All About Anne by The Anne Frank House

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

The last entry in The Diary of Anne Frank is on August 1, 1944; and there's a short afterword where there's a list of what happened to the occupants of the Secret Annex. Anne Frank House released the All About Anne is a collection of the precise details before, during and after the Nazi's domination.

This 79-page book begins with a photo of Anne with her friends on her tenth birthday in 1939 when they were still in Germany. It is divided into 6 chapters with prologue and epilogue and it is full of pictures and a lot of trivia about Hitler, Nazi Germany, and the Holocaust. All About Anne is not only about Anne, but it also narrated what happened to her relatives, such as her uncles, grandmother, and cousins.

Reading the horrendous things happened to millions of people in World War II and the discrimination against the Jews inflicted on them is absolutely unfathomable, heartless and vile. Hateful propaganda such as that they are the misery of Germany is quite shocking and unacceptable; only those who are extremely despicable and lunatic can do and think such things. I've read several memoirs of Holocaust survivors before and it still appalls me everytime I read the dreadful things occurred then.

If you've read the Diary of Anne Frank before and fond of reading memoirs and accounts of Nazi's horrible governance, All About Anne is a great addition to your reading list because it would fulfill your desire for information.

The Wormworld Saga Vol. 2: Shelter of Hope by Daniel Lieske

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I love the first installment of this graphic novel series so I was hoping that this second volume is on a par with its predecessor. Janaka Jiiva's vision and Jonas' mission were explained here, thus there are too many dialogues or exchange of conversations between the characters. I was even looking forward to more of the adventure or fight scenes, but I guess that would be available in the succeeding volumes.

There are two chapters in this installment, but I love more the additional chapter entitled, "A Premature Adventure," because it shows the origin of the painting that was created by Jonas' great-grandfather. Jonas' grandmother, Laura, was included in the story, therefore, it shows that she is aware that there's a magical world behind that painting.

Hope that the third volume will show more exciting adventures of Jonas and Raya. I will still be following this series because I want to know how the story will conclude.

Wormworld Saga Vol 1: The Journey Begins by Daniel Lieske

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The first volume of The Wormworld Saga compiles the first chapters of the comic series. The story starts on the last day of Jonas from elementary school. He has 6 weeks vacation at his grandmother's in the countryside and he plans to spend it by playing in the forest and the fields. However, he failed his Math so he was given homework for the rest of his vacation.

Three years before, Jonas found a secret hatch in the bedroom he occupies in his grandma's house going to the attic and it became his secret hideaway. Jonas also likes to draw but one afternoon, the sketch of the bug he drew came to life and it made a portal in the attic and it leads to a monstrous and magical forest. And that's where his adventure to the magical Great Forest began.

I enjoyed reading the story and the illustrations drawn by Daniel Lieske. I also like that there's a part in the ending where it tells how the author was able to come up with this graphic novel. There are also snippets of his sketches and a fan art gallery that will delight readers.

The Photographer of Mauthausen by Salva Rubio

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Another great World War II-related material that narrates about the crimes of the Nazi German. The story is about the Spanish photographer, Francisco Boix, who is a prisoner of war by the Germans in Mauthausen. He was first assigned in the quarry as a way to exterminate him just like the others. Luckily, he was later moved to the identification department of the camp.

Being a photographer for the German Army means developing photos of the soldiers and their families, which will be sent back home to their loved ones. Another task for them is to photograph and identify the prisoners when they arrived. Some photos also capture fake condition of the prisoners such as that they are healthy, well fed, and happy. These photos were used as a propaganda to deceive people that the camps were safe and that the prisoners lived well. The pictures were also used in the brochures to be sent to factories and quarries because the prisoners were offered as slave laborers.

When a prisoner died, a photo was taken and preserved in the Nazi Archives. As for illegal executions, another photo was taken in the art form to elevate death and that was what Francisco found out while being in the aforementioned department in the camp.

All the atrocities that the Nazi German's did such as throwing prisoners off the cliff; escape attempts when in reality they were pushed or forced themselves into the electrified fences; prisoners beaten to death, shot in the back of the head, hanging themselves; and experimentation by the doctors pushed Francisco that he wants the whole world to know what's is really happening.

After reading this graphic novel, I searched for Francisco Boix's photographs and looking at them are remarkably shocking and terrifying, most particularly the photo of the man that was hanged using a belt. Reading the cruel acts performed during the WWII was already horrifying, what more if people could see the photos that captured them.

The Photographer of Mauthausen is a must-read for those who are into reading anything about the WWII. The story of Francisco Boix and his perseverance and bravery is truly admirable and that should be set as an example to all.

Little Mama by Halim

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Brenda was named Little Mama by her own mom because she performed on the role of the mother. She was the one who took care of her sibling, Kevin, as well as doing the chores at home. Brenda matured at a very young age because of the setup in their family. When her mom and its boyfriend, Vincent, finally decided to live together, Brenda's situation became worse because Vincent always scolds and hurt her physically.


The story of Little Mama will make readers feel a lot of emotions while reading this gripping and compelling graphic novel. Readers will undoubtedly pity Brenda's condition and fury against her mom and Vincent for making a living hell on her life. Brenda's tale educates everyone about abuse and that we should help those who think are suffering from this ordeal, and that forgiving is a key for moving on.

Before and Again by Barbara Delinsky

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Before and Again is the first novel of Barbara Delinsky that I've got to read, thanks to the publisher for providing a reading copy of the book. Maggie's traumatic past and on how she tries to handle her new life is an engrossing story, however, there are some parts that I found too slow or a bit boring to read. Perhaps those portions could have been omitted without making a big difference in the flow of the story.

Maggie's story will touch readers in some way, and it is also another great novel about loss, grief, friendship, moving forward and forgiveness. Several people could be able to connect with Maggie particularly on the aspects of loss and grief. Lastly, there are a handful of remarkable quotes that I think are really relatable such as,

"Parents can be narrow-minded when it comes to the dreams they have for their kids."

SOTA'S KNIFE Vol. 1 by Kei Honjo

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This first volume of Sota's Knife compiles the first 11 chapters of the manga and it is about the 20-year old Sota Kitaoka from Hokkaido who became a kitchen-helper in Tomikyu, a fine dining restaurant in Tokyo. He was hired by Kyu Goro Tomita, one of the top 5 chefs in Tokyo and now he works for six months already in the said restaurant. Sota is eager to learn a lot so he trains alone after the store closed at night. His only dream is to get his family-owned restaurant back on track.

Kei Honjo beautifully illustrated each comic panel because how detailed his drawings are. So far, I consider this as the best-illustrated manga I've seen because I saw how elaborate and how much time Kei Honjo spent in drawing this — there are texture, shadows, and highlights and that shows how skillful he is in his craft. He didn't draw the illustrations hastily because anyone can see the huge effort he did especially in drawing those settings, and of the images of food.

I also learned a lot from how much the Japanese chefs exert a lot in order to prepare each dish — giving the best quality of food to the customers. Sota's humility and passion to learn is admirable also, and the camaraderie in Tomikyu will touch anyone. There are a lot of Japanese manga that turns into either anime or real live film or TV adaptation, and I wonder if there would future plans for this. Hopefully, producers would give this an opportunity but hopefully, Kei Honjo would still be part of the illustrators if it would be an anime adaptation.

Today I'll Be a Unicorn by Dana Simpson

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I didn't expect that this graphic novel is just a 6-pages storybook for young kids. If you are familiar with the author Dana Simpson and her Heavenly Nostrils series, you knew already that the books target middle graders and young adults. As for "Today I'll Be a Unicorn," it is intended for kids ages 7 and below. Although this latest book by Simpson is for younger readers, fans of the graphic novel series will still love this release.