Book-It '10! Book #9
The Fifty Books Challenge, year two! This was a library request.
Title: Skim written by Mariko Tamaki and illustrated by Jillian Tamaki
Details: Copyright 2008, Groundwood Books
Synopsis (By Way of Inside Flap): "Heartbreakingly funny, moving and vibrantly drawn, Skim is an extraordinary book-- a smart and sensitive graphic novel of the highest literary and artistic quality, by and about young women.
'Skim' is Kimberly Keiko Cameron, a not-slim, would-be Wiccan goth who goes to a private girls' school. When her classmate Katie Matthews is dumped by her boyfriend, who then kills himself, the entire school goes into mourning overdrive. As concerned guidance counselors provide lectures on the 'cycle of grief,' and the popular clique starts a new club (Girls Celebrate Life!) to bolster school spirit, Skim sinks into an ever-deepening depression.
And falling in love only makes things worse...
Suicide, depression, love, being gay or not, crushes, cliques, and finding a way to be your own fully human self-- are all explored in this brilliant collaboration by cousins Mariko and Jillian Tamaki. An edgy, keenly observed and poignant glimpse into the heartache of being young. "
Why I Wanted to Read It: A graphic novel about a depressed teenage Witch and goth? I'M THERE.
How I Liked It: The illustrations are exquisite and the story beautifully Gaiman-esque sparse. It being set in a specific year (1993) is also a plus, particularly when these types of stories are concerned.
The book has an unfinished quality that's distracting, however, and you yearn for the second chapter to complete the threads started. Many storylines seem to just trail off when this book is considered a stand-alone (one can hope for a sequel?).
Other than that, an interesting and entertaining read.
Notable: Skim, our heroine, is an aspiring Witch and her study is chronicled in a surprisingly realistic and authentic manner.
She laments that most books on Wicca are "boring" which she amends on page 39:
"For the record, not all Wicca books are boring. This is what I found in my new book:
The 'Charge' comes to each of us in a different manner. It is that moment in our lives when we feel the Magick of the Universe coursing through us for the very first time, and we know beyond all real and imagined shadows that this calling to the mysteries is indeed there.
Silver Ravenwolf, To Ride a Silver Broomstick
While the quote suggests that the book is deeper than it is, I'd like to state for the record that Silver Ravenwolf specializes in fluff (maybe why a teenager would find it easy to read? But I thought it was fluff when I was a teenager) that masquerades as wisdom and focuses not on Wicca as a religion but as a way of spell-casting. I've read nearly all of her books (including this one) and she scarcely mentions the Gods, save for what They can do for us. Young Skim would've been better off with The Spiral Dance, but that does offer some complex theory and focuses on coven work.
Again, since it's plausible that a teenager starting out would find Silver Ravenwolf's style useful, the author can't be faulted, particularly since the rest of the book offers a refreshingly down-to-earth depiction.
Title: Skim written by Mariko Tamaki and illustrated by Jillian Tamaki
Details: Copyright 2008, Groundwood Books
Synopsis (By Way of Inside Flap): "Heartbreakingly funny, moving and vibrantly drawn, Skim is an extraordinary book-- a smart and sensitive graphic novel of the highest literary and artistic quality, by and about young women.
'Skim' is Kimberly Keiko Cameron, a not-slim, would-be Wiccan goth who goes to a private girls' school. When her classmate Katie Matthews is dumped by her boyfriend, who then kills himself, the entire school goes into mourning overdrive. As concerned guidance counselors provide lectures on the 'cycle of grief,' and the popular clique starts a new club (Girls Celebrate Life!) to bolster school spirit, Skim sinks into an ever-deepening depression.
And falling in love only makes things worse...
Suicide, depression, love, being gay or not, crushes, cliques, and finding a way to be your own fully human self-- are all explored in this brilliant collaboration by cousins Mariko and Jillian Tamaki. An edgy, keenly observed and poignant glimpse into the heartache of being young. "
Why I Wanted to Read It: A graphic novel about a depressed teenage Witch and goth? I'M THERE.
How I Liked It: The illustrations are exquisite and the story beautifully Gaiman-esque sparse. It being set in a specific year (1993) is also a plus, particularly when these types of stories are concerned.
The book has an unfinished quality that's distracting, however, and you yearn for the second chapter to complete the threads started. Many storylines seem to just trail off when this book is considered a stand-alone (one can hope for a sequel?).
Other than that, an interesting and entertaining read.
Notable: Skim, our heroine, is an aspiring Witch and her study is chronicled in a surprisingly realistic and authentic manner.
She laments that most books on Wicca are "boring" which she amends on page 39:
"For the record, not all Wicca books are boring. This is what I found in my new book:
The 'Charge' comes to each of us in a different manner. It is that moment in our lives when we feel the Magick of the Universe coursing through us for the very first time, and we know beyond all real and imagined shadows that this calling to the mysteries is indeed there.
Silver Ravenwolf, To Ride a Silver Broomstick
While the quote suggests that the book is deeper than it is, I'd like to state for the record that Silver Ravenwolf specializes in fluff (maybe why a teenager would find it easy to read? But I thought it was fluff when I was a teenager) that masquerades as wisdom and focuses not on Wicca as a religion but as a way of spell-casting. I've read nearly all of her books (including this one) and she scarcely mentions the Gods, save for what They can do for us. Young Skim would've been better off with The Spiral Dance, but that does offer some complex theory and focuses on coven work.
Again, since it's plausible that a teenager starting out would find Silver Ravenwolf's style useful, the author can't be faulted, particularly since the rest of the book offers a refreshingly down-to-earth depiction.