oh no, do you think they'll do Mimi's book? I don't think I could handle that one in a graphic novel!

And it was so much fun to see the Pike family!! There are so many of them lol...

There's a bit of upgrading...Dawn has a DVD player (but they still watch The Parent Trap, thank goodness) and Claudia plays CD's. And we get extra background, like finding out Mary Anne's mom died of cancer. I don't think we ever know that in the regular books, do we? I kind of thought she died during childbirth. Mary Anne visits her mom's grave at one point too. Oh and Mr Prezzioso gives Dawn & Mary Anne $50 each instead of $10 wow!!

Overall, another great book that stays true to the originals in all the best ways. And did you see that Kristy's Big Day just came out? With that awful yellow dress lol. I hope they eventually do go back and do the ones they skipped though. That bothers my little organized brain. :D

Book Haul

I'm pretty excited about the books and comics I got last weekend, so I decided to do a mini haul post to share them. And I want you to share with me what your last book purchase/haul was! So comment below. :)

Girl Online: Going Solo is the last book in YouTuber Zoe Sugg's series. I enjoyed the first 2, they're light fluffy fun, so I'm happy to read the last one. I'll be reviewing the whole series when I finish this one and will probably end up giving them all to my sister, since she's actually the one who loves Sugg's videos and got the first book lol. 

After reviewing the 2nd Princess Jellyfish omnibus and having read the 3rd this May, I really needed the next volume. And purely aesthetic, the books are so pretty!! They're lovely pastel sherbety colors and will look amazing on my bookshelf when I get them all eventually.

Do you like my lawn gnomes? They're named Gary, Garry, and Steve. :D I only went to the comic book store to pick up my pull list, but I can always guarantee I'll come out with 3 or 4 extra. This time was no exception.

On my pull list were Motor Girl & Shade: The Changing Girl. I've already talked about these here but I highly recommend them both! And Motor Girl is a short one, only 10 issues, if you don't want to get too invested in a long series.

Then I saw this new Jem & The Holograms Annual and had to pick it up. I am just really loving this reboot so much. (Review of 1st 2 volumes here.) This annual is apparently a fanfic type story which sounds really fun. Can't wait to read it.

Brian K Vaughan's Runaways was the first comic series I ever read, as a teenager way back in the 90s. When I found out that one of my very favorite authors, Rainbow Rowell, was going to do a reboot/sequel of it this year, I was beyond excited. I haven't decided yet if I'm going to reread the original series first or not (I only have volume 1 right now) but I know I will love this new take.

And last but not least, we have the newest Baby-Sitters Club graphic novel, Dawn & The Impossible Three. I really loved Raina Telgemeier's take on the first 4 so I'm interested to see what a new artist will do with the upcoming books. The only thing I'm not sure about, is that they seem to be combining Dawn and Mallory's first books, which is a little odd. And they've still skipped Claudia & The Phantom Phone Calls!! But we'll see how it is. And I am still hoping/wishing/begging for them to do the first Super Special! How amazing would that be??

Review: "Princess Jellyfish vol 2"

Princess Jellyfish vol 2 by Akiko Higashimura

3.5 out of 5 stars

I purchased the first volume of this manga for my younger sister last year and while I'm not sure if she's even read it yet, I have become a big fan. There's something whimsical and sweet about Tsukimi and her clan of Amars. This review will have spoilers for vol 1, so I would definitely stop here and go read my review for it first if you are interested in reading it. And if you're completely new to manga and anime, go check out my beginner's guide that I wrote with the help of my siblings!

This volume picks up where the last ended, with Kuranosuke trying to convince the girls to buy their apartment building so it doesn't get turned into some swanky hotel or parking garage or something. Of course, the girls have no money (you know, since they don't have jobs) so they have to start thinking outside the box. Kuranosuke gets them a spot at a local flea market and tries to sell some old tea sets they found in the attic, but it's actually Tsukimi's little jellyfish plushies that start selling. That gets the ideas flowing and soon they are making jellyfish-inspired dresses. Love.

In romance news, the love triangle (more like a love square?) is still going strong. Kuranosuke doesn't understand how or why he's having these feelings for plain "before" Tsukimi, Tsukimi is still infatuated with K's brother, who is having his own issues after being blackmailed by that suit-wearing temptress. Things get crazy and confusing for awhile and not totally resolved (obviously, or the story would be over).

This volume isn't quite as good as the first but I still enjoyed it. I loved seeing Tsukimi "awaken" and use her passion to help her roommates. And as always, the artwork is exquisite, in particular the color pages. It's also hard to say a lot about the story itself without spoiling a bunch of stuff. So just take my word for it and go read it! :D 

Book Haul: 2017

Do y'all like book haul posts? It doesn't seem like bragging, does it? I always enjoy seeing other people's hauls, it gives me new books to look for and I just like seeing the pictures. So since I haven't done any posts all year, I've got quite a few hauls to share. Although not nearly as many as you would think. It's been a pretty quiet year, book-wise, for me. Mostly due to lack of money lol. So let's get to the pics and if you have any questions on a specific book, please ask!!

I've been really into collecting the classic books lately and getting multiple editions. They're just so pretty!!

I know I've gotten way more graphic novels than this, but I haven't been keeping up with my haul pics that well either. :( I have been getting the monthly single issues of Terry Moore's Motor Girl and Cecil Castellucci's Shade, the Changing Girl and definitely recommend both of those!

On my Kindle (actually my phone app, I hardly use my Kindle anymore), I binge purchased and read twin sisters Krista & Becca Ritchie's Calloway Sisters/Addicted series this spring. I won't say much here, because I do plan on reviewing it later in the month, but I will say it is definitely worth it!

My first haul pic at my new apartment! :) I've got some interesting backgrounds to work with, so excited to use them in future pictures. And that's my hauls for the year so far! See anything you like or have read? Want to share your most recent haul pic? Comment below!

Book Haul: Summer/Fall Edition

There's a lot of pics, so let's just get right to it, shall we? Comment below if you want details on any specific books, I'm going to breeze through them pretty quickly. In July, I hit up the Half Price Books sale, Amazon for a few must-buys, and the local comic book store for some funsies (that I just read this past week on my vacation oops).

In August, I had some more luck at Half Price and of course, had to pick up Harry Potter & The Cursed Child. I'm not sure if I'm going to be able to review that one or not. It's kind of unreviewable, if you know what I mean.

 

September was fairly quiet, with a couple of good finds at HPB, some new comics from Amazon (Jem!!), and a small library haul, in which I accidentally got a book I'd already read and pretty sure I own oops.

October has been big for books so far and it's only the middle of the month! I blame the Half Price Books clearance sale of course and a week of vacation time. :) This is the most I've ever gotten at a HPB sale (also got 3 movies); I found some really great things. Some graphic novels, classics, holiday reads, a few random finds, and a TON of 80/90s children's books. I say this every time, but my sister is so good at helping me find these! She goes thru and looks for Sweet Valley High (only one this time boo) and any with the apple (publisher) on them lol. Then I go thru and look at everything else. There was a LOT of young adult books this time, I think we were there close to two hours. (Did I mention she's semi-patient too?)

My sister also found me these gorgeous vintage children's books, 5 of them total. The covers were falling apart (I don't know how they still had them on even) but it was okay, because the naked books were just as pretty. I am going to use the covers for bookmarks probably and I would love to make a cute little display on my shelf with the books.

I was on vacation last week (hated coming back to work!!) and got out of the house one day (yep, just one lol) to enjoy the sunshine at a botanical garden (and read) and then hole up in bookstores. :D I hit every bookstore that day, but I only bought at my local comic book store. I didn't realize the 6th Saga book was out, so of course I had to pick that up. I had a stack of single issue comics at first, but put a few back since I did find Saga. Excited about the ones I did get though.

I'm going to wrap things up with my Kindle cloud because I realized I haven't been including it regularly in my haul posts. I've gotten 30+ books since my last update in July 2015 oops. I find it really hard to pay for eBooks, so most of these were free or less than $3.00.