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The Middle School Confidential series is a full colour graphic novel (first published in  2009) that has been imported and adapted to the iPad.

The stories in Be Confident in Who You Are revolve around a group of 7th grade friends dealing with the  everyday challenges of growing up and finding their place in the world. The illustrations are fantastic: page design, panels and close-ups all serve the story well. The chapters  are short, just a few pages each, and conclude with a character giving clear advice derived from the story.  This book communicates positive coping skills without preaching. 

It’s written by Annie Fox, who has been answering teen’s questions for years as ‘Hey, Terra!’ She also created The InSite, a “place for teens and young adults to turn their world around.” The artwork is by multiple Eisner Award nominee and Hardy Award winner, Matt Kindt.

So why buy the iPad version. Does it add anything over the paper book?

You can read this book much like you would the graphic novel. Double tapping will zoom in to view the novel, panel by panel. The art stands up to the scrutiny and the page/panel turn ensures that critical narration is read. Another feature that separates this graphic novel from a paper edition is the background sound.  It’s very well done, and supportive of the scene without being intrusive.

Given great content, readability and execution, Be Confident in Who You Are certainly sets the bar high for adapted graphic novels. Further interactivity, such as incorporation of the quizzes and resources included in the paper book might have pushed the rating to five cheeses.  How cool would it be to take a self-knowledge quiz between chapters!

The primary value of this series on the iPad lies in its easy availability to readers. It’s much easier to download an app than it is to search out a paper copy. By wrapping the advice in an intriguing comic book package and offering it on a cool platform, Middle School Confidential is sure to reach its intended audience.

Highly recommended. Exceptional quality, art and advice for navigating the awkward years.

Loris and the Runaway Ball is short and simple narrative to teach children about safety when playing near streets. This book does that well and doesn’t attempt to do more. The illustrations are simple, the words few and the interaction limited to making a choice about how to safely retrieve the runaway ball. Deliberately presented without narration or sound, a parent must read this to their child and can then use it as a starting point to talk about street crossing safety.  Standing very close to the line that divides paper books from iPad books, Loris and the Runaway Ball is a good example of an intentional choice to stay simple and put the message first. It’s a refreshing change from ‘kitchen sink’ books that throw in games and music just because they can. Continue reading →

Violet and the Mystery Next Door is a colourful, upbeat tale of Violet (a.k.a. ‘Phantom Girl’) meeting and befriending the new boy next door. A bonus feature is the ‘choose your own’ aspect of the story which takes the reader down alternate story paths. Aimed at beginning readers, the language is simple, and sentences are straightforward. The illustrations are marvelous and expressive, enlivened by limited animation. Continue reading →

Another beautifully animated traditional tale adapted by Moving Tales, who made The Pedlar Lady of Gushing Cross.)

An old man deals with an uninvited guest, Poverty, who grows to fill his house as the old man’s means shrink. By using the same author, narrator and style of art as the previous title the overall effect is like meeting an old familiar friend. This story is based on a well-worn tale, and the writing uses beautiful language to create atmosphere and hold the reader spell-bound. The simple and haunting music and sounds support the tale without overwhelming it.
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Larry is a sleepy Aussie lizard who likes nothing better than snoozing on a nice warm rock. Unfortunately, something in his environment always seems to be out to disturb his sleep. In this second book of the Lazy Larry series the reclining reptile must contend with a host of pesky interruptions, many of them potentially deadly. In an interesting second part of the book, we get a peek inside Larry’s dreams and his fantasies of overcoming the dangers in his life. Continue reading →

With less than 300 words, the text and delightful illustrations take you through love and loss, grief and recovery. Beautifully written and illustrated by Oliver Jeffers, this is an iPad adaptation of an existing bestselling picture book published by HarperCollins Children’s Books in the United Kingdom. It’s interesting to see the product of a large publisher and a ‘creative agency’ (Bold Creative, also U.K. based) in view of some of the more “independant” publishers that we often review. One difference is the inclusion of Helena Bonham Carter as a high profile choice for narrator. Available in many of the world’s Apps store, but apparently not in the U.S. yet. Continue reading →

Simulated People is a dark glimpse into a futuristic laboratory. Somewhere between a graphic novel and an interactive art piece, this title is a stab in the dark at exploring the interactive electronic format. The arresting cover image sets the reader up for a dark and dystopian journey. Little is explained and if touching the screen isn’t yet second nature, you might be baffled by the bare bones of the narrative. When you do touch the screen more text and illustrations emerge to fill in the story. Continue reading →

Ayers version of the classic Jack tale is a tightly illustrated and a well crafted interpretation. There are a lots of unique little touches that make this book stand out from the crowd. The illustrations by Frank Grau are rich, colorful and inviting and the characters have a classical animation feel. The mother looks young enough to be Jack’s sister but hey – they didn’t live as long back then. Most of the pages have some simple interactivity and a few have simple games. Continue reading →

vNovel Interactive does a classy but no-frills presentation of the classic Poe-m by Edgar Allen Poe. The illustrations are lush, concept art quality paintings that swallow you into the dark chambers of the old gothic mansion. Having been quite fond of this poem in my youth I was eager to see how they would interpret it both visually and orally (I never was sure how to pronounce “obeisance”). The narration is excellent and well paced with appropriate sound effects to help immerse the viewer. Continue reading →