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One Year at Ellsmere
With revamped art and now in full color, One Year at Ellsmere is a middle grade friendship story from Faith Erin Hicks!
Was boarding school supposed to be this hard?
When studious thirteen-year-old Juniper wins a scholarship to the prestigious Ellsmere Academy, she expects to find a scholastic utopia. But living at Ellsmere is far from ideal: She is labeled a “special project,” Ellsmere's queen bee is out to destroy her, and it’s rumored that a mythical beast roams the forest next to the school.
Was boarding school supposed to be this hard?
When studious thirteen-year-old Juniper wins a scholarship to the prestigious Ellsmere Academy, she expects to find a scholastic utopia. But living at Ellsmere is far from ideal: She is labeled a “special project,” Ellsmere's queen bee is out to destroy her, and it’s rumored that a mythical beast roams the forest next to the school.
176 pages, Paperback
First published December 29, 2008
28 people are currently reading
5168 people want to read
About the author
Faith Erin Hicks
66 books1,641 followersBorn in the wilds of British Columbia, the young Faith frolicked among the Sasquatch native to the province before moving to Ontario at age five. There she was homeschooled with her three brothers, and developed an unnatural passion for galloping around on horseback, though never without a proper helmet (because you only get one skull). After twenty years of suffering through Ontario’s obscenely hot summers, she migrated east, and now lives beside the other ocean in Halifax, Nova Scotia. She worked in animation for a bit, and now draws comics full time. She’s not sure how that happened either.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 695 reviews
April 10, 2020
This was just ???
I do love Faith Erin Hicks’ artwork. Ever since I read Pumpkinheads three times in three months last year, I’ve been on an FEH kick, and honey I just can’t shake it!
That’s the only nice thing I have to say.
Also, it’s one of the only things I have to say at all.
I read this in approximately 20 minutes, so it’s hard to feel much about it.
It just felt like a story done in broad strokes, drawing on stereotypes and tropes in order to avoid dedicating the time to actual storytelling or character development.
But the main thing is that I’ll always hate Mean Girl and Girl Hate and Girls Fighting stories, whether or not there’s suddenly a magical beastie in the mix.
THE SUDDEN APPEARANCE OF A MAGICAL CREATURE DOES NOT COUNT AS MAGICAL REALISM, OKAY!
Bottom line: Faith Erin Hicks + magic + boarding school sounds like a dream. Turns out more like a nightmare!!
----------
so...hm.
review to come / 2.5 stars
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a middle grade graphic novel about magic boarding school?!
dreamy.
(thanks to the publisher for the ARC)
I do love Faith Erin Hicks’ artwork. Ever since I read Pumpkinheads three times in three months last year, I’ve been on an FEH kick, and honey I just can’t shake it!
That’s the only nice thing I have to say.
Also, it’s one of the only things I have to say at all.
I read this in approximately 20 minutes, so it’s hard to feel much about it.
It just felt like a story done in broad strokes, drawing on stereotypes and tropes in order to avoid dedicating the time to actual storytelling or character development.
But the main thing is that I’ll always hate Mean Girl and Girl Hate and Girls Fighting stories, whether or not there’s suddenly a magical beastie in the mix.
Bottom line: Faith Erin Hicks + magic + boarding school sounds like a dream. Turns out more like a nightmare!!
----------
so...hm.
review to come / 2.5 stars
----------
a middle grade graphic novel about magic boarding school?!
dreamy.
(thanks to the publisher for the ARC)
March 28, 2017
Juniper wins a scholarship to the prestigious Ellsmere Academy boarding school but soon finds herself at odds with the rich toff girls who see poor people as entertainment. The war between Jun and the Ellsmere mean girl posse begins!
The War at Ellsmere is yet another fantastic Faith Erin Hicks original! She’s so good at writing believable, real characters that are effortlessly likeable. Jun is wonderful - a headstrong, clever and fiercely independent hero (think Daria but more vulnerable) - as is her roommate, the mousy Cassie (who reminded me a lot of Daisy from Giant Days), who develops over the course of the book from a meek and shy lonely girl into someone more confident and forceful.
The book doesn’t have the most original story and the drama plays out fairly predictably but because the characters are so well realised, you’re with them for the whole ride and the to-ing and fro-ing between Jun and Emily was more than enough to keep me invested. The magical realist finale was a brilliant touch and took the story to the next level. Hicks’ black and white manga-esque art is very charming and expressive too.
All that said about the characters, the one critique I’d make is that Emily, the head mean girl, comes off as a bit too one dimensional. She’s a villainous cardboard cut-out rather than a character we get to know, let alone understand her motivations and behaviour. I guess some kids are just lil fuckers but there’s usually a reason and there wasn’t one here. She‘s very underwritten.
Still, it’s a minor criticism and for the most part I really enjoyed The War at Ellsmere. Like everything by this super-talented creator, it’s a quality, well-written comic full of humour, heart and superb characters - definitely worth a look for Hicks and indie comics fans!
The War at Ellsmere is yet another fantastic Faith Erin Hicks original! She’s so good at writing believable, real characters that are effortlessly likeable. Jun is wonderful - a headstrong, clever and fiercely independent hero (think Daria but more vulnerable) - as is her roommate, the mousy Cassie (who reminded me a lot of Daisy from Giant Days), who develops over the course of the book from a meek and shy lonely girl into someone more confident and forceful.
The book doesn’t have the most original story and the drama plays out fairly predictably but because the characters are so well realised, you’re with them for the whole ride and the to-ing and fro-ing between Jun and Emily was more than enough to keep me invested. The magical realist finale was a brilliant touch and took the story to the next level. Hicks’ black and white manga-esque art is very charming and expressive too.
All that said about the characters, the one critique I’d make is that Emily, the head mean girl, comes off as a bit too one dimensional. She’s a villainous cardboard cut-out rather than a character we get to know, let alone understand her motivations and behaviour. I guess some kids are just lil fuckers but there’s usually a reason and there wasn’t one here. She‘s very underwritten.
Still, it’s a minor criticism and for the most part I really enjoyed The War at Ellsmere. Like everything by this super-talented creator, it’s a quality, well-written comic full of humour, heart and superb characters - definitely worth a look for Hicks and indie comics fans!
July 7, 2020
A really interesting graphic novel with a hint of fantasy that delves into issues of ambition, kindness, memory, and what competition does to you. I'm a big Faith Erin Hicks fan, and this graphic novel did not disappoint. It lovingly winks at all of the tropes of boarding schools and a lower-class outsider confronting the entitled, ambitious, evil (?) queen bee while utilizing them to good effect and examining just what you can lose and gain when you give your all in competition. Loved the characters (especially the self-aware evil henchwomen) and the ending sets things up nicely for a sequel. Highly recommended!
**Thanks to the author, publisher, and Netgalley for a free copy in exchange for an honest review.
**Thanks to the author, publisher, and Netgalley for a free copy in exchange for an honest review.
August 16, 2013
The War at Ellsmere is not exactly a groundbreaking graphic novel. The story is instantly familiar: a scholarship student at a ritzy school runs up against a snotty mean girl. There are any number of school stories built on this same framework, and Hicks doesn't do anything spectacularly novel with the plotline. We know from very early on how this will go, even if we don't know the specifics, and we aren't disappointed.
Where Ellsmere really excels is in the characters it builds. The girls in this book, including our protagonist and her slightly spacey friend, act and react like real girls. And, believe it or not, so does the bullying antagonist. Hicks does a great job of showing why Emily would be so set on maintaining status quo without going into preachy mode, and without giving her a too-good-to-be-true ending. I also appreciate that she doesn't try to paint Emily as the mean popular girl. I suppose those girls must exist, but my experience in school was that popular girls were popular because they were so well-liked, not because they were adept bullies, and that mean girls weren't popular outside their small cliques because they weren't likeable. That seems to be exactly what's going on with Emily, and I like that Hicks didn't fall into the popular=mean cliche.
That said, the ending brings in a strange mystical element that's completely absent for the rest of the book. I can go with it, but it came out of nowhere and wasn't even necessary. The plot was getting resolved on its own, thank you, and didn't need a dose of magic. It came out of nowhere, and I think the book would have been better, or at least no worse off, without.
Of course, I love Hicks's art. She's so good at giving her characters real expressions and distinct looks. Pair it with the writing, and the characters in her books become real people, even with her somewhat cartoony style.
So no, there's nothing strikingly original about this school story. It's just remarkably well done, with great art.
Where Ellsmere really excels is in the characters it builds. The girls in this book, including our protagonist and her slightly spacey friend, act and react like real girls. And, believe it or not, so does the bullying antagonist. Hicks does a great job of showing why Emily would be so set on maintaining status quo without going into preachy mode, and without giving her a too-good-to-be-true ending. I also appreciate that she doesn't try to paint Emily as the mean popular girl. I suppose those girls must exist, but my experience in school was that popular girls were popular because they were so well-liked, not because they were adept bullies, and that mean girls weren't popular outside their small cliques because they weren't likeable. That seems to be exactly what's going on with Emily, and I like that Hicks didn't fall into the popular=mean cliche.
That said, the ending brings in a strange mystical element that's completely absent for the rest of the book. I can go with it, but it came out of nowhere and wasn't even necessary. The plot was getting resolved on its own, thank you, and didn't need a dose of magic. It came out of nowhere, and I think the book would have been better, or at least no worse off, without.
Of course, I love Hicks's art. She's so good at giving her characters real expressions and distinct looks. Pair it with the writing, and the characters in her books become real people, even with her somewhat cartoony style.
So no, there's nothing strikingly original about this school story. It's just remarkably well done, with great art.
September 24, 2020
Misfits vs. mean girls!
A pretty standard but well done boarding school drama featuring 13-year-old girls. I read this when it was originally released in black and white with the original artwork in 2008. I'm not sure the revised and colored artwork really adds much, but using it as an excuse to revisit the story reminds me that I wouldn't mind seeing a new tale set at Ellsmere. Or really just any new book by Faith Erin Hicks would be fine.
A pretty standard but well done boarding school drama featuring 13-year-old girls. I read this when it was originally released in black and white with the original artwork in 2008. I'm not sure the revised and colored artwork really adds much, but using it as an excuse to revisit the story reminds me that I wouldn't mind seeing a new tale set at Ellsmere. Or really just any new book by Faith Erin Hicks would be fine.
March 14, 2017
I really enjoyed reading this!
The War at Ellsmere focuses on Juniper, a girl who has got into a boarding school on a full scholarship. Once there, she meets Emily, a horrible bitch of a girl who wants to make Juniper's life a misery. The reason for this is simply because Juniper is from a poor background and does not have the privileged upper-class lifestyle Emily and her cronies enjoy.
At times, I really felt like smacking Emily, I mean she is a disgraceful human being and utterly detestable but, unfortunately, also highly accurate. I never went to an all-girls school but I can only imagine the sea of bitchiness that such establishments harbour (a mixed school is bad enough for bullying) but to single Juniper out because of her economic background is disgusting.
Anyway, Juniper is a great character because she isn't all self-pitying and doesn't allow Emily to get one over her and ruin her time at school. Plus, she has a great friend in Cassie (who is lovely).
The only drawback to this would be the ending. I personally would have ended it differently and I really wanted Juniper to triumph over Emily (she does to some degree but not as much as I would have liked) but hey ho; it's only a minor thing.
The illustrations are typical Hicks and the dialogue is great and incredibly realistic. Go check it out now!
The War at Ellsmere focuses on Juniper, a girl who has got into a boarding school on a full scholarship. Once there, she meets Emily, a horrible bitch of a girl who wants to make Juniper's life a misery. The reason for this is simply because Juniper is from a poor background and does not have the privileged upper-class lifestyle Emily and her cronies enjoy.
At times, I really felt like smacking Emily, I mean she is a disgraceful human being and utterly detestable but, unfortunately, also highly accurate. I never went to an all-girls school but I can only imagine the sea of bitchiness that such establishments harbour (a mixed school is bad enough for bullying) but to single Juniper out because of her economic background is disgusting.
Anyway, Juniper is a great character because she isn't all self-pitying and doesn't allow Emily to get one over her and ruin her time at school. Plus, she has a great friend in Cassie (who is lovely).
The only drawback to this would be the ending. I personally would have ended it differently and I really wanted Juniper to triumph over Emily (she does to some degree but not as much as I would have liked) but hey ho; it's only a minor thing.
The illustrations are typical Hicks and the dialogue is great and incredibly realistic. Go check it out now!
September 22, 2020
This was okay, though a little muddled. I really liked the roommate friendship with Juniper and Cassie that was fraught with miscommunication (because they're so different) but good intentions and a willingness to apologize and become better. But all of the plot was pretty predictable and the "moral", such as it was, is obvious and a bit strained. I didn't like the supernatural twist any, either. I think it was unnecessary and a little tacked on.
That said, the art is gorgeous and the characters vividly portrayed. And with nuance. So this is 3½ stars that just doesn't quite have the oomph to round up.
That said, the art is gorgeous and the characters vividly portrayed. And with nuance. So this is 3½ stars that just doesn't quite have the oomph to round up.
July 31, 2018
This graphic novel is a light read and I love how the art style fits perfectly with the whole theme of the story. However, I do think that this projected a rather plain and typical representation of the tropes in this book. While this may be quite enjoyable for younger audiences, I think it didn't effectively left important points it wanted to convey. Also, I find the loose fantasy element to be unnecessary and ornamental for this book. This is a very typical graphic novel of an almost rags to riches high school story. It is quite good but not so good that it could leave an impression.
March 29, 2012
If young adult fiction suffers from one thorn in its literary side, it's disposability. Books in the demographic are devoured and forgotten with an ease that must wound all but the most circumspect authors. Works directed at the youthful stock and trade so heavily on tropes that they have passed from the realm of cliche into something ritual, a liturgy of familiarities. It makes sense, really. These are books aimed at a people who, by the laws that govern universal process, have only the barest experience of the world we all inhabit. Authors aiming to interest nascent adults need drum up narrative conflicts with which these readers will be acquainted—and let's be honest, the well of experienced conflicts will run a lot deeper for grown-ups than it will for nearly any fourteen-year-old.
It's not so much that teenagers are shallow (though many are), but their depth of experience certainly is. While I could have read and understood Franny & Zooey or Savage Detectives or The Long Goodbye as a freshman in high school, they certainly wouldn't have resonated with me in nearly so substantial a way as they did twenty years later. So those hoping to sell books to young audiences have a slender few options to choose from and the end result is a lot of books that are enjoyable enough but are generally just variations on a theme. Young adult literature is often therefore forgettable, disposable. It's not the stories that matter so much as the cheap thrill of the moment's entertainment. And this is even true of many wonderful examples of the demographic. It's true of The War at Ellsmere.
Between finishing The War at Ellsmere and beginning this review, I also read Raina Telgameier's Smile and a couple volumes of Kaoru Mori's A Bride's Story. By the time I sat down to write, I could remember very little of what occurred in The War at Ellsmere. Here's what stuck: That it's a boarding school drama—girls' boarding school. That it's a typical outsider heroine-goes-up-against-the-queen-bee–type story. That it was enjoyable enough that I could swallow it whole over a lunch break. That I didn't regret reading it. And that I am now a lifetime fan of Erin Faith Hicks' art.
She's amazing. Her art resembles roughly what you'd find in a volume of Scott Pilgrim—only with a touch more detail and (probably) a touch more heart. Hicks' characters are built of expressions and she sells these effortlessly, taking a character through a range of visible, discernible emotions across the space of a single page. She doesn't restrict herself to a particular grid-size and while not as free from the chains of the panel as, say, your average manga, she still uses up her paneling space in creative ways that further work to buy the reader in to her narrative tricks and treats.
I mentioned above the few things I'd remembered about the book and really, there's hardly anything more that one needs in order to understand The War at Ellsmere. It leverages common tropes enjoyably and employs some rad art. Still, in the interest of padding better informing the potential consumer, I glanced through the book again to jog the memory of it.
Jun (Juniper to strangers) is a new arrival at hallowed old Ellsmere, a girls' school with a certain longevity built on the instruction of alumnists' daughters—and the occasional charity case. Jun is one of those scholarship students, the one poor girl in a menagerie of the wealthy. She (of course) catches the evil eye of a girl who is never really stated to be the most popular, though at least as concerns Jun's story, the girl is far-away the most powerful. Jun enjoys their antagonistic relationship until the moment, as on might predict, she doesn't. And it goes from there.
In some ways it's all very obvious and predictable and really exactly what we expect. But in the end, that doesn't matter so much. The War at Ellsmere's pretty much what it has to be, so we read and are aware of where it must go and what it must do to get there. But all the same, there's something special in the heart of the book. Hicks' art breathes life into characters who might otherwise remain hollow YA archetypes. Through her steady hand, we come to like and appreciate these characters and it's in their quiet, reflective moments that Hicks allows them to at least begin to transcend their form. They never do quite escape their destiny—a fate commanded by demographic—but it's an admirable attempt and I was happy to be there for it.
________________
[Review courtesy of Good Ok Bad]
It's not so much that teenagers are shallow (though many are), but their depth of experience certainly is. While I could have read and understood Franny & Zooey or Savage Detectives or The Long Goodbye as a freshman in high school, they certainly wouldn't have resonated with me in nearly so substantial a way as they did twenty years later. So those hoping to sell books to young audiences have a slender few options to choose from and the end result is a lot of books that are enjoyable enough but are generally just variations on a theme. Young adult literature is often therefore forgettable, disposable. It's not the stories that matter so much as the cheap thrill of the moment's entertainment. And this is even true of many wonderful examples of the demographic. It's true of The War at Ellsmere.
Between finishing The War at Ellsmere and beginning this review, I also read Raina Telgameier's Smile and a couple volumes of Kaoru Mori's A Bride's Story. By the time I sat down to write, I could remember very little of what occurred in The War at Ellsmere. Here's what stuck: That it's a boarding school drama—girls' boarding school. That it's a typical outsider heroine-goes-up-against-the-queen-bee–type story. That it was enjoyable enough that I could swallow it whole over a lunch break. That I didn't regret reading it. And that I am now a lifetime fan of Erin Faith Hicks' art.
She's amazing. Her art resembles roughly what you'd find in a volume of Scott Pilgrim—only with a touch more detail and (probably) a touch more heart. Hicks' characters are built of expressions and she sells these effortlessly, taking a character through a range of visible, discernible emotions across the space of a single page. She doesn't restrict herself to a particular grid-size and while not as free from the chains of the panel as, say, your average manga, she still uses up her paneling space in creative ways that further work to buy the reader in to her narrative tricks and treats.
I mentioned above the few things I'd remembered about the book and really, there's hardly anything more that one needs in order to understand The War at Ellsmere. It leverages common tropes enjoyably and employs some rad art. Still, in the interest of padding better informing the potential consumer, I glanced through the book again to jog the memory of it.
Jun (Juniper to strangers) is a new arrival at hallowed old Ellsmere, a girls' school with a certain longevity built on the instruction of alumnists' daughters—and the occasional charity case. Jun is one of those scholarship students, the one poor girl in a menagerie of the wealthy. She (of course) catches the evil eye of a girl who is never really stated to be the most popular, though at least as concerns Jun's story, the girl is far-away the most powerful. Jun enjoys their antagonistic relationship until the moment, as on might predict, she doesn't. And it goes from there.
In some ways it's all very obvious and predictable and really exactly what we expect. But in the end, that doesn't matter so much. The War at Ellsmere's pretty much what it has to be, so we read and are aware of where it must go and what it must do to get there. But all the same, there's something special in the heart of the book. Hicks' art breathes life into characters who might otherwise remain hollow YA archetypes. Through her steady hand, we come to like and appreciate these characters and it's in their quiet, reflective moments that Hicks allows them to at least begin to transcend their form. They never do quite escape their destiny—a fate commanded by demographic—but it's an admirable attempt and I was happy to be there for it.
________________
[Review courtesy of Good Ok Bad]
July 22, 2020
I love Faith Erin Hicks' visual storytelling. From body language and facial expressions to colors and shading, her art style conveys so much information and feeling.
I was surprised by the thing in the woods; it was not at all what I thought it would be and I was left nonplussed.
Otherwise, this is a fairly standard regular-kid-at-rich-boarding-school story.
I was surprised by the thing in the woods; it was not at all what I thought it would be and I was left nonplussed.
Otherwise, this is a fairly standard regular-kid-at-rich-boarding-school story.
August 22, 2016
This is the second book I've read by Faith Erin Hicks and I have to say that I love the way she captures a teenagers life. The stories can tend to be a little cliché but she still manages to give them her own flavor. I love the way she immediately makes me fall for the characters and feel their pain and cheer for their triumphs.
She has once again managed to bring out the feelings of isolation of the main character but does so in a way where the character does not come across as weak. There's the feelings of abandonment by a parent, in this case, Jun's father died when she was young. The other book I read also dealt with a mother leaving her family behind. It makes your heart break for the MC.
Where she also succeeds, probably more so than with the main character, is with the outcast character. Both in this book and the one I read before (Friends With Boys), she manages to steal the spotlight from the MC with her outcasted characters. My heart melted for these characters.
This doesn't get four stars because I really did hate how the rich character/mean girl got her way. Why can't an adult for once stand up for what she knows is true? Why does money always have to talk and why can't the adult admit this? Jun, the MC, is on a scholarship at a prestigious boarding school and immediately becomes the mean girl's target. Jun sticks up for herself, which makes Emily, the mean girl, set for vengeance with a passion. After lying on Jun twice, Emily gets her way and has Jun expelled. There's no fanfare about this; Jun is simply told she must leave. I get tired of this ploy where no one asks questions. It feels manipulative, allowing for the reader to feel helpless for the MC.
I still think this was a cute and quick read and I look forward to reading more of FEH books.
She has once again managed to bring out the feelings of isolation of the main character but does so in a way where the character does not come across as weak. There's the feelings of abandonment by a parent, in this case, Jun's father died when she was young. The other book I read also dealt with a mother leaving her family behind. It makes your heart break for the MC.
Where she also succeeds, probably more so than with the main character, is with the outcast character. Both in this book and the one I read before (Friends With Boys), she manages to steal the spotlight from the MC with her outcasted characters. My heart melted for these characters.
This doesn't get four stars because I really did hate how the rich character/mean girl got her way. Why can't an adult for once stand up for what she knows is true? Why does money always have to talk and why can't the adult admit this? Jun, the MC, is on a scholarship at a prestigious boarding school and immediately becomes the mean girl's target. Jun sticks up for herself, which makes Emily, the mean girl, set for vengeance with a passion. After lying on Jun twice, Emily gets her way and has Jun expelled. There's no fanfare about this; Jun is simply told she must leave. I get tired of this ploy where no one asks questions. It feels manipulative, allowing for the reader to feel helpless for the MC.
I still think this was a cute and quick read and I look forward to reading more of FEH books.
September 11, 2011
Juniper is a scholarship student at the posh, academically rigorous boarding school, Ellsmere Academy. She already knows she isn't going to fit in when she sees her incredibly fancy dorm room and thinks, "Apparently I'm going to school in a Disneyland postcard." She has a smart mouth and a whole lotta attitude, which helps her when she incurs the wrath of Emily, a rich, snobbish but equally snide and witty student. Of course, her smart mouth is also what gets her into trouble with Emily in the first place. Luckily, she makes friends with her roommate Cassie, who is sweet-natured and a little kooky; she often mentions things like alien abductions, and she's the one who tells Jun all the crazy stories about the school's mysterious history and the creature said to roam the nearby woods punishing evil. (This story turns out to be somewhat true.)
This graphic novels melds a lot of great elements: there's the "misfit at boarding school" story, the developing friendship between Cassie and Jun, the rivalry between Emily and Jun, and the weird hints of magic on the school grounds. The dialog is snappy and realistic and the characters are real -- even Emily, who could develop "stock-evil-rich-girl" syndrome but somehow doesn't. (Maybe because she's so cunning in her evil plans.) Juniper makes for a great heroine -- she's smart, determined, and sarcastic, always a great combo. Finally, the black and white art is fantastic. It's quirky and offbeat, like the characters and the story, but not so much that it gets really cartoony. It's perfectly pitched to middle schoolers or junior high kids.
This graphic novels melds a lot of great elements: there's the "misfit at boarding school" story, the developing friendship between Cassie and Jun, the rivalry between Emily and Jun, and the weird hints of magic on the school grounds. The dialog is snappy and realistic and the characters are real -- even Emily, who could develop "stock-evil-rich-girl" syndrome but somehow doesn't. (Maybe because she's so cunning in her evil plans.) Juniper makes for a great heroine -- she's smart, determined, and sarcastic, always a great combo. Finally, the black and white art is fantastic. It's quirky and offbeat, like the characters and the story, but not so much that it gets really cartoony. It's perfectly pitched to middle schoolers or junior high kids.
December 22, 2020
3.75 stars
This is a book about a girl named Juniper. she did not know that it was a weird but tough boarding school. Once she was admitted to the school, she meets the school bully who is the goody rich child.
She disturbs her and Cassie life.
There were so many times i wanna smack the hell out of Emily and as she was so disrespectful and coward. This graphic novel was illustrated beautifully and touched on some of the important topics such as family bond, friendship and bullying.
This is a book about a girl named Juniper. she did not know that it was a weird but tough boarding school. Once she was admitted to the school, she meets the school bully who is the goody rich child.
She disturbs her and Cassie life.
There were so many times i wanna smack the hell out of Emily and as she was so disrespectful and coward. This graphic novel was illustrated beautifully and touched on some of the important topics such as family bond, friendship and bullying.
June 14, 2020
One Year at Ellsmere is a really sweet story about friendship, belonging and feeling like you don't fit in. The story is really simple, the art is pretty decent. The main problem I have with this graphic novel was the deus ex machina ending. But overall it's a nice and quick read.
Review copy provided by the publisher and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Review copy provided by the publisher and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
December 4, 2021
This book was very mediocre. Honestly it would've been 10x better if it was longer, and went more into depth about the forest.
February 23, 2012
An enjoyable story about a girl who enters a boarding school and realizes she has more in common with the girls there than she anticipated. Oh, and there's a unicorn! My only wish would be that each storyline would have more depth. Obviously, it's hard to spend a lot of time on something when you have such limited space - 144 pages really isn't that many - but if it wasn't possible to increase the space, maybe it could have been more focused. For instance, we hear that Jun's father died when she was young, and she clearly has a lot of pent-up emotions about that, but other than a look of longing at a picture and a brief conversation with her roommate, we don't hear much about how her father's death had affected her. Also, Jun and Cassie seemed to reach their goals with seemingly little effort. Jun wants a better grade on a paper, so she mentions studying more, and BAM! There's an A on the next paper. Jun encourages Cassie to write a story, they sit on a bed scribbling, and BOOM! Cassie wins the essay contest. Basically, I just wanted more, not because I didn't like what I read, but because I liked it so much, I wanted to know more about these girls and spend more time with them. I also really love Hicks' artistic style, and would happily read the rest of her work.
May 9, 2021
#71 in my 365 Kids Books challenge. For a fuller explanation see my review for 101 Amazing Facts about Australia You can see all the books on their own shelf.
It's not Harry Potter, but I can imagine it starting with the thought that it should have been Hermione as the star. It's delightful to see class issues addressed head on. I could happily read a lot more of these years.
Library copy
It's not Harry Potter, but I can imagine it starting with the thought that it should have been Hermione as the star. It's delightful to see class issues addressed head on. I could happily read a lot more of these years.
Library copy
January 22, 2013
This precedes and is not nearly as good as Friends with Boys but has her deft, manga-esque capturing of emotions with small gestures and lines... The story focuses on a girl who gets accepted at a prestigious private school for girls as a "scholarship" girl and is predictably bullied and predictably resolves things, all too easy. I really disliked the inclusion of a unicorn in the story. But I did like the two main girls.
October 3, 2020
Faith Erin Hicks' art will always draw me right into a story. What happens when the new girl takes on the popular mean girl? I hope we get year two and more in this series!
August 31, 2020
The illustrations were good. It was worthy for a light read but I just wanted more from the ending.
March 2, 2022
I love Faith Erin Hicks! Pumpkinheads is such a modern classic. I probably should've lowered my expectations a bit for this one. It's pretty predictable and has the cool girl/poor girl troupe I wouldn't have expected Hicks to play into. It's a super quick read, so unless it turns into a series, I'm not sure it'd be worth anyone's time.
April 1, 2021
Want to see more bookish things from me? Check out my Youtube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCfer...
*I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for my honest review*
13-year old Juniper has just received a scholarship to the prestigious private school, Ellsmere Academy. When she arrives she is targeted by the school's mean girl, and has to fight to stay at the school. There may also be a mystical beast hiding in the forest beside the school.
I received an ARC of this book, where the coloured pages stop at page 12 before switching to black and white. I'm assuming the finished copy will be fully coloured, and definitely think that is the better choice. The art style is very well done, and I thoroughly enjoyed it! I liked the main character Juniper, she was feisty and sarcastic with some great one liners. The friendship between Juniper and her roommate, Cassie was really sweet and I love how they stood up for one another. I was not a fan of Emily, she was very one dimensional, and I just wish there was more to her character.
Overall, it was just an average story for me, but I think a lot of people will really enjoy it!
*I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for my honest review*
13-year old Juniper has just received a scholarship to the prestigious private school, Ellsmere Academy. When she arrives she is targeted by the school's mean girl, and has to fight to stay at the school. There may also be a mystical beast hiding in the forest beside the school.
I received an ARC of this book, where the coloured pages stop at page 12 before switching to black and white. I'm assuming the finished copy will be fully coloured, and definitely think that is the better choice. The art style is very well done, and I thoroughly enjoyed it! I liked the main character Juniper, she was feisty and sarcastic with some great one liners. The friendship between Juniper and her roommate, Cassie was really sweet and I love how they stood up for one another. I was not a fan of Emily, she was very one dimensional, and I just wish there was more to her character.
Overall, it was just an average story for me, but I think a lot of people will really enjoy it!
September 24, 2020
I read One Year at Ellsmere by Faith Erin Hicks yesterday and absolutely loved it! It was a light and easy read and the illustrations are just gorgeous.
The story follows thirteen-year-old Juniper (Jun), who has won a scholarship to Ellsmere, a prestigious girls boarding school. Jun is the first scholarship student to attend Ellsmere, much to the disdain of the school bully, Emily.
Jun is a likeable protagonist. She’s intelligent and sarcastic and I loved it.
The story is predictable but still enjoyable. It follows the classic girls boarding school trope. Emily is your typical mean girl. white, rich and entitled. She’s fairly one dimensional and mean for the sake of being mean. Her two henchmen were quality entertainment though.
My favourite part of the book was the relationship between Jun and her roommate, Cassie. They are both outcasts but they don’t let that hold them back. They push each other to be better. I love a girls supporting girls friendship!
Something that I didn’t expect was the magical elements in the story. It felt a bit random, but there was a unicorn and I LOVE UNICORNS so I was there for it.
The story explores friendship, privilege, unhealthy ambition and family.
The story follows thirteen-year-old Juniper (Jun), who has won a scholarship to Ellsmere, a prestigious girls boarding school. Jun is the first scholarship student to attend Ellsmere, much to the disdain of the school bully, Emily.
Jun is a likeable protagonist. She’s intelligent and sarcastic and I loved it.
The story is predictable but still enjoyable. It follows the classic girls boarding school trope. Emily is your typical mean girl. white, rich and entitled. She’s fairly one dimensional and mean for the sake of being mean. Her two henchmen were quality entertainment though.
My favourite part of the book was the relationship between Jun and her roommate, Cassie. They are both outcasts but they don’t let that hold them back. They push each other to be better. I love a girls supporting girls friendship!
Something that I didn’t expect was the magical elements in the story. It felt a bit random, but there was a unicorn and I LOVE UNICORNS so I was there for it.
The story explores friendship, privilege, unhealthy ambition and family.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 17, 2021
One Year at Ellsmere is the fairly stock tale of an underprivileged new arrival at a boarding school battling with the rich queen bee. Mean Girls, essentially. Except for the ending, where a fantastical creature arrives to save the day in a very surprising instance of deus ex machina.
Aside from the ending, which baffled me, the book is an easy read, quite engaging, and nothing if not pleasant. The pleasantness stems mostly from Faith Erin Hicks art, which is perfectly suited to YA material. I enjoyed the book (minus the ending) and would be happy to spend more time at Ellsmere.
Aside from the ending, which baffled me, the book is an easy read, quite engaging, and nothing if not pleasant. The pleasantness stems mostly from Faith Erin Hicks art, which is perfectly suited to YA material. I enjoyed the book (minus the ending) and would be happy to spend more time at Ellsmere.
November 21, 2021
А вот это было мило! Очень приятная рисовка и милая предсказуемая история о школе-интернате и подростковой дружбе. Есть свободные полчаса - можно здорово провести их с этим комиксом
January 27, 2024
Loved the art and the friendship between Jun and Cassie. Very cute read!
November 11, 2020
Hicks continues to deliver heartwarming, funny, cute and beautifully drawn stories.
July 30, 2020
I am hoping that Faith Erin Hicks has recycled this story that was published over a decade ago, because she wants to continue with the story. I say this because it feels like there is more to the story. Especially with a surprised that shows up in the last chapter.
Very likable heroine and her side kick. Typical mean girls, but I keep thinking that the author has plans for more exploration.
Cute story of life at a private boarding school, but it did’t get very far in to everyone’s life. It was more a snapshot.
So, hopefully, there will be more, and we can see more than just the surfaced of these girls.
Very likable heroine and her side kick. Typical mean girls, but I keep thinking that the author has plans for more exploration.
Cute story of life at a private boarding school, but it did’t get very far in to everyone’s life. It was more a snapshot.
So, hopefully, there will be more, and we can see more than just the surfaced of these girls.
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