Tag Archives: DC Comics

Comic Book, Read To Me Dad, Review

Review: Amethyst: Princess of Gemworld – a Middle Grade Graphic Novel

Amethyst: Princess of Gemworld

We received a free digital copy of Amethyst: Princess of Gemworld for review. Opinions are my own.

I enjoyed reading Amethyst: Princess of Gemworld. This new graphic novel is about Princess Amaya of Gemworld and the Amethyst kingdom in Gemworld. Amaya begins the story spoiled and a bit of a brat. she torments the servants of the castle with her powerful magic. She mostly steals treats from the baker. One day she and her brother end up in the royal vault and they cause some trouble there. This causes her parents to send her to Earth for one week so that she can see what living without magic would be like. Maybe that would straighten her out.

Something goes wrong and Amaya ends up on Earth for three years and she completely forgets who she was back in Gemworld. She makes new friends and is living like any normal kid in a suburban neighborhood.

She is brought back to Gemworld by another kid and once she is back she slowly begins to remember who she was and realizes that she was a real brat and she needs to step things up because there is major trouble in Gemworld. It is up to Amaya and her friends to set things right, but can she do it?

The book was a fun one with great storytelling and illustrations. I liked the overall character and her friends. I know that my son will also enjoy the book because he has been devouring graphic novels as quickly as I can put them in front of him. The book is out today and we saw it in one of our local comic book shops. You can go to yours and get it or you can help us out and use our amazon.com affiliate link below. I also have a more official description of the book and a sample page

Amethyst: Princess of Gemworld - a Middle Grade Graphic Novel.

Amaya is something of a troublemaker. She and her brother have great fun together until a magical prank goes much too far and, to teach her a lesson, her parents ground her…to Earth! They hope a whole week in the mundane world will teach her that magic is a privilege…and maybe washing dishes by hand will help her realize the palace servants should be respected.

Three years later, Amy has settled into middle school and ordinary life. She has a best friend named Autumn, loves soccer, and spends a lot of time in detention for standing up to bullies. She also doesn’t remember any other home. So when a prince of the realm brings her back to Gemworld and restores her magical destiny, how will she cope?

Comic Book, Photo-A-Day, Read To Me Dad, Review

Review: Batman, Robin, and Howard – A Middle Grade Graphic Novel

Batman Robin and howard
Photo-A-Day 2.0 #01044

We received a review copy of the new comic book for middle graders called Batman, Robin and Howard for free to review. Opinions are our own.

Graphic novels for middle graders are the sweet spot for getting my son, Andy to read. He has the best time reading them and he observes so much when he does. I wasn’t sure that he was noticing things because he reads them so quickly but what he noticed about this book blew me away. Yes, the book is about Batman and his son Damian Wayne who is also Robin. It is also about another character named Howard who comes into the Wayne’s lives. However, that was not what Andy noticed. What he noticed was that there was a student who goes to school with Howard and Damian who does not have a hand on his left arm. I was like, are you sure? He said, “Yeah, it is one of my favorite things about the book because it includes everyone.”

I was blown away that my almost 10 year-old noticed something like that and had that reaction. He’s a very kind soul that kid of mine. Andy also liked a lot of the jokes and how Batman was basically sidelined by a soccer coach for the whole of the book. I got a kick out of him doing the gargoyle pose on top of a vending machine and then having the self-awareness to realize that it wasn’t that intimidating from 5 feet up.

The book is a really good one in which Damian Wayne has to go to a new school. He feels that he is smarter and superior to the kids there. Howard is a pretty popular kid at the school because he is so nice to everyone. However, he and Damian do not hit it off right away. They eventually mesh with each other and become friends through soccer. This also weaves in the b story of Batman investigating a series of soccer related pranks. But, with Batman being Batman he takes it very seriously and speculates on all the villains in his rogues gallery who might be behind the pranks.

I got a kick out of the book and so did my son. You can learn more about the book below and also use our amazon.com affiliate link to pick up a copy for yourself.

Batman, Robin, and Howard, written by bestselling author and illustrator Jeffrey Brown (Jedi Academy, Space-Time), introduces a unique take on the adventures of the caped crusader and boy wonder, when it introduces a character that serves as Robin’s ultimate match, his new schoolmate Howard. On November 9th, this book will be available for young Batman and Robin fans who will find a relatable story about fitting in and putting yourself in another’s shoes.

To Damian Wayne, there is nothing more important than protecting the streets of Gotham City as Robin. But when he makes a critical mistake while out on patrol, Damian finds himself benched. And what’s more, Damian’s dad, Bruce Wayne—a.k.a. Batman—decides that starting over at Gotham Metro Academy will be just the distraction Damian needs from his superhero routine. It is there he meets Howard—the smartest and most athletic kid in school. The boys’ rivalry is instantaneous and fierce…and both are sure only one of them can be the best in their class.

Jeffrey Brown creates a juvenile mystery adventure for Damian and his newfound equal Howard that explores rivalry and friendship.