Saints by Gene Luen Yang

★★★★

These two graphic novels are paired together and take place in China during the end of the nineteenth century. Saints follows the rebellion from the point of view of a girl from the same village of Little Bao named “Four-Girl.”  Four-Girl is an unwelcome fourth daughter and finds belonging in Christianity, where she renames herself Vibiana.  Through her journey, Vibiana faces danger because of her new religion and she hopes to be like her hero, Joan of Arc.

I really enjoyed both of these books.  The graphic novel format was a great way to tell the story of the Boxer Rebellion.  It allowed for a lot of historical detail to be incorporated into the storyline in a fascinating way.  I loved the author used two separate volumes to tell opposite sides of the conflict.  I thought this was a great way to get young adults to think critically about different views of past periods in history and relate it to the present.  I also thought that the usage of mystical elements added a unique perspective on the events.  I would highly recommend this book to others.

 

The Shining by Stephen King

★★★★

"Sometimes human places create inhuman monsters."

In this horror novel, Jack Torrance and his family find themselves in more than they bargained for at the Overlook Hotel.  Jack is a recovering alcoholic dealing with anger issues and hopes to find a new start. When he is hired as the Overlook’s off-season caretaker, he brings a long his wife Wendy and five-year-old son Danny.  He is warned that a previous caretaker went crazy in the hotel and killed his wife and two daughters, but Jack dismissed the thought and feels that spending the winter in an isolated hotel is just what his family needs.  Since he was a young boy, Danny has possessed the ability to read people’s minds and is visited by warned of the dangers of the hotel.

As the winter approaches, Danny begins to see the supernatural power that the hotel posses.  At first his parents don’t believe him, but soon they start seeing and hearing things as well.  There is a dead woman in a bathtub, the topiary animals come to life, and there is a masking party in the ballroom.  Jack also discovers a scrapbook in the attic and learns more about the hotel’s haunted past.  His struggle with his writing and pressure from his family leads to cabin fever at the Overlook slowly takes over Jack’s mind.  Eventually, the ghost of the previous caretaker convinces him to kill his wife and son.  After a long battle, Wendy and Danny escape with the help of Dick, the hotel’s cook who comes to the rescue when he receives a telepathic message from Danny.  Jack regains control, but is killed when the hotel’s boiler explodes.

I normally don’t read horror novels, but I really enjoyed reading Stephen King’s book 11/22/63 and thought I would give this one a try because of the recommendation in Genreflecting.  Even though I didn’t necessarily like all of the horror elements, I found the story fascinating.  It was very fast-paced and left me quickly wanting to turn the page to find out what was going to happen.  I also really enjoyed the writing style and loved how the author was able to bring the reader into the minds of the characters.

Boxers by Gene Luen Yang

★★★★

"What is China but a people and their stories."

These two graphic novels are paired together and take place in China during the end of the nineteenth century.  The first novel, Boxers, tells the story of Little Bao, whose village is being disrupted by the “foreign devils” (the Europeans missionaries and soldiers).  Following in the footsteps of his older brothers, Little Bao trains in kung-fu and becomes a leader in the Boxer Rebellion. 

I really enjoyed both of these books.  The graphic novel format was a great way to tell the story of the Boxer Rebellion.  It allowed for a lot of historical detail to be incorporated into the storyline in a fascinating way.  I loved the author used two separate volumes to tell opposite sides of the conflict.  I thought this was a great way to get young adults to think critically about different views of past periods in history and relate it to the present.  I also thought that the usage of mystical elements added a unique perspective on the events.  I would highly recommend this book to others.