Set in South Africa, Pearl of the Sea* is a beautifully illustrated coming-of-age graphic novel for upper middle grade and YA readers. Pearl, whose mother abandoned the family long before the start of the story, lives with her father, Vernon—a restaurant owner and chef who is sinking deeper and deeper into financial trouble—and her beloved … Continue reading #WorldKidLit Wednesday: Pearl of the Sea
Chang is a young Vietnamese girl and a wildlife conservationist; Sorya is a bear at the rescue and conservation center where she works. This 120-page middle grade graphic novel is their story. And it’s based on the real-life experiences of author Trang Nguyen, herself a wildlife conservationist, and bears that have been rescued from captivity. … Continue reading #WorldKidLit Wednesday: Saving Sorya: Chang and the Sun Bear
Review by: James Toney Malika Warrior Queen: Volume 1 by Roye Okupe ISBN: 9781506723082 Publisher: Dark Horse Comics Illustrators: Chima Kalu and Raphael Kazeem Malika: Warrior Queen Volume 1 sets up an interesting story. At first, it seemed like the typical story about monarchies: fights over the throne, betrayal, birthrights, etc. but by the end, … Continue reading #INTLYALITMONTH: Malika, Warrior Queen by Roye Okupe
Review by Lauren Elliott Grass by Keum Suk Gendry-Kim Grass is a powerful oral history in graphic novel style that tells the story of 15-year-old Lee Ok-Sun, who was taken prisoner and forced to become a “comfort woman” for the invading Japanese Army during World War II. Comfort Women is the term commonly used to … Continue reading #INTLYALITMONTH: Grass by Keum Suk Gendry-Kim
When it comes to dishing out advice to their teenage selves, people don’t hesitate; interestingly, though, there are far fewer posts on how their teenage selves would advise them. Imagine, then, the conversation an older and younger self would have were they to ever meet. This is exactly what Carole Maurel has done in her … Continue reading #WorldKidLitWednesday: Luisa, Now and Then
May GLLI Blog Series: Japan in Translation, No. 15 Editor's note: Fred Schodt is best known for his work popularizing manga and anime outside of Japan. But he has also spent much of his career shedding light on little known aspects of Japanese popular culture and history: for instance, the story of Native American adventurer Ranald … Continue reading The Four Immigrants Manga — Frederik L. Schodt
May GLLI Blog Series: Japan in Translation, No. 2 Editor's note: Even in 2018, many conversations about Japan begin by mentioning the nation's homogeneity before going on to discuss a group or individual who appears to be an exception. Japan is filled with such “exceptions,” however, and even the tiny percentage of Japanese fiction published … Continue reading OUTSIDER STORIES IN CONTEMPORARY JAPANESE FICTION — by Kathryn Hemmann
Global Literature in Libraries Initiative 