Kwentillion: A Million Stories to be Told [Magazine Review]

Kwentillion: A Million Stories to be Told
Edited by Budjette Tan and Paolo Chikiamco 
Volume 1, Issue 1

Publisher: Summit Media
Art Director: Frantz Arno Salvador
Year of Publication: 2012
Number of Pages: 124

Introducing Kwentillion

"The young adult market is booming, with some of the most exciting stories and certainly the most devoted set of fans--but what publications exist that specifically cater to them?" reads the editors note on page one, volume one, issue one of the first and only magazine in the Philippines catered towards young adult content.

Kwentillion, a combination of the words kwento, the Filipino word for 'story,' and 'million.' Thus, the magazine's tagline, 'a million stories to be told.' There is no doubt that young adult fiction is hotter than ever before. Each year bookshelf space dedicated to young adult content in all our major bookstores keeps on growing incessantly.

However, despite the growing demand for young adult literature, where do teenagers and parents turn to for advice on good reads? Moreover, where does one turn to for the country's best young adult literature?

"Kwentillion will fill that void, and more," writes the magazine's editors. They say the magazine will serve "not only as a place to discuss our existing fandoms, but a place to create new ones that will be familiar as they are fantastic..."

The Fantastic Four Comics in Kwentillion

Cover spread of The Last Datu, made by the co-creators of Trese

Last week, I finally bought my very own copy of the young adult magazine from National Book Store, Glorietta 5. I've read the publication from cover to cover, and here are some of my thoughts on the maiden issue.

Let's start with the cover. Without a doubt, Chester Ocampo is a really talented graphics artist. However, I think the editorial team should have gone with a different approach as regards the cover design. The first impression I get upon seeing the cover art is that the magazine is about Japanese animation or video games.

Featuring one or all of the four comics may have given a clearer picture of what the magazine is about. Speaking of which, I love the comics. The Last Datu, created by Budgette Tan and Kajo Baldisimo, the writer-artist team behind local graphic novel Trese really set the tone for the great reads that were to come.

 Cover spread of High Society, my favorite comic in Kwentillion

Starting-off with the most popular artists was a good decision. Poso Maximo by Robert Magnuson was my least favorite among the four comics, but that's just my personal preference. Again, I like how all four comics are very distinct and cater to different audiences without completely alienating the rest of its readers.


High Society by writer Paolo Chikiamco and artist Hannah Buena was my favorite among the four. I like how the mixed Philippine history, with local mythology, and robotics, and how the setting is during the Spanish era. It's just so interesting!

Meanwhile, Skygypsies by writer Timothy Dimacali and artist John Bumanglag seems to be the most mature and serious among the four comics, and I think it will attract the older young adults and even real adults as well.

On Kwentillion's Lack of Fiction and Book Reviews

Get  your copy of Kwentillion today!

When the magazine's cover announced 100 pages of comics and fiction, I thought there would be a balance between the two literary mediums, but I was wrong. It was mostly comics and just one piece of fiction. Nevertheless, The Secret Origin of Spin-Man by Andrew Drilon was a very entertaining read despite my not being a comic geek. 

Perhaps what Tarie Sabido says in Tarie's Take is truer than we think, our country is really suffering from a lack of Filipino young adult literature, both good and crappy ones. I agree with her in hoping that "our teens today won't have to wait much longer for Filipino teen wizards and other Filipino teen protagonists they can truly connect with."

I also enjoyed the article on fan fiction, and the interviews with Manix Abrera and Chester Ocampo. The Filipinos to Follow section should also remain a constant feature of the magazine. However, I was disappointed that there were book previews, but not a single book review in Kwentillion.

As a fan of young adult literature, reading actual reviews of books and comics was what I was looking forward to the most, and I sincerely believe that having several book reviews would be essential for the success of the magazine. They can have staff members do the reviews and even organize a monthly book review contest, where the winner wins a book, comic, or gift certificates and such.

Conclusion

This maiden issue of Kwentillion is a trial issue. It's future depends on the number of people who actually buy the magazine. Despite some minor points for improvement, I love the content and the idea of a local magazine on young adult content. I sincerely hope that this magazine will pass its first test and be around for many months and years to come.

(Also, I'd love to contribute to the magazine. Haha)

For more information, please like Kwentillion on Facebook or follow Kwentillion on Twitter.

*All photos taken from Kwentillion's FB page.

Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs [Book Review]

Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children
by Ransom Riggs

Publisher: Quirk Books
Book Design: Doogie Horner
Year of Publication: 2011
Format: Softbound
Number of Pages: 352

 (Photo Credits: www.bookzone4boys.blogspot.com)

If I were a parent shopping for books with my son or daughter, I honestly wouldn't have bought him or her a copy of this novel. I can see on the cover that this is a New York Times Bestseller. Yes, the currently popular young adult novelist John Green says the book is "Tense, moving and wondrously strange...an unforgettable story."

However, the cover is just scary. I got the chills the first time I saw the black and white cover with the demented looking girl that is levitating. It doesn't help that the title hints at the child being peculiar, and that there is a home full of them in the novel.  You thought, your friends were real. Well, these are the friends you'll be making in this young adult book.

(Photo Credits: http://www.facebook.com/MissPeregrine)

And you thought your friends were weird. Now you might be wondering why I'm reviewing a book I haven't actually read. Actually, I did end up buying a copy for myself because more than the quirkiness of this book, published by Quirk Books, the cover did really spark my interest. Why is such a scary looking book a national bestseller in the US?

Fortunately, I made the right choice because Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children is one of the best young adult novels I've read in a while. It starts of quite normally somewhat like how a John Green novel would. There seems to be nothing weird or peculiar happening for several chapters that I began to wonder if the novel's cover and title were just marketing gimmicks.

 Watch the Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children book trailer

The beginning wasn't bad, it was just nothing special. Then something happens and the storyline just leaps out of the page. After that its just one punch after another, one twist and then a bigger twist to follow. This book surprised and amazed me in the same way that Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone and The Hunger Games did.

Ransom Riggs is one of those authors who has the right combination of imagination and writing skill to make a whole fictional world come alive. A word of warning though as the novel does tackle serious issues from family problems, to death in the family, to mental sickness, to peculiar children.

There are also monsters and stuff, which is quite normal for young adult novels, but might be taken more seriously because of the closer-to-the-real world setting of this book.

 This kid's definitely too young to be reading this book.

(Photo Credits: http://www.facebook.com/MissPeregrine)

However, this is definitely a great read for young adults who are a bit more mature because they will appreciate the adventure and understand the meaning of the story. I'm very much looking forward to the sequel of this book. If Ransom Riggs can keep up the good work, we might have the next great young adult trilogy, at the very least.

This young adult novel is being adapted for the big screen. It's scheduled release year is 2013, and critically acclaimed movie director Tim Burton is currently eying the director's seat. I'm a huge Burton fan and if he does take on the project, that would be amazing! 

For more information, you can visit the book's official Facebook Page and the Quirk Books page.

Trash by Andy Mulligan [Book Review]

Trash
by Andy Mulligan

Cover Art: Alex Williamson

Publisher: Random House, Inc.

Year of Publication: 2011
Format: Softbound
Number of Pages: 232
Book's Awards and Citations:

• Best Children's Book (Publisher Weekly)
• Best Book of the Year (School Library Journal)  
• Guardian Children's Fiction Prize 2011
• Carnegie Medal 2012 (shortlisted)

(Photo Credits: http://guyslitwire.blogspot.com)  

At first glance, you may think of Trash as just another one of the many young adult novels being displayed in your favorite bookstore. Andy Mulligan's name may not ring a bell as well. It is; however, a very good read and Filipinos, in particular, will find it interesting.

"In an unnamed Third World country, in the not-so-distant future, three "dumpsite boys" make a living picking through the mountains of garbage on the outskirts of a large city," the book description begins. 

But with characters named Jose Angelico and Raphael Fernandez, and places called Smoky Mountains, Green Hills, and McKinley Hills, there is no doubt that the novel is primarily set in the Philippines. 

Andy Mulligan speaks during the Trash book launch at National Bookstore

 (Photo Credits: http://thedxmatillashow.blogspot.com)

"These children are doomed to breathe the stink all day, all night, sifting the effluence of the city, rats and children, children and rats, and you sometimes think they have pretty much the same life."

This is such a powerful description of the hardships children who work and live at dump sites have to go through each day. Their situation is so inhumane that they become comparable to rats. 

Even worse, they are treated like rats--like trash--by the government, the police, the more affluent in society. This bleak picture is portrayed throughout the story without making the reality too overbearing or depressing for its young adult audience.

 Alternate (and much better) book cover of Trash

 (Photo Credits: http://sassisamblog.com)

Andy even transforms the story into an adventure through the streets of the city, from the Behala Dump Site, to the Ermita Police Station, to Central Station, and the Green Hills by the sea (it is fiction after all). 

The story is told in rapidly shifting first person points of view, from the protagonists Raphael, Gardo, and Rat to other characters such as Father Julliard and Sister Olivia, always keeping you at the edge of your seat. 

Trash isn't set in a fantastic world or filled with magic, it is not a romance or growing-up story. It is a gripping real-world adventure that teenage Filipinos should definitely read. 

In fact, I think it would make a good addition to the reading list of local high schools in the country. It tackles so many issues from corruption in the government/police system to generosity and friendship.

(Photo Credits: http://bookzone4boys.blogspot.com)

Parents will also find this a good book to buy for their teenage child, or to give as a gift to other teenagers. It's safe too, in case you don't want to be mistakenly accused of promoting witchcraft or violence among the youth (more on this issue later).

For more information on this novel, please visit the official website of Trash by Andy Mulligan. Also, the book is currently being turned into a movie, which means teenagers all over the Philippines will be hearing about and reading this novel soon. 

You can also watch Andy talk about his inspiration for this novel in the video below:

Andy Mulligan was brought up in sought London, but now divides his time between his hometown and Manila. He teaches at British School Manila and has written several young adult novels including Ribblestrop and Return to Ribblestrop.

Welcome to Young Adults Read

Hi  everyone! Verne, David, and Andrea here. Welcome to our new blog Young Adults Read, or simply, YA Read. Here we will be sharing our thoughts and views on our favorite authors and works of teenage literature.

(Photo Credits: http://www.camaspostrecord.com)

Feel free to voice your agreements, disagreements, violent reactions, and more by commenting on our posts. If you enjoy what you read, share it with your friends on Facebook and Twitter.

We want YA Read to where you can find all kinds of information on young adult literature. It will contain reviews of new and old, serious and fun, award-winning and not so good YA books being sold today.

The blog will also have information YA literature such as news on authors and book releases, announcements on upcoming workshops, contests, and special events, plus updates on the latest literature related technologies, trends, and other stuff teenage bookworms may be interested in.

 (Photo Credits: http://harrypotternuts.blogspot.com/)

Now is a great time for young adult books, and we have J.K. Rowling to thank for that. But the YA books market is so much more than just Harry Potter, or Twilight, or The Hunger Games.

(Photo Credits: http://www.teen.com)

Teenagers in the Philippines and around the world are reading books today more than ever before, and we aim to sate the curiosity of not just these teenage readers, but children, adults, teachers, and parents on the increasingly modern and complex world of young adult reads.