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Adrift on St. John by Rebecca M. Hale
Alan Mendelsohn, the Boy From Mars by Daniel Pinkwater
Bad Girls by Jane Yolen and Heidi E. Y. Stemple
Bluffton by Matt Phelan
Brave Harriet: The First Woman to Fly the English Channel by Marissa Moss
Brother, I'm Dying by Edwidge Danticat
Bullying Under Attack by John Meyer
Dead City by James Ponti
The Dead of Night by Peter Lerangis
Dear Enemy by Jean Webster
Dear Teen Me by E. Kristin Anderson
Dust Girl by Sarah Zettel
Flora and Ulysses: The Illuminated Adventures by Kate DiCamillo
The Girl Who Soared Over Fairyland and Cut the Moon in Two by Catherynne M. Valente
Goggles! by Ezra Jack Keats
Good Night California by Adam Gamble
How to Moon a Cat by Rebecca M. Hale
How to Tail a Cat by Rebecca M. Hale
Junie B., First Grader, Shipwrecked by Barbara Park
Looks Like Daylight by Deborah Ellis
On the Road to Mr. Mineo's by Barbara O'Connor
A Question of Magic by E.D. Baker
The Sea Serpent and Me by Dashka Slater
Snuff by Terry Pratchett
Spider Woman's Daughter by Anne Hillerman
The Spooky Tail of Prewitt Peacock by Bill Peet
To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
Tommysaurus Rex by Doug TenNapel
Voltron Volume 1: Shelter from the Storm by Brian Smith
Wandering Son: Volume 1 by Shimura Takako Zombies Calling by Faith Erin Hicks

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5 stars: Completely enjoyable or compelling
4 stars: Good but flawed
3 stars: Average
2 stars: OK
1 star: Did not finish

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Comments for Bluffton

Bluffton: 05/07/14

cover art

Bluffton by Matt Phelan is a graphic novel inspired by the summers Buster Keaton and his family spent at Bluffton, a former lakeside resort.

Before Buster Keaton moved to Los Angeles to become a silent movie comedian, he was part of a family vaudeville troupe. His youth and the apparent level of danger in the physical gags he performed brought the authorities down on the Keatons more than once.

Buster Keaton's shtick was to take all sorts of prat falls and do all sorts of harrowing stunts with a straight face. Phelan counters Keaton's on stage and on screen persona with the always smiling, baseball loving, prank playing, child that comes to play with the local kids each summer.

Readers don't have to know who Keaton was or have seen any of his films to appreciate the book. After reading it, though, I recommend watching Sherlock Jr, Steamboat Bill Jr, and the General.

Five stars

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