Lumberjanes

 

Lumberjanes. By Noelle Stevenson, Shannon Walters, and Brooke A Allen. Boom! Box, 2015. 128 pages. $14.99

 

Reading/Grade Level(s):

Guided Reading—‘S’; Lexile measure GN390L; DRA level 40; Grades 6 and up

 

Genre:

Friends and Friendship; Ghosts, Monsters, Vampires, Witches; Scouting and Clubs; Graphic Novels

 

Summary (Based on back cover):

Friendship to the max! Jo, April, Mal, Molly and Ripley are five best pals determined to have an awesome summer together…and they’re not gonna let any insane quest or an array of supernatural critters get in their way! Not only is it the second title launching in our new BOOM! Box imprint but LUMBERJANES is one of those punk rock, love-everything-about-it stories that appeals to fans of basically all excellent things. It’s Buffy the Vampire Slayer meets Gravity Falls and features five butt-kicking, rad teenage girls wailing on monsters and solving a mystery with the whole world at stake. And with the talent of acclaimed cartoonist Noelle Stevenson, talented newcomer Grace Ellis writing, and Brooke Allen on art, this is going to be a spectacular series that you won’t want to miss. Review:

 

Reviews (Provided by the Children’s Literature Comprehensive Database):

Sarah Hunter (Booklist, Dec. 15, 2015 (Vol. 112, No. 8) )

Continuing their quest to uncover magic and be best friends, Mal, Jo, Ripley, April, and Molly earn their Lumberjanes merit badges with aplomb. When a marauding pack of velociraptors invades craft day, the Lumberjanes leap into action, though the dinos only seem to be after Jo, who secreted away one of the golden disks that mark every monstrous critter that arrives at camp. When a creepy old grandma suggests that Jo is really a mystical being in disguise, it drives a wedge into the Lumberjanes. Why would Jo keep secrets from her best friends? But there are bigger problems afoot: one of their camp mates, Diane, is not who she seems, and she s using the Lumberjanes for her own nefarious purposes. Stevenson and Ellis rip-roaring plot is packed with magic, mayhem, teamwork, and some fantastic jokes, and it s all riotously rendered in Allen s bold and brassy artwork, which clearly depicts even the most pell-mell scenes and perfectly complements the off-the-wall story. The series opener received broad, enthusiastic acclaim, and this follow-up should fare just as well.

null (Cooperative Children’s Book Center, 2016 )

Miss Qiunzella Thiskwin Penniquiqul Thistle Crumpet s Camp for Girls Hardcore Lady Types is where Lumberjane scouts gather in summer. Campers Molly, Mal, Ripley, April, and Jo are finding camp holds a lot of surprises. When they re beset by a wild group of wolves in the forest (they go into the defensive Little Red formation ), they re determined to discover the meaning of the mysterious message Beware the Kitten Holy, which appeared above the wolves in the sky. Ditching their counselor, Jen, at every opportunity, they have one supernatural encounter after another. Meeting each challenge means working together, building a steadfast bond. A boisterous graphic novel featuring singular characters, each of whom brings her own unique strengths to the group, is feminist, funny, and refreshing. The book is divided into rousing episodic chapters, each of which is aligned to a section of the facetiously formal Lumberjanes manual detailing the requirements for a specific badge.

 

Awards:

 

Cybils Awards, 2015 Graphic Novel

Cybils Awards, 2016 Graphic Novel

Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards, 2015

 

Literacy Tie-Ins for Public Libraries: Make Beliefs Comix is a website where users can create and design their own comic strip. Public libraries can take this freeware and introduce children to graphic novels in a program. This would not only encourage creativity, but literacy for the targeted audience participating in the event or workshop.

 

Read-Alikes:

 

 

Princeless

By Jeremy Whitley

Illustrated by Mia Goodwin

 

 

 

The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl Vol. 1: Squirrel Power

By Ryan North

Illustrated by Erica Henderson

 

 

 

 

Adventure Time with Finn and Jake

By Ryan North

Illustrated by Shelli Paroline

 

 

 

Why this Comic Appeals to Children:

Children will be delighted to read a story packed with friendship, teamwork, mayhem, and evil monsters. Whether a kid is spontaneous like Ripley or reliable like Molly, Lumberjanes provides a magical adventure with five distinctive and flawed girls that any child can relate to. With exclamations such as “what the junk!?” this graphic novel presents humor with unique word play. The colorful illustrations and quirky plot would get even the most reluctant reader interested.

 

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Resources

Hunter, S. (2015, December 15) Review of the book Lumberjanes, by N. Stevenson, S. Walters, and B. A. Allen [Book]. Available from the Children’s Literature Comprehensive Database: http://www.clcd.com.queens.ezproxy.cuny.edu:2048/#/bookdetail/1/1/OIPNHHOKfmHNJnkm/bdrtop

Null. (2016). Review of the book Lumberjanes, by N. Stevenson, S. Walters, and B. A. Allen [Book]. Available from the Children’s Literature Comprehensive Database: http://www.clcd.com.queens.ezproxy.cuny.edu:2048/#/bookdetail/1/1/OIPNHHOKfmHNJnkm/bdrtop

Scholastic. (n.d.) Beware the Kitten Holy. Retrieved from https://www.scholastic.com/teachers/books/lumberjanes-vol-1-by-grace-ellis/