The best reads of any year for all bookworms

By Rachel Zuckerman | Manor Ink

Books. The so-called “key to imagination” (nobody says that, I just made that up). Books are an essential part of giving knowledge, satisfaction, laughs and frequently despair and pain, at least until you get the next book in your favorite series. Although not all of us are readers, we might still enjoy relaxing by reading ourselves into a whole different world. So, here are my top five books or book series that, in my opinion, might interest other bookworms like me.

No. 5: When Stars Are Scattered – This New York Times bestselling graphic novel, written by Omar Mohamed and illustrated by Victoria Jamieson, is about Omar and his younger brother, Hassan, who have spent most of their lives in Dadaab, a refugee camp in Kenya. Life is hard there – there’s never enough food, days are achingly dull and there’s no access to the medical care Hassan needs. So when Omar has the opportunity to attend school, he knows that might change their future. But it would also mean leaving his brother, his only family member, every day. Heartbreak, hope and gentle humor exist together in this graphic novel about a childhood spent waiting, and about a young man who is able to create a sense of family and home in a difficult setting. It’s an intimate, important, unforgettable look at the day-to-day life of a refugee – in fact, author Omar Mohamed’s personal story. I think When Stars Are Scattered explains much about the difficult lives that people have as refugees, and shows that despite adversity, things sometimes work out in the end.

No. 4: The Dog Man/Cat Kid Comic Club – It’s a bird! It’s a plane! It’s a man with ... a dog’s head? From the creator of the series, The Amazing Captain Underpants, Dave Pilkey has created another “inspiring,” deep and absurdly funny graphic novel series. Dog Man starts out like a typical superhero origin story, as in “I was a normal person in a normal city until blah, blah, blah” – you get the picture. But, Dog Man is a little different. His story starts with Officer Knight and Greg the Dog wandering the streets, until the tale’s bad guy, Petey the Cat, sets off a bomb, and Knight and Greg get sent to the hospital. The doctor informed them Knight’s head was dying, and Greg’s body was dying, too. Greg’s head was sewn onto Knight’s body and, well, Dog Man was born!

So, after he was “formed,” Dog Man goes on a series of adventures to stop Petey from causing anymore destruction in the city. Along the way, he meets friends like Lil’ Petey and 8D-HD, which leads me to Cat Kid Comic Club. CKCC was formed by Lil’ Petey as a club where other characters in the series can create absurd, failing and funny whatever-you-want-to-do comics. If you like laughs, action and humorous inspiration, The Dog Man/Cat Kid Comic Club series might be your jam.

No. 3: Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl – Most of you have heard the sad, tragic story of Anne Frank, but if you haven’t, Anne was a Jewish girl living with her sister, Margot, and their parents in Hamburg. Her parents met and then married in 1925, and in 1929, Annelies Marie Frank was born. Though her mother came from a traditional background, Anne’s family were not particularly religious. But then the Nazis came along and defined the Jews as, well, different. Eventually they came to power and began removing Jews from German society, even though they were only one percent of the country’s population. The Franks then left Germany and moved to Holland because the Nazis were basically destroying everything related to the Jews.

Anne’s father arranged for his coworkers to hide the family and a few others in a secret annex in his office building in Amsterdam. They were there for two years, and as Anne records in The Diary of a Young Girl, life in the annex gets kind of crazy. I’d love to tell you more, but I would rather you read about her story yourself. There is the original book but there is also a graphic novel version for readers who enjoy illustrations.

No. 2: Warriors – This famous novel series written by Erin Hunter, is about warrior cats. Yep, you heard me, cats. Although it may seem silly, the series is interesting, full of action and explores the mysteries of cat behavior – who they are and what they are planning. It all starts with a house cat named Rusty who decides to go out into the woods one day. There he meets members of Shadow Clan, one of the four cat clans that live in the forest beyond human territory. The Shadows see Rusty as a warrior and ask him to join the clan, presenting him with a choice between staying in his pet home, or starting a new life. He chooses the clan and starts learning their ways, trying not to mess up. But, not everything seems as it should be, and Rusty has suspicions about the Shadow cats. Everything gets worse as a rival clan begins making trouble, and Rusty, now known as Firepaw, must prove his wisdom and prowess by protecting his mates from their enemies, including some living among them.

He and some of his new clan friends have to stop the feud between the clans before things get worse. Little does Firepaw know that the effort may change his perspective on others, and others’ views of him. I recommend this action and fantasy-filled book series to people who enjoy figuring out puzzles and uncovering things in stories that may be surprising.

No. 1: Drama – This is my favorite graphic novel of all time, and may become yours as well. From Raina Telgemeier, the creator of the series Guts, Drama is a story that has confusion, teenage romance and, well, plenty of drama.

Callie is in 7th grade and is part of the drama club – well, to be specific, the club’s stage crew for the middle school production of “Moon Over Mississippi.” Even though she doesn’t have the “voice of an angel,” she still enjoys the fun backstage. She makes a few friends in the process, but at the end of the school year when the play is about to commence, things get a bit bumpy.

When she meets a few new people auditioning for parts in the play, things take a turn. She is stressed about making the props, going to the 8th grade formal with a new member of the stage crew, and trying to get everything sorted out.

Callie rides an emotional roller coaster throughout the story as various relationships start and end, and others never quite get going. Drama has a lot of twists and turns, and I think that those who like that type of stuff might enjoy this book.

Like I said in the beginning, some people might not be too fond of reading, but I think these books may be enjoyed by everybody. You can find copies at the Livingston Manor Library, and can reserve them online at livingstonmanorlibrary.org.