Review: Vincent and Theo

Title: Vincent and Theo: The Van Gogh Brothers
Author: Deborah Heiligman
Publisher: Henry Holt
Year Published: 2017
Source: Library
Rating: 5/5 stars

I thought I knew a decent amount about Vincent Van Gogh. Turns out I only knew the most basic facts.

This beautifully written biography of Vincent and his brother Theo is based on the many letters they wrote to each other and to friends and family. Heiligman writes short chapters in compelling prose that makes you want to keep moving through the story; in fact, I read this book - over 450 pages! - in 3 days.

At first it seems odd that this biography also includes Theo Van Gogh, but once the brothers become adults, it is clear that Theo is as important a player in this story as Vincent. There would have been no Vincent without Theo, in fact (and don't get me started on the epilogue with Theo's wife!). Their lives were so intertwined that full understanding of Vincent MUST include knowledge of Theo as well.

I had a few small quibbles with the book. The first was that there weren't enough images, especially of the sketches. I understand that color plates of the paintings make a book more expensive, and I was happy with the number of plates, but more black and white images of sketches throughout would have been helpful. (I was often reading in the lunchroom at work which somehow has the worst wifi reception despite being right next to the router and I couldn't look anything up.) The second problem was that mental health issues were brought up often but covered very minimally. Since Heiligman used the brothers' letters as her main inspiration, and since mental health was barely understood at the time, it's understandable that there wasn't much in the book about it. However, a chapter outside the narrative with a basic explanation of bipolar disorder would have added a lot though.

Appeal Factors: narrative non-fiction, fast-paced, lyrical
Awards and Nominations: 2018 YALSA Nonfiction for Young Adults Award nominee, 2017 Boston Globe-Horn Book Award for Nonfiction winner
Read-alikes: Charles and Emma (also by Heiligman)

Review: The Scrapbook of Frankie Pratt

Like most kids' book nerds that I know, I was waiting (im)patiently to hear all the award winners from this year's ALA Midwinter meeting. This is when the Newbery and Caldecott winners are announced, as well as a whole slew of other awards. My favorite of the bunch is the Alex Award, given to novels written for adults but which would appeal to kids ages 12 to 18. Many people call these "crossover novels" because of their appeal to YA and adults.

When I was in the YA age group, I just called these "novels." But I digress...

Two of my absolute favorite books from last year were on the list: Ready Player One and The Night Circus. I'm sure I won't get around to reading the rest, but I was intrigued by The Scrapbook of Frankie Pratt, so I borrowed it from work.

The Scrapbook of Frankie Pratt is exactly what it claims to be: a scrapbook. The book is filled with color reproductions of photographs and ephemera as if it were the real-life scrapbook of a young woman in the 1920s. Frankie is from a small town in New Hampshire and doubts that she'll ever leave, until the smallest of scandals sends her to Vassar College, then on to New York City and Paris. The book takes no time to read, and the story is a bit predictable, but the form is unique enough that it will seem fresh and new to a lot of readers. I'm not entirely sure how many teens will actually enjoy this book, although more and more kids seem to be interested in the 1920s (I think, in part, because of the buzz around the Great Gatsby movie coming soon).

For those who enjoy The Scrapbook of Frankie Pratt, I would suggest any of Nick Bantock's books (I've only read the Griffin & Sabine trilogy), which combine art and story in ways that are exciting and intriguing.

Buy The Scrapbook of Frankie Pratt on Amazon
Buy The Scrapbook of Frankie Pratt at a local store through Indie Bound

Review: Page by Paige

I love graphic novels, but it's extremely rare for one to grab me in the same ways that novels often do. I don't know why - maybe because there is less left to the imagination, or maybe because there is often little to no narration or verbal mood setting - but I'm hard pressed to think of a graphic novel that has really stuck with me or hit me in the gut.

But only a few pages into Page by Paige by Laura Lee Gulledge, I was in love... and I haven't stopped thinking about it since.

On the outside, it's a fairly simply YA tale of a girl who moves to the big city and has a hard time finding herself. Of course, along the way, she makes friends and, more or less, discovers her place in the world. Doesn't sound all that exciting. But Gulledge's art allows the reader into Paige's head, filled with all the fears and insecurities of being a teen. The story starts with Paige buying a sketchbook, and the book is at its strongest when dealing less with the plot and more with Paige's emotional sketches.

As someone who makes a fair deal of art, I loved the aesthetics of the book and truly appreciated the call to teens to be creative. I wish I had had such an encouraging book when I was a teen.

Note: You can see more of Gulledge's beautiful art on her blog.

5/5 stars