Representation: Black and Native American characters
Trigger warnings: Near-death experience, death and murder, dead bodies, physical assault and injury, sword violence, disappearance of a father
Score: Seven out of ten.
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I haven't heard of Compass South, a historical novel composed of illustrations until a few days ago when I picked it up at a public library while I tried to search for other books that sadly I missed and and now weren't available. The blurb made it seem intriguing and when I closed the final page, the novel was enjoyable.

It starts with a prologue set in 1848 spanning a few pages before cutting to 1860 where the central story begins with Alex and Cleo who join a gang to try to find their father who disappeared, but that doesn't go to plan. Alex has to work on a ship while Cleo goes on another ship to look for him, all while a pair of twin brothers have gone missing but are still alive somewhere. Compass South shines in its action scenes and fast pacing, but sometimes the plot can get disjointed and do too much with the multiple POVs. Prose novels handle multiple POVs better than illustrated ones most of the time so that could've been a better choice and the characters are likable and ones I could root for but they're not the most relatable. Other characters were in the background, but I'd loved to have seen more of them like the other pair and that one Native American character or that Black captain (who only got a brief appearance.)

I thought Compass South ended too quickly since it was barely over 200 pages, but at least there's a sequel but it's unclear if any library has it yet. Compass South has a theme of questionable moral choices, especially the ones Alex and Cleo make, implying that morals can go out the window when times get desperate. The conclusion can work fine by itself as all the characters achieve their goals as Alex and Cleo reunite and the other pair aren't missing anymore, but I question why the series needs a second instalment. ( )

If I had realized it was going to be a series, I would have waited until I could bing-read them all. :-",,,1,0
30280461,The Wild Swans,Hans Christian Andersen,Andersen ( )

Rollicking adventure. Loads of fun. ( )

My son and I picked this up at the library. This was a well done historical fiction graphic novel; we both ended up enjoying it.

The main story focuses on twins who are trying to make a living in a gang after their father disappears. When they are arrested during a heist, they agree to rat out the gang in exchange for tickets to New Orleans. One of the twins sees an ad in a newspaper that is offering a reward for missing red-haired twins; they decide to go to New Orleans to claim the reward (being red-haired and twins themselves).

On their adventures they run into another set of red-haired twins that has the same idea. What follows are many adventures involving pirates and kidnapping. It all made for a fast-paced and engaging adventure story set in the mid 1800’s.

The illustration is well done and easy to follow and done in full color. I enjoyed it and thought it added to the story a lot.

Overall this was a fun adventure graphic novel. I plan on picking up the second book in the Four Points series to see where Alex and Cleo’s adventures take them next. I would recommend to middle grade and older readers who enjoy historical fiction with a lot of action and adventure. ( )

It’s 1860 in New York City. When 12-year-old twins Alexander and Cleopatra’s father disappears, they join the Black Hook Gang and are caught by the police pulling off a heist. They agree to reveal the identity of the gang in exchange for tickets to New Orleans. But once there, Alex is shanghaied to work on a ship that is heading for San Francisco via Cape Horn. Cleo stows away on a steamer to New Granada where she hopes to catch a train to San Francisco to find her brother. Neither Alexander nor Cleo realizes the real danger they are in — they are being followed by pirates who think they hold the key to treasure. How they outwit the pirates and find each other makes for a fast-paced, breathtaking adventure.