The Sandman Volume 1: Preludes and Nocturnes by Neil Gaiman

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Bibliographic Information:

The Sandman Vol. 1: Preludes and Nocturnes by Neil Gaiman

ISBN: 978-1401225759

1995 Vertigo New York, NY

Plot Summary:

This installment in the Endless series follows Dream, as he escapes from a prison he was held in by wizards. Dream has to come to terms with the changes that have happened in his world while he was in captivity. He must also regain the tools of his job.

Dream’s tools are his helm, pouch, and ruby. The journey to regain his tools takes him all the way to the gates of hell.

Dream learns along the way that he has to perform duties without tools.

As Dream pursues his belongings, we also meet his sister, Death.

Critical Evaluation:

This story is another in a long list of young adult novels that deals with family relationships. As Dream restores order to the world that was left without him for many years, he must also patch up his relationship with his sister, Death.

The Endless have to work together because that coven of wizards is out to destroy them. If the wizards destroy death, then the world as we know it will collapse.

This entire premise harkens to folklore and legends, stories of myth. Zeus, Hades and Poseidon come to mind as characters that would cause earthly destruction if their relationship is unbalanced. Another modern idea that teens know of would be the relationship between Thor and Loki, when they fight, the heavens fall into chaos.

So it is with the Endless. Dream has to work with Death so that they can achieve the order necessary.

The illustrations in this comic are rich and add to the text. The world around these characters is multidimensional and colorful, but dark. There is a darkness in the world of the Endless. That darkness is not death, but the division among the seven siblings.

This graphic novel leaves the reader clamoring for more, luckily, Neil Gaiman published an extensive series for voracious readers who cannot get enough after they finish pouring over the story and the pictures in Preludes and Nocturnes.

Reader’s Annotation:

Dream escapes his prison to find a new world he has to deal with.

Author Information:

Neil Gaiman is credited with being one of the creators of modern comics, as well as an author whose work crosses genres and reaches audiences of all ages. He is listed in the Dictionary of Literary Biography as one of the top ten living post-modern writers and is a prolific creator of works of prose, poetry, film, journalism, comics, song lyrics, and drama.

Gaiman has achieved cult status and attracted increased media attention, with recent profiles in The New Yorkermagazine and by CBS News Sunday Morning.

Retrieved from http://www.neilgaiman.com/About_Neil/Biography on 8/5/2015

Genre(s):

Graphic Novel, Fantasy

Curriculum Ties:N/A

Booktalk Ideas: Booktalks revolving around graphic novels.

Reading level: Grade 8+

Interest age: 15+

Challenge Issues:

Possible challenge issues are handling of supernatural things, sexuality, implied drug use

Challenge Defense File

Why I chose this book:

This is a great example of the graphic novel genre for our collection.

Dodger by Terry Pratchett

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Bibliographic Information:

Dodger by Terry Pratchett

ISBN 978-0-06-200951-7

2012 Harper Collins, New York, NY

Plot Summary:

Dodger is a scavenger living in Victorian London. The book opens with him saving a young girl in the pouring rain on the streets of London. He has learned to retrieve valuables for rewards and survives on the scraps he can gather together from the sewers.

Dodger’s rescue is noticed by two men and they take him and his damsel to their home. As the story unfolds, Dodger and the damsel, Simplicity, fall for each other. Charlie (who turns out to be Charles Dickens) and Henry Mayhew enlist Dodger’s help in finding Simplicity’s attackers.

Dodger gains the attention of London police when he thwarts the evil serial killer Sweeney Todd.

Throughout all this positive attention, Dodger learns that Simplicity is married to an abusive man and she is a princess from a foreign country. Dodger helps with a scheme to fake Simplicity’s death so that she will no longer be pursued by attackers and Queen Victoria rewards him with a knighthood.

Critical Evaluation:

Terry Pratchett is amazing at creating alternate worlds. In this novel, he creates the world of Victorian London where a sewer urchin can rise to great levels in society through good will and good luck.

The language Pratchett uses for the dialogue helps the reader feel like they are inhabiting a different time. The use of local color in Dodger’s speech makes his character authentic to the time.

The introduction of well known historical figures and aristocrats is a challenge, but Pratchett seems to express their high station and privilege in their speech and action. Dodger speaks with poor grammar and slang, while the educated speak using extensive vocabularies and perfect grammar. Even Dodger’s Princess Simplicity is multilingual and articulate.

The action unfolds to expose Dodger’s noble character, even though his appearance to passers by is that of a dirty street kid, a tosher. His character development seems to become obvious to Dodger, even as the audience sees it.

The characters in this story are complete. They have good and bad sides. Even the Queen of England has depth in this novel.

Reader’s Annotation:

Dodger was a nobody until he rescues a young girl and circumstances turn him into a somebody.

Author Information:

Terry Pratchett was born in 1948 in Beaconsfield, Buckinghamshire. He had his first story published when he was just thirteen, and after leaving school at seventeen to become a journalist he continued writing, publishing his first novel, The Carpet People, in 1971 and going on to produce the phenomenally successful Discworld series as well as numerous other books, winning many awards and becoming the UK’s bestselling author.

He died in March 2015 after a long struggle with Alzheimer’s disease. You can read more about Sir Terry here.

Retrieved from http://www.terrypratchettbooks.com/sir-terry/  8/5/2015

Genre(s):

Fantasy

Curriculum Ties: Literature

Booktalk Ideas: This novel connects to required reading for school (Dickens)and Broadway Theater.

Reading level: Grade 8+

Interest age: 12+

Challenge Issues: This book conforms to our collection's selection criteria. Challenge Defense File

Why I chose this book: 

I chose this book for many reasons. First, it is a Printz Honor Book. It also occupied bestseller lists, and it is just one example from Sir Terry Pratchett's extensive catalog that is targeted to teen readers.