Emily the Strange: The Lost Days

Emily the Strange #1

by Rob Reger, Jessica Gruner, Buzz Parker (Illustrator)

13 Elements you will find in the first Emily the Strange

1. Mystery

2. A beautiful golem

3. Souped-up slingshots

4. Four black cats

5. Amnesia

6. Calamity Poker

7. Angry ponies

8. A shady truant officer

9. Top-13 lists

10. A sandstorm generator

11. Doppelgängers

12. A secret mission

13. Earwigs

Emily the 13 years old. Able to leap tall buildings, probably, if she felt like it. More likely to be napping with her four black cats; or cobbling together a particle accelerator out of lint, lentils, and safety pins; or rocking out on drums/ guitar/saxophone/zither; or painting a swirling feral sewer mural; or forcing someone to say "swirling feral sewer mural" 13 times fast . . . and pointing and laughing.

Genres: Young Adult, Fantasy, Graphic Novels, Fiction, Mystery, Middle Grade, Teen

264 pages, Kindle Edition

First published November 21, 2002

About the author

Reger's friend Nathan Carrico designed Emily in 1991 for a skateboard company in Santa Cruz, where Cosmic Debris was born. In his Santa Cruz garage (and later an artist warehouse in San Francisco) Reger created the designs, and with Matt Reed brought them into the fashion world by creating t-shirt designs that captured the essence of this mysterious young girl with 4 black cats. Since then, Cosmic Debris has grown into a multi-million dollar firm with dozens of employees.

Cosmic Debris has most recently moved its operations to Berkeley, California, and plans to open an Emily retail store there soon. With the momentum of mainstream success, several comics about Emily have also been made. Key creative people over the years (designers, graphic artists, illustrators), who have worked with Reger's Cosmic Debris design house are Buzz Parker, Brian Brooks, Grace Fontaine, Liz Baca, Noel Tolentino, Fawn Gehweiler, Jessica Gruner, Adele Pedersen and Nicomi "Nix" Turner. Rob Reger remains the key creative force behind the brand, and Buzz Parker is the key illustrator for the comic books and website.

Reviews

[Phillip · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is my third effort at writing a review of the book. Obviously, it resists reviewing (at least by a 44 y.o. like myself).

I found this book, and the whole Emily the Strange phenomenon, by accident, while browsing in a used bookstore. I picked up a copy they had out on the shelf and started thumbing through it and was immediately hooked. The conceit of the book caught my attention, and three days later, I'd finished it (the book, not the conceit).

I found the book to be extremely enjoyable and quite compelling. I expected to be disappointed by the book; any book with more than one author (like any screenplay with more than one writing credit) is bound to be terrible. But the book is smart, well written, and, as one would expect from a novel coming out of the Emily the Strange milieu, very cleverly illustrated.

As a 44 year old man, I would never have thought to have been caught dead with an Emily the Strange book in my hands. Having read it, while I may not rush out and put a EtS bumper sticker on my car, I'll buy the next book in the series and not worry quite as much about being seen with it.

[Sapphir · Rating 5 out of 5]

The story is told in the form of a diary from the narrator’s point of view. The interesting thing is that the narrator doesn’t know herself who she is: She suffers from amnesia and has no idea where she is and what she’s doing there …
This premise forms a prelude to a crazy roller coaster ride of a book that is basically a mystery/science fiction/fantasy/urban fantasy novel/graphic novel hybrid – and a work of art in its own right.
The story about the smart, sarcastic and immensely eccentric young girl in search of her identity who tries to uncover the secrets around her, which seem to become more and more mysterious, is dark and absurd, highly imaginative and astonishing, freaky and hilariously funny, with an extremely dry sense of humor and lots of quirky ideas concerning plot, language and presentation.
A highly entertaining book – and definitely something different, for die-hard Emily the Strange fans as well as for people who want to be surprised when reading. Fascinating! 5 stars.

[Mauoijenn · Rating 2 out of 5]

I feel like I just read a tween's diary. An angst tween. Still not sure really what the hell I just read but it was kind of interesting.

[Miz · Rating 3 out of 5]

What an odd book!
*goes off to read the next one*

[Aly · Rating 3 out of 5]

Just like the title, this book is strange. The book starts with the main character having amnesia and not knowing where she is, who she is, or what's going on. She decides to call herself Earwig. Why?! So weird. And that pretty much sets the tone for the book. Crazy things happen, nothing really makes sense, even when you find out what's going on. The story is told through the main character's journal entries and she makes tons of lists which are kind of funny. The narrator was enthusiastic and did a pretty good job, although her teenage voices were odd.
I did like the story and was eager to find out answers to the various mysteries happening around Black Rock. I would read the sequels to see what other crazy things Emily gets in to and the strange people she meets.

[Holy Schnitzel · Rating 5 out of 5]

i made an account just to like this book. it is my favourite book because it is the only book i finished. :D

[Evana Kehr · Rating 3 out of 5]

J'avais bien aimé ce livre à l'époque où je l'avais lu mais je compte le relire pour étayer ma revue

[Ashley · Rating 5 out of 5]

13 Elements you will find in the first Emily the Strange novel:
1. Mystery
2. A beautiful golem
3. Souped-up slingshots
4. Four black cats
5. Amnesia
6. Calamity Poker
7. Angry ponies
8. A shady truant officer
9. Top-13 lists
10. A sandstorm generator
11. Doppelgängers
12. A secret mission
13. Earwigs
Emily the Strange: 13 years old. Able to leap tall buildings, probably, if she felt like it. More likely to be napping with her four black cats; or cobbling together a particle accelerator out of lint, lentils, and safety pins; or rocking out on drums/ guitar/saxophone/zither; or painting a swirling feral sewer mural; or forcing someone to say "swirling feral sewer mural" 13 times fast . . . and pointing and laughing.

4 words: I. LOVED. THIS. BOOK.

Emily the Strange: The Lost Days is told completely through diary entries by Emily-- or Earwig as she calls herself in the book. The overall voice and tone of the book is entertaining and generally hilarious. The cover is kind of misleading, because looking at it makes one think it the book is a gloom and doom goth book. But DON’T BE FOOLED! This book is so funny and enjoyable, and seriously, not at all as dark as it seems.

I was very surprised by this book. I didn’t take it as seriously as an actual novel, but it actually had great characters and plot that really threw me for a loop. I love Emily (Earwig) as a character. She was just so spunky. I really had a great time being inside her head. She makes up the funniest curse words and slang. (NOTE: There is no actually cursing. Just funny words.)

One of my favorite parts of this whole novel were the drawings on almost every page. They added a different perspective to the reading experience, and really brought the novel to life.

This was a much lighter read than I’m used to, but still totally enjoyable. 5 stars!

Review from "What's Your Story? YA Book Reviews":
http://whatsyourstorybookreviews.blog...

[Nikola · Rating 3 out of 5]

Menos mal que hay libros de la infancia elegidos por mí misma en vez de la escuela que si que merecieron la pena 🤭

En esta primera parte nos encontramos a Emily, conocida al principio de la historia como Tijereta, la cual pierde la memoria y se encuentra en un extraño pueblo llamado Blackrock, además, no menos importante, tiene la compañía de 4 gatos 🐱😺🐱😺

Me ha entretenido bastante la historia, es un libro que se nota que me gustó más de pequeña, pero sigue manteniendo su gracia, seguramente me lea los 3 libros siguientes ☺️

[Annadee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Super quick and fun read! Emily is very funny, and her self-induced bouts of amnesia were even funnier. Plus I loved the layout of the book and the illustrations.

[The Captain · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ahoy there mateys! I absolutely loved this audiobook! It was narrated by Angela Goethals. This book is about Emily the Strange who wakes up one day in a tiny town with no memories. Emily is totally a kindred spirit for me and I am so glad I found her. I wish I would have found her sooner. This book is so funny and awesome. I knew it was for me just based on the cover. I can’t really summarize the zany plot in any articulate fashion. I cannot do this justice. I must read the rest of the series. Arrrr!

Check out me other reviews at https://thecaptainsquartersblog.wordp...

[Karina Vargas · Rating 2 out of 5]

Emily the Strange: The lost days : 2 estrellas.

But not for me.

[Shaki · Rating 4 out of 5]

Iconic

[Cristi-Lael · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ok, so I picked up the fourth book in this series from Book Outlet for less than $2. I had no idea what the book was, but it was super cheap and the cover looked interesting. When the book came, I learned it was the fourth, so I proceeded to borrow the other three from the library.
And that brings us to today. I have just finished this first book in the series and totally loved it. Yes, it's a middle grade book, and yes, it's absurd at times, but it's fun and silly and really enjoyable. I loved the added graphic novel-esque elements, including the little 15 page cat flip book, and found myself really engaged in Earwig figuring out the mystery of her amnesia.
Being middle grade, these are very easy to read, but it's nice to have something light and easy every once on a while. I am certain my 11 year old will really like this series as well. And I'm really looking forward to finding out more about young Earwig and why she has some of these quirks and abilities that she has.
I was really impressed how the authors were able to unravel the mystery of her amnesia so well. Like with movies like Memento, I found myself pondering elements of the story later on and seeing how some innocuous fact way back on page 25 made perfect sense now that I was reading page 203. And I love the fact that the authors included the ripped out pages from the front and middle of the book. They even kept the page numbers on them!

[Flan]

I just couldn't finish this one. It became tedious and I tried to read a little bit everyday but I honestly couldn't finish it.

I've scrolled through a few reviews on Goodreads and I've seen that many people enjoyed it. There seems to be a running theme of nostalgia for quite a few people too. I don't think this was for me.

[Tony Hisgett · Rating 1 out of 5]

At the head of one of the paragraphs it says Am very frustrated that just about sums up my introduction to this book.

Also I’m not sure if this is meant to be amusing, but it isn’t.

[Vera♡ · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ik vond het een erg leuk concept. Je las een dagboek van een meisje die amnesie had gekregen. In het dagboek lees je over haar ontdekkingen terug naar haar herinneringen.

[Anja · Rating 4 out of 5]

Emily the Strange ist ein großer Teil meiner Kindheit (wohl eher Teenagerzeit) gewesen und das Buch hier nun fast 10+ Jahre später zu lesen hat mich purer Nostalgie ausgesetzt.
Ich liebe Emily, sie ist - ehrlich gesagt - ein Arschloch, aber trotzdem liebenswürdig und ähm.. sehr speziell, deshalb ist es so erfrischend sie als Protagonistin zu haben. Die Geschichte war interessant, aber doch irgendwo lückenbehaftet, was mich jedoch nicht sonderlich gestört hat. Die außergewöhnliche Schreibweise durch die Tagebucheinträge und die vielen kleinen Kritzeleien machen das Buch zu einem noch größeren Lesevergnügen!

[Ant (Tistrya) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Consejo: no releáis un libro que podríais recitar de memoria solo para cumplir un reto de storygraph.

Es muy bueno como todos los de Emily, pero fue tortura china tener que leerlo entero por decimotercera vez cuando podría estar leyendo algo nuevo. En mi defensa el plan era compaginarlo con la lectura simultánea de otros libros, pero evidentemente no ocurrió así.

Bastante trippy comprobar cómo el silly little libro de una niña gótica que leí a los 11 años me moldeó como persona hasta lo que soy a día de hoy.

[Chris · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good four-book series about the strange adventures of Emily the Strange, as told by Emily in her journal.

[Xisela · Rating 5 out of 5]

Un dos meus libros favs da infancia jeje faciame ilu relelo e normal que me gustara tanto de peque a vdd!!

pareceme un libro super chulo e que logra moi ben un equilibrio entre estar escrito dun xeito super adaptado a nenos á vez que non resulta infantil no xeito de narrar! mola moito jo

[mina · Rating 5 out of 5]

It is a book written by an amnesiac girl (whom we already knew as Emily, since it was written in big red colour on the cover, duh!). She found herself sitting on a super-mini-park bench, totally in amnesia, equipped only with a slingshot, a pen, and a blank black book. She didn't know her own name, didn't know the name of the town she was in, didn't know what she did there. But it seemed that she knew many unusual things, such as repair anything broken (including golems), how to throw stones accurately, and how to play Calamity Poker (after watching the game for some time, while others have to do some bloody ritual first, and learn it for years, before understand the rules). She lived in a refrigerator box, behind a cafe named El Dungeon, a very unusual grey place, with Raven as the dim-witted barrista, who couldn't say a complete sentence, but she made very delicious sandwiches.

Was there any reason she was there? Who made her amnesia? How come Raven was never sleep? Why there were no trees but the one in the mini-park? Why everything was painted grey? Why her parents didn't look for her? And lotsa lotsa questions, one by one will be answered at the end of the book.

Some pages in the book was ripped (by Emily herself) for some reasons. Of course, you can read the ripped pages at the end of the book, but it would spoil the story.

I have liked Emily's character since I saw her on t-shirt, and after finding out in this book that she was so singular, makes me even like her more. Would go buy the second book: Stranger & Stranger.

[Jean · Rating 5 out of 5]

I admit it - I'm old and was never hip so a lot of pop culture stuff passes me by without even stopping to say hello. I didn't know who or what Emily the Strange was, but in this book, neither does she. It turns out Emily started as a sort of anitdote to Hello Kitty - appealing to those goth and wannabe goth teens who are too cool for that perky white cat.
So then Emily started appearing not only on tee shirts, but in some graphic novel/comic books, too. And now she is the star of a series of novels aimed at middle schoolers. And if she doesn't catch on with the underground cool kids in middle school, there is no justice in the world.
Her first adventure is truly bizarre, wacko, fun and, well, strange. But I loved it. Like I said, I've always been too nerdy to be cool, but if I could go back in time, I'd love to be Emily. Except maybe with dogs instead of cats.
Emily wakes up to find she doesn't know who she is or where she is. But she makes friends with some cats and with a "girl" who works in a coffee shop. She also makes friends with a sideshow attraction who can read minds. As she tries to track down who and where she is, she starts piecing together a strange story that is too complicated to explain. Suffice it to say it involves dead relatives, a golem, the town council, and a mysterious black rock.
Read this and for a few hours, you feel pretty darn cool - in a 13-yr-old goth girl sort of way.

[AennA · Rating 3 out of 5]

The first of the four released books under Emily the Strange series, The Lost Days, tells us the story of Emily Strange finding herself in a place she doesn't know, and remembering nothing about herself. All she have are her pen and notebook, which remained her buddy pieces.

She eventually learned she's in a town called Blackrock, as she saw in a newspaper, and tried to find the truth on what happened to her. Still remembering nothing about her past, or her present she roamed around Blackrock and found different personalities, which helped her complete the puzzle on what's really happening to her.

Reading this, I am as confused as the character, Emily Strange. There are some scenarios that doesn't seem to fit the story, which I would to like believe is intentionally done by the author. Different characters bring in different puzzle pieces and eventually the story was complete and it brought a fresh kind of adventure for Emily.

I read this book after reading the 3rd book, so I already know who Emily Strange is, and how she functions as a character. I am delighted with the book's layout, with quirky artworks and witty details. The funky design adds up to the delightful experience of finishing the story.

Emily is indeed a strange and smart girl, and you'll be amazed how she handles some scenarios. Join Emily as she unravels the truth on why she can't remember anything, and what is she doing in Blackrock.

[Ani · Rating 5 out of 5]

(Sorry for my English:))
Sometimes I start to read English books when I cant wait for the hungarian edition. This is the story how I met Emily's book. The story is full of black humor and irony. If I read in English I'm very slow, that's my fault.
At times I must get out my dictionary for idiot sentences for example: "BRITTLING FAVVWARX” meg „BLOGYAM!!!” What?! That's the way how to replace round oaths in young adult - most of them mean NOTHING... (or I don't want to know because what I figured out it was disgusting!)
What did I expect? hmm... Goth girl does idiot things, takes melancholy and/or morbid adventure in Amnesia City. The frist 100 pages contain gripping investigation with amnesia, black cats but after... PONIES?! Aw, man....! Nononono... I got migraine. Fortunately it was subplot. After this scary episode I cant stop in reading. 80 pages for 3 months, but now I read ~150 pages in 2 or 3 days!
I really loved illustrations and the story! The cover is cute. It was not the morbid comics what I expect but I'm happy with this novel.
My favourite sentences: ”Broggling harmwarts, let’s hope so.” (177. p.)

[Brooke ♥booklife4life♥ · Rating 3 out of 5]

At A Glance
Genre: Young Adult
Love Triangle/Insta Love?: nope.
Cliff Hanger: Kinda
Rating: 3 Stars

Score Sheet
All out of ten
Cover: 7
Plot: 5
Characters: 7
World Building: 7
Flow: 6
Series Congruity: n/a
Ending: 6

Total: 7

In Dept
Best Part: Pictures!
Worst Part: Unclear!
Thoughts Had: What?; Who is supposed to read this

Conclusion
Continuing the Series: maybe.
Recommending: maybe.

Short Review: eh, i'm not sure who is supposed to read this book. I kinda feel like it should be younger teens, but some of the words and things wouldn't work too well for that. Idk. It was weird read for sure. Cute pictures :D

Review in GIF Form:

[Katie · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 Felt an odd amount of nostalgia for a book I have never read before. I read this on my kindle and checked it out after confusing it with a popular graphic novel I see people talk about quite a bit here. What am I thinking of??? It´s driving me nuts.

The writing felt a bit forced (like a middle aged man trying to sound like a 13 year old moody girl...which I suppose IS the case actually) but I did really fall for the story and especially the strange Little setting of BlackRock. I won´t continue with the series, but it was a cute Little read. I´m sure slightly emo me would have adored this series growing up.

Also,apologiges if there are ample typos here. I´m typing this on my school´s computer which only understands Spanish, so this whole thing looks like one giant typo.

[Juani Hernández · Rating 5 out of 5]

En cuanto lo vimos en la biblioteca, a mi hija (tiene casi 11 años) ya le llamó la atención. Ella huye de las historias de princesas, y este libro con la portada en rojo y negro, un tanto gótica y misteriosa, y esa cara de pocos amigos en el retrato de la protagonista, ya dejaba de manifiesto que iba a encontrar pocas princesas en su interior. Se lo leyó de una sentada (y eso que no es corto) y le gustó mucho. Me animó a leerlo y a mí me venía bien para cumplir con un reto de lectura que sigo, así que me adentré en la historia de esta chica un tanto extraña (¿quién lleva un tirachinas en el bolsillo y sabe arreglar cafeteras a su edad?) que desde la primera página ya te anima a desvelar junto a ella el misterio de su identidad y de cómo ha ido a parar a ese pueblo perdido en la nada del que nunca había oído hablar. Está escrito en primera persona aunque en tiempo pasado, pues Emily nos relata sus descubrimientos en forma de diario. Los personajes son muy peculiares, al igual que el escenario donde se desarrolla la trama y los sucesos que acontecen, que (aunque todo tiene su explicación) a veces rozan lo inverosímil. Por eso mismo engancha, y quieres saber más. El personaje de Emily me ha gustado mucho. Se supone que tiene unos trece años y, pese a utilizar las expresiones típicas de su edad, también introduce un vocabulario más culto, lo que indica que es una chica inteligente, leída, y que posee un gran (y a veces oscuro) mundo interior. Como anécdota, diré que el hecho de que tenga que volver sobre sus pasos e investigar las propias pistas que ella misma ha ido dejando, como miguitas de pan, me ha hecho recordar una película titulada "Memento", un recuerdo "vago", sí, pero me ha venido a la mente. Por cierto, la edición es fantástica. Su interior está lleno de ilustraciones en colores rojo y negro, manteniendo esa estética misteriosa y gótica que a mi hija ya mí nos llamó tanto la atención. Me ha gustado mucho. Es una lectura muy recomendable si se busca algo más que la típica historia de" preadolescentes en el instituto". Por cierto, ya tenemos el segundo volumen en casa.

[Ruth · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75 rounded up to 4
This is a quirky book featuring a number of bizarre characters, but it has a comic book style vibe, so it works out fine. Told from the perspective of 13-year-old Emily (aka Earwig) via journal entries, the story leans toward a YA sensibility. The story also requires a suspension of disbelief to enjoy the daily actions of Emily as she goes on a fact finding mission to figure out who she is after waking up one day to find herself in an unfamiliar place and suffering from amnesia.

Emily’s natural state of being is a little chaotic and she keeps her mind in order by creating lists. These lists help the reader get to know Emily. They also help Emily figure out how she ended up in the town of Blackrock and what connections she has, if any, to the people she’s encountering, many of those seeming to know who she is.

This is a fun little mystery that doesn’t always make sense, but the main character is written as an industrious and intelligent young woman who’s an excellent problem solver. I appreciated that aspect of the storytelling the most. The illustrations in the book help to visualize what’s happening and made the story more enjoyable for me.

I look forward to finding out where the Emily the Strange series of books is headed and know more wacky adventures are in store. Near the end of The Lost Days Emily writes in her journal, The reason I need another black book in my life right now is that I’ve just gotten the strangest letter from my Great-Aunt Emma, and I have a feeling that diary-worthy adventures are inevitable.

I listened to the audiobook and very much liked the narrator, Angela Goethals. Her interpretation of Emily was fun and appropriate for the vocal inflections of a sassy young woman, and the other characters were given distinctive personalities.

[Emily · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Emily the Strange: The Lost Days” by Rob Reger is a fantasy book about a "miserable" girl named Emily who has amnesia and is lost in a small town by the name of “Black Rock.” She is on a journey to try to find out her biological family and remember her OWN name. I recommend this book to kids who like dark and weird stuff because Emily is (obviously) strange and she talks about negative stuff about people and the world. She also likes talking about black magic or ritual stuff. I really liked this book because I thought that this book was different than other ones. I’ve never read a book whose main character has an interest in evil or a kid who has memory loss and I just thought it was really cool to make a character like that. I don’t really recommend this book to people who hate or dislike negative people or stuff because Emily is completely the opposite of positive. She rarely likes to smile, she talks about black magic, she has low self esteem, and she wears all black (which according to some people that’s negative). But unless you can handle her negativity, you’ll be just fine! But even though she might be negative, she can be pretty funny and relatable in a way. Otherwise, I do like this book and recommend it to kids or people who love dark stuff.