The Girl from the Sea, by Molly Knox Ostertag

     Another graphic novel - that's two in a row! - and another book on next year's OBOB list! The Girl from the Sea is the story of 15-year-old Morgan who lives on an island with her mom and annoying younger brother. Morgan has a small group of girl friends that she doesn't seem super connected to, on the one hand, but who also seem to be her support group (that storyline is a little blurry). Except they don't know that Morgan has a new friend, a girl from the sea named Keltie. Morgan dreams of being rescued from drowning by this beautiful mermaid character, and secretly understands she has desires to be romantic with this girl as well...Morgan is gay.

    Author/illustrator Ostertag creates a good story about teen romance that will appeal to anyone who enjoys YA or teen books with romance as a theme - not just those among the LGBTQ community. The artwork is simple but good, better than the overall storyline I'd say. The story itself isn't bad, it's just...okay. Teen angst, annoying family members and rules, an absent parent, friends who don't quite understand you...this story checks a lot of the boxes. The interest Morgan has in Keltie is a nice twist, but not the only one. Keltie is actually a seal who turns into human form because of true loves kiss - Morgan's. So there's that twist as well.

    It's nice to see OBOB including the graphic novel category in its titles again this year! And nice to have the LGBTQ community a more included part of the program, too (even though OBOB has rocked the boat in the past with other LGBTQ titles, which hasn't always been received well across the state of Oregon).The Girl from the Sea is a nice addition to the season't list of titles, but not an amazing choice. It has enough going for it to make it a 4 paw book, however, and if you'd like a new graphic novel to read, or a new romance book for teens, you could do worse than this one!

Dragon Hoops, by Gene Luan Yang

     I've been wanting to get my paws on this graphic novel for a while now, but it's a popular book and tough to find at the library...a sign of a good book, right? I finally got a copy, and even though I'll end up returning it a little late (but worth the late fees!), I couldn't return it until I finished it! I'm glad I did!

    On the surface, Dragon Hoops is a story about the graphic novelist Yang (American Born Chinese, Avatar, and other good graphic novels) and the boys basketball team at the school he taught at in northern California. But there is so much under the surface if this story! It's the story of several individuals, adults and teens, who are part of the basketball program as well as of the school's storied history - good and bad. It's a story about taking that step, sometimes a first step, but always a defining step, in one's life that changes the path a person seems to be on. I don't think I can describe it as well as Yang does in over 400 pages of really good storytelling and illustration. 

    In this book you'll get a really good, brief history of basketball in the U.S. and around the world (for the sports fan in you), as well as a story about a boy with Chinese heritage living in the U.S., and the stereotypes and expectations that come with that. You also get a story of a group of teens who have come together for one purpose, to play basketball, but who each have unique stories and pasts, showing that you can never tell what stories people carry with them that we don't often get a chance to see or hear. And this is a book about mistakes people make, and how far we do or should go to forgive those mistakes.

    This is a good book, but a long one, yet in graphic novel format it reads quickly. It's worth your time, as I know because I've finished it but can't keep thinking about it...for me a sign of an exceptional book. Yang is a good writer and artist. If you haven't ever read one of his books, this is a great start! 5 paws!

While I Was Away, by Waka T. Brown

     My second OBOB book from next season's list, and of course I chose a biography, right?! This is the author's story of growing up Japanese American, living with her family in Kansas. As a teenager, her parents decided that she didn't know her native language as well as she should, so they sent her, alone, to live with her grandmother in Japan for 5 months. Those months included summer, when she normally would not be in school in Kansas, but in Japan she was right back in the classroom - only now she was in Japanese school, where Japanese was the language everyone spoke, wrote and expected her to learn and know. She knew a little, of course, as her parents spoke Japanese as well as English. But Waka went from being somewhat of an outsider as an Asian American in Kansas, to being another kind of outsider as an American in Japan. 

    Author Brown tells a compelling story of these five months, ended with some information about some of the people we meet in the story after the book ends. Although it is an autobiography, it often reads like a fiction story. It is easy to read and keeps you turning pages. This book reminded me a bit of A Girl From Yamhill by Oregon's own Beverly Cleary in that the author's voice comes through nicely, although there were a few parts of the story that became a little slow, I thought. Overall, a nice OBOB choice for next season, and if you like books in the 921 section of the library, I think you'll like this, too! 4 paws!