It’s difficult to believe it’s been two years because we’ve seen any type of new Amelia Rules! stories, however that’s exactly how long back the series was chosen up by Simon & Schuster for graphic book reprinting. They rereleased the very first four books by Jimmy Gownley,
The whole World’s Crazy
What Makes You Happy
Superheroes
When the past Is a Present
before putting out the very first original Amelia Rules! graphic novel. I’d forgotten exactly how much I missed new adventures with this spirited young woman discovering about life in distinct ways.
The Tweenage guide to Not Being Unpopular
The Tweenage guide to Not Being Unpopular came out in April. To my eyes, its roots in serialization can be seen in the early part of the book, with episodic chapters, however by the end, Gownley seems much more comfortable with the bigger canvas.
The idea is pure Gownley through-and-through, though. It’s unusual to see such an truthful portrayal of growing up. His reasonable view of exactly how miserable youth can be — as well as exactly how to get with it with friends, imagination, as well as humor — is encapsulated in the idea that provides this book its name. Amelia’s buddy Rhonda has obtained a self-help book of the exact same title that prepares its visitors to work out for their mediocre social standing. anybody who would purchase the book-within-a-book is certainly a loser, so the author starts out by motivating them to objective not as well high. They can’t be popular, however perhaps they can prevent being unpopular while staying average.
That type of unvarnished portrayal of kiddom is what provides Amelia Rules! its comedy as well as charm to children (and those who keep in mind what youth was like). The typical result of a story about wanting to be prominent is a character discovering a lesson about exactly how wanting popularity is shallow, about exactly how all that matters is to be true to yourself. however that’s well demolished by Amelia here. She as well as a buddy really have that conversation, only to end it by wondering “what if the ‘yourself’ you’re being true to is a total as well as overall JERK?”
Since the beginning of the series, Rhonda’s gone from rival to sympathetic friend, as well as this is as much her story as Amelia’s. I rather delighted in her fruit pun-filled “Passion Fruit” play, as well as then to see her made fun of for her imagination by the interchangeable blondies … it was so genuine as well as so hurtful. Rhonda has come up with a smart concept for a social studies skit, partnered with Amelia, however even though the class as well as the instructor are entertained, when the tiring golden-haireds make fun of it, everyone’s as well concerned with fitting in to keep in mind that they liked it.
Of course, it’s truly Gownley’s creativity that brings all this to us. I particularly appreciate the distinct method he utilizes the comic format. His enthusiastic lettering truly captures tone as well as emotion, plus he throws in flourishes. For example, when a mad Rhonda mutters about “wanting to do something Gothic to them”, the older visitor understands what Gothic means, in addition to appreciating that that word is lettered in an old English font style appropriate to the alternating implying of the term. Or much more obviously, the method the social outcasts are colored in black-and-white, fading them out against the much more vibrant class. Or exactly how a flashback is a cascade of reproduced pages from earlier in the book. Or exactly how Aunt Tanner’s story of her teen years looks just like an Archie comic.
The general message here, instead of fretting about popularity, is to delight in the fun of being your age as well as not fretting about acting all mature as well as sophisticated. even though Amelia in some cases does the most adult things of all.
True things (Adults Don’t want youngsters to Know)
The second new book, true things (Adults Dont want youngsters to Know), is sixth in the series overall. It’s due out in both hardcover as well as paperback in October. In it, Amelia turns 11, as well as her household throws her a birthday party. Plus, Tanner ponders about getting back into music. (Tanner’s my favorite. I like her honesty as well as her skill as well as exactly how different an adult female comic character she is.)
The finest “true thing” in this book is something Amelia discovered from the counselor she saw when her parents were very first splitting up: “Sometimes a thing is damaged so badly, there’s just no method to put it back together.” A great lesson for a youngster (especially one into fiction sufficient to delight in this series) is to discover that not whatever is fixable. Decisions have consequences as well as you have to go forward, not back.
And this book is full of that movement, as characters makenull