Through the Woods by Emily Carroll and This One Summer by Jillian Tamaki

Through the Woods by Emily Carroll-200 pages; Eisner Award Winner for Best Graphic Album-Reprint, 2015

This is an eerie collection of short stories about journeys into and out of the woods. Each story involves a family member (or family members) disappearing, going crazy, killing one another, and/or being possessed. The graphics/illustrations are well done and the stories are interesting, if weird. Overall, it was an easy read and I enjoy reading graphic novels.

This One Summer by Mariko Tamaki and Jillian Tamaki-320 pages; Eisner Award Winner for Best Graphic Album-New, 2015; Michael L. Printz Award Honor Book; Caldecott Honor Book

Rose and her family (the Wallace family) go to the same place for vacation every summer: Awago Beach. Rose has a cabin friend she hangs out with every year named Windy, who is a year and a half younger. Rose's parents fight because her mom really wants to have another kid but can't and so she doesn't want to have fun anymore. I read some reviews on Goodreads and some of them said that the book didn't have much of a plot and I agree to an extent. There is a bit of a plot. Rose's mom (and the family) getting past the miscarriage and not being able to have another baby. The story does show Rose sort of "coming of age" a little bit and she seems to be "outgrowing" her friend Windy in many ways, but they stay friends. Other than that, there is not much plot, but the book was an okay read.