Reed, MK, & Hill,
J. D. (2011). Americus. New York:
First Second.
ISBN: 9781596436015 | paperback | 216p. | $14.99 USD
Annotation: Oklahoma
teen Neal Barton stands up for his favorite fantasy series, The Chronicles of
Apathea Ravenchilde, when conservative Christians try to bully the town of
Americus into banning it from the public library.
 |
| Cover image courtesy of goodreads.com |
Book Talk: Neil has
the opportunity to incite change in his small town, Americus, but will he take
it? His favorite fantasy book series is
under fire and will potentially be banned from the town’s library. Sitting among citizens of Americus at the
library’s board meeting, will Neil have the courage to find his voice and
defend the books he cares so much about?
Let’s take a look through his eyes…
[Use props to create Neil character: put on black hoodie
& hold a mock copy of The Chronicles of Apathea Ravenchilde]
Scanning the crowd, I see the menacing face of Mrs. Burns,
the instigator of the campaign to ban my favorite books, The Chronicles of
Apathea Ravenchilde. She’s already
managed to gather a mob of supporters, and I can feel their hatred for the
books filling up the room. Gulp! My
palms are instantly sweaty. The room has
gone quiet…Charlotte, the librarian trying to save my books, gives me a big
nudge. Ohhhh, my face has gone bright
red. Can I do this? Can I really stand up in front of all these
people and profess my love for…of all things…BOOKS?
[hold up mock book]
Pick up a copy of Americus to find out if Neil’s courage
will outweigh his shyness and save his favorite books from being banned.
My favorite thing
about the book:
The story shows how books (and music too) can help you
make friends. It’s refreshing to read a
book with this theme—sharing a great book or music can bring all sorts of
people together in lively dialogue.
First Sentence:
“ ‘America! America! God mend thine ev’ry flaw, con-‘
Hold it, hold it!”
Favorite
character:
Charlotte the librarian
Awards/Honors:
ABC New Voices Title 2011
YALSA Best Graphic Novel Nomination 2012
Junior Library Guild Premier Selection Fall 2011
Learn More:
Catch up with the illustrator, Jonathan Hill, on his blog One of the Johns.
Listen to author MK Reed discuss the book on Inkstuds, a radio show about
comics.
Hear MK Reed discuss the appeal of Americus and upcoming
projects.
