Ah, comic books. One of my best childhood memories involves a box of old comic books discovered in the closet of a bedroom in a lake cottage rental. They were probably the loved stories of a child who belonged in the cottage at one point in time or maybe the cottage owners just had the foresight to know it rained every once in a while and kids needed something to do. Either way, the dragging out of the cardboard box, the ritual sneezing from the dust, and the rediscovery of the old titles (Casper the Friendly Ghost, Richie Rich, Archie) were a highlight of the summer, rain or shine.
Several years ago, at the elementary school library where I was working, the librarian at the time did something radical. She created a graphic novel section. Her reasoning? Reading is reading, and for kids who found chapters and paragraphs daunting or just plain boring, a little color, a little humor, a story line with a visual plot might be an excellent stepping stone to bigger things.
She had something there. This year’s Washington State Evergreen Teen Book Award includes the graphic novel Ms. Marvel, the story of a 16 year old Muslim girl living in New Jersey who is exposed to a chemical mist giving her superpowers. And as any parent knows, with great power comes a whole lot of juggling real life with hero life – and Ms. Marvel does this really well – or not, but that’s what makes this a great read.
What I liked:
- Main character Kamala Kahn comes from a loving, immigrant family. She has to juggle Muslim home life with American teenagerdom and it’s not easy. Her mom is strict, understanding and lays down the boundaries like any good mom of a superhero would. Her relationship with her brother is true to siblinghood, overbearing but loving. These two want the best for each other and I found myself looking forward to their interactions.
- Her superpowers are awkward and funny and just plain great! There isn’t anything glamorous about them which makes them perfect for a teenager.
- Kamala takes ownership of her town. She doesn’t try to save the world, just Jersey City.
- Kamala makes mistakes, but she’s not too full of herself to ask when she needs help. This means, over the course of the series, the whole cast of Marvel heroes show up, but Iron Man’s role as mentor is my absolute favorite.
- The cats! There is one series of pictures with cats that is worth careful study.
What I didn’t Like…
- I have to wait for the next one…to be published…
One funny note: I had to re-teach myself how to read graphic novels! It’s not just panel after panel anymore. The artwork is fantastic but it sometimes means you have to take in the bigger picture or follow a circular path to get the story right. Don’t give up though – it doesn’t take long to pick it up.
This is a series I gave to my 13 year old, superhero loving daughter to read. She proceeded to take them to school and loan them out to friends. I’d say that’s two thumbs up to a good read!