This graphic novel romp is another delightful pick for this year's Books for the Beast conference. A popular title, I have had difficulty getting it as the book is rarely on school shelves. It reminds me a little of Saturday Night Live -- a kind of wild improv which gets funnier late at night. Start with: a medieval fantasy which includes eponymously named characters in the form of a villain and a hero. Enter: A foul-mouthed girl who has a deep desire to be evil. She also has tremendous powers. Mix in: Contemporary technology, alchemy style Science and an evil government corporation. This isn't so much a book to take seriously as a tale to laugh out loud at (I did, many times). It's silly and raucous and races to several unexpected places. There is even a teensy lesson or two embedded in the crazy. Points to Ms. Stevenson, who writes her lead character with full curves and clothing which doesn't bare, well, anything. In fact, the only Barbie-like characters here are the men, who are tall, angular, have flowing locks of hair and impossibly thin waists. In many ways the book feels like a deliberate parody, turning the typical tome of this type on its head. It is for that reason, the lack of sexism, the real-world diversity, the unexpected twists and the simple yet engaging artwork that this graphic novel well deserved its placement on the National Book Award short list last year. Thoroughly enjoyable.
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