A Manga experience

Citation:

Kanzaki, Masaomi. Street Fighter II. Udon Entertainment Production, 2007.

Annotation:

This graphic novel is the sequel to Street Fighter I, although it may be read independently of the first book in the series. There are cartoons and video games available based on the Street Fighter stories, as well as several Manga titles.

Review:

In the struggling global economy, Shad is a huge inhabited land overwrought with poverty, destitution and destruction. A successful world conglomerate comes to the rescue of Shad’s people with hope and prosperity right around the corner, but in the corporate world people cannot get something for nothing. Ryu and Ken must do all they can to help the inhabitants of Shad free themselves from the horrible effects of the depressed economy while staying out of the grasp of the corporation who has is sights set on using the citizens to climb to the top of the global economy.

Genre: Manga

(Image credit: www.wikipedia.com)

the 1950s

Citation:

Kidd, Ronald. On Beale Street. New York: Simon & Schuster, 2008.

Annotation:

This realistic story focuses on several aspects of the American South in the 1950s through the eyes of a teenage boy. The prevalence of class-ism and racism makes the journey of coming of age particularly difficult but the this teenager triumphs as he faces challenge after challenge.

Review:

Part I Black

Part II White

Part III Grey

Memphis in the 1950s had Main Street for whites and Beale Street for blacks. The music scene was explosive and so were the segregated neighborhoods where blacks lived in fear of burning crosses in their yards. Three boys; Lamont Turner, Trey Chapman, and Johnny Ross try to find their niche, will it be black, white, or grey?

Genre: Historical Fiction

(Image credit: www.BookPage.com)

A Mind trip

Citation:

Butler, Octavia E. Mind of My Mind. New York: Warner Books, Inc., 1977.

Annotation:

Mental telepathy and the ability to live on thru a series of host human bodies is the stuff of Science Fiction, or is it? Butler presents society in terms of the supernatural in a very realistic way, often forcing readers to remind themselves that what happens in this story is just that, a story.

Review:

Mary is a teenager who sets herself apart from others her age, but isn’t sure why. When she makes the transition everything becomes a little clearer, but she continues to struggle with her abilities to see into other people’s minds to read their thoughts. Almost involuntarily she begins to call people similar to herself, to her. As they arrive she begins to create a community of telepaths. Will they be able to live together or will they self destruct in the Mind of My Mind?

Genre: Science Fiction

(Image credit: www.sfreviews.net)

Graphic Magic

Citation:

Lutes, Jason and Nick Bertozzi. Houdini The Handcuff King. New York: Hyperion, 2007.

Annotation:

This is a graphic snapshot of an incredible event in the life of the magician Harry Houdini. Readers get an inside view of his relationship with the two loves in his life, performing magic and his wife.

Review:

Who was Harry Houdini? How did he perform the unbelievable feats thousands of people around the world saw with their own eyes? Did he keep secrets to the answers of his bizarre skills? This novel in graphic form is sure to provide answers to these questions, but just like the magic in Harry’s performances, will you believe the answers to be true?

Genre: Graphic Novels

(Image credit: http://images.google.com)

A Royal saga

Citation:

Yolen, Jane and Robert J. Harris. Queen’s Own Fool. New York: Speak, 2000.

Awards:

A Junior Library Guild Selection

Capitol Choices – Noteworthy Books for Children 2000 list

A Wyoming Soaring Eagle nominee

A 2001 YALSA Best Book choice

Annotation:

Nicola is an unlikely person to be one of Mary Queen of Scots’ closest friends since she is an orphaned 12 year old from a family of peasants. However, she possesses more than the ability to create a friendship crossing all class barriers because she has what it takes to be the Queen’s Own fool.

Review:

If you are interested in or fascinated by the historical events of the European royal families, this will be an excellent read for you. The story focuses on Queen Mary of Scotland; however, she began her royal career as the Queen of France. This book is written in descriptive language that transcends the centuries separating the time of the actual events, and the present time. It has a fast paced plot with entertaining characters as well as almost unbelievable events.

Genre: Historical Fiction

(Image credit: www.janeyolen.com)

Multicultural vignettes

Citation:

Cisneros, Sandra. The House on Mango Street. New York: Vintage Books, 1984.

Awards:

The American Book Award from the Before Columbus Foundation (1985)

This book has been translated into many languages and has sold more than two million copies since its first publication date. It is considered a classic and taught in many middle and high school curriculums world wide.

Annotation:

The plot is about Esperanza Cordero and her struggles growing up on Mango Street in a poor Latino neighborhood in Chicago. The title refers to the house that Esperanza and her family move into at the beginning of the book.

Review:

This story is presented in a vignette style of writing. The story flows through 44 vignettes written in the first person narrative voice of a teenage girl. It is an inspiring tale readers may enjoy from cover to cover. It is also the kind of story one can pick up to read a single vignette and feel satisfied with food for thought for quite some time. The format is unusual but serves its purpose well.

Genre: Multicultural

(Image credit: www.wikipedia.com)

A modern view of Russia's Revolution

Citation:

Rabin, Staton. The Curse of the Romanovs. New York: Margaret K. McElderry Books, 2007.

Annotation:

Alexi Romanov is heir to the Russian throne, a hemophiliac, and unbeknownst to him, a time traveler. This is the story of a boy’s devotion to his family, his country, and his destiny.

Review:

The true life events of the Romanov family during the Russian Revolution combined with a fictional story of time travel make this historical fiction novel an exceptional read. Alexi Romanov was the son of the Tsar of Russia. His family had ruled Russia for more than 300 years when the people revolted and gave power to the Bolsheviks. I recommend this book because it offers readers insight into the royal world in Russia in the early 1900s during a time of social unrest. It is fact blended with fiction at its finest, very, very good.

Genre: Historical Fiction

(Image credit: http://images.google.com)