Choose Your Own Adventure: Journey Under the Sea by Andrew E.C. Gaska & E.L. Thomas (Middle Grade Graphic Novel Review)

 We received a temporary digital copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.  

Choose Your Own Adventure:
Journey Under the Sea
by Andrew E.C. Gaska & E.L. Thomas
Illustrations by Dani Bolinho
(Based on the original by R.A. Montgomery)
Published by Oni Press
on September 20, 2022
Genre: Middle Grade, Graphic Novel
Length: 134 pages
Ages: 9 - 12 years

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Synopsis:
From the hit Choose Your Own Adventure novels comes a new adapted graphic novel taking readers on their own visual adventure as a diver and new crew member of the ship Maray, a scientific vessel seeking to solve the mysteries of the ocean. 

In the newest Choose Your Own Adventure graphic novel comes an underwater epic where YOU get to choose the destination. With your submarine vessel, the Seeker, you'll explore the ocean depths and all the mysteries, creatures, and monsters that inhabit the ocean floor. Some will be familiar: squids, whales, and of course the Great White Shark. Others will be entirely new to your eyes, like the city of Atlantis. So how will You proceed?
Will you willingly dive into the depths? What paths will you choose?


My Thoughts:

Ready for a fantastic adventure?!

In Choose Your Own Adventure: Journey Under the Sea, YOU are the main character! As an underwater explorer, you must be prepared to embark on a mission to find the lost city of Atlantis! 
Are you ready?!

This adventurous graphic novel is perfect for ocean lovers and anyone seeking thrills but also for kids who are hesitant to spend giant chunks of time reading or for kids who might not enjoy reading blocks of text. You can spend as much or as little time as you'd like with the story and you can always come back to new ones in the future! 

I read a few Choose Your Own Adventure-type books as a kid and thought they were a lot of fun to read because you're reading the same book but getting a new adventure each time. 
This was a lot of fun to read as an adult, too, despite that I ended up at 'The End' just five or six pages into my first adventure! I didn't get much further the second or third time, either, but each time was a new adventure and I did finally make it to Atlantis! 

No matter your chosen path, you're sure to enjoy the wonderful illustrations, underwater creatures, the technology, and the overall adventure woven into each page! 
Enjoy your journey! 

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Enola Holmes: Graphic Novels (Book One) adapted by Serena Blasco (Middle Grade Graphic Novels Review)

 We received a digital review copy of this graphic novel from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own. 

Enola Holmes: the Graphic Novels
Book One
(The Case of the Missing Marquess,
The Case of the Left-Handed Lady, 
and The Case of the Bizarre Bouquets)
adapted by Serena Blasco
Published by Andrew McMeel Publishing
on May 24, 2022
Genre: Middle Grade, Mystery
Length: 192 pages 
Ages: 9 - 12 years

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Synopsis:
A graphic novel adaptation of the hit books that inspired the Netflix film! Sherlock Holmes' brilliant, strong-willed younger sister takes center stage in this delightfully drawn graphic novel based on Nancy Springer's bestselling mystery series. 

14-year-old Enola Holmes wakes on her birthday to discover that her mother has disappeared from the family's country manor, leaving only a collection of flowers and a coded message book. With Sherlock and Mycroft determined to ship her off to boarding school, Enola escapes, displaying a cleverness that even impresses the elder Holmes. But nothing prepares her for what lies ahead...

Our Thoughts:

Book One of the Enola Holmes graphic novels includes the first three books in the series, 'The Case of the Missing Marquess', 'The Case of the Left-Handed Lady', and 'The Case of the Bizarre Bouquets'. 

In 'The Case of the Missing Marquess', Enola Holmes wakes on her fourteenth birthday to find her mother, the marquess, missing. Armed with a coded message book and the language of flowers, Enola evades her older brothers, Mycroft and Sherlock, to go off to London in search of her mother alone. She finds new mysteries to solve along the way. 

In the included sequels, 'The Case of the Left-Handed Lady' and 'The Case of the Bizarre Bouquets', Enola continues to find and solve mysteries around London as she evades her brothers and searches for her missing mother, creating aliases and disguises along the way.

This first volume of graphic novels has fantastic watercolor illustrations that are both bright and colorful and have a very fun style that fits the time period and slight humor of the story perfectly.

Each story within ends in a few pages that look as if Enola has doodled, decoded, and deduced her ongoing mysteries as we read through the story. These were all very fun additions to peruse and added to the experience of reading them! 

This is perfect for young mystery readers or lovers of historical fiction! 

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Took: A Ghost Story (Graphic Novel adaptation) by Mary Downing Hahn & more (Middle Grade Graphic Novel Review)

 

Took: A Ghost Story Graphic Novel
Story by Mary Downing Hahn
Adapted by Hank Jones, Jen Vaughn, & Scott Peterson
Published by Etch / Clarion
on March 1, 2022
Genre: Middle Grade, 
Length: 160 pages
Ages: 8 - 12 years 

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Synopsis:
Daniel doesn't believe the woods behind his new home are haunted by an evil witch and her terrifying beast. But then his little sister disappears...and it's up to him to find her. 

This chilling graphic novel version of Mary Downing Hahn's popular page-turner will thrill readers who love spooky stories.


My Thoughts:

Hard times fall on Daniel's family of four and they move from Connecticut to an old, derelict farmhouse in West Virginia where the townsfolk say a seven-year-old girl named Selene disappeared--or was 'took'--fifty years before. When Daniel's little sister, Erica, disappears too, he must do and believe what he didn't think possible to win her back. 

 This middle grade graphic novel is well-suited for those that love spooky stories with dark, atmospheric visuals. There are witchy elements, a creepy, talking doll, and a monster named Bloody Bones for starters! The story soon develops into a high-stakes rush to win back Daniel's little sister and rid the town of it's most sinister citizen.

I haven't read the original story but Mary Downing Hahn was one of my favorite authors as a kid and I'm currently on a graphic novel kick so I borrowed it and dug right in. My only issue with it is that I don't feel like the cover really fits the story so don't let that creepy doll turn you away! 

This graphic novel adaptation is perfect for young horror or paranormal fans that want a quick, fun read!

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