Emiko Superstar

Written by Mariko Tamaki Art and cover by Steve Rolston "Auspicious . . . an unusually strong graphic novel - rich in visuals and observations." - Publishers Weekly on Tamaki's Skim A borrowed diary, a double life and identity issues fuel a teenager's quest to find herself before she cracks and commits social suicide. Watch Emi go from dull, suburban babysitter to eclectic urban art star compliments of one crazy summer! Retailers: See this month's order form for a special ordering incentive on this title. Advance-solicited; on sale October 1 - 5.25" x 8" - 176 pg, FC, B&W, $9.99 US

In America, comics and comic books have often been associated with adolescent male fantasy--muscle-bound superheroes and scantily clad women. Nonetheless, comics have also been read and enjoyed by girls. While there have been many strong representations of women throughout their history, the comics of today have evolved and matured, becoming a potent medium in which to explore the female experience, particularly that of girlhood and adolescence. In Girls and Their Comics: Finding a Female Voice in Comic Book Narrative, Jacqueline Danziger-Russell contends that comics have a unique place in the representation of female characters. She discusses the overall history of the comic book, paying special attention to girls' comics, showing how such works relate to a female point of view. While examining the concept of visual literacy, Danziger-Russell asserts that comics are an excellent space in which the marginalized voices of girls may be expressed. This volume also includes a chapter on manga (Japanese comics), which explains the genesis of girls' comics in Japan and their popularity with girls in the United States. Including interviews with librarians, comic creators, and girls who read comics and manga, Girls and Their Comics is an important examination of the growing interest in comic books among young females and will appeal to a wide audience, including literary theorists, teachers, librarians, popular culture and women's studies scholars, and comic book historians.

21 Journeys is one of Cloudscape's most ambitious books, a full-colour, Shuster nominated, 250-page anthology centered around the theme of travel. The book features artists such as Steve Rolston, famed artist of Ghost Projekt, independent comics veteran Colin Upton, alternative poet Ray Hsu and Israeli-American cartoonist Miriam Libicki. These stories take the reader to all points of the globe, from wartime Germany to modern Uganda, from the tip of the Matterhorn to deep beneath the Gulf Stream, from the other side of the world to just down the street. You meet students, soldiers, and scientists; businessmen, teachers, and priests; people from every imaginable profession, each following their own path.

A New York Times Book Review choice as one of the 10 Best Illustrated Children's Books of 2008. Skim is Kimberly Keiko Cameron, a not-slim, would-be Wiccan goth stuck in a private girls' school in Toronto. When a classmate's boyfriend kills himself because he was rumoured to be gay, the school goes into mourning overdrive, each clique trying to find something to hold on to and something to believe in. It's a weird time to fall in love, but that's high school, and that's what happens to Skim when she starts to meet in secret with her neo-hippie English teacher, Ms. Archer. But when Ms. Archer abruptly leaves, Skim struggles to cope with her confusion and isolation, armed with her trusty journal and a desire to shed old friendships while cautiously approaching new ones. Depression, love, sexual identity, crushes, manipulative peers --teen life in all its dramatic complexities is explored in this touching, pitch-perfect, literary graphic masterpiece. Cousins Mariko and Jillian Tamaki collaborate brilliantly in this poignant glimpse into the heartache of being sixteen. Correlates to the Common Core State Standards in English Language Arts: CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.5.7 Analyze how visual and multimedia elements contribute to the meaning, tone, or beauty of a text (e.g., graphic novel, multimedia presentation of fiction, folktale, myth, poem). CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.6.3 Describe how a particular story's or drama's plot unfolds in a series of episodes as well as how the characters respond or change as the plot moves toward a resolution. CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.6.6 Explain how an author develops the point of view of the narrator or speaker in a text.

A six-eyed teenage alien refugee becomes a Hollywood star in this hilarious series opener by the bestselling authors of the Hank Zipzer series, Henry Winkler and Lin Oliver. When thirteen-year-old Buddy Burger has to flee from his alien planet, he crash lands in an even wilder place: Hollywood, California. But no one is shocked to see a six-eyed alien strolling around the Universal back lot. The tourists just think he’s an actor in a supercool alien costume. And the fancy Hollywood directors take notice too. They cast Buddy in a popular TV show playing (of course) an alien. After a video of his first episode goes viral, he becomes an overnight sensation, and suddenly, his world is filled with adoring fans, rides in glamorous limos, and appearances at all-the-shrimp-you-can-eat red carpet parties! Will Buddy be able to keep his secret when all eyes are on him? Or will the glitz and glam of Hollywood prove too much for this alien superstar? “Alien Superstar has it all . . . action, suspense, and big laughs!” —Jeff Kinney, author of the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series “Henry Winkler and Lin Oliver keep us laughing while slipping in a lesson for kids—accept everyone as they are, even if they have suction cups for feet. Alien Superstar is a super fun read for middle grades on up.” —Jennifer Garner “A funny interstellar adventure that will have readers watching the cosmos for the second book to arrive.” —SLJ Review "Winkler and Oliver bring their sharply honed sense of comedy and extensive experience in the television industry to Buddy’s antics on the set. . . . This results in an endearingly strange protagonist that will resonate with any kid who has felt like an outsider. A sense of humor and empathy are required for this zany adventure.” —Booklist

Inspired by the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay, this story of three aspiring comics creators with big dreams, small cash, and publishing rights to one forgotten Golden Age hero--The Escapist--is Brian K. Vaughan's love letter to his chosen medium. The lives of these creators Max, Denny, and Case--latter day versions of Joe Kavalier and Sam Clay--are brilliantly woven together with the world of their creations. Discovering his late father's decades-spanning vault of Escapist memorabilia at the age of six, Max became a fan of the Master of Elusion almost overnight. After exhausting the extensive stash of Golden and Silver Age comics, he needed more--and started writing his own Escapist stories. Now nineteen, he's determined to make the character a sensation once again. Together with his friend Denny Jones, and their newfound artist Case Weaver, Max relaunches The Escapist comics. Through a couple risky publicity stunts--including one that makes national news--the creators risk criminal charges to get the word out about their publication. Will it be enough to make the book a success? Or just enough to get them in jail? Interwoven with Max's struggles are the comic-within-a-comic stories of The Escapist himself, his ally Luna Moth, good old-fashioned death traps, betrayal, and a touch of romance. Mulitiple award-winning author Brian K. Vaughan (Saga, Y--The Last Man, Ex Machina) successfully crafts the perfect partner to Michael Chabon's masterpiece.

A beautiful and offbeat novel from Mariko Tamaki, co-creator of the bestselling Printz Honor and Caldecott Honor Book This One Summer. Montgomery Sole is a square peg in a small town, forced to go to a school full of jocks and girls who don't even know what irony is. It would all be impossible if it weren't for her best friends, Thomas and Naoki. The three are also the only members of Jefferson High's Mystery Club, dedicated to exploring the weird and unexplained, from ESP and astrology to super powers and mysterious objects. Then there's the Eye of Know, the possibly powerful crystal amulet Monty bought online. Will it help her predict the future or fight back against the ignorant jerks who make fun of Thomas for being gay or Monty for having lesbian moms? Maybe the Eye is here just in time, because the newest resident of their small town is scarier than mothmen, poltergeists, or, you know, gym. Thoughtful, funny, and painfully honest, Montgomery Sole is someone you'll want to laugh and cry with over a big cup of frozen yogurt with extra toppings.

The New Paper Trails is a lively and provocative collection of 24 short-short stories suitable for upper primary and lower secondary students of English. These lesson-sized stories from Australian and international authors cover a range of themes, styles and genres, and introduce students to writing techniques and the skills of critical literacy. This new edition of the original anthology includes a completely new set of stories, activities and exercises, along a bold and engaging design and illustrations. It features work from well-known authors such as Garth Nix, Angela Carter and Carmel Bird, and alongside authors just starting their literary careers.

At 32, Luisa encounters her 15-year-old self in this sentimental and bold story about self-acceptance and sexuality.