When the Past is a Present (Amelia Rules! Series), Vol. 4 Book

Amelia McBride is going to her first dance (with a boy no less), but she's not the only one with a date. Yikes! Is Amelia's mom seeing someone too? Perhaps Reggie (a.k.a. Captain Amazing) can shed some light on the situation. But it's not all fun for the 10-year-old spitfire. A good friend reveals that her father will be sent to a dangerous country with his job in the military, and it gets Amelia thinking about her own family, her past, and what it means for the present.
Also available in a hardcover edition (978-0-9712169-8-3).

Children's Literature

Ten-year-old Amelia Louise McBride is the smart-mouthed (but sweet) narrator of this graphic novel that showcases her daily misadventures through the endless visual possibilities of comic book storytelling. Whether we are watching Amelia spy on her newly divorced mother's date (who is so boring Amelia sees him as a men's room sign), imagine running away to Alaska (and dealing with a talking polar bear), or comfort a friend whose father is being deployed overseas (as dad leaves, the background fades to white, reflecting the girl's sadness), Gownley's clever dialogue and visual choices never fail to surprise or tug at the heartstrings. Nowhere is this better shown than in the final chapters when Amelia, confused by the changes in her life, asks about her family history. As Amelia's aunt delves into their heritage, each generation's story is drawn in the style of a classic newspaper comic strip—from Little Orphan Annie to Terry and the Pirates to Peanuts. Later, when Amelia falls asleep, she sees panels from each strip come together to form a collage about her family, and remarks, "Just for a second there, it was like everything made sense like everything fit." Presenting real-life dilemmas in such creative ways demonstrates a deep love not only for children's literature but also for the comic book medium, earning this fourth installment in the "Amelia Rules!" series an honored place on library shelves. Reviewer: Michael Jung