Inoue's Real

I'm working on a presentation later this month and was pulling some manga earlier today. I came across Real by Takehiko Inoue. The library owns three of Inoue's manga series: Vagabond, Slam Dunk, and Real. I wrote about Vagabond quite awhile back. I've always been sad that Slam Dunk doesn't have its followers here at the library like it does in other places.

And now for Real. Like in Slam Dunk, basketball is the focal point of this manga series. Unlike Slam Dunk, there's nothing cartoony and funny about this series. Real follows three main characters and their love of basketball and how that love helps them through life-changing events--motorcycle and bicycle accidents and cancer.

Prose books that realistically deal with accidents and/or cancer are plentiful but manga not so much. Even with the drama of overcoming the fear of driving, losing a leg, and the horrors of coming to terms with being paralysed, the series has lots of basketball action.

I'm not a sports fan, but if I'm watching something--it's going to be basketball. Sports manga, if it done well, will get you excited about the action happening on the pages. Real does that and then gives you even more with the added drama of the storyline. It's refreshing to see a manga that is not all about the boy/girl attraction or all about action, but has more to offer the reader.

Football and Dairy Farms...

A combination that works? Not what I'd usually think of for a good plot to a book. But I was proven wrong (which does happen on occasion!). In Dairy Queen by Catherine Gilbert Murdock, the combination works perfectly. D.J. has taken all of the jobs on the family dairy farm since her father has had hip surgery. She's given up basketball and track--all for her family--without complaint. Well, that's not true. She has complained--a lot, but only in her head, never out loud. Because her family doesn't talk--not since her older college football playing brothers left home. Her summer is all planned out: wake up, milk the cows, muck the barn, bale the hay, milk the cows again, and more every day, day in, day out. Sounds like a lot of fun right?

Well that all changes when Brian shows up to work on the farm. Brian is the quarterback for her high school's rival team. His coach--D.J.'s uncle of sorts--thought that the work would toughen him up. But as D.J. tells him, Brian doesn't need to work, he needs a personal trainer. Her and her big mouth. Now she's Brian's personal trainer, putting him through all the training sessions her big time brothers used to do. And as they work out together, she realizes that she loves it too. So much that she decides to try out for her school's football team.

I thoroughly enjoyed this title. It's all about working hard for something you love. Whether it's the hard work for the family farm, or the sprinting and weight lifting for football. And this description just touches the tip of the iceberg of everything that goes on this novel. There's relationships, a younger brother who hardly speaks, a father who seems overbearing, but loves to cook, a hope for acceptance within the football team, and so much more.

The sequel Off Season was on this year's Best Books for Young Adult List put together by YALSA. I'm planning on picking up the sequel this week to read on my vacation since I just have to know what happens next! A side not, which cover do you like best? The cow cover was the hardback which screams chick lit girl readers only to me. The other cover is the new paperback cover. I really like it, but it doesn't give any clues as to what the books is about. But maybe this one could be picked up by guys without ridicule... What do you think?

Oh and P.S. Karen you will not win your coup attempt. I will prevail as Blog Queen!

Sports Manga

I've tried most types of manga out there, but Sports manga has always surprised me. I don't play sports. I don't watch sports. I don't even like sports novels really. But I thoroughly enjoy manga with sports in them. I don't seek them out necessarily, but every so often I come across them and can't get enough of them.

Last week as I was working my way through the graphic novel collection looking for torn out pages (that's a whole separate rant), I picked up Prince of Tennis by Takeshi Konomi. This series focuses on Ryoma, 7th grade tennis prodigy, and his teammates of the Seishun Academy's tennis team. With the only exception that most of the students look to be either high school or college students, this series looks at sports in an exciting fashion. Ryoma is a confident player--even though he loses every day to his former tennis pro father. I highly suggest trying these sports series out--even if you don't like sports. They may just surprise you!

Edenville Owls

I just finished Edenville Owls by Robert B. Parker. It is the prolific mystery writer's first book for teens. Taking place just after WWII and full of period detail, this book could be considered historical fiction. But wait, it's also about a basketball team hoping to win a big tournament, so it could be considered a sports read. But wait again, most of the plot centers on the mystery of the strange man threatening fourteen-year-old Bobby's teacher, so it could also be considered a mystery-suspense novel.

One book, three genres, same price---which is absolutely free if you get it at your local library. You can't beat that with a stick and eat it.

I liked the book, finding it a fast, easy and entertaining read. Parker really made me feel like he knew the 1940s era. I liked the main character's relative naivete, coupled with his earnest desire to be a "good man." I couldn't have cared less about the basketball aspect of the story, but I'm sure people who are actually interested in sports would appreciate it. I liked the main character and his gang of friends (though I really couldn't tell one friend from the other, aside from the one who was female). All in all, this is a good fast book, one that would be a very successful recommendation to a reluctant reader, especially a boy. This was definitely a stereotypically "boy" book. It's also good for younger teen readers, though older readers will appreciate it too. Though there are some serious themes like racism and violence, there is nothing over the top, and for parents who worry about such things as naughty language, aside from two instances of swear words and two racial epithets, language shouldn't be an issue--all of the shocking utterances make perfect sense in their context, it should be noted.

My quibbles with the novel are few. The thing that struck me most glaringly was the overly simplistic language the author chose to use. Sentence structure was repetitive and very simple. I wondered if Parker had dumbed down his prose or if his books for adults are like this too. I certainly hope Parker didn't feel the need to simplify his language for his teen audience as that would be fairly insulting. However, I got used to the choppy sentences after awhile and just accepted that it was his style. Plus, the plot was good enough to keep me hooked and turning the pages so I forgave the simple style. My second quibble is that the characters of some of the supporting cast, notably the teacher, Miss Delaney, are pretty flat. Miss Delaney is basically the damsel in distress, one with an interesting back story but not enough oomph on her own. Since Miss Delaney is essential for plot only and not as important as our main character or his best friend, Joanie, for whom he has conflicted feelings, her lack of spark tended not to matter overmuch. I noticed it, but let it go. My final quibble: I wish this had a jazzier title than Edenville Owls.

All in all I enjoyed this book. It might even inspire me to try one of his adult books. But that will have to wait until I work through the mound of teen books I have checked out right now. Look forward to more posts coming soon!