Comics Worth Reading recommended this series so I thought I'd give it a try...they were completely delightful! A small and decidedly eccentric girl named Glister lives with her benignly neglectful father in rather tumbledown but completely magical home called Chilblain Hall. Messy black and white illustrations perfectly capture her odd adventures. Glister is rarely surprised, almost always cheerful, completely resourceful, and a darling!
In her first story, all she's trying to do is make tea...unfortunately, she's gotten a haunted teapot. Like most ghosts, the one inhabiting her unusual crockery has left something unfinished; his novel. At first, Glister thinks it will be fun to finish, but quickly discovers that being secretary to a ghost isn't as easy as she expected.
In her second story, Glister is proudly showing off the many unusual features of her beloved home to the head of the Bonny Village task force. Unfortunately, he's not as taken with its many unique...amenities and has some harsh words. Chilblain Hall, deeply hurt, promptly takes off, leaving Glister and her father to make do as best they can.
These are exactly the kind of graphic novels I like; funny, quirky, and magical. Will kids like them? The covers are not, in my opinion, particularly eye-catching. Reluctant and unsure readers who are used to straightforward panels in their comics might find the mixture of panels and speech bubbles difficult to follow. The sweet and quirky mixture of the plots won't attract kids who are used to the more mundane realistic graphic novels or fantasy-adventure. But strong readers who like the magical and intelligently humorous will enjoy these.
Verdict: I'm still deciding if there's an audience for these at my library, but I plan to buy the whole series for myself. Yum!
[Revisited: These were never released in the US. I bought the quartet with their British covers, which are cheerful pinks and blues and a little sparkly, for myself though. I'm revisiting this now because a complete volume is finally being released in the US. The cover is very similar to the cover shown above and I'm still doubtful about its kid-appeal but I do love them so I'm considering adding them.]
Glister 1
ISBN: 9781582408538; Published August 2007 by Walker; Borrowed from the library; Added to my personal wishlist
Glister 2
ISBN: 9781582408842; Published November 2007 by Walker; Borrowed from the library; Added to my personal wishlist
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