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4.27 AVERAGE
4.27 AVERAGE
No rating. This was a little young for me, but is a good choice for the age range it’s meant for to teach them to be themselves
I don't think I've read a middle grade graphic novel that tore my soul to pieces. I've had Séance Tea Party on my radar for a while; however, I don't think I really ever realized what the story would focus on. While it's a cute, wholesome story about a young girl who is into all things spooky, the larger narrative is about the fear associated with growing up and letting go. Lora finds that she feels less comfortable than her friends with the prospect of becoming a teenager. Instead, she wants to continue to focus on the various things that they did as children. As a result, she befriends a ghost who makes her feel more comfortable about her decision. There's a unique and intriguing sub-plot associated with the ghost that tore my heart to pieces. As the two narratives are woven together, readers receive the opportunity to see how Yee carefully and beautifully addresses the fear that we all have in growing up and letting go. The artwork was gorgeous filled with vibrant colors that feel like all the fall vibes you could ever want. There are panels that simply focus on the art with little to no text. Yee does a beautiful job balancing this method with panels that contain a lot of text. It works well for the story at hand. There is plenty of representation in the main characters and side characters. If you are looking for a new middle grade graphic novel for the fall/winter, I would recommend checking this out.
I was beginning to question if graphic novels could reach the depth I look for in stories, and then I read this. It is such a creative and beautiful book that discusses growing up and grief like I've never seen.
adventurous
emotional
lighthearted
reflective
slow-paced
Beautiful art in an endearing style. The story features a wholesome message that would be valuable to the target demographic but did not feel super resonate for an adult reader.
Lora isn't interested in growing up, even if all her friends are. She's content to keep playing tea party, enjoying the company of the magical spirits that accompany her on her travels around town, and pretending. The only problem is, with her friends leaning into typical teenage interests, she's a bit lonely. When Lora has the idea to hold a séance tea party, she soon finds herself with a new friend. Unlike Lora, Alexa didn't have the opportunity to grow up, because she is a ghost. And how long can a friendship between a human and a ghost last?
From an adult perspective, especially as someone who lost a brother at a young age, I found Séance Tea Party to be pretty deep, especially as the plot progressed. Themes of appreciating the spirit of childhood and recognizing the privilege of aging fit snugly together despite seemingly opposite theses. Readers are treated to a moving story as a result of the themes being handled so adeptly.
Séance Tea Party keeps up an interesting plot, though for most of the book, the passage of time seemed a bit vague. It's ultimately cleared up by the end, but until a time-defining moment, it's unclear how much time has passed, especially because the conflict is marked, in part, by Lora aging. Lora's style and overall appearance shifts throughout as she matures, and it's easy to interpret the changes as as much as a few years having past, but the story eventually describes a birthday that confirms about a year has passed.
There's also a bit of a discrepancy -- or, at least, an issue of under-development -- when it comes to the "magic" and how ghost life works. I won't go into detail (lest I risk minor "spoilers" for the strictest avoiders), but I'll say the conditions of Alexa's appearances don't entirely make sense.
A variety of characters make up a diverse cast for the book, to include Malaysian, white, Latine, LGBT*, young, middle aged, and elderly characters. Given the effort put in toward diversity, I was a little surprised not to see disability represented, unless you want to count Alexa (which I don't) and religion was very nearly ignored altogether. Regardless, the heterogeneity of the characters worked well, which I think can sometimes be a challenge when writing about Anytown, USA, where (particularly suburban communities) tend to be fairly homogenous. The interactions between these characters felt natural and no one seemed to be out of place, which was a beautiful way to paint the world. Meanwhile, this was also the first time I recall seeing a land acknowledgement in a book's acknowledgements, which I usually skim, at the very least. I'm sure other books have done this, but none that I recall, so I'll be interested to see if this becomes more commonplace going forward.
In terms of the illustrative style, it wasn't my all-time favorite, but I enjoyed it enough and it got the job done. The original sketches shared in the post-book notes were actually slightly preferable to me in terms of character design, but the differences were pretty slim, so practically speaking, it didn't matter much. Yee employs lots of color, a cutesy style, and a good amount of detail to help tell the story alongside dialog.
Séance Tea Party is a great read for children, adults, and all in-between. I can see it being a great read-together book. I'll be looking for more of Yee's graphic novels in the future and enjoying the cozy, poignant work that is Séance Tea Party in the meantime.
From an adult perspective, especially as someone who lost a brother at a young age, I found Séance Tea Party to be pretty deep, especially as the plot progressed. Themes of appreciating the spirit of childhood and recognizing the privilege of aging fit snugly together despite seemingly opposite theses. Readers are treated to a moving story as a result of the themes being handled so adeptly.
Séance Tea Party keeps up an interesting plot, though for most of the book, the passage of time seemed a bit vague. It's ultimately cleared up by the end, but until a time-defining moment, it's unclear how much time has passed, especially because the conflict is marked, in part, by Lora aging. Lora's style and overall appearance shifts throughout as she matures, and it's easy to interpret the changes as as much as a few years having past, but the story eventually describes a birthday that confirms about a year has passed.
There's also a bit of a discrepancy -- or, at least, an issue of under-development -- when it comes to the "magic" and how ghost life works. I won't go into detail (lest I risk minor "spoilers" for the strictest avoiders), but I'll say the conditions of Alexa's appearances don't entirely make sense.
A variety of characters make up a diverse cast for the book, to include Malaysian, white, Latine, LGBT*, young, middle aged, and elderly characters. Given the effort put in toward diversity, I was a little surprised not to see disability represented, unless you want to count Alexa (which I don't) and religion was very nearly ignored altogether. Regardless, the heterogeneity of the characters worked well, which I think can sometimes be a challenge when writing about Anytown, USA, where (particularly suburban communities) tend to be fairly homogenous. The interactions between these characters felt natural and no one seemed to be out of place, which was a beautiful way to paint the world. Meanwhile, this was also the first time I recall seeing a land acknowledgement in a book's acknowledgements, which I usually skim, at the very least. I'm sure other books have done this, but none that I recall, so I'll be interested to see if this becomes more commonplace going forward.
In terms of the illustrative style, it wasn't my all-time favorite, but I enjoyed it enough and it got the job done. The original sketches shared in the post-book notes were actually slightly preferable to me in terms of character design, but the differences were pretty slim, so practically speaking, it didn't matter much. Yee employs lots of color, a cutesy style, and a good amount of detail to help tell the story alongside dialog.
Séance Tea Party is a great read for children, adults, and all in-between. I can see it being a great read-together book. I'll be looking for more of Yee's graphic novels in the future and enjoying the cozy, poignant work that is Séance Tea Party in the meantime.
me: listening to the totoro soundtrack + soaking up this beautiful book about growing older authentically while still electing to hold on to the wonder n magic we’re taught to leave behind w/ our childhoods... WELP. me: cryin over a book yet again
p.s. — the art is STUNNING and I loved how Yee included lots of notes/background info on her creative process! as someone who is looking to dip my toe in the waters of digital art I found it so helpful n inspiring!!
p.s. — the art is STUNNING and I loved how Yee included lots of notes/background info on her creative process! as someone who is looking to dip my toe in the waters of digital art I found it so helpful n inspiring!!
Five bajillion stars! Although the beginning is fast-paced and a little confusing to follow, the story is about 12 year old Lora who is experiencing the fine line between childhood and adolescence that many 6th graders teeter between. She loves Halloween, and on a whim she decides to host her own Seance Tea Party in her attic, where she summons a real ghost named Alexa. The two become friends as they explore what it really means to grow up.
I loved this graphic novel. The illustrations are GORGEOUS and so whimsical! I wish it wasn’t July, as it made me nostalgic for both my childhood and Halloween. I also loved that the author fully decorated the pages with little doodles in the negative space around the comic panels, because it makes each page more exciting to look at!
The author is also a BANGER, nominated author of first Malaysian comic to be nominated for an Eisner. Her end matter goes in-depth about her process, which you can tell she pours her heart and soul into her work.
Overall, read this graphic novel!!!
I loved this graphic novel. The illustrations are GORGEOUS and so whimsical! I wish it wasn’t July, as it made me nostalgic for both my childhood and Halloween. I also loved that the author fully decorated the pages with little doodles in the negative space around the comic panels, because it makes each page more exciting to look at!
The author is also a BANGER, nominated author of first Malaysian comic to be nominated for an Eisner. Her end matter goes in-depth about her process, which you can tell she pours her heart and soul into her work.
Overall, read this graphic novel!!!
I cried! 5 stars!
This had really lovely art with nice use of space, details, and visual storytelling.
I don’t read a ton of middle grade books, but I thought this had a very nice story about coming to terms with growing up and managing evolutions of friendships as everyone else around you also navigates coming into their own, including how social media can play into that child-to-teen transition nowadays. I also liked that queerness was interwoven throughout but was never really the cause of what Lora was struggling with or of conflict.
This had really lovely art with nice use of space, details, and visual storytelling.
I don’t read a ton of middle grade books, but I thought this had a very nice story about coming to terms with growing up and managing evolutions of friendships as everyone else around you also navigates coming into their own, including how social media can play into that child-to-teen transition nowadays. I also liked that queerness was interwoven throughout but was never really the cause of what Lora was struggling with or of conflict.