And Then, BOOM! by Lisa Fipps

     The second book by Fipps, the author of highly acclaimed Starfish, and an equally good release! And Then, BOOM! is the story of young Joe, whose mother has a tendency to get "the itch", when she disappears from home for hours, days...sometimes weeks at a time. In those instances, Joe is being raised by his Grandmum, but they struggle to make ends meet financially, and soon find themselves facing hunger and homelessness. 

    Like Starfish, Fipps writes this book in verse, which is really powerful and also nice for those of you who may get overwhelmed, or even bored, with regular chapter books. I've always had an admiration for writers who write books in verse, as it seems more difficult - not less - the tell a good story using less words rather than more. Authors like Karen Hesse, Sharon Creech and Kwame Alexander are some of my favorite authors who use verse expertly!

    There is one big event in And Then, BOOM! that was a bit tough to believe, and I think you'll know it when you get to it. But outside of that one hiccup, I really liked Joe and his story. Fipps writes this book from experience, just like her first, and her voice really comes through her characters very strongly. This book will make you feel for Joe - and anyone, including maybe you - who are or have had to survive poverty, in its many forms. You never know what a person's story is when you meet them, or simply pass them in your day-to-day life. It's good to remember that, and to show kindness whenever and to whomever you can. 4 paws!

Maelstrom; A Prince of Evil, by Lorian Merriman

     The debut graphic novel by the creator of the online sci-fi web comic The Otherknown. I discovered Maelstrom: A Prince of Evil on a recent visit to my public library (where I find my next great read when school is n summer break), wanting a graphic novel after finishing my last book, and also wanting something brand new that I knew nothing about.

    What a treat this was, and I am so happy that I chose this book! Colorful, fun, funny, dramatic, with exceptional artwork and a really cute, albeit not original, storyline. Maelstrom is the son of the evil queen who took over the throne and rules with terrible magic and power. Prince Maelstrom, however, gets bored of being the evil prince, and falls into favor with a group of people forming a resistance to topple the queen and return the land to peace once more. But is Prince Maelstrom who he says he is? Does he really want to help move his mother from the throne? 

    Merriman's Maelstrom is full of great characters, beautiful art, dragons, magic, sword fighting - a real medieval tale in graphic novel format. At times it reminded me of Shrek for it's funny one-liners and likeable characters. Never boring and an easy to follow plot (mostly) make this one for any of you graphic novel fans! I will recommend this to my human so that he can add it to the River City library collection. 4 paws!

Okoye To The People: A Black Panther Novel, by Ibi Zoboi

     I had seen this in my person's book bag a few times this past year, and was waiting for it to come home long enough for me to read it...I haven't read any of Zoboi's books yet, and was excited to read this one! In short, Okoye is a young woman from the African nation of Wakanda. She is also in training to be a warrior for her nation, guarding the king of Wakanda as he goes about his official duties. King T'Chaka is invited to visit the United States - New York City - and Okoye is included on this trip. She quickly learns that all in New York is not what it seems, and the person who has invited the king to the U.S. has nefarious intentions, which means her intentions are not as pure and good as she pretends them to be.

    In reality Zoboi uses this book to tell the reader about the state of race relations in this nation, past and present. She details how racism has unfairly treated Black people since the colonies were forming, and how that racism still plays out in today's world. This is all very important information, and should be the topic of many books, for young people and old alike. However, Zoboi does a poor job of working this into the story. Instead, her characters speak these facts as if they were being read from an encyclopedia, in a very dry, impersonal way that doesn't make you or I, the readers, want to know more, and want to be part of positive change. Instead of teaching us through the characters and the plot, the information is spit out at us with no feelings attached. This didn't give me anything to relate to as I read along and made the themes of the book fall very flat.

    I will read more books by this author, because I believe this is not her strongest work. I love that more books of all genres by and about people of color are populating the book shelves at stores and libraries, like River City! Unfortunately, Zoboi really misses the mark here, and short of what I think are her best intentions, this book is a dud. Darn. 2 paws.

    I still have a lot to read and learn about other experiences in the world, and in this case as race is a factor. Some of my all-time fave authors that I recommend to you are Jason Reynolds, Jacquelyn Woodson, and Kwame Alexander. I hope to add Ibi Zoboi to this list someday!