Alphabetical Index of NBM / Papercutz

The Secrets of Chocolate

Subtitled A Gourmand’s Trip Through a Top Chef’s Atelier, The Secrets of Chocolate is a delicious book. The author, Franckie Alarcon, spent a year back in 2013 working with and observing chocolate chef Jacques Genin’s creations. (The chef clearly establishes early on that he is not a chocolatier, as he doesn’t make the chocolate itself. Instead, he melts it and makes candy or pastries from it.) Alarcon’s excitement and enthusiasm is a pleasure to read. He takes the reader through […]

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Magical History Tour: The Plague: History of a Pandemic

The fifth in the translated Magical History Tour series is particularly timely. The Plague: History of a Pandemic, is, as are the others in the series, written by Fabrice Erre and illustrated by Sylvain Savoia. Annie explains various outbreaks of the historical plague, including the Black Death, and pandemics to her younger brother Nico. Annie lays out various transmission factors — trade routes, conflicts, population concentration — and tells her brother about people’s fear, the huge death rates, and the […]

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Magical History Tour: The Great Pyramid, The Great Wall of China

Magical History Tour Volume 1: The Great Pyramid and Magical History Tour Volume 2: The Great Wall of China are the first two volumes of a new history-based graphic novel line from Papercutz. The unusual format of the Magical History Tours is a great choice for its audience. The small, affordable hardcovers are perfect for tucking in a bag for on-the-go learning and surviving multiple reads. Both are written by Fabrice Erre and illustrated by Sylvain Savoia. In each installment, […]

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Ghosts: A Not-So-Scary Roundup

It’s that time of year, when we start thinking about ghosts and goblins and jack-o-lanterns and things that go bump in the night. There are plenty of comics and graphic novels with ghosts in them, but not all are scary. Here are some great reads that happen to have spirits in them. Archival Quality by Ivy Noelle Weir and Steenz, Oni Press After struggling with mental health issues, Celeste takes an archivist job at a creepy local museum. A ghost […]

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The Beatles in Comics!

Review by KC Carlson People tend to forget that the Beatles (as a group) were only together for 10 years and only recorded together for eight. But once they got started, they composed and recorded more than 200 songs, and at least 12 albums, throughout the 1960s. (The album count is a little dicey, since many of their albums in England differed from their albums in America in both content and number of songs.) John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, […]

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GFFs: Ghost Friends Forever

There’s a lot going on in GFFs: Ghost Friends Forever (written by Monica Gallagher, illustrated by Kata Kane), but it’s all good-hearted. This supernatural mystery romance feels like a modern Nancy Drew, except in this case, ghosts are real. Sophia is living with her father after her parents split up. Her brother Felix lives with Mom on the other side of town. The family business is ghost-hunting, and Sophia’s eager to join in. Mom is more scientific, while Dad makes […]

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Geeky Fab 5: It’s Not Rocket Science

Geeky Fab 5 has an explicit purpose — to show girls taking part in STEM activities. I support that, and this book achieves its goal, although it’s more about determination and teamwork than actual math or science. We hear about girls coding, for example, but don’t see much of the actual practice. Lucy and her sister Marina have just moved to the town of Normal. Lucy’s new school friends are Zara, Sofia, and A.J. Between them, they have a variety […]

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Monet: Itinerant of Light

There have been a number of European-published graphic novel biographies about artists translated into English, but Monet: Itinerant of Light, written by Salva Rubio and illustrated by Efa, is the best of them I’ve read. For one thing, this book doesn’t require you already knowing about the protagonist’s life to understand what’s going on. All of the basics are laid out clearly, and the significance of other important figures is either presented or understandable through context. Monet’s art is also […]

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