[A quick note: Okay, y’all! I finally can say I’ve read a graphic novel. Admittedly I’ve been nervous to do so. As someone who’s a stickler for traditionally reading I wasn’t sure I would ever try it. I don’t do audio books. I don’t like them. Mostly because I’m not good at listening. HAHA! Not the best trait. I’m a very visual person. I don’t digest things well when I’m listening. My processing strengths lie in reading. Anyway, I did it. This little gem was purchased through Book Outlet for $2.50 and there might still be copies left!]
Maggie is a village outcast. Bullied. Made fun of. Harassed. Shunned for her deafness. She lives with Agathe, an old woman who all but raised her. Soon, rats begin overrunning their village and multiply out of control, destroying the food supplies and brining fever and sickness. That’s when the piper appears, making promises to save the village. He catches Maggie’s eye immediately. But he’s not exactly what he seems.
This was my first graphic novel! I wasn’t sure what to expect, but overall it was a fun experience. Very different than what I’m used to. Modeled after the tale of the Pied Piper, which is rather harrowing, the story overall was bordering dark. Thus, it didn’t have the ending I wanted. You know me, always out for a HEA. I don’t think the Pied Piper is supposed to have a happy ending? But this is aimed towards middle grade, so the horror and darkness were kept to a minimum.
After having read this, I would adore this as a full length book. The bones of the plot are great and would make a perfect YA novel. The romance between Maggie and the Piper was adorable. I adored Maggie. As a character with a disability, the way she was treated pulled on my heartstrings and made me emotional. The Piper was always good towards her. Not one to tolerate bullying of any kind, he saw exactly how she was treated and put a stop to it. I loved the way his story was woven with hers.
As a graphic novel, the graphics were…okay? I’m not really sure what to compare them against since I’ve never read anything else like this. The drawings were fun and did most of the storytelling. There were some full page sketches that I found absolutely lovely, especially one in particular of Maggie.
I read this in one sitting. I think it took me about an hour? It’s not my favorite mode of storytelling, I admit. It’s a lot more of sifting through images than actual reading. I’m not sure if that’s because this was aimed at middle grade? Maybe an adult graphic novel might have more words and dialogue? Hard to say. I definitely want to try out a few more graphic novels in the future. I already have a list of recommendations, too.
My only negative was that I found myself a little confused at times. The lack of words forced me to backtrack, look back over images, and sometimes I felt like I was missing something. A few times, I had to flip around see what I’d missed. There were a couple times I couldn’t quite figure it out? It might be that I need to read the whole story again? Which I’m not adverse to.
Overall, considering I only paid a couple bucks for this book, I’m pretty pleased. It was a fun hour spent sitting out on my patio, flipping through images. I truly enjoyed Maggie’s story. Since I don’t have a whole lot to base my rating from, I’m going to use the graphics, the story telling, and my overall enjoyment to form my rating. Also, I wanted to shout out about the cover, cause it’s rather pretty, isn’t it?
𝗠𝗬 𝗥𝗔𝗧𝗜𝗡𝗚: 𝟰/𝟱⭐️