Wednesday 4 May 2011

Books: The War at Ellsmere

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The War At Ellsmere
By Faith Erin Hicks

2008





Available now from Islington Libraries
You can reserve this item for free here:
http://www.library.islington.gov.uk/TalisPrism/

Juniper is a schoolgirl starting her first term at the elite Ellsmere Academy. A scholarship student from the poor side of the tracks she's laid-back but quick witted in a Daria Morgendorffer-kinda way: and she's going to need all her resources to survive the onslaughts of mean girl Emily. With a blocky art-style that's reminiscent of Bryan Lee O'Malley this is a predictable by-the-numbers tale of bullies and growing up with everything working out in just the sort of way you would expect and every character fitting into an easily defined box: the bad girl seems to be bad because that's what the story demands which makes it hard to care when it feels like people are dealing with plot mechanics instead of human beings. With no real surprises and twists you can see coming from miles off there's not much to recommend this. If it was a tv show it would be on channel 5. Must do better.

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Further reading: Mercury, Anya's Ghost, The New York Four, Scott Pilgrim, I Kill Giants, Hicksville.

All comments welcome.

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