Okie Reads » Mariko Tamaki http://blog.newsok.com/okiereads Looking at a little down home literature Tue, 22 Jan 2013 17:41:31 +0000 en-US hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.5 SKIM, time out for a great graphic novel http://blog.newsok.com/okiereads/2009/02/03/skim-time-out-for-a-great-graphic-novel/ http://blog.newsok.com/okiereads/2009/02/03/skim-time-out-for-a-great-graphic-novel/#comments Tue, 03 Feb 2009 15:30:01 +0000 kitty pittman http://blog.newsok.com/okiereads/2009/02/03/skim-time-out-for-a-great-graphic-novel/ I’ve been doing nasty statistic reports at work, my brain is fried, so I decided I needed a diversion.

]]> I’ve been doing nasty statistic reports at work, my brain is fried, so I decided I needed a diversion. I used to do this in college when I should have been studying for a final or doing a report. All of a sudden I would start some book that was not what I needed to be reading but wanted to read. I read the “Fire Next Time” by James Baldwin doing that, and can still remember it vividly.  

I digress.

Skim
words by Mariko Tamaki
drawings by Jillian Tamaki
Groundwood Books/House of Anansi Press
143 pages
Anyway I picked up Skim on Sadie’s recommendationSkim by Mariko Tamaki and I had a library hold on it and it just got back. It really is good. I’ve also discovered I like black and white graphic novels rather than color. The color distracts me from the writing.

Segment from Skim by Jillian Tamaki, illustrator

(Copyright of this image belongs to Jillian Tamaki)

Jillian Tamaki is the illustrator, Mariko Tamaki the author. It is the teen angst novel, but carried out with subtlety, good dialogue, empathy for the characters, and experiences we’ve all had through the horrifics of growing up. I’m glad the ALA (American Library Association )Great Graphic Novels for Teens List, put this one on it.
Another graphic I read with black & white illustrations was kimmie66 by Aaron Alexovich. Telly’s adventures in virtual reality to find her friend Kimmie. Might want to give that one a try.

While I like these graphics, my disclaimer for parents would be, if you want to know what your child is reading, then read some of their books, and it’s up to you to determine what’s right  at what age for your child, I’m not their parent.

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