From the back cover: Precocious high school student Jimmy Kudo uses his keen powers of observation and astute intuition to solve mysteries that have left law enforcement officials baffled. Hot on the trail of a suspect, Jimmy is accosted from behind and fed a strange chemical which physically transforms him into a grade schooler! Taking on the pseudonym Conan Edogawa, he … [Read more...] about Case Closed 1 by Gosho Aoyama: B-
One Piece 1 by Eiichiro Oda: B+
From the back cover: As a child, Monkey D. Luffy was inspired to become a pirate by listening to the tales of the buccaneer "Red-Haired" Shanks. But his life changed when Luffy accidentally ate the fruit of the Gum-Gum Tree and gained the power to stretch like rubber... at the cost of never being able to swim again! Years later, still vowing to become the king of the pirates, … [Read more...] about One Piece 1 by Eiichiro Oda: B+
Farthing by Jo Walton: B-
From the back cover: Jo Walton crosses genres without missing a beat with this stunningly powerful alternative history set in 1949, eight years after Britain agreed to peace with Nazi Germany, leaving Hitler in control of the European continent. A typical gathering at the country estate of Farthing of the power elite who brokered the deal is thrown into turmoil when the main … [Read more...] about Farthing by Jo Walton: B-
Cat Street 1 (Japanese) by Yoko Kamio: B+
Book description: Keito Aoyama was a child star until the age of nine, when she froze up on stage in front of a live audience. The incident ended her career, and she's spent the past seven years a recluse, spending most of the time in her room and socializing with no one. An encounter with an eccentric principal leads her to El Liston, a school for kids who haven't fit in at … [Read more...] about Cat Street 1 (Japanese) by Yoko Kamio: B+
Very! Very! Sweet 2 by JiSang Shin and Geo: B
Tsuyoshi, sent from Japan to Korea by his grandfather in order to discover his roots, has begun attending school with his neighbor, the tomboyish Be-Ri. When Tsuyoshi’s uncle asks Be-Ri to look after him, she finds herself doing things like showing him the way home after school and abandoning her own lunch when it occurs to her that he might be eating his in the classroom all … [Read more...] about Very! Very! Sweet 2 by JiSang Shin and Geo: B