Released: March 19, 2013
"Not the best volume with which to start this first-rate series, but rousing reading for comics fans who like their heroes heavily muscled, unhappy and occasionally splashed with blood. (resource lists, Olympian family tree, study questions) (Graphic mythology. 8-14)"
The sea god steps up to tell his own side of the story in O'Connor's latest, and least coherent, Olympian portrait.
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Released: Jan. 31, 2012
"An outstanding addition to a first-rate series. (notes, study questions, resource lists) (Graphic mythology. 8-14)"
A tempestuous mother-daughter relationship makes up the centerpiece of O'Connor's latest carefully researched and simultaneously fresh and funny Olympian portrait.
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Released: April 1, 2010
"Hera. (author's note, character profiles, "G[r]eek Notes," discussion questions, bibliography) (Graphic mythology. 8-14)"
Following the series opener that chronicled Zeus's origin story, O'Connor's next relates the details of his daughter Athena's birth and some of the stories about her.
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Released: Jan. 1, 2010
"Holy Cyclopes, here's a keeper. (Graphic mythology. 8-14)"
An energetic graphic series on classical mythology debuts with the origin story of the Big Cheese Olympian, Zeus.
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FAMILY AND GROWING UP
Released: May 1, 2009
"Still, the out-of-this-world story will appeal to young readers, who will look forward to the second installment. (Science fiction. 8-12)"
On Sept. 29, 2017, William Aitkin's step-parents were eaten by aliens, a fate suffered by many during the First Invasion.
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FAMILY AND GROWING UP
Released: April 1, 2008
"Parental readers as well as children old enough to wonder whether their own family trees sport some peculiar branches will be amused. (Picture book. 6-8)"
A startled lad discovers that his seemingly ordinary family has some uncommon relatives when Uncle Bernie comes for a visit.
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TEEN
Released: Sept. 1, 2006
"Though the price tag is high for the format, the book's quality ensures its place in studies of pre-Revolutionary America. (Graphic novel. 12-15)"
O'Connor's graphic novel is an example of the kind of work that will engage younger teens and spark interest in a potentially dull and little-known segment of American history.
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FANTASY
Released: April 1, 2006
"In Sally's words: "not boring!" (Picture book. 6-8)"
After mining the world of comics for his previous titles, O'Connor seems to have turned to old horror films for his latest inspiration.
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FICTION
Released: Aug. 1, 2005
"This provocative twist closes a promising start for a notably hot-tempered, occasionally vulnerable heroine. (Fiction. 10-12)"
FICTION
Released: Aug. 1, 2005
"Not even Max's propensity to fall into various kinds of disgusting ick—a running joke in the first volume that the author milks to the point of tedium here—adds any life to this whiny escapade. (Fiction. 10-12)"
Falling off considerably from the promise of its previous episode (p. 729), this second "Spy Kid"–style mission focuses less on subjecting Max and her mooning sidekicks Ella and Linden to any credible threat or danger than on heaping preteen miseries onto its surly, klutzy, humorless heroine.
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ADVENTURE
Released: June 1, 2005
"Rousing fare for fans of Brian Pinkney's Adventures of Sparrow Boy (1997) or for budding superheroes in general. (Picture book. 6-8)"
The creator of Kapow! (2004) takes the same crew and basic concept to the beach, alternating supercharged scenes of superhero action with more down-to-earth views of two young buddies and a little brother taking on a bully.
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FICTION
Released: Aug. 1, 2004
"The tidy ending is entirely suited to the medium of Truth, Justice, and the American Way. (Picture book. 5-8)"
An imaginative comic-book romp turns a little boy and his friend into superheroes who fight crime and make a little mayhem in the process.
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