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4.27 AVERAGE
4.27 AVERAGE
If you need a good soul-cleansing cry, this is your book.
Reimena Yee’s Seance Tea Party is a gorgeous and bittersweet graphic novel that tenderly addresses the anxieties of growing up. Lora is reaching an age where she feels her friends drifting apart, especially from her as their interests turn towards those of typical teenagers while she still enjoys things she fears her friends view as childish. A lover of all things spooky, she holds a seance and meets Alexa, the ghost who haunts her house. While Lora is fearful of the future and growing up, Alexa has missed the opportunity to grow up and watches as generations of children pass her by. The juxtaposition in emotional plights helps them form a deep, meaningful friendship and support system while also pulling them apart. This isn’t a coming-of-age story as much as it is a pre-coming-of-age and explores just how emotionally challenging that period of change can be.
I picked this one up for my soon-to-be 10 year old daughter and read it myself, so charmed by the artwork that I couldn’t resist. This is a book that will warm the heart of anyone of any age and I’ll admit there were several tears, especially at the elegantly executed conclusion. This is a challenging age for children, such as my own child who has expressed similar anxieties as Lora and I was glad for a book that addressed this issues with such empathy and insight. The emotions feel authentic and gives the reader the language to understand their similar anxiety, beautifully rendered in Yee’s adorable artwork that perfectly embodies that autumnal setting of the book. It is a book about holding onto the magic in life, which is something I often find I myself can do when reading YA graphic novels. Being able to revisit the emotions of youth to better understand them and use it in conversation with my daughter is something I’ve come to really appreciate and enjoy. Plus we can share a book and bond over that.
This is a lovely little book that addresses a cool variety of issues and pieces them together like a quilt. It reminds me a bit of [a:Katie O'Neill|7831390|Kay O'Neill|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1608237632p2/7831390.jpg]’s Tea Dragon books in the way it handles complex emotions with a quiet grace. Yee really excels with the graphic format, with an excellent variety of framed shots that keep the storytelling fresh and handles movement and passage of time really well. The opening sequence is a montage of several weeks in Lora’s life that really sets the stage perfectly and the storyboarding montage technique was done so perfectly that only a few pages in I was already in awe at Yee’s talents. This book is warm and tender like a hug after hurt feelings. The friendship between the two is really adorable and the side plots of Alexa piecing together what her life was like is really heart wrenching but beautiful. Great for any age, grab some tissues and get ready for a truly endearing supernatural friendship story.
4.5/5
Reimena Yee’s Seance Tea Party is a gorgeous and bittersweet graphic novel that tenderly addresses the anxieties of growing up. Lora is reaching an age where she feels her friends drifting apart, especially from her as their interests turn towards those of typical teenagers while she still enjoys things she fears her friends view as childish. A lover of all things spooky, she holds a seance and meets Alexa, the ghost who haunts her house. While Lora is fearful of the future and growing up, Alexa has missed the opportunity to grow up and watches as generations of children pass her by. The juxtaposition in emotional plights helps them form a deep, meaningful friendship and support system while also pulling them apart. This isn’t a coming-of-age story as much as it is a pre-coming-of-age and explores just how emotionally challenging that period of change can be.
I picked this one up for my soon-to-be 10 year old daughter and read it myself, so charmed by the artwork that I couldn’t resist. This is a book that will warm the heart of anyone of any age and I’ll admit there were several tears, especially at the elegantly executed conclusion. This is a challenging age for children, such as my own child who has expressed similar anxieties as Lora and I was glad for a book that addressed this issues with such empathy and insight. The emotions feel authentic and gives the reader the language to understand their similar anxiety, beautifully rendered in Yee’s adorable artwork that perfectly embodies that autumnal setting of the book. It is a book about holding onto the magic in life, which is something I often find I myself can do when reading YA graphic novels. Being able to revisit the emotions of youth to better understand them and use it in conversation with my daughter is something I’ve come to really appreciate and enjoy. Plus we can share a book and bond over that.
This is a lovely little book that addresses a cool variety of issues and pieces them together like a quilt. It reminds me a bit of [a:Katie O'Neill|7831390|Kay O'Neill|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1608237632p2/7831390.jpg]’s Tea Dragon books in the way it handles complex emotions with a quiet grace. Yee really excels with the graphic format, with an excellent variety of framed shots that keep the storytelling fresh and handles movement and passage of time really well. The opening sequence is a montage of several weeks in Lora’s life that really sets the stage perfectly and the storyboarding montage technique was done so perfectly that only a few pages in I was already in awe at Yee’s talents. This book is warm and tender like a hug after hurt feelings. The friendship between the two is really adorable and the side plots of Alexa piecing together what her life was like is really heart wrenching but beautiful. Great for any age, grab some tissues and get ready for a truly endearing supernatural friendship story.
4.5/5
emotional
lighthearted
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
a cute book about baby-gays, growing up, and doing things while scared.
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Middle grade graphic novel — writing and dialogue were very simplistic and at times hard to follow (all the scenes with texts and social media posts were hard to understand and I skipped over them). I was confused about how old the characters were since the way they were talking about prom and relationships and texting I imagined them to be older than 12, but since I don’t know too many people in that age range I may just be out of touch. I liked the underlying premise of growing old being a bittersweet gift. I def could relate to a lot of the sentiments. The art style was really cute but what I loved the most was the end where the creator shared her process for putting together the book — what a lengthy and complex process! That in itself is so impressive!
Actual rating 4.5
Beginning was awkwardly lacking dialogue for a long time, but once the story picked up, I was incredibly emotionally invested. Made me cry. Good books always make me cry.
Beginning was awkwardly lacking dialogue for a long time, but once the story picked up, I was incredibly emotionally invested. Made me cry. Good books always make me cry.
emotional
inspiring
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
i’m emotional 🥹
emotional
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
lighthearted
mysterious
sad
slow-paced