Juvenile Fiction/Graphic Novel: Rise of the Robot Army, Robert Venditti & Dusty Higgins

Rise of the Robot Army (Book 2 in the Miles Taylor and the Golden Cape series)

Robert Venditti, illustrated by Dusty Higgins 

ISBN: 9781481405577

Miles gets addicted to the power of the cape and the kick of doing good, and gets kidnapped by a crazy guy with a robot army.

These are fun because they're set in Atlanta, they're prose novels for the most part, but switch into graphic novel format when the character of the Golden Cape is active, and because the author is trying very hard to purposefully subvert the tropes of a superhero narrative and show how hard it is for a normal person to always do what's right and what's best, when they're just normal people faced with powerful temptations.

Supporting Cast: A+. Miles' dad, poor guy. I just want to buy him a drink. At least he's got a girlfriend now. Doctor is cool but needs a bit more characterization. New girl is hella interesting and I hope she's permanent and not treated poorly by the author.  

Plot: A.  Emotional arc is dead-on and perfect for the age-group (honestly, it's perfect for most people all their lives, when you really look at it) and the physical plot/perilous situation is 1) creepy as heck, 2) very nicely built on the first book, 3) subverts superhero-story tropes where people have obvious names to show they're bad-guys or good-guys without actually making the storyline ANY LESS CREEPY (well-done, that is), and 4) is solved relatively rationally and by the characters making informed and purposeful choices instead of getting deus-ex-machina'd (although I do think perhaps dad had a bit of a mild ret-con to his character so that Miles doesn't get murdered at the end of the book).

Fun, silly, engaging, thoughtful, and peopled with fun and interesting characters that are tropey without being any less interesting and individual. I'm really impressed, and really enjoying this series. 

Juv Fantasy: Dragon Slippers, Jessica Day George

Dragon Slippers

Jessica Day George (Tuesdays at the Castle)

ISBN: 978159990575

Coming-of-age, betrayal and friendships, and very nice dragons, with a side order of creepy.

I really loved Tuesdays at the Castle, and I don't know why I assumed it was George's first book, but I just discovered the truly excellent Dragon Slippers, and I'm very glad I did.  Great storytelling, excellent characters (both good and bad) and a lovely take on dragon-kind and dragon hoards.

Creel's family is dead, so she and her brother are being raised by her aunt and uncle.  Sadly, no one really has any money, so auntie gets the bright idea to have Creel captured by the local dragon, rescued by the local lord's son, and carried off to a glorious life in the manor house (whereupon manorial favor (ie, money) will shower down upon the rest of the household (meaning auntie).  Creel, like most of us reading this devious plot, attempts to point out the many and manifest errors in logic, but auntie is firm, and Creel figures the old dragon is probably dead anyway, so she'll hang out for a bit, then come back home and her aunt will move on to a new wild scheme.

But the dragon is NOT dead, and Creel finds herself set off on an adventure that has her struggling to use her wits and her talents (embroidery and design) to support herself in a wide and wild world that doesn't particularly care about her.  

Creel is sharp and smart, clever and hard-working, and she's aided by (and hampered by) a well-written supporting cast (human and dragon).  She plans, she acts, and she is unafraid to speak up for herself (even when it doesn't necessarily work out well for her).  

The story gets a little dark and parts of it are downright creepy towards the end, but the overall tragic/terrible details are blurry and distant - think Prince Caspian, or the weirder parts of Voyage of the Dawn Treader.  Anyone who's more than one book into Harry Potter ought to be just fine as well.     

Juv Nonfiction: A Smart Girl's Guide to Worry (American Girl) Judy Woodburn, Nancy Holyoke & Brenna Vaughan

A Smart Girl's Guide to Worry: how to feel less stressed and have more fun
American Girl nonfiction/advice books
Judy Woodburn and Nancy Holyoke, illustrated by Brenna Vaughan
ISBN: 9781609587451
Very specific and science-based (mostly CBT) techniques for conquering anxiety.

A very clear and straightforward advice book that focuses attention on the reality-warping aspects of worry and anxiety, and provides Cognitive-Behavioral-Therapy-based mental and physical techniques to counteract those negative impulses and move beyond fear-based thinking.

This isn't a match for a good therapist, but for your run-of-the-mill kiddo who is suddenly anxious about a particular subject or activity, or is growing awkward and walled-off as she grows older and feels less confident in herself, this is a great starting point, making it clear that everyone has to deal with worries, and while some people suffer more than others, there are techniques that will work over time to negate or quiet down those fearful or insecure thoughts.

Recommended.

Juv Nonfiction: School Rules (American Girl) by Emma MacLaren Henke & Stacy Peterson

Just in time for the school year, we've got new copies of some of the American Girl advice books.  These are really great books, and I'm very glad to have them.  As a bonus, the nonfiction books don't actually advertise for American Girl at all, which makes it much easier to review them with a clear conscience.

School Rules! tips, tricks, shortcuts, and secrets to make you a super student
American Girl nonfiction/advice books
Emma MacLaren Henke, illustrated by Stacy Peterson
ISBN: 9781609587437
A generalized preparatory handbook of habits, with a few "quizzes" to show basic tendencies.

This book is a very straightforward school prep guide.  It addresses mental and physical habits to drop and to pick up, talks about procrastination and perfectionism, about the value of appearances vs content, and gives information about study habits and how to best learn new topics.  It also talks about how to request help when needed, and how to handle the stress when projects or topics are difficult to master.

Basic, clear, straightforward, and science-based.  An excellent book that balances excitement about school and learning with clear reassuring facts and advice.

New Arrival: Juv Nonfiction: Deep Roots: How Trees Sustain Our Planet, by Nikki Tate

Deep Roots: How Trees Sustain Our Planet
Nikki Tate
ISBN: 9781459805828
Read July 18, 2016

A nice nonfiction addition for our library here.  This book covers trees from a variety of viewpoints: ecological, sociological, historical, and sustainable.  It has a worldwide focus, covering everything from baobabs to sequoias to Pando, the trembling aspen entity.  Lots of call-outs and sidebars and pop-boxes for fast factoids and interesting asides, and a light gloss over the various topics in the main text.  Capped off with an excellent Resources section (nearly 2 pages of websites and books) and a very detailed Index of topics and key terms.  Visually appealing, delightful subject, and lots of starting points to spark tangents and further interest-driven research into the topic.

Juvenile Classic: Ballet Shoes, Noel Streatfeild and Diane Goode

Ballet Shoes
Noel Streatfeild, illustrated by Diane Goode
ISBN: 0679901051 (library binding)
Re-read while off at a conference.

I don't remember the first time I read this book, but I know it wasn't during childhood.  Which is a crying shame, because I would have loved this sweet little classic domestic about three adopted siblings finding their passions and their purpose in the worlds of dance and performance and machinery.

The plot is simple: an old man is an inveterate traveler and fossil hunter, and he picks up three "fossils" along the way that are a bit different.  They're left at his big home in the care of "nanny" and his grand-niece, and while he's away, they grow up in difficult financial circumstances, necessitating them hosting boarders and the girls performing (dance and acting) professionally to earn money as soon as possible.

It's like Alcott, but less twee, and not really any moralizing at all.

There's a movie also, with a very peculiarly aged (and blonde!) Emma Watson, which I haven't seen yet, but seems watchable in that sort of "Shirley Temple" adorable saccharine way.

Graphic Novel: Feathers, by Jorge Corona & Jen Hickman

Feathers
writer & illustrator: George Corona
colors: Jen Hickman
letters: Deron Bennett
ISBN: 9781608867530
Order vs Chaos, white vs black feathers, street urchins, and a scary cowled figure trailing blood-red mind-controlling music.

Poe was left with his foster father as a small feathered infant boy.  His father wishes to keep him secret and safe, but Poe sneaks out during the daylight hours to help the Mice - the street children of the wild Maze outside the giant walls of the orderly City.  Bianca is a bored spoiled child of the city, and she runs away during a trip out into the Maze.  Paired up with Poe, the two children discover a sinister plot that threatens all the children of the city - inside and out.  Further, Poe discovers more about his heritage and two mysterious "narrator" figures hint at further stories to come.

Something very "Steamboy" about the bare-bones plot of a strange boy - an outsider even among outsiders - joining forces with an upper-crust girl against semi-mystical forces of evil, but beyond that overarching association, it's a fun story that reads quickly and very clearly with a smallish cast of quite neatly individualized characters who all serve important character or plot functions.

The panels are clear and generally easily followed, but some of the action scenes are a bit muddled or unclear, and we're left to consult the character dialogue to figure out what happened.  I really like the inclusion at the end of the process pages and original pitch along with commentary from the author/illustrator to show his thought-process in developing the story and the character appearances.  

New Arrival: Juvenile Graphic Novel: Help Us! Great Warrior, by Madeleine Flores & Trillian Gunn

Help Us! Great Warrior
Madeleine Flores with Trillian Gunn
ISBN: 9781608868025
Um.. The great warrior is a green kirby thing who fights evil (even though she'd rather just chill), I guess?


I came at this cold, so I may not be the best audience for it, but the cover was cute and strange and had multiple women of color on it, so I thought - eh?  Why not!?  I'm now intrigued and very confused.

The Great Warrior is a green kirby blob that lives in a village of other (blueish/greyish) blobs.  Their village keeps getting destroyed by demons from the monster realm, and Hadiyah (an unexplained human (actually not a human, more of a djinni/guardian angel/earth spirit thing), along with "Samson the magnificent" who is the Great Warrior's best friend...? ) basically drops in and says, Great Warrior, you have to go fight the demons because they keep destroying things.

Then in a great plot twist (it wasn't very twisty) it turns out that Great Warrior has a deep dark secret of her own, and she has to make a hard choice to keep her village and her friends safe.

I enjoyed it.  I don't want this review to seem negative - I really did have fun reading it, but I was sooooo confused the whole time.  Are there other ones before this?  I can't figure it out from a search (and not to brag, but librarians are pretty good at searching) and I don't know.  Technically over the course of the story we learn everything we need to know for the story to work, but it seems so offhanded and by-the-bye that I really feel like there's other stories or background info that I'm not privy to.

It was interesting, and peculiar, and odd.  But lots of powerful female characters (good and evil) although Hadiyah got fridged and Samson got stuck in nursemaid territory in order for the plot to progress (grrr argh).  Interesting and lively, but weird.  

Juv Fantasy: Magic at Wychwood, Sally Watson, illustrated by Frank Bozzo

Magic at Wychwood
Sally Watson, illustrated by Frank Bozzo
ISBN: 0394914686 (library binding)
Read May 27, 2016
Juv Classic Fantasy.  Very similar in feel and spunk to the more recent Tuesdays at the Castle.


This was a cute little short read, again found while helping a patron find an old childhood read.  This one is about a royal family, in particular the youngest daughter: spunky, redheaded, un-ladylike Princess Elaine, and their various adventures concerning magical happenings in and around the castle.  Extremely laid back, no real peril (people do get changed into animals and inanimate things, but everything always comes right in the end).  Elaine is a delightful hero, and her big brother Arthur takes the stage a few times also, and he is determinedly chivalrous and delightful in his adherence to the Code, especially when everyone else in the family is being much more sensible.

Very cute, and a great choice for bedtime serial readings - each "chapter" is a self-contained story that only slightly builds on the ones before it, up til the very end when everything gets tied off delightfully.

New Arrival: Juv Nonfiction: Nettie and Nellie Crook: Orphan Train Sisters, by E. F. Abbot & Clint Hansen

Nettie and Nellie Crook, Orphan Train Sisters
E. F. Abbot (pseudonym for Susan Hill), illustrated by Clint Hansen
ISBN: 9781250068354
A "based on a true story" junior novelization of the experiences of a set of twins on the orphan trains.

This was a very sad and sobering story, and even more so when I read the coda at the end and realized how very true to actual events the narrative was.  Even more sobering is that this is a relatively happy story: the girls were allowed to stay together, and they were eventually matched up into a happy family in town, as opposed to being used as slave labor out in the wilds, or used for prostitution, or simply abused by their "adoptive" families.  I feel for the kids involved, but also for the charities involved - trying to figure out a better option than orphanages and workhouses (which were even more horrible) or them dying on the streets or getting picked up by organized crime and abused or prostituted in the cities.  Their solution was novel, and I'm sure for at least some of the kids and western families, worked out beautifully.  Unfortunately, for many others, it was simply a move to a very different kind of horrible life.

Sad read, but an important chapter in American history.

Juvenile Fantasy Mystery (classic?): The Diamond in the Window, Jane Langton

The Diamond in the Window
Jane Langton, illustrated by Erik Blegvad
ISBN: none
Pubdata: Harper and Row, NY, 1962
Read May 4, 2016

This is the starting point of a series of 8 children's novels written between 1962 and 2008 that focus on the Hall family children, starting in this book with Eleanor and Edward. They live with their Aunt Lily and Uncle Fred (Fred and Lily are brother and sister, not married). Their parents are dead (of course) and one day while exploring the old rickety mansion, they discover a hidden attic room and a mysterious sad case involving even more of Lily and Fred's siblings.  It seems that long ago, when Lily was a young woman, her youngest two siblings (a boy and girl named Edward and Eleanor: crucially and luckily nicknamed Ned and Nora) and her beau, a maharaja from India (yes really) all simply up and vanished one night, and no one could ever find them. Now the house is on the hook for back taxes, and the current set of siblings are off and running to solve the mystery and save the house.

It's cute, but it's dated, and the endless references to Lousia (Alcott) and Henry (Thoreau) and Walt (Whitman) are meant to be enriching, but end up as somewhat tiresome: although a few of the dream sequences involving the Alcott sisters as children, and showing Walden in his cabin are sweet and deftly done.  I can see how the book sticks in the mind (I discovered it when a patron was searching for it, half-remembered from their own childhood) because the dreams are creepy and unsettling and visually evocative, and the scenario is just wild enough to not quite be preposterous.  The ending is quick and utterly mundane, and everyone is happily settled down in the best possible fashion.  I'm glad I read it and made ms Langton's accquaintance, but I don't think I'll continue with the series - it's not quite my style, even though sections were very enjoyable.

Juvenile Fantasy: The Girl, The Dragon, and the Wild Magic, Dave Luckett

The Girl, The Dragon, and the Wild Magic (Rhianna trilogy)
Dave Luckett
ISBN: 0439411874
Scholastic paperback (originally published in Australia)
Read April 12, 2016


This is a cute little standalone juvenile fantasy, perfect for a reluctant reading young lady, or perhaps as a stepping stone to the Alanna books (Song of the Lioness series, Tamora Pierce) or The Hero and the Crown/The Blue Sword (Robin McKinley).

Rhianna is really bad at magic.  The rules are inconsistent and the logic is fuzzy, and all of her attempts at spellcasting end in catastrophic failure.  Makes sense, because for most people, too little magic is the problem, and for Rhianna, a rare Wild Magic talent means that her problems stem from too much magic - and therefore not enough control.  Her talent is pulling the raw power from the entire countryside, and until she can learn control herself, the court wizard works out a catch-and-release mechanism - which unfortunately a covetous local wizard and his nasty son turn against both Rhianna and the locals.  Comeuppance is swift and karmic, when his foolhardy and greedy nature calls a dragon to town, giving Rhianna a chance to show off how well she can do in a situation where more magic is a help rather than a hindrance.

Cute, sweet, innocent, and easily readable.  There are two sequels:
The Girl, the Apprentice, and the Dogs of Iron
The Girl, the Queen, and the Castle

Juv Nonfiction: Book, My Autobiography "transcribed" by John Agard, illustrated by Neil Packer

Book: My Autobiography
John Agard, illustrated (b&w) by Neil Packer
ISBN: 9780763672362
Read March 7, 2016
Cute conceit of a thin book covering the history of the recorded word in print from the perspective of a book, looking back at the transformations of the past and present.

Lots of short chapters break up the history of the development of the written word.  We begin with oral storytelling and cave paintings, then move through the earliest surviving examples of physically-recorded information from several cultures.  Then we're into the developments of types of materials: rock walls to clay tablets to papyrus to parchment to paper pulp (a Chinese invention, which I did not know) and finally to modern e-books.  Then we look at styles of writing: cuneiform, hieroglyphics, the Phoenician, then Greek, then Latin alphabets (this section was sadly lacking in Eastern information), along with the writing process: wedge-shaped stylus to quills (with discussion of the various bird species and what their quills were considered good for) to the first block printing and then movable type and then again e-books with hyperlinks.

The "voice" of Book is wry and self-deprecatory and winking, passing information along as if it is just the coolest history in the world (which I personally agree with) and making even ancient history like the switch from papyrus to parchment seem relevant (caused, fyi, by a squabble over intellectual property (papyrus) which was barred from export out to a rival country).

The language is rich and varied and the presentation is quite adult - I had to check the CIP to see that it really was a juvenile nonfiction.  There are pull-out and pop quotes from authors and poets and influential people highlighted in almost every chapter that are relevant to the section, or are generally thought-provoking.  This would be an excellent "trial" biography for a young voracious nonfiction or micro-history reader - I can easily see them successfully reading through this and feeling empowered to move on to the very similar adult nonfiction or biographies.

A fun, quick, information-packed read, with a great narrative flow and a lovely narrative voice, with just enough black and white illustration and pop quotes to break up the many many many small chapters.    

New Arrival: Juv Nonfiction: Electrical Wizard, How Nikola Tesla Lit Up the World, Elizabeth Rusch & Oliver Dominguez

Electrical Wizard: How Nikola Tesla Lit Up the World
Elizabeth Rusch, illustrated by Oliver Dominguez
ISBN: 9780763679781
Read February 4, 2016
Candlewick Biography: excellent short bio, with notes and explanations of electrical systems.

Excellent work from the author and the illustrator to present a clear, straightforward, and kid-level biography of Tesla that doesn't shrink from some of the more grotesque elements of his career (yes, Edison's electrocution of an elephant to smear his rival makes it into both the text and the illustrations) nor from the more fantastical achievements (Tesla and Westinghouse's utterly ludicrous achievements at the Chicago World's Fair, despite (again) Edison's blockades).

The biography itself is already quite good, but the addition of sections afterwards make it even better.  We have a spread "Ahead of his Time" talking about some of Tesla's more interesting (and some currently unrealized) ideas, and some of his concepts that were failures or were blocked by fears or by greed.  Next up is a spread "Tesla vs. Edison: The Rivalry" that goes into a little more depth about the working relationships and conflicts between the two men, making their relationship a bit more nuanced than is immediately obvious in a kid-level text.  Next comes an enormous "Scientific Notes" section that explains electricity, direct and alternating currents, and how magnets are related to electricity, illustrates and walks through the concepts behind a few basic mechanical electrical engines, talks about Tesla Coils and induction, and how the generator under Niagara Falls works.  Finally a trio of research aides: an "Important Dates" page, a "Source Notes" page for direct quotes, and a "Select Biography and Further Reading" list, with books and films (!) listed as primary and secondary sources and for further information.    

2015 Review Round-Up: Juvenile Graphic Novel: Baba Yaga's Assistant, Marika McCoola & Emily Carroll

Baba Yaga's Assistant
Marika McCoola, illustrated by Emily Carroll
ISBN: 9780763669614
Read December 2015
Gruesome but light-hearted romp through a magical forest outside the modern world.

Her grandmother was her only comfort after her mother died - her botanist father was distant and didn't understand her.  Grandmother would tell her stories of her own childhood, when she braved the terrors of Baba Yaga with her own mother's doll to help her.  When grandmother passes on, and her father starts eating dinner with a new date - one with a bratty child at that, Masha knows just what to do.  She snatches up her matryoshka dolls, snips out the classified ad; "Assistant Needed ASAP... Enter Baba Yaga's house to apply." and heads into the forest.  From there on, we're into a madcap magical adventure where Masha (with a little help from Grandmother, and perhaps some from Baba Yaga herself, not that she'd ever tell) Masha learns that she really does have a place in the world, and even finds it in her heart to rescue the bratty maybe-eventually-little-stepsister.

So fun, and so subversive.  Loved it.  Reminded of Nimona, and of Ms Marvel, and of the Hildafolk stories, where the normal mundane and the utterly magical are just a stones throw apart, but no one in either world seems to notice or care.

2015 Review Round-Up: Juvenile Illustrated Fiction: The Story of Diva and Flea, Mo Willems & Tony DiTerlizzi

The Story of Diva and Flea
Mo Willems (Pigeon, Elephant and Piggie), illustrated by Tony DiTerlizzi (Spiderwick, Changeling)
ISBN: 9781484722848
Quirky illustrations and an almost Lemony-Snicketish narrative voice make this friendship story sing.

This is the most adorable book I've read all year and it's absolutely perfect.  Diva is a VERY small dog who lives with the caretaker of a set of Paris flats, and she's petrified of feet, but otherwise very brave and very clever.  She is pampered and spoilt and happy.  Flea is a lanky angular black cat, famous as a neighborhood flaneur (professional wanderer).  When Flea happens upon Diva's set of flats, a beautiful friendship develops as both these spectacular personalities learn new and exciting things from their very different friend.

Did I mention that this book is PERFECT?  It is.  It is beautiful and perfect and special and it is why the universe was created, and why books were invented.  Just for this story.  Go find it and see if I'm wrong.  I dare you.

2015 Review Round-Up: Juvenile Fiction: George, Alex Gino

George
Alex Gino
ISBN: 9780545812542
George (who really knows she is Melissa) uses the school production of Charlotte's Web to help correctly identify herself to her school and family.
Read October 2015

This is a really powerful book, and it does a great job explaining something that most people will (luckily for them) never have to worry about experiencing in their own lives.

2015 Review Round-Up: Juv Nonfiction: A Smart Girl's Guide - Babysitting The Care and Keeping of Kids, American Girl

American Girl's Smart Girl's Guide
Babysitting: The Care and Keeping of Kids
Harriet Brown, illustrated by Karen Wolcott
ISBN: 9781609583934
A short but information-dense and updated guide to 21st century babysitting.
Read October 2015

The over-polished illustrations aren't my style, but they are diverse, and are also generally illustrative of concepts presented in the book itself, which makes them useful as well as (presumably) attractive to the target audience of pre-tween and tween girls making their first forays into the wild world of babysitting.

The book doesn't shy away from dealing with the nitty-gritty - how to set a pay scale, how to ask for money, how to handle emergencies or kids who won't go to sleep or siblings who fight.  All of the information is presented in a "you've got this down" up-beat peppy style that is encouraging while still being helpful.

2015 Review Round-Up: Graphic Novel: The Graveyard Book (Volumes 1&2) Neil Gaiman et al

The Graveyard Book: Volume 1
Neil Gaiman, P. Craig Russell
Kevin Nowlan, P. Craig Russell, Tony Harris, Scott Hampton, Galen Showman, Jill Thompson, Stephen B. Scott
ISBN: 9780062194817

The Graveyard Book: Volume 2
Neil Gaiman, P. Craig Russell
David LaFuente, Scott Hampton, P. Craig Russell, Kevin Nowlan, Galen Showman
ISBN: 9780062194831
Both Read October 2015

The graphic novel adaptation of the epic fantastical and ghostly re-telling of the Jungle Book.

Just go read it.  It's Neil Gaiman, and it's beautiful.  I would recommend reading the actual book first - it makes things clearer and deeper to have that background to draw from, and it makes for a nice sense of anticipation about what the various artists are going to choose to do to depict various people and scenes.  This was the October read for our library's Graphic Novel Book Club, and it was a big hit.  Everyone enjoyed the story, even though most people didn't realize it was an homage to the Jungle Book (which you should also read, but remember that Kipling was an AWFUL racist.)

Bod wanders away from a gristly scene, and takes refuge in a cemetery, under the protection of the Grey Lady, the cemetery ghosts, and the mysterious nocturnal caretaker Silas.  These grim beings form a protective family for Bod to grow and develop, but all too soon he is going to learn about the wider world, and once he leaves the cemetery grounds, he's dangerously vulnerable to the strange man Jack who hunts him relentlessly.

2015 Review Round-Up: Juv Fiction: The Scavengers, Michael Perry

The Scavengers
Michael Perry
ISBN: 9780062026163
Juv dystopia, spunky girl heroine, a bit overexplained at the end.
Read Summer 2015

This was a fun "beginner level" dystopia.  It had elements of zombies a la Walking Dead, it has the scrappy heroine and a grizzled old mentor and his kitchen-witchery wife.  Family in peril, younger sibling needing protection.  Bonus points for random wordplay (sometimes genuinely funny, sometimes seemed a bit effortful) and a demented chicken.

Our girl has named herself Ford Falcon because it sounds really cool.  Please don't look at the actual car, she knows it's a beater.  But it does provide a nice cozy place to sleep, all half-buried in the abandoned rural scrapyard her family now calls home.  There aren't many people out in the country now, what with the government offering everyone free food and protection inside the new domed cities.  But a few holdouts linger, and her family is one - or they were, until someone trashes the family home and they all vanish.  Now Ford is on her own (but not really, there are wily neighbors to help out) and it's up to her to find her family, and try to build a home again.  A pretty good yarn, and a good gentle allegory for the push-pull of adolescent yearning to be safe at home, but also pretty sick of being stuck at home.  Recommended for kids who are ok with pretty intense scenes of abandonment and lots of pages spent with creepy corn zombies.