mglit | Page 4 of 9 | Daddy Mojo

Alterations, a graphic novel channeling middle school in all the right ways

Heartfelt is a dicey adjective to describe something because it could easily be misconstrued as soft, boring or too emotional; all of which are the death knell for graphic novels that are trying to be interesting to middle school audiences. In this case heartfelt, humorous, clever familial, and more could also be appropriate to describe Alterations. Change is hard. Middle school is harder. That’s the tagline for Alterations, a graphic novel written and illustrated by Ray Xu. The conflict in Alterations is one that any middle school student, or even those upper-elementary ages will latch onto.

Alterations is a graphic novel that humorously shows middle school and how its inhabitants view it and the world around them.

Not a double helix, but a great mglit graphic novel

Juniper’s Christmas fills the holiday book void you didn’t know existed

I’m wary of a potentially smaltzy book that my wife abandons. When we received Juniper’s Christmas by Eoin Colfer my wife read it for two nights and then put it aside, and not because she’s finished it. Normally she’s a sucker for any novel that exudes happiness or romantic retribution, and this book looks like it fits that bill, so I asked her what was up. She said something along the lines of “I just wasn’t feeling it”, and anybody knows that when your wife gives you a short answer like that to a potentially long question, you’re thankful and just move on. Fast forward a couple of weeks and I have COVID, or the flu, or some otherwise cursed virus that makes your body feel as if it’s been hit by a truck driven by a teenager who is busy watching TikTok, instead of commanding the three-ton vehicle that’s about to hit your torso. Juniper’s Christmas is delivered to the basement where I was thankful to read anything beyond the packaging for the cold medicine that I was taking, and lo and behold, what a surprising novel that is ready for its cinematic close-up.

Juniper’s Christmas is well-crafted mglit that doubles as entertaining Christmas comfort reading and a screenplay in waiting.

Just make it into a movie already……with Kurt Russell

Mile Morales Suspended: A Spider-Man novel like no other-for the better

In a very simple overstatement in the world of books, there are books for the genre fans, books for the general audience, and those that target the niche. Miles Morales Suspended: A Spider-Man novel, yet it’s unlike any web-slinger book, graphic novel or story that you’ve read before. “You” could be a Spider-Man fan who thinks that they’ve seen every vehicle that the character can entertain from. Miles Morales: Suspended is the most unlikely of superhero novels. We often point out to educators, parents or students the merits of reading graphic novels or comic book. This book takes that, turns it on its head, and literarily invites Spidey fans to go someplace that they’ve never been before.

Miles Morales Suspended: A Spider-Man novel that combines prose and any conceivable narrative caffeine to entertain readers.

Spidey has many forms and this one is just as engaging

How Do You Live?, the timeless Japanese classic translates effortlessly

After reading How Do You Live? you understand the book’s title on a much deeper level. On the surface one could surmise that How Do You Live? is a reflective book encouraging readers to take stock in their lives. It does have elements of that, but it’s not a personality Rorschach Test. Instead, How Do You Live? is one of the most popular Japanese books ever and has been a children’s book staple for generations. It’s scheduled to be the final anime film from Hayao Miyazaki and Studio Ghibli and was initially published in Japan in 1937. It’s also a very intelligent book that encourages thinking, introspection, and observations on various aspects of world culture. From an American teacher’s perspective, How Do You Live? is the book that you want your middle and high school students to read, but you know that less than 5% of them dig into the book for leisure reading, but more on that in a moment.

How Do You Live?, wow-it’s mglit that’s smart, timeless, inspiring and makes you a better person for reading it. It’s also challenging to describe and potentially frustrating for middle school readers.

For the smart kids, or those that want to be

Outside Nowhere is something great for mglit readers

The adage, “Don’t judge a book by its cover” exists for a reason. Outside Nowhere is another book that exemplifies why it’s important not to throw the baby out with the bathwater. Now that I’ve got two potentially outdated metaphors out of my system, let’s get on with the process of talking about a book that grades six and up will love, if they give it a chance. The book’s cover throws up a potential roadblock to mglit readers in that it shows a teenage kid, wearing a suit, with his back to the reader, looking at a farm. Every young reader knows that nothing fun ever happens on a farm so what’s the point in reading Outside Nowhere anyway? But gird your loins mglit readers, hold on because once you dig into Outside Nowhere you’ll discover a novel that brims with comedy, has snappy dialogue with jokes and one-liners that you wish you could say in real time, and a surprising science-fiction twist that reveals the heart of the book.

Outside Nowhere uses snappy, funny dialogue, a sense of wonder, mystery and ultimately redemption in this mglit home run.

don’t judge a something by its something something…..

The Tale of Despereaux has a reason to celebrate its 20th Anniversary

Why should books celebrate their anniversary? Every book is not worthy of celebrating its initial publishing date. The mere passage of time doesn’t make most books better; however, in some cases, it can celebrate their timelessness. Originally published in 2003 The Tale of Despereaux has a newly available Deluxe Anniversary Edition available now. There’s nothing magical that makes twenty years special, it’s the fact that The Tale of Despereaux crackles as kidlit. Moreover, it’s written and presented in a manner that makes those mid-elementary school students want to read it.

The Tale of Despereaux turns 20 and celebrates with a new short story and a chance to introduce this modern classic to kids who didn’t know.

Don’t call it a comeback, this book has always been a classic

Fear Street, True Evil is cutting-edge horror for ages 14 and up

Let your freak flag fly, that’s what I say. I said something like that to a student today, except it was the more school-appropriate version of “you do you, don’t worry about others.” We read our first R.L. Stine book last year and were exceedingly surprised by Stinetinglers. It’s obvious from that book that Stine has a knack, a hook at digging into the mglit psyche and dredging their fears and unsaid scares. Fear Street takes his angle, ups the demographic, increases the horror, and proves that he knows his role-and its capable of expanding. Specifically, True Evil: The First Evil, The Second Evil, The Third Evil is a book that’s in the Fear Street series of books that Stine creates.

True Evil is a book in the Fear Street series that oozes slow-boil dread and horror, that easily picks up the speed when it’s called for.

Much more than Goosbumps

The Changing Man, teen-age horror that hits the nail on the head

If I was in middle or high school then The Changing Man is the sort of book that I would’ve loved. It operates on a more mature level than Goosebumps. It oozes teen paranoia and angst on the pore of every greasy page. The characters are typical teens who don’t trust anyone over 20, but know that they have to acknowledge them and sometimes seek guidance when long-dormant problems rear their heads. More than anything, my teenage soul (and the erstwhile reader) would crave the horror, the monsters and the creatures that I know exist in the book, if only they can reveal themselves at the right time.

The Changing Man is a horror book that’s custom-built for teens. It lives in the soul of their world and paces the ick, life and monsters at a pace perfect for them.

Teens 14-18, this is your jam