#middle-grade

THE MONSTROUS ADVENTURES OF MUMMY MAN AND WAFFLES by me (Steve Behling) and illustrator Robb Mommaerts is number 720 on the Amazon Children’s Halloween Books list! WOOOOOOO!!!!

It’s every kid’s dream to be #720, and we fully embrace it. Now, only [counts quietly to self] 719 spots to go until we’re number one!

In the meantime, we need one of those “We’re #1!” foam gloves but it has 720 fingers and says, “We’re #720!”

It has been a while since I've read a powerful, moving children's novel and I knew that Louder Than Hunger would scratch that itch. I would say that it firmly straddles the line between middle-grade and YA, as the protagonist is a young teen but the main subject matter (anorexia) is dark and it doesn't shy away from the graphic reality of that. It's probably best suited to readers aged 13+ and every reader should proceed with caution.

Jake loves books, musical theatre and spending time with his grandma. He hates food, mirrors and feeling enormous. He is desperate to avoid attention, so he tries his best to be as small as he possibly can be and not eating seems to be the only way to do that. How long can he possibly keep it up before he disappears?

Jake is haunted by the malevolent voice of his eating disorder, which consistently interrupts his thoughts, seemingly whenever he is otherwise having a good time. It's such an honest, accurate representation of how an eating disorder operates and makes for devastating reading that had me on edge the whole way.

Many readers will agree that there is nothing better than the smell of new books but Jake almost treats inhaling the scent as eating or consuming. This reversal of something that is so often considered to be harmless and calming was quite disturbing and just one of many examples of the damage within the mind of someone with an eating disorder.

I have never been diagnosed with an eating disorder but I definitely have an unhealthy relationship with food. I read every nutritional label, I count calories and I try my best to keep within my 'allowance'. I don't get physical symptoms when I fail to do these things but I think it does affect my mood. It's exhausting and difficult, so I can only imagine how hard it must be when it consumes your whole life.

Jake's description of how it feels when he eats and thinks about the food inside his body could only come from someone who has definitely had these thoughts before. It's so graphic and it actually made me feel queasy. I will actually go as far as to say that it caused me to be disgusted by eggs and cereal and other foods that I loved, so I would again urge precaution before encouraging young readers with disordered eating to read this book.

I think the saddest part of the book was that Jake is a strong empath and he is well aware of the worry that he is causing his family. Despite this, it's not enough for him to silence the voice, which is literally louder than his very natural hunger. He wants to eat but his mind simply won't allow him to. I think one of the book's strongest merits is the way it illustrates eating disorders as existing in the mind rather than the body. Many sufferers really want to eat and get better but their illness is just too fierce and controlling.

"Imperiets Arvingar" and "My Dad the Bounty Hunter" are both children's sci-fi media that takes place in a futuristic setting and share a lot of concepts, plot-lines and themes, so I wanted to compare them.

My Dad the Bounty Hunter:

Imperiets Arvingar:

Both shows feature a pair of siblings who are dragged into adventures in space. Both have a parent who is revealed to be alien royalty and some social themes about oppression, imperialism etc.

Imperiets Arvingar (Heirs to the Empire) is a Swedish middle-grade sci-fi children's book about siblings Alice and Elias who live in a suburb in Sunnersta, Sweden with their mother and ex-rock musician father. One day, their mother disappears under strange circumstances, and while trying to search for her they end up abducted by aliens who are revealed to be her former crew-mates on the ship Stillheten (The Stillness). It turns out that their mother is an Alonai, a species that look like elves with blue or green photosynthetic skin and furthermore that she is a princess from the Alonai empire's imperial house, making them heirs to the titular empire.

Similarly, in MDBH (My Dad the Bounty Hunter) Lisa and Sean's mother Tess is revealed to be a princess from a human-like alien civilization, the Doloorami.

In my opinion, Imperiets Arvingar is a far more mature book with darker themes and characters who are much more complex while MDBH feels like a kiddie toon.

From the beginning, the Alonai empire aren't good guys; they've conquered a large part of the galaxy which is why even Alonai commoners are treated with a great deal of respect and privilege, and they've destroyed multiple civilizations in the past. Even good characters aren't free of prejudice and we learn that one of the most celebrated rulers in Alonai history is seen as a reviled tyrant in another, responsible for destroying a whole planet.

In contrast, the Doloraami empire are depicted as idealized and mostly good guys despite the "empire" in their name. The king and queen are wise and open-minded rulers while Alonai aristocracy are hedonistic snobs who backstab each other quite a lot.

The characters in Imperiets Arvingar feel much more complex to me; despite the simplistic writing common in Swedish kid's lit they all have deep personal fears, struggles and so on, while the characters in MDBH feel more archetypical and generic.

I’ve always heard about people emigrating from different countries to the US, to make the ‘American Dream’, like they say on the movies. Never in my whole life did I think the opposite can happen.

Meet Jay Sharma, a spirited Indian-American middle schooler who's never had the chance to explore the land of his heritage. But when an unexpected move whisks him away from New York City—home sweet home—to the bustling and vibrant Bengaluru, Jay finds himself thrust into a world of unfamiliar rules and rigid traditions. (Who would have thought that phones weren't allowed in classrooms?) As if that’s the tip of the iceberg, he also grapples with being openly gay and living with his single mother, which makes people too curious. Suddenly, Jay becomes the centre of attention in this new country, and he is torn between two worlds. How can he decide if he is Indian or American?

But as Jay immerses himself in this new life, he realises that, beneath the surface, people everywhere struggle with problems that are deeper and more complex than his own. Making new friends and learning from new experiences, Jay begins to embrace the idea that he can have the dual identity of being American and Indian simultaneously.

DEBUTING AT TCAF 2019 - The Breakaways by Cathy G. Johnson

$16.99 CAD, Published by First Second

This graphic novel focuses on the members of a remedial middle school soccer team — so, not the A-team, and not the B-team, but rather the kids who can barely even play the sport. The Breakaways is a portrait of friendship in its many forms, and a raw and beautifully honest look into the lives of a diverse and defiantly independent group of kids learning to make room for themselves in the world.

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Cathy G. Johnson is a cartoonist and educator in Providence, Rhode Island. The Breakaways (2019) is her third graphic novel, after Gorgeous (2016) with Koyama Press and Jeremiah (2015) with One Percent Press. Cathy has also published shorter comics work with publishers such as Silver Sprocket and Youth in Decline. In addition to creating artwork, Cathy works as an educator in the New England area, serving many local communities within schools and community centers.

www.cathygjohn.net

www.comicarted.com

www.cathygjohn.net/store

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First Second Books publishes high quality graphic novels for everyone who loves to read. We are committed to excellence in storytelling, in artwork, and in production. First Second publishes books of lasting value, books that stay in your heart and mind, and on your bookshelf.

Check out this great review of Shoeburn and the Ill-fitting Necklace, by Bookgramer R. Scott (@reaisms)! We're so glad you enjoyed the book, and thanks for the love!