This might seem like it belongs more in the comics thread, but I'm posting it here anyway, because it straddles books and comics.
Although I have issues with the ghettoization of girls/women who read comics, last year DC started a line of graphic novels called Minx that's aimed more or less at tween/teen girls.
Despite my problems with creating "girl" comics (not that that's a new phenomenon), I read Minx's first graphic novel, The Plain Janes. I liked it a LOT.
A sequel -- Janes in Love came out recently, and it's just as good.
The idea is nothing new -- think Pump Up the Volume -- but it's well done, and so I'm pimping it.
Tep, would you say it's aimed more tween or teen? How adult-like are the storylines? Because I'm always looking for stuff for Abby.
Barb, I'm a bad judge (I'm 37 and I dug it -- I'm SUCH a sucker for high-school plots that are done well...or even not [cough::90210::cough]).
The most distressing parts are the references to the cafe bombing that injures Main Jane, which prompts her family's move to the small town -- and that occurs right before the timeline of the first one begins. It's referred to in flashbacks, but it's mostly Jane's feelings about it (scared, helpless, etc. -- normal feelings), and nothing graphic.
If Abby's familiar with the fact that shitty people commit acts of violence that hurt innocent people*, then I think they'd be fine for her.
*(I don't mean to imply that you keep her locked in a media-free safe room; I just don't know the extent to which you and DH discuss terrorism, etc., with your kids. But like I said above, if Abby knows that shit happens, then that's the extent of what the books cover. They really deal with Jane's life post-random act of violence, and how she chooses to live in response to it.)
t edit
No sex or anything; there are crushes and one (I think) kiss. And a gay character who, in the second book, laments not having anyone to crush on. So no gay lovin'. Which made me sad, because he totally needs a boyfriend!
The Minx imprint will be toast in January; I think that Janes in Love is one of their last releases. So if you're interested in any of their books, you probably ought to pick them up while you can.
I read
Plain Janes, Clubbing, Good as Lily, Re-Gifters,
and
Water Baby.
The only one I liked was
Water Baby
(though I must shout out to my friend, Josh Howard, whose art in
Clubbing
was awesome as usual). I found the rest kind of boring.
I'll go check them out-- Borders has got a coupon for a big buy one get one half price sale going on, so it might be a good time to pick up stocking stuffers. By the by, if anyone wants the coupon:
[link]
BWAH!!!! Best Beginner's Guide to Sparkly Vampires article ever. And it references cleolinda!
[link]
The video interview they link to with Robert Pattinson is pretty interesting too. Says some very revealing things--
I knew it had to be Dave White from the bit you quoted.
I heart him.
