Jennifer Lee (7) (1971–)

As I Dream of You is a deeply unsettling, inspiring, and mythic exploration of love, loss, longing, and hope. That may sound contradictory, but Jennifer Lee has crafted a graphic novel that truly lives at the intersection of text and art — a story meant to be experienced as much as read. Through Sam’s grief after losing his mother and Franny’s yearning to connect through music and her dreams of higher education, this unlikely pair discovers joy, purpose, and each other. When an show more unexpected event severs that connection, the story becomes a haunting meditation on what we risk — and what we reclaim — in the name of love.

Drawing on the myth of Orpheus and Eurydice, Lee delivers a retelling that feels wholly her own. I read this in one sitting because, even knowing the myth, I was captivated by the emotional depth and the visual storytelling. The art amplifies the narrative’s ache, its beauty, and its sense of mythic inevitability. This is one of those myths you think you know — every beat, every ending — but Lee’s interpretation is wholly her own. I can’t say more without risking spoilers, and I’d rather leave space for readers to experience those turns for themselves.

This is a powerful, emotionally charged story that places grief, longing, and the bonds of family — both given and found — at its center. I would gently caution readers, especially younger ones or those in active mourning, that the book includes direct references to suicide and mental health struggles.

That said, this is not a bleak or glorifying narrative. Instead, it opens an internal dialogue about the lengths we go to for the people we love, and the fierce, protective hope those loved ones hold for us to keep going. It’s tender, haunting, and ultimately full of heart. show less

Sam and Franny meet in high school and fall in love. Sam's mother died when he was young, and his dad is physically present but emotionally absent, grieving his wife. Sam spends a lot of time in the woods, searching for a grove of chestnut trees he believes exists despite a blight that killed most others. Franny, a classical guitarist, is new to town, and feels that her hardworking single mom doesn't support her dreams. The two have an intense, loving relationship, but on the same night when show more Sam discovers the live chestnut trees, they're in a car accident, leaving them separated on opposite sides of life and death. They meet on the astral plane, but neither fully understands how it works or how long it can last - or how to let go. (And readers might be surprised which character is alive and which has died.)

See also: A Little Like Waking by Adam Rex; If I Stay by Gayle Forman

Quotes

"Lucid dreams are pretty common after someone dies." (Josh to Sam, 146)

"The astral plane is meant to be a transitional place. It's thought that it can be dangerous for those who linger." (Meet You On the Astral Plane, 211)

"You think that it's your love that has enabled you and Franny to hold on. But no, it's your grief. And grief is selfish, it's hungry. It makes you do crazy things." (Jimmy Gibson to Sam, 252)

"But...I don't want any of those things if they're not with you."
"You will. One day." (Franny and Sam)

When we lose someone, we are derailed. The future we expected is erased...leaving us shattered in its wake. Loss leaves us angry. Hopeless. It makes us afraid...afraid to feel, afraid to love again. But it is through love...that we learn how to go on. (338-339) show less

I probably wouldn't have gone to see Zootopia if it hadn't seen all the positive viewer comments about it. People whose opinions I usually trusted said it was far better than they'd expected. Of course, some of those same people also said that Star Wars: The Force Awakens was the best movie ever, so I tried to take their recommendations with a grain of salt.

Most of what I knew about Zootopia was based on the one theatrical trailer I'd seen, the clip of Nick, the fox, and Judy, the rabbit, at show more the DMV. This clip was okay the first time around, but it was almost painful to watch the second and third time. It also left me with the impression that Zootopia didn't really have much of a plot. Thankfully, the movie was much better than that clip led me to believe. In fact, I loved it so much that I went to see it a second time.

I'll keep my synopsis as spoiler-free as possible, but keep in mind that that means I have to leave out a lot. Basically, in the world of Zootopia, mammals have evolved to the point where they've become sentient. Predators and prey now live in peace, although prejudice is still a problem – animals who were traditionally prey are sometimes fearful of animals who were traditionally predators, and foxes, in particular, are looked down upon (why foxes and not tigers, lions, or any number of other predators? I have no idea).

Judy is a rabbit living in the rural town of Bunnyburrow. Although her parents would love it if she became a carrot farmer like them, Judy's greatest dream is to become a police officer, the very first bunny cop. She accomplishes her dream and is even assigned to Zootopia, the big city she's always wanted to visit, but reality isn't quite like she imagined. While doing her job and trying to keep her spirits up, Judy meets Nick, a cynical and street smart con artist fox. After Judy makes a rash promise, Nick becomes her best bet for finding the missing predators and keeping her job.

This movie was a lot of fun, but it also had a greater number of darker and more serious moments than I expected. I knew, from comments on Twitter, that it dealt with racism and racial profiling, but I didn't know any specifics beyond that. Judy's disastrous press conference made me gasp, and Nick's story about his childhood was surprisingly dark (nothing inappropriate for a children's movie, although it could hit kids who've been bullied pretty hard). I loved the bit during Nick and Judy's first meeting, when she called him a “real articulate fellow” and he responded “It's rare that I find someone so non-patronizing” (both times I saw the movie, I could have sworn he said “patronizing” rather than “non-patronizing,” which would have been even funnier since Judy didn't notice, but every source I can find indicates I must have heard wrong).

That's not to say the movie didn't have problems. Both times I saw it, I hated the first scene with Clawhauser, the overweight cheetah cop. The “he somehow lost a doughnut under his chin fat” part was awful, an extremely lazy and unnecessary fat joke.

Another problem: the movie couldn't seem to figure out exactly how it wanted to portray predator-prey relations. The mayor, a lion, was a predator who loved being in the spotlight, and none of Zootopia's citizens seemed to have a problem with him. Also, foxes were the only type of predator subjected to on-screen prejudice. Like the world-building, the details of the movie's message didn't always seem to be very consistent or fully realized.

Speaking of the world-building, there was a lot to love, if you didn't think about it too much. The city of Zootopia was amazing. I loved the architecture, which was clearly inspired by nature and by the needs of its animal inhabitants. I loved the various ecosystems, even if I couldn't help but wonder how they were achieved and how natural local weather patterns were dealt with. I loved the city's variety, even if I kept thinking things like “Are certain species paid more or less than others?” (you'd think they'd need to be, if a popsicle for an elephant costs $15 while Nick charges little rodents $2 for his “Pawpsicles”) and “Is interspecies marriage a thing?” On the negative side, the more I thought about it, the less accommodating and the more segregated the city seemed.

The top thing I loved about this movie was probably Judy and Nick's friendship. I liked them both individually: Judy's enthusiasm and optimism were great, and Nick was wonderfully complex and also fun to watch at work. However, they were even better as a pair. I should mention that this is maybe the third Disney movie I've seen with some version of “I love you” used in a non-romantic way, and it's the first one that wasn't a little awkward about it. Although a certain subset of the Zootopia fandom would disagree with me, the fact that the movie didn't shoehorn romance into the story and allowed Nick and Judy to become close friends rather than a romantic couple was wonderful.

All in all, the things I loved vastly outweighed the things I didn't, and I definitely plan on buying the movie when it comes out on DVD. I may break down and look up some fanfic, assuming it's relatively easy to find stuff that doesn't pair Nick and Judy up romantically or sexually (yeah, that's unfortunately a thing).

(Original review posted on A Library Girl's Familiar Diversions.) show less

A pretty fun movie that spins several tropes upside down, though I do wish Elsa's parents hadn't become so distant from their kids. I get that Elsa was scared and her parents were trying to help her the best they could but they basically swept stuff under the rug which led to the conflict between the sisters later. At least in the end it's resolved, so yay.