Vera Vance: Comics Star

December 1, 2019
Vera Vance attends comics-making camp and dreams of attending the final field trip in this installment of the After-School Superstars series. Third-grader Vera Vance is totally into comics, so she is excited to attend an after-school camp devoted to making comics with her friend Nixie (of Nixie Ness, Cooking Star, 2019). Vera has a hard time sticking up for herself, so she suffers through experiences like making a final project with Nixie when she really wants to work on her own project. And when her mom, who values grades and piano but not comics, says no to the camp's final field trip to a comic-con, Vera is crushed, seeing no way to change her mother's mind. But at the last minute, all her camp lessons about the hero's journey and the power of comics come together with Vera's talent to make a pretty brilliant bid for reaching her goal. Vera's shyness will be appreciated and understood by many readers. Her character stays real throughout, and the lovely wrap-up shows how every personality type in any situation can find a way to use their strengths to reach their goals. Vera's dad died years ago, a fact remarked on in brief but emotional musings. Full-page, black-and-white illustrations punctuate most chapters, depicting brown-skinned Vera with an afropuff and Nixie as white, while the small font pushes the boundary between chapter book and middle grade. Readers who stick around to see Vera become her own hero are in for a satisfying read. (Fiction. 6-9)

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February 1, 2020

Gr 2-5-This beginning chapter book stars budding artist Vera as she navigates her elementary after-school program and a series of personal anxieties. Most paramount of her constant worries is Vera's relationship with her mother, who disapproves of the comic camp that Vera loves. Vera is new to her town and school but finds a fast friend in Nixie. Yet with this friendship comes another anxiety: Vera is scared to voice that she would like to work independently on her own comic rather than work as a team. She begins to funnel her energy and her own emotional narrative into creating a comic about a character named Little Spoon, based on herself. The character of Big Spoon resembles Vera's disapproving mother. Vera despairs of ever finding the courage to speak up for what she wants, but she finds her voice by speaking up for classmates who are being teased. Vera still struggles to find the words to tell her mother, who she disagrees with but loves deeply, that she wants to attend the local comic con with her fellow campers. She chooses to let her art speak for her instead and uses the story of Little Spoon and Big Spoon to reveal her inner fears and wants. VERDICT This is a welcome addition to the "After-School Superstars" series and a lesson in family love and self-expression.-Lauren Younger, University of Dallas Library

Copyright 2020 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

January 1, 2020
Grades 2-4 Vera makes a good friend, Nixie, in her after-school program. They're both excited to be starting its comic-book camp option, though it took all of Vera's persuasive powers to wrangle permission from her mother, a single parent intent on maximizing educational opportunities. Inspired by her teachers' introduction to storytelling, Vera creates Little Spoon, a character who lives in the silverware drawer with overprotective Big Spoon. Vera works hard on the project and on convincing her mother to let her go on a field trip to a Comic-Con. Mom is adamantly opposed, but after reading Little Spoon's story, she has a change of heart. Readers will enjoy the discussions of comics, the moments of classroom drama, and the fine-tuned, sensitive depiction of Vera's relationship with her mother. It's no surprise that Vera's comic reflects her own situation, emotions, and hopes. The unexpected twist here comes when Little Spoon triumphs by creating a happy ending for Vera's story as well as her own. A rewarding addition to the After-School Superstars series, which opened with Nixie Ness, Cooking Star (2019).(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2020, American Library Association.)

January 1, 2020
As the After-School Superstars begin a four-week comic-book-making project, this second installment in the series (Nixie Ness: Cooking Star, rev. 9/19) shifts its focus to third-grader Vera. Vera (depicted in the illustrations as brown-skinned with her hair in an Afro puff) loves comics, but they make her mother uncomfortable to the point that she almost refuses to let Vera participate. "Why would a school enrichment program devote an entire camp to comic books when there are so many other truly important things in the world to learn about?" Over the course of the month, quiet Vera's keen observations about her friends, her teachers, and her mom translate to valuable lessons in self-discovery and allow her to grow into her talent as an artist and comics creator. The month ends with a field trip to a comic-con where student art will be recognized, and Vera has to find the right way to persuade her still-reluctant mom to sign the permission slip for her to attend. Heartfelt moments between Vera and her single-parent mother mix with their struggles over the value of comics to create a realistic family dynamic, and honest moments among the campers keep the chapter book from becoming overly pat. Spot illustrations and an appended list of Vera's favorite comics and graphic novels add extra punch.

(Copyright 2020 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)

March 1, 2020
As the After-School Superstars begin a four-week comic-book-making project, this second installment in the series (Nixie Ness: Cooking Star, rev. 9/19) shifts its focus to third-grader Vera. Vera (depicted in the illustrations as brown-skinned with her hair in an Afro puff) loves comics, but they make her mother uncomfortable to the point that she almost refuses to let Vera participate. "Why would a school enrichment program devote an entire camp to comic books when there are so many other truly important things in the world to learn about?" Over the course of the month, quiet Vera's keen observations about her friends, her teachers, and her mom translate to valuable lessons in self-discovery and allow her to grow into her talent as an artist and comics creator. The month ends with a field trip to a comic-con where student art will be recognized, and Vera has to find the right way to persuade her still-reluctant mom to sign the permission slip for her to attend. Heartfelt moments between Vera and her single-parent mother mix with their struggles over the value of comics to create a realistic family dynamic, and honest moments among the campers keep the chapter book from becoming overly pat. Spot illustrations and an appended list of Vera's favorite comics and graphic novels add extra punch. Julie Roach

(Copyright 2020 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)