Vera Brosgol

A gorgeous, smart, and funny graphic novel that follows Plain Jane. In the wake of her parents' death, her cousin is set to inherit the family estate and unless Jane finds someone to wed her to gain access to her dowry, she'll be left both homeless and without funds. She decides to propose to Peter, the most beautiful boy in town, who agrees to wed her to escape his father. However, shortly thereafter Peter is kidnapped by a mermaid and dragged to the bottom of the ocean. With gifts from an show more old woman, Jane goes on a quest to rescue Peter but in the process she'll discover that maybe getting the beautiful boy to marry you for money isn't the only option available.

I really loved this book as it takes so many elements from folk and fairy tales and combines it in a narrative about loving yourself and the importance of inner beauty. Jane is a really sympathetic protagonist and the many characters she encounters along the way are all fascinating. There's plenty of humour throughout that really adds to the narrative and while the book has a message to impart, it's never really preachy about it. Of course, the star of the book is Brosgol's art, which is gorgeous. Her character designs are very well done and the multitude of underwater landscapes she creates, and the creatures to go with them are beautiful. Highly recommended, particularly to those who like a fairy tale-esque vibe. show less

A lovely little fairytale about loving yourself as you are. G read this last night and told me she thought I'd like it, so I read it last night too. (And stayed up too late finishing it.)

G was very angry about the cousin and thought it totally bogus that Jane had to move out of her house because women couldn't inherit property. G also said she thought Jane kind of looked like her—maybe a little bigger (because body issues start young, don't they?), but just looked like a normal girl with show more freckles like her. She didn't mention anything about mermaids, but the message about loving yourself as you are resonated with her.

I loved the illustrations and Jane's willingness to fight for herself even if she did go about it the wrong way initially—we should never judge someone solely on their appearance. I also loved that our heroine was a normal looking girl. The underwater world was a creative mix featuring mythological and folkloric creatures across cultures: a sneaky water spirit (based on the Eastern European Vodyanoy/Vodnik), selkies (Celtic and Norse mythology), and, of course, mermaids (or were they sirens... they're kind of the same, right?).

So my kid was right... again. I loved it. show less

Plain Jane gets a rude awakening when her parents die and a distant male relative stands to inherit everything - and kick her out of her house. Desperate and creative, Jane proposes an arrangement to handsome Peter, who works on the docks but chafes under his father's direction. Peter agrees, but then is taken by a mermaid, and Jane goes after him, with some aid from a crone (who she realizes later is the mermaid's missing sister; when mermaids take to land, their true age shows. As long as show more they stay underwater - and occasionally marry and eat beautiful humans - they stay young and beautiful themselves). Determined Jane meets an underwater demon, frees a selkie, and finds her lost younger brother on her way to rescuing Peter - who she decides she doesn't want to marry after all. But now that her younger brother is alive, they get to keep their house.

There's much to love about sturdy, brave Jane, who fights internalized ideas about beauty and worth, and helps two out of three of the mermaid sisters also realize that it's what's inside, not outside, that counts. An adventure fantasy with depth. show less

Easy to see why this gorgeously drawn and scripted graphic novel is an Eisner Award winner.

Part of the the problem with the superhero books is the pacing. The author has 16 or 24 pages to introduce and resolve the tension.

And then instead I get to spend a night with a book like this. Willing to devote 2 full pages to a wordless montage of Jane falling. The second page is a three panel progression of her disappearing into the black. There's time for Jane to dream, to climb, to think.

While show more a kids story with a rated G plot and only the slightest twist on the happy ending, there's plenty to think about in the layers of the plot. Cruelty is punished with cruelty in ways that make clear our heroine is no princess and no girl scout. But love and gratitude are returned in kind, too. show less