My graphic novel Page by Paige made it onto the YALSA reading list! Yay!
And I've gotten some other recent honors I thought I'd compile together in the name of forced self promotion...
Honors:
And I've gotten some other recent honors I thought I'd compile together in the name of forced self promotion...
Honors:
- YALSA great graphic novels for teens reading list 2012 (Young Adult Library Services Association)
- Maverick Graphic Novel Reading List 2012 (Texas Library Association)
- Finalist for the 2011 Cybils Award for Young Adult Graphic Novels (Children and Young Adult Bloggers' Literacy Awards)
- Honorable mention in the Publishers Weekly Comics World Critic’s Poll 2011
- Top 10 book of 2011 by 60Second Recap
- Top 10 best graphic novel of 2011 by Comics Worth Reading
- Top 10 graphic novel of 2011 by Kit Lit Frenzy
- Runner up best YA Graphic Novel 2011 by Teach Mentor Texts
I've also been collecting book reviews since when I first posted the initial ones in my blog.
So here's a recap of online reviews since May!
Reviews:
So here's a recap of online reviews since May!
Reviews:
"Gulledge has crafted a protagonist who’s introspective with a capital I, and she conveys her character’s thoughts and emotions in ways that are fresh but never feel forced...That same easy, organic quality is found in the book’s design: the story panels and Paige’s sketches blend and interact effortlessly. It all makes for a truly fresh coming-of-age—graphic—novel."
--HORN BOOK REVIEW
"An excellent crossover suggestion for a wider range of readers than just graphic-novel fans...Gulledge's art is a delight: metaphor and simile are intertwined visually with realistic scenes."
--BOOKLIST
“Far more philosophical than you have a right to expect, Gulledge is the real deal for all the teens who will embrace this book; I hope she's in YA to stay.”
--BOOKSLUT
"Skeptical about graphic novels? Page by Paige may well make you a believer. Oh, to draw like Laura Lee Gulledge!...A fresh, funky spin on the “Who am I?” story sounds appealing"
--60SECOND RECAP
“Gulledge is a superb story teller who excels, through her art, at taking the reader into the mind of main character Paige and showing us exactly what she is thinking and/or feeling.”
--BOOKS4YOURKIDS
"Their relationships are charming and they each come across as believable individuals; no cookie-cutter characters here"
--LOVE YA LIT
"I was most impressed this year, visually, by the way Gulledge assembles her pages and the artistic choices she makes in this semi-autobiographical story of a young artist finding herself. This is the kind of book you can return to year after year and find new insight and inspiration."
--COMICS WORTH READING
"She turns the comic format into one that is strongly artistic and very visual...Get this in the hands of tween and teen artists and step back. A truly inspiring read"
--WALKING BRAIN CELLS
"I think this would appeal quite a bit to the female audience, but even as a male, I enjoyed it. The conflicts are all internal, and the story is sweet, but not syrupy. I hope to see some more comics work from Laura Lee in the future. She has a unique talent and a great eye for layout"
--LAUGHING OGRE
"What follows is part diary, part sketchbook, and entirely wonderful as Paige progresses from shy, secretive, and angsty to brave, funny, and creative. Based on Laura Lee Gulledge’s own adolescence, the reader is taken on a very real journey as Paige learns to challenge herself to do the things that scare her most and to trust both herself and the people around her."
--CYBILS
"For those people who scoff at graphic novels and say that they keep the reader from having to use their own imaginations, well then they need to read a book like this."
--A FOODIE BIBLIOPHILE IN WANDERLUST
"I'd give this book to...(someone) who likes Linda Barry's book about creativity, "What It Is," because this seems like a great fictional counterpoint to her thoughts and encouragement."
--UNSHELVED BOOK CLUB
--SPANDEXLESS
"Not only is the artwork fabulous, the book deals quite realistically with the challenges artists (and writers) face when looking at a blank page or deciding when to go public with a piece of work. I look forward to using parts of this graphic novel in beginning-of-the-year writing minilessons."
--NEXT BEST BOOK
"There's a real tension between going out and living, sometimes and sitting back and letting life live around you, and Gulledge captures that strongly in both the words she's written and in the illustrations that heighten those words."
--STACKED
"In many ways, the book reads more like a long-form poem—quiet and reflective—than a typical teen novel."
--PORTLAND BOOK REVIEW
"I loved loved loved Page by Paige. When I tweeted about it, I used exclamation points. Two of them. And that from a girl who rarely emotes. This is a book that I needed when I was a teen. It's just too bad no one wrote it until this year."
--GUERILLA LIBRARIAN
"(Paige's) budding romance with Gabe is especially lovely: their kindness to each other is what you really want to see in a teen relationship, or in any relationship, really."
--BOOK AUNT
"Not fast paced or even full of any kind of intense conflict, but the creativity of the illustrations is something not to be missed. Watching this young girl struggle to find herself, I often found pieces of me instead."
--THE SECRET ADVENTURES OF A WRITER GIRL
"Most comics about teen life are either so stylized that they can't tell the truth, or intentionally un-pretty, rough, awkward. Page by Paige seems happy to take neither path; with her affable lines, her apparent ease, and her restraint, Laura Lee Gulledge makes Paige's milieu a pleasure to visit, but she also gets it right. It's the kind of teen story that goes with an indie-pop soundtrack, two-thirds we've-all-been-there and one-third you'll-wish-you-met-her....Not just a book about a girl who makes pictures, Page by Paige reminds us what pictures can do, how they can earn our trust, lead us to one another, or let us rebuild ourselves."
--RAINTAXI
