The Year of the Beasts by Cecil Castellucci and Nate Powell YP FIC CASTELLU

Tessa and her younger sister Lulu always had a sibling rivalry, but it turns to outright jealousy when Lulu starts seeing Tessa’s secret crush, Charlie.  Tessa starts to feel like an outcast and a monster and finds herself drawn to Jasper, a troubled loner.  Jealously builds resentment and resentment builds to a tragedy that could destroy them all.

Told in alternating chapters with one being a realistic fiction and the other being a graphic novel that shows Tessa and all her friends as mythological creatures, the book starts a tad jolting.  There isn’t an immediate explanation for the difference and it through me for the first few chapters.  “So is she a medusa lady or not!?” I guessed at first that it was all to do with the idea that “we all feel like monsters at one time or another as teens,” or something like that, but it has a deeper meaning that reveals itself as the book goes on.  This is definitely a “not for everyone” title.  It mixes realistic fiction and graphic novel storytelling in a unique way to tell a story in an original way.  It really does pay off for readers that stay with it.  It makes the tale both modern and timeless and explores the nature of tragedy in an utterly believable way.  I found myself really believing Tessa’s’ character and feeling her pain, even though throughout I wished she’d make different choices.  Of course, that’s the very essence of tragedy, Also Nate Powell is one of the most expressive and interesting artists working in graphic novels for teens today.  He does haunting looks at the pain of adolescence like nobody’s business! I highly recommend it to any reader that wants to branch out into more adult and mature graphic novels, or to try books that tell stories in new ways.  

You can check our catalog for The Year of the Beasts here.

Manga Shakespeare Series

School recently began, and some English teachers will be assigning selected works by William Shakespeare. Reading “the Bard” can insight fear in teens who already dread reading, but fear not. There is a series of books that tell Shakespeare’s stories, but they are in a manga format. Instead of words, words, words, Shakespeare’s works are accompanied by anime-inspired drawings, which makes the story-telling much easier and enjoyable.

The library currently has copies of As You Like It, Julius Caesar, and Othello from the Manga Shakespeare series. As You Like It is one of Shakespeare’s more famous comedies, which involves love triangles and reversed gender roles. Julius Caesar is Shakespeare’s tragic retelling of the real-life events surround Caesar’s assassination. Othello is another dark drama, which addresses jealousy, love, betrayal, and racism. Shakespeare’s works continued to be used in schools because of their historical context and relevance in modern society.

I am not encouraging teens to not read their assigned Shakespeare text, but rather suggesting they check out these manga-style retellings to further the reading experience. The stories are abridged, which means the story is a reduced length. The creators of these books focus on the key scenes of the plays. If you are having trouble reading Shakespeare, which at times reads like a foreign language although it is English, the combination of the text with visual images might help you easily translate the author’s intentions.

For teachers and parents who may be reading this blog, Manga Shakespeare uses the skills of a Shakespeare scholar and educational editor when developing their books. As well, they are advised by teachers in making the work more accessible to young adults. Manga, graphic novels, and comic books are effective teaching tools, especially with those who are reluctant to read or where English may be a second language. As well, both boys and girls respond well to this format of storytelling.

Available at Moore Memorial Library: As You Like It, Julius Caesar, and Othello