Margin Notes

‘It came from the woods. Most strange things do.’  

Through the Woods is a graphic novel written by award winning Canadian author Emily Carroll. This novel contains 5 haunting and eerie stories about topics such as the chilling adventures of three sisters after their father’s disappearance as seen in Our Neighbour’s House or the story of a girl who witnesses the horrors awaiting her in the woods during her trip to visit her brother after their mother’s death as told in The Nesting Place.  

Carroll’s fast paced story telling had me absolutely entranced the whole time. Each story is easily digestible with a charming art style. It is easy to imagine yourself in the shoes of each character and wondering what you would do in their situation. That is until the real horror element truly seeps in and darkens every crevice, making you reconsider all of the trust you’d once put into the characters..  

All this, paired together with Carroll’s unique panel placement and organization, truly makes for an unforgettable read that will have every horror fan on the edge of their seat.  This graphic novel is one that’s stuck with me for quite some time after devouring it in one sitting. 

Eleanora Fagan better known as Billie Holiday did not have a happy life. After all, she sang the blues for a reason.  

“Becoming Billie Holiday” is a poetic interpretation of her life story. Readers follow Billie as she matures from a troubled adolescent into the fearless and passionate musician we know today. The text offers the privilege of watching her navigate a world that seems to be against her with parents that leave her, a neighbor that rapes her, and a drug addiction that destroys her. Billie must summon every ounce of her courage to fight against the brutality.  

Carole Boston Weatherford recounts this story beautifully and entirely through free verse poems with titles that correspond to each of Billie’s songs. The poems are accompanied by compelling illustrations.  

It was extraordinary to discover the complex story behind the famous musician. The book was exactly what I needed to incorporate a little bit of poetry and a lot of imagining into my reading routine.  

All Maggie wants is some time alone – and she has a plan to get it. With a few lies about where they are, Maggie and her friends plan a sleepover at her empty grandparents’ house. To say things don’t go as planned is an understatement. Her friends are caught and can’t come. During her secret night hidden alone, her town is evacuated, and Maggie is indeed left alone…totally alone. 

This novel, written in verse, is a fantastic middle level survival story. Readers follow Maggie as she slowly accepts that no one is coming back and realizes she is on her own to take care of herself and her neighbor’s dog, George. The slow descent into survival mode is realistic and brings authentic threats such as food, water, weather, fire and wild animals. 

Other than the obvious challenges of survival, the conflict of the plot is a steady build of loneliness. Maggie is aware of the hope she is losing and searches for connection in radios and books. The seasons change and the years go by without any indication of this isolation ending. Maddie’s resilience in the environmental and mental struggles is fierce and makes her a strong character for readers to admire. Although I would give a trigger warning for animal abuse, I would recommend this book to readers who like dystopian survival stories as well as someone looking to devour a book in verse.  

Heartstopper is a graphic novel depicting an adorable yet realistic LQBTQ romance between two boys finding themselves, one an openly gay and bullied boy, the other a questioning rugby jock.

When the story begins, Charlie Spring wants nothing more than to be loved by his secret, closeted, emotionally abusive boyfriend, Ben Hope. He finds himself sitting in the art room every lunchtime, eating his lunch surrounded by the haunting memories of last year.

Nick Nelson is the epitome of a sweet jock, having a soft spot for vulnerability, but still hanging out with his rough, homophobic rugby friends. Even though he doesn’t agree with what they do, he finds himself with no one else to listen to.

Charlie and Nick finally meet after a homeroom seat change one morning, and nothing but a “Hi” every day to each other. Nick was all Charlie thought about for weeks on end, whereas his friends, Tao, Isaac, and Elle, only crushed his hopes by continually insisting that Nick was straight, without a doubt.

Then there is an incident with Nick in homeroom and a leaky pen, and after Charlie helps Nick, a spark of friendship begins to whirl between the two. They begin to chat in the halls, smile at each other when they pass, and Nick invites Charlie to learn how to play rugby after school one gorgeous, sunny day.

Unfortunately, there is then a horrible and aggressive incident between Charlie and Ben, with Nick comes to Charlie’s aid after lingering around due to a sense something isn’t right between Charlie and Ben. That event sparks the first nighttime texting session between them, evoking a stream of confused feelings about their relationship and the potential struggles of identifying as LQBTQ in an all-boys school.

Heartstopper is one of the most subtly powerful and emotional novels I’ve ever read. Each page ropes you more into the character’s life until you’re immersed into the feeling of pure excitement every time they show affection, romantic or not.

Sometimes I would take breaks in between reading, just to scream out of joy or sob at an emotional scene, and I’ve honestly never had a book do that before. It’s an LGBTQ modern classic, and I absolutely adored how many topics are addressed and how inclusive the characters are. So many mature topics are covered in such an realistic way, like coming out as gay and lesbian, being transgender, homophobia and discovering your sexuality. Heartstopper is an essential read for allies and LGBTQ alike. I guarantee it’ll be the best book you’ll ever read.

Fionna Jarvis is a 14-year-old student at Ridgeview Middle School in Oromocto, New Brunswick who likes to read atypical romance, dystopia, non-fiction and poetry books. She loves to write and has written several online novels. She plays rugby, volleyball and does all-star cheerleading. Also, she does art, she paints, sketches, and also uses oil pastels and watercolours.