World Famous Comics: Amelia Rules Book 1: The Whole World's Crazy (Amelia Rules!) (Bk. 1)
Amelia Rules Book 1: The Whole World's Crazy (Amelia Rules!) (Bk. 1)
By: Jimmy Gownley Publisher: IBooks Average Rating: Binding: Paperback Number of Items: 1 Number of Pages: 174 Publication Date: October 21, 2003 Reading Level: Ages 9-12 Studio: IBooks
These all-ages color stories about a girl and her group of friends are funny and touching with enough bite to keep them from being too "kiddy." Amelia's parents have just gotten divorced, and she and her mom have moved in with her Aunt Tanner. Like many kids, she sees herself as the only normal one, surrounded by crazy friends and relatives. She hangs out with a varied group of misfits-some of who really are weird, like Pajamaman, a kid who never speaks or changes out of his sleepwear-to avoid thinking about the trauma she's facing at home. Many of the stories are linked, connected by short monologues in which Amelia explains more about her situation, the characters, or how she feels. These kids are real-that means that sometimes they're evil, greedy, and self-centered. Sometimes they don't understand or see things that are obvious to us, and when they do notice, it's the biggest thing in the world to them. That vision is an eye-opener for the reader, and Jimmy Gownley is a genius at capturing their perspective. These kids are realistic while still being sympathetic and even funny.
That Rare Thing, a Truly All-Ages Comic ^ As the Amelia Rules! series opens, nine-year-old Amelia MacBride has just moved from New York to Pennsylvania because of her parents' divorce. She has no time to dwell on her problems, though, because she falls in right away with a goofy new set of friends: Reggie, who is living the superhero lifestyle despite being in fourth grade; Rhonda, who goes along with Reggie's schemes because of her enormous crush on him; and Pajamaman, a runty little kid who never speaks. In a series of short story arcs over these four volumes, Amelia and her friends fight over the TV, catch fireflies, and wage all-out war on the ninjas a few streets over.
There are many serious moments along with the fun, however. Amelia must face an awkward visit with her father, the prospect of moving yet again, and her mother's first date. Problems crop up outside the family circle as well; one friend has a life-threatening disease, while another must deal with her father being stationed overseas. Through all this, Amelia's anchor is her aunt Tanner, a retired rocker whose smirk and belly shirts conceal a great deal of wisdom. Amelia's mother is loving but a bit scattered; her father is loving but far away; but Tanner is right there, and she gets it.
Amelia herself is a solid kid with good intentions and just enough flaws to be interesting. She can be sensible and wise, but she also gives in to her impulses and goes along with the other kids against her better judgment. Not only does she freely admit her mistakes, but she tells, with great relish, how they lead her into disaster. Creator Jimmy Gownley isn't afraid to let his characters go all the way to the edge, making comments that cut to the bone or taking a dare that results in a serious injury, but at the end of the day, the children's universe is solidly grounded in loving families. Not perfect families, but caring ones.
Gownley's art has a casual, easy look, and he makes full use of the vocabulary of comics, flipping the page sideways when Amelia gets a bit of bad news and juxtaposing dialogue and action in interesting ways. In one scene, Amelia blandly agrees with her mother while her reflection in a nearby mirror gives vent to her true feelings. And in one of the cutest devices in the book, the icon on the front of Pajamaman's pajamas reflects his emotions.
Amelia Rules! is that rare thing, a truly all-ages comic. Gownley obviously remembers what it feels like to be a child, and his characters act in very real, believable ways. At the same time, he throws in references to Bob Dylan and an extended Scott McCloud sequence for the grownups. In addition, Gownley's sophisticated storytelling and likeable characters have a universal appeal. Everyone loves a good story, and when the creator can make the reader laugh, or cry, or gasp, "I can't believe they just did that," then childhood doesn't seem so far away any more.
-- Brigid Alverson
Simply charming! ^ A laugh-out-loud joy to read that is also really touching in parts. Just wonderful!
amelia does indeed rule ^ If you can get past Amelia's luke warm notions of school, these books have a lot to offer. They are wonderfully drawn, exceptionally written, and find that fine line between humor and poignance.
Amelia Rules! For Kids and Adults alike! ^ First, a review by my 8-year-old daughter:
Amelia Rules is about a 9-year-old girl whose parents divorced and had to move to Pennsylvania and go to a different school. She now lives with her mom and Aunt Tanner (an ex-rock star). There are many different episodes in the book, and each episode is one of Amelia's "school adventures" with her 3 new friends: Reggie, Pajamaman and Rhonda.
One thing I liked about the book was that it had awesome comics!
Also, Pajamaman's pajamas show his "emotions"!
Another thing I liked was in the beginning of each episode she would talk to you, then the story starts.
I think this book can be read by any age, but 8/9 year-olds will really understand how Amelia feels.
My comments from the adult perspective:
This Eisner-award winning book was even fun for me to read. The author does a good job dealing with the emotions Amelia feels, without being too didactic. This graphic novel is a fun read with great drawings. The author claims to be influenced by Charles Schulz's Peanuts, and it shows.
For the record, my favorite character is Mary Violet ^ Roundabout three years ago I was at an American Library Association conference, trolling the aisles of the convention center for goodies. As always, I kept one eye on the comic aisle, hoping to see something new and different. And there, right smack dab in the center, was this guy. This Jimmy Gownley fella, who not only talked up his self-published graphic novel series "Amelia Rules!" like it was the second coming of Charles Schultz, but actually handed me the first three books in the series free of charge! No questions asked. I devoured them in the hours before my flight back to New York and found them to be sterling companions. There's a lot going on in this little series, in terms of plot, graphic choices, and innate humor. Now plucked up by big publishing sugardaddy Simon & Schuster, Gownley has a chance to get Amelia into the hands of more than just librarians. And the first book in the series will probably sell itself anyway. Because if there's one thing kids like, it's reading about other kids. Weeeeeird other kids.
Amelia's new to town. Her parents recently split up and so she and her mom have had to move in with Amelia's hip, young, musical Aunt Tanner. Things aren't so bad, really. She's already become friends with Reggie and his buddy Pajamaman. Then there's Rhonda, who Amelia professes to hate and who carries an unrequited torch for Reggie. With her friends by her side Amelia tackles everything from tag to school to zombies to Santa. But at the heart of everything she misses her dad, and a camping trip with him shows that the two have a lot of work ahead of them but they're probably going to be okay. Funny and thoughtful by turns, Amelia's sure to win some fans, and supply some much needed Calvin and Hobbes-type antics to the shelves of homes and libraries everywhere.
One thing Gownley gives you right off the bat? Plenty of content. Don't get me wrong, I love kids' graphic novels like "Jellaby" and the like, but that's a GN that most kids can devour in less than 20 minutes. The "Amelia Rules!" books, however, are long, lengthy affairs, chock full of plots, subplots, callbacks, and storylines where the characters learn and grow. The books may look slim, but just open the book randomly to any page and you'll see tons of panels and a plethora of words that somehow remain fulfilling without bogging down the story. Gownley has figured out how to pack in the wordplay and still keep the story moving at a clip. And when you consider that each section begins and ends with Amelia talking directly to the reader, that takes some skill.
Looking at how Gownley organizes each page can be informative. It isn't so much that he changes the point of view and the size of his panels (though he certainly does that too). But the book is apt to go in a million different directions all so that it can advance the story. When Reggie tells weird tales, they'll sometimes become selections where the images are drawn on graph paper. Comic pauses where nothing is said for a full panel are used to good effect. Plus there are a million tiny details you can catch if you reread each section. I'll admit that it took me three or four times of going over this book before I realized that Pajamaman's pajamas tend to show images of what he's thinking or feeling. Much of the art has been created on the computer, but it's impossible to say if it's just the backgrounds and colors or the figures themselves.
It's got an adult sensibility to it, no question. Kids'll dig it, but Tanner's song lyric quotations will definitely sail over their heads. That's okay. Kids don't need to get every reference in a book. Unfortunately, there is one aspect of the series that may not bode well for its future. It's the one element that holds "Amelia Rules!" back and belies the "Peanuts" comparisons it gets: the use of pop culture. Since this first book originally came out in 2006, the humor has already become dated three years down the road. First there are the mentions of Ann Coulter, P. Diddy, Celine Dion, and the like. Then there are references to things like Cabbage Patch dolls and Raggedy Ann, which no self-respecting child in this day and age recognizes anymore. Consider these bizarre droplets of dateable material the only real flaw in an otherwise sterling series.
As a kid, I would have been all over these books. They have exactly what I always wanted in my comics. A regular cast of friends. Slightly fantastical elements that never get too out of hand. Continuing storylines. And I love that Rhonda, the girl who is supposed to be Amelia's archenemy, is able to come off as sympathetic and human multiple times. In fact, Gownley isn't afraid to make his main character dislikable once in a while. It keeps things interesting. The whole series is interesting. I'd change things, sure. But Gownley seems pretty comfortable with this world he has created, and kids will go along for the ride. A book that owes its existence to a lot of comics already out there but that is clearly its own beast in the end. Fun. Pure and simple.
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