FICTION

Graveyard Shakes

by Laura TERRY
illus. by Laura Terry. 208p. Scholastic/Graphix. Oct. 2017. Tr $24.99. ISBN 9780545889551. pap. $12.99. ISBN 9780545889544.
COPY ISBN
Gr 4–7—Sisters Victoria and Katia have escaped farm life with scholarships to a prestigious boarding school, but the change of environment proves difficult for both. Victoria encourages her exuberant younger sibling, who marches to her own beat, to fit in, but she winds up putting them in danger during a terrible blizzard. The girls find themselves stranded in the underworld, surrounded by ghouls and monsters. With the help of Little Ghost and Modie, the undead son of a mad scientist, the girls try to escape. Reminiscent of Kelly Bastow's art, the striking illustrations are simple and endearing, tempering the mood of the more frightening scenes. There are still a few unanswered questions at the end of the story, but overall this is a fun, original ride.
VERDICT A great addition to graphic novel collections; hand to fans of Raina Telgemeier.
Reviewed by Kathryn Kania, Pelham Public Library, Pelham NHA handful of new middle grade novels feature protagonists who manage serious illness and physical challenges. Sixth grader Norah Levy, from Barbara Dee's Halfway Normal, spent two years away from school as she fought leukemia. Now in remission and back in school, she finds integrating into the social dynamics of middle school is not so easy. Alba, the star of Michelle Kadarusman's The Theory of Hummingbirds, was born with talipes equinovarus (also known as "club foot"). Her latest surgery promises to improve her ability to walk and run, but she fears it may not be enough for her to compete in an upcoming cross-country race. In Chad Morris and Shelly Brown's Mustaches for Maddie, based on a true story, a 12-year-old girl discovers she has a brain tumor and undergoes several surgeries while navigating the reactions and assumptions of friends and classmates.Read the full reviews: Dee, p. 84; Kadarusman, p. 87; Morris & Brown, p. 90.
Two sisters begin boarding school and don't fit in. When young Katia runs away to the nearby graveyard, older sister Victoria relies on a loner ghost's help to rescue Katia from a mad scientist trying to save his son, Modie. The dynamic graphic novel's warm watercolor palette effectively tempers the story's darker moments while also reinforcing the affecting family relationships and the be-yourself theme.
 , Aug 01, 2017

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