The Book Plank

Delilah Dirk and the Turkish Lieutenant by Tony Cliff, Delilah Dirk #1 Lovable ne'er-do-well Delilah Dirk has travelled to Japan, Indonesia, France, and even the New World. Using the skills she's picked up on the way, Delilah's adventures continue as she plots to rob a rich and corrupt Sultan in Constantinople. With the aid of her flying boat and her newfound friend, Selim, she evades the Sultan's guards, leaves angry pirates in the dust, and fights her way through the countryside. For Delilah, one adventure leads to the next in this thrilling and funny installment in her exciting life. A little bit Tintin, a little bit Indiana Jones, Delilah Dirk is a great pick for any reader looking for a smart and foolhardy heroine...and globetrotting adventures. I have been reading some very solid young adult graphic novels and children's books from First Second and I recently came across their Delilah Dirk series and found this directly to my liking. What better subject ...

In Real Life by Cory Doctorow and Jen Wang Anda loves Coarsegold Online, the massively-multiplayer role playing game that she spends most of her free time on. It's a place where she can be a leader, a fighter, a hero. It's a place where she can meet people from all over the world, and make friends. Gaming is, for Anda, entirely a good thing. But things become a lot more complicated when Anda befriends a gold farmer - a poor Chinese kid whose avatar in the game illegally collects valuable objects and then sells them to players from developed countries with money to burn. This behavior is strictly against the rules in Coarsegold, but Anda soon comes to realize that questions of right and wrong are a lot less straightforward when a real person's real livelihood is at stake.  When I was presented with this years catalogue of First Second, the graphic novel, In Real Life , stood out. So far I have read some very nice children's and young adults comics from F...

Julia's House for Lost Creatures by Ben Hatke When Julia and her walking house come to town, she likes everything about her new neighborhood except how quiet it is! So Julia puts a sign up: “Julia’s House for Lost Creatures.” Soon she’s hosting goblins, mermaids, fairies, and even a dragon. Quiet isn’t a problem anymore for Julia…but getting her housemates to behave themselves is! Earlier this year I read the Zita the Spacegirl serie, written and illustrated by Ben Hatke. This series was aimed at the more older children but Ben Hatke also wrote it in a way that it could be used for story telling and was also very enjoyable to read for the adult audience (yes I have to admit it). When I finished Zita the Spacegirl I saw the announcement of Ben Hatke's latest book Julia's House for Lost Creatures , another stunningly beautifully illustrated childrens book, that will be released in September later this year.     Ben Hatke starts of the story in a very cool way. ...

Zita the Space Girl by Ben Hatke Book One: Zita the Spacegirl Zita’s life took a cosmic left turn in the blink of  an eye. When her best friend is abducted by an alien doomsday cult, Zita leaps to the rescue and finds herself a stranger on a strange planet. Humanoid chickens and neurotic robots are shocking enough as new experiences go, but Zita is even more surprised to find herself taking on the role of intergalactic hero. Before long, aliens in all shapes and sizes don’t even phase her. Neither do ancient prophecies, doomed planets, or even a friendly con man who takes a mysterious interest in Zita’s quest.   These three graphic novels all of a sudden popped up in the post thanks First Second! Since they are fairly short I have decided to put them in one review. The Zita the Spacegirl series is written and illustrated by Ben Hatke and centers around Zita whose life is about to take a turn from the ordinary towards the extraordinary.  ...

The Winner's Curse by Marie Rutkoski, The Winner's Trilogy #1 Winning what you want may cost you everything you love As a general’s daughter in a vast empire that revels in war and enslaves those it conquers, seventeen-year-old Kestrel has two choices: she can join the military or get married. But Kestrel has other intentions. One day, she is startled to find a kindred spirit in a young slave up for auction. Arin’s eyes seem to defy everything and everyone. Following her instinct, Kestrel buys him—with unexpected consequences. It’s not long before she has to hide her growing love for Arin. But he, too, has a secret, and Kestrel quickly learns that the price she paid for a fellow human is much higher than she ever could have imagined.  The Winner's Curse is the latest YA project written by Marie Rutkoski, who is well known for her Shadow's Society and the children's series The Kronos Chronicles. With The Winner's Curse Marie Rutkoski shows the youn...