McMafia in Kirkus Reviews

McMafia, by Misha Glenny
978-0887842047 | $29.95 hc | available March
House of Anansi Press (HarperCollins)

From Kirkus Reviews, Feb. 1, 2008:

“Based on the author’s skillful investigative journalism, this survey of international wrongdoing makes for fantastic reading that surprises on more than one occasion: Who knew that westem Canada had more organized criminal syndicates per capita than any other nation? . . . A bracing, frightening ride. . .”

Skim review in PW

Skim, by Mariko and Jillian Tamaki
978-0888997531 | $18.95 hc | in stock
Groundwood (HarperCollins)

From Publishers Weekly:

This auspicious graphic novel debut by cousins Mariko and Jillian Tamaki tells the story of Skim, aka Kimberly Keiko Cameron, a goth girl in an all-girls school in Toronto, circa the early ’90s. Skim is an articulate, angsty teenager, the classic outsider yearning for some form of acceptance. She begins a fanciful romance with her English readier, Ms. Archer, while nursing her best friend through a period of mourning. The particulars of the story may not be its strong suit, though. It’s Jillians artwork that sets it apart from the coming-of-age pack. Jillian has a swooping, gorgeous pen line–expressive, vibrant and precise all at once. Her renderings of Skim and her friends. Skim alone or just the teenage environment in which the story is steeped are evocative and wondrous. Like Craig Thompson’s Blankets, the inky art lifts the story into a more poetic, elegiac realm. It complements Marikos fine ear for dialogue and the incidentals and events of adolescent life. Skim is an unusually strong graphic novel–rich in visuals and observations, and rewarding of repeated readings.

Yellow Moon, Apple Moon reviewed in CM Magazine

Yellow Moon, Apple Moon, by Pamela Porter
978-0888998095 | $17.95 hc | in stock
Groundwood Books (HarperCollins)

Pamela Porter’s new book gets 3 stars out of 4 in CM Magazine:

“. . .James’ illustrations greatly enhance the book, magnifying the colourful and whimsical elements contained within Porter’s text. [They] have a texture and fluidity highly suggestive of the vibrancy and energetic movement of a young child. . .reminiscent of Van Gogh. . . . [Some adults] will be reminded of their own sweet childhood experiences falling asleep to the sound of parents reading. . . . Yellow Moon, Apple Moon is likely to create similarly lasting and pleasant memories.”

Ninth Circle gets great blurb from Raymond Khoury

The Ninth Circle, by Alex Bell
9780575080270 | $24.95 pb | available June
Gollancz / McArthur & Co. (HarperCollins)

Raymond Khoury has just given us a stunning quote for The Ninth Circle by Alex Bell, Gollancz’s June debut novel. This will appear on the cover and jacket, but it’s simply too good not to share now:

“A haunting, engrossing story with a unique aura of its own. Alex Bell’s remarkable debut is original, cleverly plotted and so well written the pages just flew by.”