Chamberlain, Joris, & Aurelie Neyret. Cici’s Journal.

Chamberlain, Joris, & Aurelie Neyret. Cici’s Journal. Macmillan/First Second  2017  149p.    $17.99  ISBN 978-1-62672-248-4            ms/jr  Graphic Novel        VG-BN         

Cici wants to become a writer. In this graphic novel, Cici describes the steps she goes through to attain this goal with the help of a famous writer who lives in the same town.          

This is a very good graphic novel for middle-school readers. The colors are bright and simply blended in dramatic drawings. The drawings themselves are simple yet effectively portray the content of the story. The format of the book and the visual layout within the pages add variety and insight into Cici’s adventure.                                   

Writing                                                                          --Linda McNeil, Martha Squaresky

Elish, Dan. Fiction.

Elish, Dan.  Fiction.  Marshall Cavendish/Benchmark, 2012.  96p.   $34.21.  ISBN 978-1-60870-497-2 ms/hs   VG-BN          

This book provides a look at the hallmarks of high-quality fiction writers and at ideas and techniques essential to crafting short stories or novels.  The first part of the book reflects on various fiction writers of both short stories and novels who are regarded as high-quality writers.  Quotations from the authors discuss the writing process.  Examples of high-quality prose are presented, along with the reasons they are considered high-quality.  The rest of the book encourages students to persevere when they start the writing process and continue the rewriting necessary for final submission to a publisher.  Techniques to to help with writer’s block are listed.  Discussions about point of view, hooks to get readers interested, character development,  plot development, and use of proper grammar boil down to very solid advice for budding writers.  References for further reading, chapter notes, and an index complete the book.  One typographical mistake appears on page 56: “I haven’t see you here in awhile.”  The series is The Craft of Writing, and it comprises five books (Fiction, Journalism, Plays, Poetry, Screenplays).  Each book provides high-quality examples of each style of writing and explains why were chosen as examples for students, and offers tips for writing well.      Subject: Writing technique     

Lois McNicol