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FindingJane
Mar 24, 2017FindingJane rated this title 4 out of 5 stars
This is one unforgettable graphic novel. With a confusing narrative, a lurid but commanding visual style and cracking good dialogue, this graphic novel challenges and teases the reader. Who are the good guys? Who are the bad guys? Then again, such terms as “good” and “bad” can be facile and misleading when you don’t know what’s happening around you. People are disappearing. But there are monsters flitting through the skies and roaming the streets. So getting folks off the streets to safety is a good idea…isn’t it? There is a generational conflict between the adults and the adolescents; who’s on what side of the fence? Just because you’re holding a weapon doesn’t mean you’re in command of the situation—not if you don’t really know how to shoot. Is this book about time travel? If so, what kind of time travel has humans in futuristic suits riding dinosaurs? “Paper Girls” is a whirling, fast-paced sci-fi/adventure story that has at its heart the burgeoning friendship among four very different teenagers. This isn’t a feminist agenda. These four girls are as flawed as any boys and often are at odds about the proper course of action. But, when they rally together, they’re a force to be reckoned with and you feel that the story’s continuation will show their growing solidarity as each reveals knowledge and strength that aids the group. I don’t know whether I liked this but I can’t stop reading and re-reading it, sifting through it for clues. It’s just that compelling.