By Erik Kallenborn
So, I’ve been on a quest to write 365 blog reviews/reflections in 365 days. As I write this, I am on day 119, and I have not missed a day yet! If you want to follow and read along, you can find my ramblings at www.theothercomicbookteacher.com.
I’m really excited that I made it 100 posts in a row without missing a day! Today, I’d like to share my top five books of the first 100 posts. Not all of these are classroom friendly, but they are all great stories!
In no particular order:
1.) Title: Fetch
Author(s): Nicole J. GeorgesPublisher: Mariner Books (2017)
Age Rating: 13+
This one emotionally hit me the hardest. A powerful story about a girl growing into a woman, over a fifteen-year span, with a surly mixed-breed dog at her side.
2.) Title: everyone’s a aliebn when ur a aliebn too
Author: Jomny Sun (@jonnysun)
Publisher: Harper (2017)
Rating: 8+
Don’t let this book fool you. It might look like an ordinary children’s book, but aliebn packs a punch. The older you are, the more powerful the themes and motifs. Beautiful and timeless. This book is one that you will buy for others, and the language will stay with you.
3.) Title: The Private Eye
Author(s): Brian K. Vaughan, Marcos Martin, and Muntsa Vicente
Publisher: Image (2015)
Age Rating: 17+
The only NSFW book in the Top 5, I like to call this book the best movie I have ever read! Set in a futuristic world without the internet, research and good old fashion investigation are paramount as our protagonists try to unlock clues to a seemingly senseless murder. Unique in story, character, and even physical book shape, this book is a fine piece of story-telling.
4.) Title: Scott Pilgrim
Author: Bryan Lee O’Malley
Publisher: ONI Press (2004-2015)
Rating: 13+
Duuuude…Scott Pilgrim is the most fun book on this list. Read it, watch it, love it. Scott Pilgrim is an instant classic. Follow Scott as he embarks on his journey to defeat Ramona’s evil exs and find true love! And when you’re done, you’ll want to go on the journey with him again. Scott Pilgrim the book is the movie you put on in the background for comfort viewing. Remember: bread makes you fat.
5.) Title: Your Black Friend
Author: Ben Passmore
Publisher: Silver Sprocket (2017)
Rating: 13+
Passmore calls his book a handbook for white people. Your Black Friend is a powerful short comic that allows for glimpses into a world not often explored by white people: how your black friend feels about you. This timely book will bring out conversation in even the most hesitant of student.
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