A review by jesterlavvore
Beetle & the Hollowbones by Aliza Layne
5.0
I’ve never seen my sister love a book more- if a ten year old and an eighteen year old manage to equally love the same thing, that’s a miracle; and it’s exactly what Beetle and the Hollowbones brought to us.
I desperately wish I had a graphic novel like this growing up. I’d never seen anything like this before- When I was younger, the only graphic novels I could find centered around heavier topics like bullying, familial death, or were just plain dark. It often felt like the authors couldn’t cater to an adult crowd, so they were sticking the same ideas they had used into children’s books.
But Beetle turned everything around.
Beetle finds power within herself, within her friends, within her family- and Jesus, this book made me laugh. it brought me so much joy, and the art style is PHENOMENAL. The added detail of Beetle’s crush on her friend being treated - without question - as a normal and valid thing to have was absolutely stunning.
I’m so glad that my sister, and so many other kids, are able to grow up with a book like this- And that I was able to find it, even if I’m a bit older now.
I desperately wish I had a graphic novel like this growing up. I’d never seen anything like this before- When I was younger, the only graphic novels I could find centered around heavier topics like bullying, familial death, or were just plain dark. It often felt like the authors couldn’t cater to an adult crowd, so they were sticking the same ideas they had used into children’s books.
But Beetle turned everything around.
Beetle finds power within herself, within her friends, within her family- and Jesus, this book made me laugh. it brought me so much joy, and the art style is PHENOMENAL. The added detail of Beetle’s crush on her friend being treated - without question - as a normal and valid thing to have was absolutely stunning.
I’m so glad that my sister, and so many other kids, are able to grow up with a book like this- And that I was able to find it, even if I’m a bit older now.