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3.95 AVERAGE
3.95 AVERAGE
My brother has loved the Amelia Rules series for years, and so I finally broke down and got the first book from the library. Now I'm sorry I waited so long. This is one of the few books I've read recently that actually had me laughing out loud. Literally! With huge belly laughs where you can't stop. The characters are great, I LOVE Amelia's facial expressions, and the situations the kids face are reminiscent of my own younger days... though theirs turned out much funnier. The book has some serious and contemplative moments too, as Amelia struggles to come to terms with her parents' divorce, their move to PA, and making new friends in her new town. But there's a lot of funny too.
This would be a great graphic novel to get kids to move from comics to GNs, great for reluctant readers Amelia's age, and I think a lot of adults will love it too.
Spoiler
My absolute favorite part was when Mary Violet and Rhonda got stuck playing dodgeball together.This would be a great graphic novel to get kids to move from comics to GNs, great for reluctant readers Amelia's age, and I think a lot of adults will love it too.
On the story: The story centers around 9 year old Amelia after her parent's divorce. Amelia and her mom relocate and end up living with her Aunt Tanner. Each chapter/segment begins with Amelia speaking to the reader of the graphic novel and giving some background information on either her life, or the story coming up. Amelia shares with her readers stories about her secret crush and the love triangle between her, Rhonda and Reggie. She shares stories about her new school, the club she belongs to where she is a superhero. She shares stories about bullies that her and her friends try to fight off. My favorite story is the Christmas story, where her club/gang of super heroes try to prove Santa is not real. Throughout she relates how she feels about the divorce and her separation from her dad, and we see how she reacts to her mom's outbursts when her mom is on the phone with her dad. The last story provides a little bit of comfort when Amelia gets to go on a camping trip with her father and they have a heart-to-heart. This is definitely a series I want to follow so I can see what happens with Amelia, her friends, and her family.
On the style:
*I really enjoyed how Gownley useds the shirt on Pajamaman to portray emotions, moods, etc. as well as all of the ways he depicted moods and well-being through the speech bubbles. For example, Reggie when feels sick and says he feels sick, the speech bubble is a sickly green. When someone has an icy tone, the speech bubble looks like it has ice dripping off of it. There are even heart-shaped speech balloons. I especially like the storm cloud over Amelia's head when Rhonda shows up at her house.
*Also, any book that mentions Taco Bell multiple times is a winner, in my opinion!
*Loved the note-passing scenes, as well as the small touches like the chocolate moustache at the end, the hearts for eyes, Pajamaman's ever-changing shirt, and the blurred out backgrounds to emphasize distance.
On the style:
*I really enjoyed how Gownley useds the shirt on Pajamaman to portray emotions, moods, etc. as well as all of the ways he depicted moods and well-being through the speech bubbles. For example, Reggie when feels sick and says he feels sick, the speech bubble is a sickly green. When someone has an icy tone, the speech bubble looks like it has ice dripping off of it. There are even heart-shaped speech balloons. I especially like the storm cloud over Amelia's head when Rhonda shows up at her house.
*Also, any book that mentions Taco Bell multiple times is a winner, in my opinion!
*Loved the note-passing scenes, as well as the small touches like the chocolate moustache at the end, the hearts for eyes, Pajamaman's ever-changing shirt, and the blurred out backgrounds to emphasize distance.
My daughter really wanted me to like this series, but there’s something about the tone/humor that leaves me cold.
Having read the last books in the series first, I found it really interesting to go back to the beginning and see how GASP first came together and the initial struggles Amelia went through after her parent's divorce. And I swear I can't get through a single one of these books without crying. (that's a good thing btw :)
Amelia comes to grips with her parents divorce, a new school, and the trials and tribulations of growing up. A humorous, and subtly-touching graphic novel for younger tween readers.
Kind of reminds me a little of Calvin & Hobbes; lots of childhood violence and insults, but also thoughtful, particularly in dealing with Amelia as a child of divorce. Debating whether my daughter is ready for this or not.