The Girl Who Owned a City- O. T. Nelson (Graphic Novel)

Written By: Kellie - Mar• 24•12

Received the ARC from NetGalley for a fair and unbiased review. Expected publication is in April 2012.

Synopsis: A deadly virus killed every adult on Earth, leaving only the kids behind. With her parents gone, Lisa is responsible for her little brother, Todd. She has to make sure they stay alive. Many kids are sick or starving, and fierce gangs are stealing and destroying everything they find. Lots of people have given up, but on Grand Avenue, some kids are surviving. Because of Lisa.

Lisa figured out how to give the kids on Grand Avenue food, homes, and protection against the gangs. But Tom Logan and his army are determined to take that away and rule the streets themselves. How long can Lisa’s group keep fighting them off? They need to find a place to live safely. A strong place. A secret place.

In a world like this, someone has to take charge. But does Lisa have the strength to take charge of a whole city? -NetGalley

Review: Looking at some of the reviews on Goodreads, it’s obvious that not enough people read this book growing up. More than one mentioned how the idea of a dystopia where there are no parents isn’t a new concept, but for me… The Girl Who Owned a City is the original. This story is older than I am, and still holds up today. It’s probably fair to say that it’s a less realistic version of how events might unfold than some of the newer versions, but you can’t deny that this story sparks imagination.

TGWOC holds up beautifully as a graphic novel, and the illustrations fit the mood of the story perfectly. The cover alone was enough to get me to read the entire graphic novel right through as soon as I got the copy from NetGalley. The characters are all vivid, with defining characteristics but what really stood out for me was the quality of the backgrounds. You could really envision the post-apocalyptic world that these kids are living in, trying to survive.

I do feel like some of the pacing was off, due to the limitations of a graphic novel, (the ending seemed almost too easy) but the story is still strong enough that it might leave the same impact on kids reading it today as it did for me in fourth grade.

Highly recommended for anyone who didn’t have a chance to read this growing up, or for kids today who will live living Lisa’s story through this wonderful graphic novel. I’m so glad someone decided to breathe new life back into this story, and I’m sure it will be very well received.

Buy the book @Amazon (US) @Amazon (CAN)

Rating:

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One Comment

  1. This looks great! I might have to pick this up for Readathon in April!

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