The War at Ellsmere
by Faith Erin Hicks
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Jun, a scholarship student at Ellsmere Boarding School, tries to fit in and befriends the quirky Cassie, who regales Jun of tales of a beautiful creature who lives in the forest near the school.Tags
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Juniper is a scholarship student at the posh, academically rigorous boarding school, Ellsmere Academy. She already knows she isn't going to fit in when she sees her incredibly fancy dorm room and thinks, "Apparently I'm going to school in a Disneyland postcard." She has a smart mouth and a whole lotta attitude, which helps her when she incurs the wrath of Emily, a rich, snobbish but equally snide and witty student. Of course, her smart mouth is also what gets her into trouble with Emily in the first place. Luckily, she makes friends with her roommate Cassie, who is sweet-natured and a little kooky; she often mentions things like alien abductions, and she's the one who tells Jun all the crazy stories about the school's mysterious history show more and the creature said to roam the nearby woods punishing evil. (This story turns out to be somewhat true.)
This graphic novels melds a lot of great elements: there's the "misfit at boarding school" story, the developing friendship between Cassie and Jun, the rivalry between Emily and Jun, and the weird hints of magic on the school grounds. The dialog is snappy and realistic and the characters are real -- even Emily, who could develop "stock-evil-rich-girl" syndrome but somehow doesn't. (Maybe because she's so cunning in her evil plans.) Juniper makes for a great heroine -- she's smart, determined, and sarcastic, always a great combo. Finally, the black and white art is fantastic. It's quirky and offbeat, like the characters and the story, but not so much that it gets really cartoony. It's perfectly pitched to middle schoolers or junior high kids. show less
This graphic novels melds a lot of great elements: there's the "misfit at boarding school" story, the developing friendship between Cassie and Jun, the rivalry between Emily and Jun, and the weird hints of magic on the school grounds. The dialog is snappy and realistic and the characters are real -- even Emily, who could develop "stock-evil-rich-girl" syndrome but somehow doesn't. (Maybe because she's so cunning in her evil plans.) Juniper makes for a great heroine -- she's smart, determined, and sarcastic, always a great combo. Finally, the black and white art is fantastic. It's quirky and offbeat, like the characters and the story, but not so much that it gets really cartoony. It's perfectly pitched to middle schoolers or junior high kids. show less
It is kind of a standard poor scholarship student at boarding school must deal with mean girls type book, however something about it felt not standard to me and I couldn't put my finger on it. Like other books I have read by Hicks there is a last minute bit of fantasy thrown in and I liked that too. I seem to feel like Hicks can do no wrong and I am honestly okay with that.
Cute story about girls in a boarding school who must deal with a somewhat predictable bully and her gang. There's a twist ending that I don't know really works, but the quality of the rest of the tale allows you to shrug it off. I love the art -- it reminds me a bit of fellow Canadian Bryan O'Malley (Scott Pilgrim) with the big doe eyes on all the characters. I'd certainly recommend it to any tween girls, especially those at a private school.
(I read this book as a mistake. Somehow I thought I read about it in the context of "like Harry Potter." It isn't. Maybe the rooms at the boarding school look a little like Hogwarts, but that's about it. So it was a little disappointing that it didn't have what I was expecting. But that wasn't the show more book's fault, so I read it again to rate it on its own merits.)
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LT Haiku:
Hang out with cool kids?
Moral at schools everywhere:
Choose your friends wisely. show less
(I read this book as a mistake. Somehow I thought I read about it in the context of "like Harry Potter." It isn't. Maybe the rooms at the boarding school look a little like Hogwarts, but that's about it. So it was a little disappointing that it didn't have what I was expecting. But that wasn't the show more book's fault, so I read it again to rate it on its own merits.)
-------------------------------------------
LT Haiku:
Hang out with cool kids?
Moral at schools everywhere:
Choose your friends wisely. show less
Gulp! That's how I read Faith Erin Hicks' latest, The War at Ellsmere. It's a classic plot, mean girls against new/downtrodden girls, boarding school, unicorn....um, well maybe not that last.
Comics Worth Reading has an excellent in-depth review of the book (including the artwork, which I don't know diddley-squat about, just that I like it!) I don't entirely agree that the "fantasy element" was "completely unnecessary". Sure, I would have been perfectly happy if either Cassie had continued to defy the evil Emily and totally beat her up or if Jun had come to Cassie's rescue and...violent? who, me? Well, anyways, you could also say the unicorn is very symbolic of Cassie's inner strength.
But it only says one thing to me - a sequel is now show more mandatory, under the rules of authors-who-introduce-unexpected-characters/twists/elements-at-the-end-of-fabulous-stories. Hear that Ms. Hicks? I am now waiting on your doorstep in spirit for that sequel!
Verdict: Interesting art, lovely plot turns, definitely recommended. Might need a little extra booktalking for teens who aren't familiar with Hicks.
ISBN: 978-1593621407; Published December 2008 by SLG; Borrowed from the library; Purchased for the library; Added to my personal wishlist show less
Comics Worth Reading has an excellent in-depth review of the book (including the artwork, which I don't know diddley-squat about, just that I like it!) I don't entirely agree that the "fantasy element" was "completely unnecessary". Sure, I would have been perfectly happy if either Cassie had continued to defy the evil Emily and totally beat her up or if Jun had come to Cassie's rescue and...violent? who, me? Well, anyways, you could also say the unicorn is very symbolic of Cassie's inner strength.
But it only says one thing to me - a sequel is now show more mandatory, under the rules of authors-who-introduce-unexpected-characters/twists/elements-at-the-end-of-fabulous-stories. Hear that Ms. Hicks? I am now waiting on your doorstep in spirit for that sequel!
Verdict: Interesting art, lovely plot turns, definitely recommended. Might need a little extra booktalking for teens who aren't familiar with Hicks.
ISBN: 978-1593621407; Published December 2008 by SLG; Borrowed from the library; Purchased for the library; Added to my personal wishlist show less
It is kind of a standard poor scholarship student at boarding school must deal with mean girls type book, however something about it felt not standard to me and I couldn't put my finger on it. Like other books I have read by Hicks there is a last minute bit of fantasy thrown in and I liked that too. I seem to feel like Hicks can do no wrong and I am honestly okay with that.
Girls' boarding school, Rich Snobby Girls vs Scholarship Students, so we all know the basics of where the story is going. I'd have liked this better without the supernatural deus ex machina at the end, but even that didn't detract too much from the rest of the story.
If your library has the kind of comics collection where manga-influenced American comics circulate, this is a good one to get.
If your library has the kind of comics collection where manga-influenced American comics circulate, this is a good one to get.
Juniper is a scholarship student who is new to Ellsmere Academy. She thinks going to Ellsmere will help her attain her dream of going to college and becoming a doctor someday. She worries about fitting in at her new school. She finds a new friend in Cassie her roommate, but also an enemy in the queen bee, Emily. Emily's bullying goes too far when she takes Jun's watch and won't give it back. The watch is special to Jun because it reminds her of her Dad who passed away when she was seven. Jun hits Emily and ends up almost expelled until Emily comes to her rescue. Cassie and Jun are blindsided by this, but suspect Emily is up to something else. With Cassie's help and an unexpected appearance by a magical forest creature Jun secures her show more place at Ellsmere.
This is a typical mean girls story with a twist. The twist being the fantasy element at the end of the story. Juniper is an intriguing character who shows braveness by going to a boarding school alone on scholarship to better her own future, and standing up for herself to the queen bee on the first day of school. The outcast friendship of Cassie and Juniper is relatable and genuine. The plot was standard fare with the rich girl picking on the poor one, but the dialogue was entertaining and will appeal to the young adult audience. show less
This is a typical mean girls story with a twist. The twist being the fantasy element at the end of the story. Juniper is an intriguing character who shows braveness by going to a boarding school alone on scholarship to better her own future, and standing up for herself to the queen bee on the first day of school. The outcast friendship of Cassie and Juniper is relatable and genuine. The plot was standard fare with the rich girl picking on the poor one, but the dialogue was entertaining and will appeal to the young adult audience. show less
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ThingScore 75
The emotional core of the story, Jun and Cassie’s growing friendship and the way it reveals Cassie’s hidden depths, drew me in as it developed.
added by lampbane
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Common Knowledge
- Canonical title
- The War at Ellsmere
- Original title
- The War at Ellsmere
- Original publication date
- 2008
- People/Characters
- Juniper; Ms. Bishop; Cassie; Emily
- Important places
- Ellsmere Academy for Girls
- First words
- "I hope I haven't made a horrible mistake."
- Quotations
- "Do you think she sits in her room all day, stroking a white cat and thinking up stuff like that?"
- Last words
- (Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)"Yeah, you're stuck with me."
- Original language
- English
- Disambiguation notice
- A revised edition of this black-and-white work has been released under the title, One Year at Ellsmere by Faith Erin Hicks, featuring completely redrawn and fully-colored art and an end matter section explaining the ar... (show all)t revision process. "Originally drawn in 2008 on Bristol paper with a Col-Erase blue pencil, inked with a Pentel brush pen. Redrawn in 2019 on a Wacom Cintiq in Manga Studio, inked with a Raphael Kolinsky watercolor brush, size 1."
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- Genres
- Teen, Tween, Graphic Novels & Comics
- DDC/MDS
- 741.5971 — Arts & recreation Drawing & decorative arts Drawing Comic books, graphic novels, fotonovelas, cartoons, caricatures, comic strips History, geographic treatment, biography North American Canada
- LCC
- PN6733 .H53 .W37 — Language and Literature Literature (General) Literature (General) Collections of general literature Comic books, strips, etc.
- BISAC
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- Members
- 198
- Popularity
- 164,753
- Reviews
- 15
- Rating
- (3.69)
- Languages
- English
- Media
- Paper
- ISBNs
- 2
- ASINs
- 1
