School is something every kid knows about. Getting good grades. Eating school lunches. The pressures of fitting in. Does the girl you like, like you back? The usual things. And when you put them in crazy space places or different circumstances, all the usual school stories take on a little extra fun and meaning. Here are some poignant fantasmical school books we have here in the library.
Roan, a young Padawan, is at Jedi school on Coruscant. Trained by master Jedi knights (including Yoda) in the ways of the Force and all the other training a Jedi needs. In the first book Star Wars: Jedi Academy, Roan really wanted to go to pilot school like his brother, father and grandfather. But after being denied admission, he is then invited to attend Jedi Academy.
This book is uber popular at the library. Anything Star Wars is always checking out. And add that it’s a fun, readable comic story about an awkward middle school student. What else could be more attractive you a teen boy? With fun art, interesting narrative interjections (like comics from Roan’s strip Ewok Pilot) and seeing his report cards (with the comments from his instructors), I happily tell patrons about this book and often need to place holds on them.
Another fun space school book which is still really cool but a little less well known in the Astronaut Academy books by Dave Roman. Unlike the Jedi Academy books, there really isn’t one main character we follow through the school year. Instead we are introduced to the whole class with their own little chapters. And what’s really interesting is that (like in a real school) they all interact with each other.
Told in short little vignettes, Dave Roman weaves a story that seems very disjointed at first but congeals into an overall picture of what Space Academy is all about. With a huge nod to Japanese pop culture, both in the art style and the many easter eggs from anime and manga, any patron interested in our manga books should definitely check this one out. I try and let people know about this book too but it’s a little tougher sell than Star Wars. But I hope they will realize how fun this book is.
Who would think that the ancient Egyptian queen Cleopatra was a good shot with a laser gun? In Cleopatra in Space by Mike Maihack, we find teenage Cleopatra (who doesn’t like algebra) is studying for when she will become a leader. Transported into space, she is then assigned to a school where she learns that she still doesn’t like algebra. But she is good at combat training.
This book is a good introduction to the world Cleopatra inhabits. We meet her teacher and classmates as well as get an inkleing of some deeper mystery. With a kinetic style, the action is very well done. This is the most super-hero in style of the books. I would certainly recommend it to any young lady looking for an action comic with a strong female lead, even though she isn’t the best at her academic studies.
Some other books that are not yet in our library collection (but should be soon) also have school as a subject. One is a sweet graphic novel titles El Deafo by Cece Bell was recommended by my colleague Allison. Autobiographical, El Deafo tell the story of Cece losing her hearing as a young child and then showing how she handled the change during her first few years in school.
Like the other books on the list, Cece’s art is also very cartoony. The designs are simple, yet expressive enough to convey the emotions in the story. Though this pre-published copy wasn’t in color, it still was very interesting to look at. I can’t wait to see the completed published version.
