Review/ Courtney Crumrin Tales of a Warlock Vol. 7

Review/ Courtney Crumrin Tales of a Warlock Vol. 7Courtney Crumrin Tales of a Warlock Series: Courtney Crumrin Volume 7

by Ted Naifeh
Format: Hardcover
Published by Oni Press on March 18th 2015
Pages: 128
Goodreads
Genres: Comics & Graphic Novels, General, Young Adult

At long last, Courtney Crumrin Tales returns... in full color! Though the Witches and Warlocks of Hillsborough keep to themselves under Ravenna’s Law, there are outliers who are a danger to others. The Anti-Sorcery Society, headed by mortal Horace Crisp, seeks to destroy these individuals, and Aloysius Crumrin, an eager young man, offers his assistance–keeping his magical ancestry to himself, of course. But he doesn't count on Alice Crisp, Horace’s tenacious daughter, accompanying him on missions, or on trusting her with his secret… or on falling in love. Which proves more dangerous than anything when Horace becomes his enemy…

Review/ Courtney Crumrin The Final Spell Vol.6

Review/ Courtney Crumrin The Final Spell Vol.6Courtney Crumin The Final Spell Series: Courtney Crumrin #6

Format: Hardcover
Published by Oni Press on August 20, 2014
Pages: 152

On the run from the Coven with her former teacher Calpurnia, Courtney Crumrin is quickly learning just how sinister the witches and warlocks of Hillsborough can be - but she never thought she'd see the day when Uncle Aloysius turned on her as well. It's a lot harder to fight a battle when the only family you care about is against you, and Courtney's only salvation may lie in the Twilight Kingdom - and away from the mortal world. But Aloysius won't give up his niece so easily, even if he has to fight the night creatures to do it!

Originally this was suppose to be the final book in the Courtney Crumrin series but I see they did another volume which I am just about to read.

Like the previous books it picks right up where volume 5 ended which I think is really nice. I am sure they could have combined all the comics into one volume or even two but that is just my opinion.

This will be basically a mini review because I don’t want to give to much away. This was a quick read and I really enjoyed this one. Its nice to see how much Courtney has grown from the first volume. She is a cute and spunky girl who takes nothing from no one.

Courtney is reunited with her former teacher Calpurnia and they are on the run from the Coven. It seems like everyone has turned on Courtney even her uncle. It appears like Courtney knows too much and they are trying to get to her and make her forget everything she knows but will she allow that?

In this volume Courtney dominates and lets nothing stand in her way.

This was a fast pace read.

 

Review/ Courtney Crumrin The Witch Next Door Vol 5

Review/ Courtney Crumrin The Witch Next Door Vol 5Courtney Crumrin, Volume 5: The Witch Next Door Series: Courtney Crumrin #5

by Ted Naifeh
Format: Hardcover
Published by Oni Press on May 14th 2014
Pages: 148
Goodreads
Genres: Comics & Graphic Novels, General, Young Adult

The first five issues of the full-color Courtney Crumrin comic series are collected for the first time in a special hardcover edition! Holly Hart is new to Hillsborough and witchcraft. When her family moves in next to Courtney, the two girls quickly become friends. But as Courtney watches Holly making the same mistakes she once made, she begins to have second thoughts about teaching the girl magic. And when Holly sees the aftermath of the other children's

One of the good things about getting back into the library is being able to catch up on some graphic novels that I discovered last summer and imagine my surprise when I discovered that the next three volumes of Courtney Crumrin  were out. I quickly borrowed them because I wanted to catch up.

The Witch Next Door is volume 5 and they are super quick reads. It picks right up from where volume 4 left off which is really nice.

In this graphic novel a new girl (Holly) moves in and its right across from Courtney’s uncle’s house. Courtney is thrilled to finally have a friend and things are going really good until magic steps in between their friendship. Courtney and Holly get along so well because they both are deemed as outcast and appear to be exactly alike in manner and style of clothing. I think Holly is thrilled to finally have found a friend.

I don’t want to say much more about the book because I can literally give it away. Its a really good read and if your a fan of dark graphic novels then I have to recommend this. It was nice to see how much Courtney has grown emotionally, mentally and magically.

 

Library Loot April 20th Edition

librarylootnew

 

Library Loot is a weekly event co-hosted by Claire from The Captive Reader and Linda from Silly Little Mischief that encourages bloggers to share the books they’ve checked out from the library. If you’d like to participate, just write up your post-feel free to steal the button-and link it using the Mr. Linky any time during the week. And of course check out what other participants are getting from their libraries.

This was my third trip to the library this month. I am loving that its nicer outside so that I can walk over to the library in the mornings.

I still have these previous books out:

  • Living Me to We (The Guide for Socially Conscious Canadians) by Craig & Marc Kielburger
  • The World Needs Your Kid (How to raise children who care and contribute) by Craig & Marc Kielburger and Shelley Page
  • Free the Children by Craig Kielburger with Kevin Major
  • Dorothy Must Die by Danielle Paige

I am slowly making my way through Dorothy Must Die.

This week I only picked up:

Michael borrowed:


Review/ Courtney Crumrin The Coven of Mystics

Courtney Crumrin and the Coven of Mystics by Ted Naifeh
Published by Oni Press, Incorporated on 2003
Pages: 32

This is a special edition bound up book of the second set of four comics. The other graphic novels that I will be reviewing are in this same format. What a great way to read a comic isn’t it?

Courtney is trying and learning on how to use her powers for good and not evil or for selfish reasons.  Courtney is still struggling to make friends at school and I hope that she will be able to find that one friend who will change things for her. Right now she is just trying to survive school.

Courtney and her relationship with her Uncle is progressing and he is trying his best to keep her out of trouble but she just doesn’t listen to him. He has taken her under his wing and teaching her things. Even though it seems like she will do anything she wants no matter what the out come could be.

The same characters return with some new additional ones. It was nice to see a little more depth to Courtney and her Uncle.

A  Hobgoblin (Tommy Rawhead) is a man eating goblin is on the loose and every one in is worried. Normally nothing really bothers the Night things except this. They fear him. So in steps the Council of the Coven and they decide that they need to step it up and call in Aloysius to take care of the hobgoblin because a prominent warlock,  his wife and family was murdered.

Will Aloysius be able to stop the hobgoblin before its too late?

The story line this time is just a little bit darker then the previous one but its still done in the same style and illustrations.

I am curious to see what will happen in the next volume.

 

 

Review/ The Boy Project

Review/ The Boy ProjectThe Boy Project by Kami Kinard
Format: Hardcover
Published by Scholastic Inc. on 2012-01-01
Pages: 272
Goodreads
Genres: Friendship, General, Humorous Stories, Social Issues, Young Adult

For anyone who's ever felt that boys were a different species.... Wildly creative seventh grader Kara McAllister just had her best idea yet. She's going to take notes on all of the boys in her grade (and a few elsewhere) in order to answer a seemingly simple question: How can she get a boyfriend? But Kara's project turns out to be a lot more complicated than she imagined. Soon there are secrets, lies, and an embarrassing incident in the boy's bathroom. Plus, Kara has to deal with mean girls, her slightly spacey BFF, and some surprising uses for duct tape. Still, if Kara's research leads her to the right boy, everything may just be worth it. . . . Full of charts and graphs, heart and humor, this hilarious debut will resonate with tweens everywhere.

LIbrary Card Month w/The Geeky Blogger
This has been a book that has been on my wishlist since it first came out so I was happy to see it sitting on the shelf at my library.  The library is a great place to find books that you have sitting on your wishlist to read and I am making more of an effort to use the library for that purpose.
Kara was a character I could totally have related to if I was her age. I remember being in school and feeling like the only girl who didn’t/never have/had a boyfriend. The only difference between the both of us was that Kara decided to take matters into her own hands where I would have been a complete chicken.
Kara decides that in order to get anywhere you need to observe and that she does. She takes notes of the guys in her class, school and around here. Then she also observes the girls and makes notes. I loved the cute little names she would use such as Maybelline and this was in reference to the girls who wore to much make up and the Vines were the girls who were always hanging around the guys. You remember those girls right?
Reading this book I wondered where was this book when I needed it. I think so many younger girls would appreciate this book because Kami doesn’t make it to be this one big happy ever after thing where Kara gets what she wants she shows the reader that we all make mistakes and face embarrassing things but its okay because thats what makes us who we are.
I love books like this because it makes you realize that everyone is human and that we all make mistakes or get into embarrassing situations. I think we learn from those moments in time. I know in school I did a lot of embarrassing things (and at the time I wanted to die and run away) but I think it made me who I am today and the friends I still have in my life due to that says alot and those ones are truly friends. (You know who you are)
I also loved how Kami included notes, charts and graphs to the book because I feel as though it added to the book. It was sort of like reading a diary at times and I honestly like those kind of books.
I should also let you know that book 2 is out and its called The Boy Problem and its Kara’s BFF Tara’s story and its sort of the same idea. I will need to check this one out too.
Have you read this book?

Review/ Courtney Crumrin The Night Things Vol 1

Review/ Courtney Crumrin The Night Things Vol 1Courtney Crumrin And the Night Things Series: Courtney Crumrin #1

by Ted Naifeh
Published by Demco Media on 2005-04-01
Pages: 120
Goodreads
Genres: Comics & Graphic Novels, Contemporary, Fantasy, Fiction, General

Presenting the initial Courtney Crumrin miniseries in a new digest-sized format. Courtney's parents have dragged her out to a high-to-do suburb to live with her creepy Great Uncle Aloysius in his spooky old house. She's not only the new kid in school, but she also discovers strange things lurking under her bed.

One of the best things about going to the library is being able to spend time and just looking around. I tend to do this when Michael is at the library doing an activity. I just walk up and down all the isles to see what is there.

It seems like this summer was the summer of discovering comics (for Michael) and manga’s/graphic novels for me. I spend almost an hour and a half just going through the adult and young adult graphic novels/manga’s. I managed to find some really good ones that I will be reviewing this month.

Every Friday this month I will be reviewing the Courtney Crumrin series.

Flipping through the book I have to say the illustrations are really nice. You can tell this isn’t a cute little book but a bit darker then a kids manga. According the the retail sites they say its good for kids 7 and up but it was labelled in the young adult section at our library. I don’t think I would let Michael read it because it is a bit dark and not really age appropriate in my opinion. Plus there is some language (I am sure he knows the words anyway from school) and some sexual content. Nothing graphic but still he is only 11.

This is a special edition bound up book of the first four comics. The other graphic novels that I will be reviewing are in this same format. What a great way to read a comic isn’t it?

The graphic novels are about a girl named Courtney. She hates people, has no friends, is a loner and is being forced to move and live with her uncle Aloysius because her parents are living beyond their means and want to live the life of their wealthy friends and climb the social ladder and they feel this will do it for them.

Courtney is not impressed and she knows something is up with the house and her uncle when she starts seeing mysterious things out of the corner of her eye. Not quite sure what to make of it she begins to investigate and stumbles into her uncle’s study and discovers a book. This book isn’t like any other book and it explains what goblins are and so much more.

With this knowledge she decides to trap this goblin, Butterworth (who by the way also narrators  the story). Courtney also realizes this book can change her life drastically and could make living there much more enjoyable. She decides to cast a spell that will help her out at school. What Courtney doesn’t realize is that some times something so little can turn into something more. All of a sudden Courtney is Ms. Popular. Courtney doesn’t like this and has no idea what to do because she will be in trouble if her uncle finds out about this.

As the story progresses her parents realize that they will do anything and everything to be on that social path even if it means having Courtney babysit a baby so that the parents can hang out. Sure sounds simple enough right well its not all peachy keen when the baby is swapped for a changeling. The baby was taken to be sold in an auction and now Courtney is a race to safe that baby before its too late. Can she do it?

Finally the last comic in the book was a bit heart breaking. Courtney has gotten sick and she is becoming weaker and weaker. Courtney decides that perhaps if she got out she would get better but quickly realizes that things aren’t what they seem. What will Courtney do when she finds out what has happened since she has been sick?

This made for a fun and quick read. I am curious to see what happens in the next book and the ones after that.