kathyellendavis's reviews
73 reviews

Avatar: The Last Airbender--The Search Omnibus by Bryan Konietzko, Michael Dante DiMartino, Gene Luen Yang

adventurous emotional hopeful informative inspiring mysterious reflective sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

This one. Read through it SO FAST. The mystery of Zuko's Mother was never resolved in the animated series and it's amazing to discover all of this in this story. They did a great job of making it sort if magical, sort of realistic, a good mystery. Excellent contrast between Zuko and Azusa as well, and meeting a new spirit. This definitely centers around Zuko and his thoughts around it, yet the whole group is together again.  Once again amazing illustrations and excellent writing. It feels like these stories fit seamlessly with the tv show, which makes them even more fun.

Avatar: The Last Airbender - The Promise by Bryan Konietzko, Michael Dante DiMartino, Gene Luen Yang

adventurous emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring mysterious reflective tense 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? Yes

Love this series so much! This is a really interesting look at trying to return lands back to original nations, and how that's complicated when people from different nations have formed families and integrated into a city together. I love that these kids discuss the nuance behind everything too. It's a great way to think about problems that affect our world too. Beautiful illustrations and great writing too! 

Super Narwhal and Jelly Jolt by Ben Clanton

adventurous funny lighthearted 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? Yes

These friends are so sweet! Love the intro if a comic in this one, and them being superheroes. Everyone loves superheroes. My kids in school cannot get enough of these books!

The Grieving Brain: The Surprising Science of How We Learn from Love and Loss by Mary-Frances O'Connor

emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective medium-paced

This is a great read to understand the science of grief. We all know we grieve in different ways, yet our brains work in similar ways through grief. At first our brains do not believe that someone is really and truly gone, so we are actually battling our brains to believe reality.  Lots of great studies and science explore the many ways our brains can help us through grief too. A great read for anyone who is grieving or supporting someone who is, so pretty much a great read for everyone.

Quit Buggin' Me! #4 by Nancy Krulik

funny hopeful mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

Another great Princess Pulverizer book! Her first time battling a knight, the team works together in an even better way, they meet some moles who have a funny dance, and one more good deed done. 

Vera Wong's Guide to Snooping (on a Dead Man) by Jesse Q. Sutanto

adventurous challenging emotional funny hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective tense 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? Yes

Another great Vera book! This one had a lot more characters narrating chapters, which I found really engaging. The crimes revolve around a very serious and sad subject too. Through it all Vera is Vera-ing, feeding others, making them feel at home, and not resting until she gets to the bottom of the case. It seems like another book is coming from the last chapter. I simply love Vera and all the characters in these books. I could not put this book down! So good. 

Narwhal: Unicorn of the Sea by Ben Clanton

adventurous funny hopeful informative lighthearted 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? Yes

What a lovely little graphic novel! The characters are so endearing; Narwhal's enthusiasm is contagious, and Jelly's facial expressions ensure you always know what he's thinking. The kids loved that there were different chapters featuring related stories, and the facts as well. 

Vera Wong's Unsolicited Advice for Murderers by Jesse Q. Sutanto

adventurous emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted mysterious reflective tense 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? Yes

What a funny and heartwarming read. I know it may seem funny to say that about a book that starts with a murder, but it's true! Vera is a dynamo that no one can say no to; I love her pluck, gumption, and fierce belief in herself. She assembled a cast of characters around her that become a family. This is a joyful world to be a part of, and I can't wait for the next one! You won't be able to put this book down; it will make you laugh and tug on your heart. Read it! 

Bad Moooove! by Nancy Krulik

adventurous funny hopeful lighthearted mysterious medium-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? Yes

Another fun adventure; this time Princess Pulverizer and Lucas have to rely quite a bit on their dragon friend Dribble. I love how they are working more together. And the monster in this books is very surprising! On to the next one!

Improve: How I Discovered Improv and Conquered Social Anxiety by Alex Graudins

challenging emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad tense medium-paced

I thought this was a great read. It was interesting to go along with Alex on her journey from having crippling social anxiety, and seeing
how she helped it with improv. I related to a lot of the social anxiety and I think it would be really helpful for people who don't have social anxiety to be able to see how it plays out for other people and be more empathetic. I enjoyed all of the improv games and I thought 
It was a really good look at what an improv class could be. I was rooting for Alex to succeed. I think this book will inspire anyone to go out and try something that they may not be good at right away.