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ANNE OF GREEN GABLES

From the Manga Classics series

A charming adaptation.

A miscommunication leaves Matthew and Marilla Cuthbert responsible for a plucky, effusive orphan girl instead of the boy they’d expected to help maintain their farm.

Retold in traditional manga format, with right-to-left panel orientation and detailed black-and-white linework, this adaptation is delightfully faithful to the source text. Larger panels establish the idyllic country landscape while subtle text boxes identify the setting—Prince Edward Island, Canada, in the 1870s. The book follows redheaded Anne Shirley from her arrival at Green Gables at 11 to her achievement of a college scholarship. In the intervening years, Anne finds stability, friendship, personal growth, and ambition in Avonlea and in the strict but well-intentioned Cuthbert siblings’ household. The familiar story is enhanced by the exciting new format and lush illustrations. A variety of panel layouts provides visual freshness, maintaining reader interest. Backmatter includes the floor plan of the Green Gables house, as well as interior and exterior views, and notes about research on the actual location. A description of the process of adapting the novel to this visual format indicates the care that was taken to highlight particular elements of the story as well as to remain faithful to the smallest details. Readers who find the original text challenging will welcome this as an aid to comprehension and Anne’s existing fans will savor a fresh perspective on their beloved story. All characters appear to be White.

A charming adaptation. (Graphic fiction. 12-14)

Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2020

ISBN: 978-1-947808-18-8

Page Count: 308

Publisher: Manga Classics

Review Posted Online: Aug. 18, 2020

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2020

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MY BOYFRIEND BITES

From the My Boyfriend Is a Monster series , Vol. 3

Hip, steamy fun.

A small-town teen fond of taking on difficult boyfriends as "projects" acquires a taste for tougher challenges when her newest one turns into a giant bat.

"Vampires are like cockroaches. If you see one, you've got a few. If you see a few, you've got a lot." So explains Vanessa's mysterious but hunky new squeeze Jean-Paul after blowing his cover as a janitor by driving off an attacking band of preppy bloodsuckers—and then revealing that Vanessa herself is descended from a line of monster hunters, and he has been appointed her protector. Rescuing a beloved teacher from exsanguination (armed with industrial quantities of garlic powder and a shop-vac) not only proves the truth of Jean-Paul's observation but firms up Vanessa's vague career plans, too. Presented in graphic panels done in suitably gothic black and white and featuring both sharply drawn characters and plenty of snarky dialogue, this spirited standalone episode joins both its predecessors (I Love Him to Pieces and Made for Each Other) and the simultaneously publishing Under His Spell, by Marie P. Croall and illustrated by Hyeondo Park, as fine fare for Buffy fans of all...types.

Hip, steamy fun. (Graphic paranormal romance. 12-14)

Pub Date: Oct. 1, 2011

ISBN: 978-0-7613-7078-9

Page Count: 128

Publisher: Graphic Universe

Review Posted Online: Aug. 2, 2011

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2011

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WRAPPED UP IN YOU

From the My Boyfriend Is a Monster series , Vol. 6

True to this series' winning formula, an enjoyable mix of terror, comedy and romance.

When a weird midnight rite in a museum brings a hunky Incan mummy back to life, teenage Staci has a decision to make.

Tall, dark, chiseled and gifted with magical powers to boot, the stranger who introduces himself as Pachacutec, or "Chuck," puts Staci on the horns of a dilemma: Though they have instantly and thoroughly clicked, even he admits that his reanimation is dangerous and unnatural. Furthermore, Staci has a set of erstwhile friends who have been dabbling in magic, and they are so eager to drain the Incan prince of power that they've put a vicious hex on Staci to pressure her into betraying him. Even minor figures are distinguishable characters in Nourigat's monotone ink-and-wash art, and both their emotional tides and the increasingly suspenseful dramatic action are ably conveyed in the small but clear panels. The climactic face-off takes place in the can't-miss setting of an after-hours fair and leaves the would-be witches thoroughly chastened and Chuck still around for romance—plus, there's a closing "interview" in which he reveals that he's actually based on a historical figure.

True to this series' winning formula, an enjoyable mix of terror, comedy and romance. (Graphic paranormal romance. 12-14)

Pub Date: Oct. 1, 2012

ISBN: 978-0-8225-9425-3

Page Count: 128

Publisher: Graphic Universe

Review Posted Online: July 17, 2012

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2012

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