Jane, le renard et moi - by Isabelle Arsenault & Fanny Britt

My rating:             

I originally found the English translation of this book (Jane, the fox and me) when I was requesting more teen graphic novels for the bookmobile at the library where I work. I was trying to get in some more recent works and the illustrations caught my eye when I first saw the cover in our library catalog.

After reading this graphic novel, I can definitely say that the illustrations are still my favorite part. The book tells the story of Hélène, a young girl who is made fun of at school for her weight. The girls laugh at her and write nasty messages in the bathroom stalls, while the boys mostly ignore her. Then the school announces that everyone has to go to camp and Hélène is ready for the bullying to get even worse.

At first it seems like her fears might come true. Hélène seeks refuge in Jane Eyre, and she reads the book all the way to camp. When she can't curl up with her book, though, she still has to deal with the taunts of the other girls. The illustrations are stunning, but also complement the story very well. Hélène's reality is portrayed in varying shades of black, white, and grey to reflect the shame and loneliness she feels.

The scenes from Jane Eyre, on the other hand, are illustrated in color. This scheme stays consistent until Hélène meets a fox outside her cabin at camp, bringing color into her own life. Unfortunately one of the other girls comes outside and the fox runs off.

Hélène's life goes back to black and white as she becomes even more disenchanted with her life. The girls make fun of her, the boys run away from her, and she even scared away a fox. Eventually, though, Hélène finds a friend and realizes that some things are more important than the mean comments of her classmates. As she begins to spend more time with Geraldine and less time listening to the girls at school, the illustrations slowly incorporate more and more color, ending with this beautiful picture.

The story is nice, but felt overly simple. On the one hand, this book made for a beautiful, short read, but I still feel like it could have been even better if it were a bit longer. From the length and simplicity of the plot, I would almost be tempted to move this book to the children's area. In any case I think it's definitely right on the edge between children's and YA and I would probably recommend it to primarily middle grade readers if I were only judging the text. I would definitely give the illustrations 5 stars, though, and I think older readers and even adults (myself included) can enjoy this beautiful graphic novel.

Bitch Doll - by Orfa Alarcón

My rating:

I had already read Dead Doll (another book in the series), by M.B. Brozon when I was finally able to find Bitch Doll. Of the two in the series I have read, I think I prefer Bitch Doll. Dead Doll is a fun novel, but it doesn't carry the same weight as Bitch Doll. I think that in Bitch Doll, the author treats the main themes in a much more mature way than what I saw in Dead Doll. I had also previously read Perra Brava, by Orfa Alarcón and was very impressed by her writing.

Bitch Doll focuses on the very relevant topic of bullying, both in school and online. Shanti, a student at the Secundaria 33 and the main character, discovers her talent for drawing and decides to create several comics. When she publishes some of these comic strips that make fun of her classmates on Facebook, she is forced to confront the consequences. She also has to navigate arguments with her best friend, who she has fallen in love with, and her family. This book also very clearly shows Alarcón's love of animals, an aspect that I really enjoyed, reflected in Shanti's thoughts. Even though this is a young adult book, Bitch Doll can teach all of us what it means to be friends and what family really is.

This is my fourth book for the summer reading challenge at summerreadingonline.blogspot.com and I will be using it for a book containing bullying. Also, because I read this book is Spanish, I wrote my initial Goodreads review in Spanish for practice. Feel free to check it out below if you're interested!

Ya había leído Dead Doll antes de (finalmente) encontrar Bitch Doll, y creo que de las dos prefiero Bitch Doll. Dead Doll es una novela bien divertida, pero no tiene el mismo peso que Bitch Doll. Me parece que en Bitch Doll, la autora aborda los temas principales de una manera bastante más madura de lo que vi en Dead Doll. También había leído Perra Brava, de Orfa Alarcón y su escritura me impresionó mucho.

Bitch Doll se trata de un tema muy actual, el bullying, tanto en la escuela como en las redes sociales. Shanti, una alumna de la secundaria 33 y el personaje principal, descubre su talento por dibujar y decide hacer unos cómics. Cuando publica unas tiras burlándose de sus compañeros en Facebook, tiene que enfrentar las consecuencias. Además ella maneja discusiones con su mejor amigo, de quien se ha enamorado, y con la familia. También se ve el amor que Alarcón tiene para los animales, un aspecto que me gustó mucho, reflejado en los pensamientos de Shanti.

Aunque sea una novela dirigida a los adolescentes, Bitch Doll nos puede enseñar a todos lo que siginifica ser amigos y lo que es la familia.