Product Description: New school, new friends and a new life are what's in store for nine-year-old Amelia McBride. Forced out of Manhattan and into small-town life after her parents' divorce, Amelia struggles to keep her sanity among her new friends. Told with hip wit and charm, this trade collects the first five issues of the acclaimed series.
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.
Amelia RULES!!!! The graphic novel of Amelia Rules vol.1 "The whole world's crazy" is awesome. I thought the story was stupendously awesome. The whole idea of pertending that Amelia is actually talking to the reader is really cool. My favorite part is when Reggie says that Ronda is cheating. Then he says that he bets that Ronda can't play fair one single game. So he bets millions of dollars. So once they taged Ronda, they leave her there though out the seasons. Once they came back Reggie tags her and Ronda said that Reggie needs to pay her the millions of dollars that he owes her becuase she did play fair for one game. After that I said "I wouldn't want to be Reggie." If you like comedy and some kind of action where they mess up on their mission. You should really read this graphic novel.If you read the book, you would probably want to read the 2nd part of the series.
Highly recommended I knew my 8-year-old audience liked this book when she asked me to continue reading after the second episode . . . I knew we had a real gem when, after we read it from cover to cover, she flipped to her favorite parts and read them again.
What's more, I can't say I've ever enjoyed a comic more. The story of Amelia's dad backing out of plans for her party had me weeping; the Christmas story of Amelia learning to be (heroically) generous stirred even my jaded Christmas-hating heart; and Aunt Tanner's rock song quotes had me singing Elvis Costello and Dylan --and gave me the perfect excuse to educate the next generation on REAL music. But I digress.
The kids are sharp-tongued (well, except for Pajamaman --he doesn't talk) and vibrant, the adults are flawed humans, the stories are moving, and the cartooning is as charming as the best of Peanuts. What more could you ask for? The book will provide you and the kids hours of treasured memories.
BEST comic for kids on the market For some time now, I've been telling anyone that would listen that Jimmy Gownley's Amelia Rules! is the best comic book for young readers to have been published in YEARS. Now, Gownley has begun reprinting the run in the handy digest format that the kids seem to dig these days.
The Whole World's Crazy reprints the first several issues in the tale of Amelia McBride, a girl who has to leave the excitement of New York City when her parents get divorced and she and her mother move to a small town to live with her aunt. The stories in this book deal with many of Amelia's firsts: her first day at a new school, her first Halloween and Christmas in her new town, and the first trip with her father after the divorce. In the comic as a whole, and in this volume in particular, Gownley frequently touches upon rather serious topics (divorce, for example) that young children have to deal with without really understanding. However, Gownley handles these subjects in a way that will help his young readers learn to handle their problems, with a blend of humor and wisdom that kids need. He's never frightening, never patronizing, and always entertaining. Amelia and her friends are wonderful characters, characters that kids can find themselves in, helping to open the door for them to embrace the story even further.
If I ever have kids -- especially daughters -- these are some of the first comics I'll get for them.
An Inspiration Amelia Louise McBride, a 9 year old facing divorce, moving, and the weirdest school of all time. With Wicked Witch Bloom, Mad Dog Barkley, No Neck Norris, and Old Man Biggers as teachers, "So then Noah says, "Sorry Zeke you gotta dog paddle." :-) Owen, fan of the Feds, Mary Violet, with the Mall God and Searing Hand of the Devil, Earth Dog the poet, as well as the "nerds," Reggie Grabinsky, holder of best sneeze-barfer and best superhero wanna be, Rhonda Bleenie, annoyed by sister goodie Reenie, and silent Pajamaman, who attracts s with softee chicken backpacks and being a Latchky kid. Living with her mom and Aunt Tanner, the with the straight A student motto. Facing ups like Santa, and downs like Softee Dad, this is a six star book!
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