Duel, by Jessixa and Aaron Bagley

     My human was given an Advanced Reader's Copy (ARC) of this newer graphic novel from husband and wife team Jessixa and Aaron Bagley (she does the writing, he the illustrating). An ARC is a copy of a book released before the actual, completed book is sold at stores, so sometimes it has missing words, or is unfinished in some way. In Duel, the pages hadn't all been colored in yet, but that didn't take away from the story. In fact, the finished version of this book, which was released last fall, would be even better since it will be totally finished, with all it's color, and no words left out or misspelled (hopefully!).

    Duel is the story of two sisters; Lucy, entering 6th grade at the middle school where her 8th grade sister, Gigi, is already a student. Duel is also about fencing, a sport not often written about in teen books (graphic novel or otherwise). Lucy and Gigi do not get along, and with their father's passing their relationship seems to get even worse. Gigi is looking like a shoe-in as captain of the school fencing team. When Gigi trips Lucy in the cafeteria on the first day of school, Lucy challenges Gigi to a duel - a fencing competition. 

    Family dynamics, especially a relationship between two siblings, is the focus of this book. The way the Bagley's also build this story around a little-known sport makes it more interesting. The relationship between the two girls, their friends, and their mom is pretty real - almost too real at times (I wished a few times during the book that they would either figure it out or just stay away from each other already!). Each chapter is introduced with a fencing term and some rules of how the sport works, which is not just interesting but also suggests what is coming in each chapter between the sisters. It's not a new idea in books, but it works well in Duel.

    Even without all the artwork completed I really liked the art in this book. The storyline became a little tedious to me after a while, but because this is a graphic novel and not a chapter book the overall story worked pretty well. The ending came a little too easily based on the relationship between Gigi and Lucy throughout the book, but it is still a story most of you will enjoy. 4 paws!

The Last Beekeeper, by Pablo Cartaya

     Imagine the world a long time from now, when technology has continued to advance but has not helped humankind find ways to preserve the environment. In The Last Beekeeper, author Cartaya creates such a world, and main character (protagonist) Yolanda Ciceron (Yoly) sets out to change that...one bee at a time! 

    Beekeeper is one of Cartaya' many books, and the second I have read. It has a lot of heart and I love the premise of the story, especially as it doesn't seem to be too fantastic or too far in the future, if you humans don't do things differently moving forward. The main characters are both strong, LatinX girls, third generation of smart women, farmers, scientists, and brave. All good things that made me like this book! Cartaya has a good story idea here, and as I mentioned above, you can feel his passion for this story throughout the book. However, maybe I've read too many books at this point (is there such a thing?), but the writing in The Last Beekeeper is really...poor. Not grammatically, but too simple for any middle grade reader I've ever met. The story line is meant for middle school, I'm sure, but the writing is too often just too basic. In too many places Cartaya tells us, the reader, too much, and doesn't let us fill in blanks where many of you could fill in those gaps by yourself. Filling those parts of a story makes a story better.

    I love reading about bees. They are a vitally important part of our world, and our survival on this planet. Cartaya has a good story idea here that centers around bees and their importance to us all. I wish his editor, or a friend, would have asked him to write one more draft before sending this to be published. It likely would have helped. I give this 3 paws, and only because I can tell he really enjoyed creating this story, and it is an important story to tell. Too bad the writing is so basic. Darn. 

Swim Team, by Johnnie Christmas

     I've been looking forward to reading this graphic novel ever since it came out last year, based on all the exciting reviews it was getting! I admit, I was not disappointed! Author and illustrator Johnnie Christmas (what a great name right? Sounds like a detective's name in a good mystery!) creates a really relatable character in Bree, who is afraid of the water and cannot swim, yet ends up in a swimming class when her and her dad move to Florida. What unfolds is a nice blend of friendship issues, family dynamics, and a little history of access to swimming pools and lakes as the United States grapples with its racist past (and present). 

    Swim Team covers a topic not often covered in teen and young adult books, and in a really honest way, I think. A few of the characters don't get as established as some others do, which is a little detracting from the overall story, but not enough for this book not to be on your must-read list. The writing/artwork combo remind me a lot of Jerry Craft's books, which should also be on your must-read list, if you haven't read them already! 4 paws and a wag for this engaging graphic novel.

Zhara: Guardians of Dawn #1, by S, Jae-Jones

     The first book in what is obviously a series by author Jae-Jones. While this is not their first book, it is the first I have read, and will likely be a hit with fantasy fans! Zhara is a retelling of the Cinderella story, with a lot more monsters thrown in for fun. Her character in this story lives with a sister and step mother, both of whom she loves but both of whom have a hold on Zhara in very different ways. As the story unfolds, Zhara is discovering who she really is, while falling for a prince, of course, although she doesn't know he's a prince, nor does she know of the power she possesses within. Fans of Marie Lu or Veronica Roth will likely enjoy this romantic fantasy adventure story, and the Abominations won't disappoint fans of horror, too.

    I don't read enough in the fantasy genre, but this new release is getting such good reviews I thought it would be a good chance to jump back in. It reminded me of the authors mentioned above, mostly in good ways, although there were a few minor plot points in this book that seem rushed, or underdeveloped. The very last chapter could have been left out entirely, as it was too obviously the first chapter of the new book, without coming out and saying so. I think Jae-Jones is a good writer, and that her future books will be better still, maybe even pushing them into must-read author status. Guardians of Dawn has a lot of page turning moments, but a few too-obvious moments as well. Looking forward to future books in this series, but expecting they will be a bit better as well. 4 paws and a wag!