Graphic Novel Review - Tales from Outer Suburbia by Shaun Tan (5/5 stars)

Reading Level: Young Adult
Genre: Graphic Novel/Short Stories
Size: 96 pages
Publisher: Arthur A. Levine Books
Release Date: February 1, 2009
ISBN: 978-0545055871
Stand Alone or Series: Stand Alone
Source: Swapped
Rating: 5/5 stars


This was a wonderful collection of short stories told in both written and graphic novel format that is 100% Tan in style and tone.

The stories are quirky and funny, sometimes darkly so. Covering topics all the way from abandoned missiles decorating people’s yard, to a daring nighttime turtle rescue, to a paper map that really does show the end of a city. The story all have a couple things in common; they talk about extraordinary things in a suburban world and they are full of irony.

I enjoyed all the short stories and the irony throughout. Tan does an excellent job of making these stories accessible on a number of different levels. They will mean different things to kids and adults, but both age groups will enjoy them thoroughly.

There is a lot of creativity in these stories and the drawings are fabulous. The drawings range from whimsical to eerie and everything in between...but they are always interesting to look at, quirky, and beautiful.

I love that I just never know what I am going to get from one story to the next. Every new story is an unexpected surprise. I also love that I can read most of these with my 6 year old son and he enjoys them just as much as I do.

Overall I thoroughly enjoyed this collection of quirky stories and drawings. If you are Shaun Tan fan this is a must have. If you love graphic novels you have to check this out. Seriously this is a wonderfully creative and quirky read that will appeal to all ages. It’s something I absolutely loved and I can’t wait to check out more by Tan.

This book goes towards the following reading challenges:
- Graphic Novel Reading Challenge
- 150+ Reading Challenge
- TBR Pile Reading Challenge
- Young Adult Reading Challenge

Graphic Novel Review - Lost and Found: Three by Shaun Tan (5/5 stars)

Reading level: Middle Grade

Genre: Graphic Novel/Fantasy
Size: 128 pages

Publisher: Signet
Release Date: March 1, 2011

ISBN-13: 978-0545229241
Stand Alone or Series: Stand Alone
Source: Amazon Vine
Rating: 5/5 stars

Previously I have read The Arrival by Shaun Tan I was amazed by both the artwork and the depth of the story in that book.  So when I was offered Lost and Found through the Amazon Vine program I was super excited to read it.  This is a fantastic book; it appeals to both kids and adults, contains stories accessable on many levels, and has just absolutely enchanting artwork.

This book consists of three stories.  The first is The Red Tree which tells the story of a young girl dealing with troubles only to find hope at the end of her trials.  The second is The Lost Thing which tells of a boy who finds a Lost Thing on the beach and tries to find a place where it belongs.  The third is written by John Marsden and is called The Rabbits.   This is a story about white rabbits who take over a world and eventually destroy it.

All of the stories have the story itself and then a deeper meaning as well.  My son who is four years old enjoyed The Lost Thing the most; he was fascinated with the strangeness of the Lost Thing and was interested in the idea of finding strange things that don't belong in the world.  This story will also touch a chord with adults as it addresses the idea that as you get older you see less of wonder and strangeness in the world.  My favorite was the Red Tree; I loved the complex art work in this one and the depth of the story despite it being very sparse on words.

The artwork is fantastic.  Again the Lost Thing has the type of artwork that I most associate with Shaun Tan; pictures of strange fantastical beings that are part fantasy, part machine, and part sci-fi.  I love Shaun Tan's art; you can look at these pictures for a long amount of time and continually see new things...they are complex and fascinating.  There is definitely a bit of steampunk theme throughout; the stories are a bit darker and feature beings made of both monstrous and mechanical parts meshed together.

Overall this is just and absolutely stellar book.  I really enjoyed it and my son did as well.  Wonderful stories that are accessible at different levels and mean different things to children and adults, complex and fantastical artwork, this was just a super interesting and engaging book.  I can't wait to see what Tan comes up with next.

This book goes towards the following reading challenges:

- 100+ Reading Challenge
- Get Steampunked!
- Graphic Novels Challenge List

The Arrival by Shaun Tan (5/5 stars)

I wasn't sure what to expect from this book. I wasn't expecting it to be all pictures and no words; not to say that detracted from the book. This was actually a wonderful and thought provoking book, and it was better for its lack of words. Without language as a barrier I think anyone from any culture could get some understanding from this book. In the epilogue it mentions that Tan spent 4 years researching all of the drawings and stories that made up this book and it shows.

This book depicts the story of a man who leaves his family to travel to a fantastical alien place. He is trying to find work at that place, and have many of the problems you would expect of a person plopped into an alien society.

The pictures in the book are beautiful and the land the man visits truly fantastic. Despite all the alien-ness of the place though you see the main character gong through many troubles that any immigrant goes through. The book is surprisingly griping and you really feel for the characters. Even more surprising are the little bits of humor throughout, they make the book even more human.

To add depth to the story a number of the characters that the main character bumps into also have their back-stories depicted. It really is proving a point about how people end up in the beautiful alien world and what they've suffered to get there.

So I liked this book on a number of levels. All by itself it is an interesting story depicted with beautiful pictures; a tale of a journey to a far away land. On another level it makes a statement about immigration and what people who immigrate to a new world have suffered through and continue to suffer. The story is by no means depressing through, it is humorous and heartfelt. The lack of words makes it enjoyable to all ages. My 2 year enjoyed looking through it with me (although I don't think he got as much out of it as I did) he found the different worlds interesting and had lots of questions to ask about the characters. Believe or not he made it through the whole thing with me.

I got this from the library but I will definitely be acquiring a copy to keep in my library. I will definitely be checking out more of Shaun Tan's works.