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OUTLAW

Name: OUTLAW
Author: Tony Lee
ISBN: 978-0-7636-4399-7

THE LEGEND OF ROBIN HOOD

by Tony Lee & illustrated by Sam Hart & Artur Fujita ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 1, 2009

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The legend of Robin Hood is ever evolving, reinvented by each generation in its own likeness. Thus, it follows that this is not your mother’s Robin Hood, i.e. Kevin Costner in tights. Instead, Lee infuses the age-old tale with snarky dialogue and a whiplash-inducing pace tailored to today’s overstimulated youth. The plot is familiar: Robin and his band of merry men rob from the rich and give to the poor as they work to depose the Sheriff of Nottingham and ransom King Richard, held hostage in the Holy Land as the Crusades drag on. It’s Hart’s drawings and Fujita’s coloring that elevate this 21st-century version head and shoulders above the rest. The artist’s shadowy figures and chiseled faces give depth to both the characters and the medieval castles and forest landscapes they inhabit. The monochromatic panels set the tone of the story, glowing brilliantly as they propel the action straight off the page into the reader’s imagination. This modern reincarnation of one of history’s most beloved outlaws is sure to become the stuff of legend. (Graphic fiction. 10 & up)

Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2009

ISBN: 978-0-7636-4399-7

Page Count: 160

Publisher: Candlewick

Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2009

Categories:

CHILDREN'S HISTORICAL FICTION | GENERAL GRAPHIC NOVELS & COMICS

- BOOK REVIEW
PIRATE QUEEN
by Tony Lee ; illustrated by Sam Hart

- BOOK REVIEW
MESSENGER
by Tony Lee ; illustrated by Sam Hart & Flavio Costa

- BOOK REVIEW
EXCALIBUR
by Tony Lee & illustrated by Sam Hart

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SWIM TEAM

by Johnnie Christmas ; illustrated by Johnnie Christmas ‧ RELEASE DATE: May 17, 2022

Problem-solving through perseverance and friendship is the real win in this deeply smart and inspiring story.

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Leaving Brooklyn behind, Black math-whiz and puzzle lover Bree starts a new life in Florida, where she’ll be tossed into the deep end in more ways than one. Keeping her head above water may be the trickiest puzzle yet.

While her dad is busy working and training in IT, Bree struggles at first to settle into Enith Brigitha Middle School, largely due to the school’s preoccupation with swimming—from the accomplishments of its namesake, a Black Olympian from Curaçao, to its near victory at the state swimming championships. But Bree can’t swim. To illustrate her anxiety around this fact, the graphic novel’s bright colors give way to gray thought bubbles with thick, darkened outlines expressing Bree’s deepest fears and doubts. This poignant visual crowds some panels just as anxious feelings can crowd the thoughts of otherwise star students like Bree. Ultimately, learning to swim turns out to be easy enough with the help of a kind older neighbor—a Black woman with a competitive swimming past of her own as well as a rich and bittersweet understanding of Black Americans’ relationship with swimming—who explains to Bree how racist obstacles of the past can become collective anxiety in the present. To her surprise, Bree, with her newfound water skills, eventually finds herself on the school’s swim team, navigating competition, her anxiety, and new, meaningful relationships.

Problem-solving through perseverance and friendship is the real win in this deeply smart and inspiring story. (Graphic fiction. 10-13)