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Amelia Rules! #4
Amelia Rules! Volume 4: When the Past is a Present
As her mom goes on a date and her father prepares to leave on a trip to dangerous country, ten-year-old Amelia, now in a small town after her parents' divorce, gets ready for her first dance while thinking about her family's past and their changing future.
167 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2007
9 people are currently reading
301 people want to read
About the author
Jimmy Gownley
89 books106 followersJimmy Gownley is the author and illustrator of the Amelia Rules! series of graphic novels, as well as the memoir The Dumbest Idea Ever!.
He has been nominated for 13 Eisner awards and 6 Harvey awards. His book Superheroes won the 2006 Cybil Award for best graphic novel for kids 12 and under.
He lives in Pennsylvania.
He has been nominated for 13 Eisner awards and 6 Harvey awards. His book Superheroes won the 2006 Cybil Award for best graphic novel for kids 12 and under.
He lives in Pennsylvania.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 45 reviews
August 21, 2008
I do adore Amelia...that might be because she Rules!
I can't recommend this highly enough. Parents if your 8-13 year olds love comics, but you are tired of seeing them reading extended {crappy} toy commercials masquerading as story, THIS is for you and THEM.
Boy or girl doesn't matter. Amelia has guys in her group of friends, and her ups and downs are universal. The story does build volume by volume, so you might want to sart with "The Whole World's Crazy" (but the good news is there are four volumes). Therein Amelia's parents have split & she's been forced to move from the city to the burbs. Making new friends ain't easy.
In this volume, one of Amelia's friends has to see her dad off to war & Amelia's mom DATES & Amelia goes to her first dance--it's only kind of a date & Amelia learns a bit of family history. Buy the whole set for your kids (and then sneak into their room while they're at school and read them yourself.
I can't recommend this highly enough. Parents if your 8-13 year olds love comics, but you are tired of seeing them reading extended {crappy} toy commercials masquerading as story, THIS is for you and THEM.
Boy or girl doesn't matter. Amelia has guys in her group of friends, and her ups and downs are universal. The story does build volume by volume, so you might want to sart with "The Whole World's Crazy" (but the good news is there are four volumes). Therein Amelia's parents have split & she's been forced to move from the city to the burbs. Making new friends ain't easy.
In this volume, one of Amelia's friends has to see her dad off to war & Amelia's mom DATES & Amelia goes to her first dance--it's only kind of a date & Amelia learns a bit of family history. Buy the whole set for your kids (and then sneak into their room while they're at school and read them yourself.
April 15, 2012
I must admit... I'm addicted to this series. I started reading them in order to better get into the mind of middle years' students, but I continue reading them because I enjoy them so much.
"When the Past Is a Present" continues Amelia's adventures with her friends, but contains a few very intense pages about a friend's father being deployed overseas with the military. It also touches on how our family history shapes our lives without us ever knowing it.
"When the Past Is a Present" continues Amelia's adventures with her friends, but contains a few very intense pages about a friend's father being deployed overseas with the military. It also touches on how our family history shapes our lives without us ever knowing it.
August 1, 2015
LOL.
so much fun!
so much fun!
December 27, 2017
Wonderful as ever. The theme of this volume is courage in the face of things we can't change. Not quite as crazy as the first three volumes, but highlights include a batty babysitter who thinks she once nearly married Donald Duck, the "thank goodness you're open" game, and a remarkable sequence where Amelia remains accepting and tactful whilst her reflection screams out her true feelings.
January 4, 2018
These books are getting even better as Amelia and her friends get older. She is dealing with first dates- herself and her mom (?!), friends with parents in the military, and all the joys and mostly travails of being a 5th grader!
June 8, 2017
Awesome
September 27, 2017
This is a really cute series and I am continuing to enjoy it.
November 10, 2017
How long is a year? In the context of this book a very important question. Oh and you;re gonna love the canned dairy product joke.
December 18, 2017
I decided to read something not as heavy as the current book I'm reading. I love Amelia. She's really funny. I never get tired of re-reading this series.
Read
March 14, 2021Snarky, saucy and unexpectedly deep.
October 10, 2023
call me red skull
February 10, 2017
Brandon Mateo
December 28, 2018
**life changer because: let me know when you've ever read a comic for kids that's conscious of its genre's limitations, pushes the boundaries, makes you cry as a fifth grader, and teaches you how to grow up gracefully while also understanding that you're allowed to be sad about it? unless you've read this one, you haven't.**
August 22, 2016
*First read when I was a kid*
This volume returns to some of the back-and-forth from previous stories, but definitely incorporates more serious stuff too, like in the last issue. This one didn't hit me as hard, but the story is still impactful. It's more day to day stuff, more kids being kids, but doesn't lose its heart.
Misc. comments on individual stories:
Funny Story - The parallels between Amelia and her mom and their "dates" are great. It's amusing to see different characters align with each other towards the end of the story.
The Runaways - I always love the flashbacks to Amelia's life in New York. It transitions well with the present day story, and feels natural (the same way as when someone is in mid-thought).
The Things I Cannot Change - This story is definitely up there with some of my favorites. We get to see more of Joan, and it touches on more serious issues (in this case, military families).
I love how the ending is simple, but poignant. It leaves the characters where they are (especially since they can't escape their situation), but doesn't undermine the emotion.
When the Past is a Present - "Thank Goodness You're Open" still seems like a fun game.
The combination of the homage to comics plus the message at the end meant so much to me when I was younger.
I'm glad that Amelia's mom made a point to emphasize that it's not traditions that matter, it's the meaning behind them.
Hangin' Out - This is a shorter and cuter end to the issue, instead of the more emotional impact of the others. I think it definitely shows the return to more funny stuff, but keeps the emotional edge on the side, instead of out altogether.
Like I said, this isn't one of my favorites, but it definitely still holds up with the rest of the series. Still looking forward to the rest.
This volume returns to some of the back-and-forth from previous stories, but definitely incorporates more serious stuff too, like in the last issue. This one didn't hit me as hard, but the story is still impactful. It's more day to day stuff, more kids being kids, but doesn't lose its heart.
Misc. comments on individual stories:
Funny Story - The parallels between Amelia and her mom and their "dates" are great. It's amusing to see different characters align with each other towards the end of the story.
The Runaways - I always love the flashbacks to Amelia's life in New York. It transitions well with the present day story, and feels natural (the same way as when someone is in mid-thought).
The Things I Cannot Change - This story is definitely up there with some of my favorites. We get to see more of Joan, and it touches on more serious issues (in this case, military families).
I love how the ending is simple, but poignant. It leaves the characters where they are (especially since they can't escape their situation), but doesn't undermine the emotion.
When the Past is a Present - "Thank Goodness You're Open" still seems like a fun game.
The combination of the homage to comics plus the message at the end meant so much to me when I was younger.
I'm glad that Amelia's mom made a point to emphasize that it's not traditions that matter, it's the meaning behind them.
Hangin' Out - This is a shorter and cuter end to the issue, instead of the more emotional impact of the others. I think it definitely shows the return to more funny stuff, but keeps the emotional edge on the side, instead of out altogether.
Like I said, this isn't one of my favorites, but it definitely still holds up with the rest of the series. Still looking forward to the rest.
September 27, 2008
The Amelia Rules! series is probably the best kids comic I've seen on our library's bookshelf, especially if you're a 10 year old girl. Amelia McBride is smart, sassy, but still normal and down-to-Earth. In a market where everything for girls is pink or focused on being a "Bratz" kind of kid, Amelia still runs around outside with her friends.
One of the best things about this series is that it works on two levels. A child will enjoy Amelia's point of view and her story while parents will get her Aunt's and Mother's popular culture references and adult life trouble stories.
The newest collection, When the Past is Present, collects Amelia's story from 2007, including the comic that was part of Free Comic Book Day. The topics range from dreading the first day of school, learning that her divorced mother is doing out on a date, remembering the time she tried to run away from home with a friend, comforting a fellow classmate whose father is being shipped off to Iraq, and taking a moment to find out about her own family history.
This volume would be great for a family read. There is so much to discuss. I found the story about the dad being shipped to Iraq overdone but at the same time, it was interesting to see it told from a 10 year old's perspective. And perhaps a child going through something similar or that new someone who was experiencing that, would find comfort in this comic. The other comic about embracing your family history and getting to know your parents as people was touching, since I don't think many of us get to that point until we are in college.
Another solid set of stories and great artwork. I hope we see many more years of Amelia Rules!
Originally posted on orangerful.vox.com
One of the best things about this series is that it works on two levels. A child will enjoy Amelia's point of view and her story while parents will get her Aunt's and Mother's popular culture references and adult life trouble stories.
The newest collection, When the Past is Present, collects Amelia's story from 2007, including the comic that was part of Free Comic Book Day. The topics range from dreading the first day of school, learning that her divorced mother is doing out on a date, remembering the time she tried to run away from home with a friend, comforting a fellow classmate whose father is being shipped off to Iraq, and taking a moment to find out about her own family history.
This volume would be great for a family read. There is so much to discuss. I found the story about the dad being shipped to Iraq overdone but at the same time, it was interesting to see it told from a 10 year old's perspective. And perhaps a child going through something similar or that new someone who was experiencing that, would find comfort in this comic. The other comic about embracing your family history and getting to know your parents as people was touching, since I don't think many of us get to that point until we are in college.
Another solid set of stories and great artwork. I hope we see many more years of Amelia Rules!
Originally posted on orangerful.vox.com
July 23, 2014
This is the fourth book in the Amelia Rules! series by Jimmy Gownley. We recently discovered this series and our girls just love it - they will argue over who gets to read the books first. They are really into reading graphic novels right now and we all love that it features a strong female main character who has other strong women in her life.
The book is broken up into five short stories that are consecutive in time and show how the friends' relationship develops and changes over time and introduces new characters. I loved the side stories and the numerous comic strips that pay homage to famous comic strips like Peanuts, Doonesbury, Cathy, Little Orphan Annie and others.
Overall, I love the complexities of the emotions and the tough subjects that are handled with both humor and sensitivity. We all really enjoyed reading this book and look forward to reading more of the books in this series.
interesting quotes:
"I mean, he joined the Army...but I got drafted." (p. 97)
The book is broken up into five short stories that are consecutive in time and show how the friends' relationship develops and changes over time and introduces new characters. I loved the side stories and the numerous comic strips that pay homage to famous comic strips like Peanuts, Doonesbury, Cathy, Little Orphan Annie and others.
Overall, I love the complexities of the emotions and the tough subjects that are handled with both humor and sensitivity. We all really enjoyed reading this book and look forward to reading more of the books in this series.
interesting quotes:
"I mean, he joined the Army...but I got drafted." (p. 97)
April 25, 2016
When you think that Mr. Gownley can't hit you hard any more with emotion after the incredibly emotional 3rd volume Superheroes, he hits you again with a take that at the time was timely, but to be honest can be timely at anytime, Amelia's new friend Joan learns her soldier father is being deployed to a war zone for a year. In one of the most emotional stories in the series Gownley makes you think twice about military families and it is an emotional roller coaster.
However all is not emotional has Amelia's flirtation with bad boy Kyle continues as the two go on a "not a date". And Amelia gets schooled in her families rich history in the brilliant 4th volume of this amazing series. Plus Amelia's mom finally gets back into the dating scene and Aunt Tanner is having home ownership issues.
The series is an incredible exploration into reality, a reality that everyone at one time has probably experienced. Gownley's nuanced and clean art and wonderfully fun story can at any second hit you with an REM joke or nail you with the raw emotion of a 10 year old who may never see her father alive again. Filled with fully formed characters Amelia Rules continues to be one of the all time greatest comic stories of a generation. Uncomfortably close to real life we find bits of ourselves in all the characters, and we love and hate them as well, because they are a little to close for comfort.
However all is not emotional has Amelia's flirtation with bad boy Kyle continues as the two go on a "not a date". And Amelia gets schooled in her families rich history in the brilliant 4th volume of this amazing series. Plus Amelia's mom finally gets back into the dating scene and Aunt Tanner is having home ownership issues.
The series is an incredible exploration into reality, a reality that everyone at one time has probably experienced. Gownley's nuanced and clean art and wonderfully fun story can at any second hit you with an REM joke or nail you with the raw emotion of a 10 year old who may never see her father alive again. Filled with fully formed characters Amelia Rules continues to be one of the all time greatest comic stories of a generation. Uncomfortably close to real life we find bits of ourselves in all the characters, and we love and hate them as well, because they are a little to close for comfort.
Read
February 16, 2010Amelia is a ten-year-old girl whose parents have divorced. While her mother is getting back into the dating scene, Amelia is also going to her first dance. Then she finds out that her friend’s father, who is in the military, is going to a dangerous country. This causes Amelia to reflect about her own family.
Yikes!! This is my first graphic novel and I have to be brutally honest and admit that I did not enjoy it at all. I found the structure painfully difficult. It took me the first dozen pages or so to figure out the order in which to read the bubbles! Can you tell I was never in to reading comic books as a child?! Out of five parts, I only had the stamina to make it through part one before finally giving up altogether. I couldn't seem to develop a rhythm to make the text flow. Everything I read felt disconnected.
Admittedly, I am not well-versed in this genre, but my understanding was that one of the advantages of this form is its accessiblity to struggling and/or reluctant readers. In my opinion, I don't see how you can possibly be a struggling reader and read this genre with ease! Kudos to those kids who can do it!!
Yikes!! This is my first graphic novel and I have to be brutally honest and admit that I did not enjoy it at all. I found the structure painfully difficult. It took me the first dozen pages or so to figure out the order in which to read the bubbles! Can you tell I was never in to reading comic books as a child?! Out of five parts, I only had the stamina to make it through part one before finally giving up altogether. I couldn't seem to develop a rhythm to make the text flow. Everything I read felt disconnected.
Admittedly, I am not well-versed in this genre, but my understanding was that one of the advantages of this form is its accessiblity to struggling and/or reluctant readers. In my opinion, I don't see how you can possibly be a struggling reader and read this genre with ease! Kudos to those kids who can do it!!
January 28, 2011
This is the one that made me cry. The sequence on pg.s 113-117 is just heartbreaking, even out of context. Specially since many of us have mixed emotions about the military. Gownley does a pretty amazing job of not being political even dancing around those issues. But it's not political from a kid's perspective.
One thing I haven't mentioned in my reviews of this series yet is the awesome way Gownley handles history/flashbacks. He does an amazing job of mimicking the illustration style, tone, and feel of many other recognizable comics. Just awesome. See pg. 138 for a fun example.
This is the volume, however, in which Tanner starts looking weird. Something about Gownley's general illustration style, particularly of that character, shifts, and to me she doesn't look like herself.
One thing I haven't mentioned in my reviews of this series yet is the awesome way Gownley handles history/flashbacks. He does an amazing job of mimicking the illustration style, tone, and feel of many other recognizable comics. Just awesome. See pg. 138 for a fun example.
This is the volume, however, in which Tanner starts looking weird. Something about Gownley's general illustration style, particularly of that character, shifts, and to me she doesn't look like herself.
February 18, 2013
I started reading these when I was 13 and I still love them. They remind me of being a little kid again and are funny while have serious messages. Amelia is a great character: she's precocious and really a bit of a smart-Alec, but understanding and sensitive. Tanner is like a rockstar Yoda in a belly-showing shirt. Amelia's friends are unique and funny in every way. Her parents are kind and nurturing, without being totally perfect. These books charming and heartwarming, with beautiful artwork. It's so sad that this series has ended.
RIP Amelia Rules
Read these! Seriously they're great! :)
RIP Amelia Rules
Read these! Seriously they're great! :)
January 18, 2016
The fourth book in the Amelia Rules! series. I requested the next few from the library because I’m not ready to be done with Amelia yet! I’ve given each book four out of five stars even though I really enjoyed them. Something’s kept me from falling in love with the books - maybe the superhero/ninja aspect, because I’m not really into that? Or the random asides when Reggie explains a term with a made-up definition. Sometimes they’re funny, but I usually just skim those sections because they can run long.
July 11, 2010
Amelia is 10. Maybe because this is book 4 and not book 1, but the stories are too jumpy and do not flow easily at all. Amelia lives with her divorced mom, and she is close to her aunt Tanner, who is a musician. She has a cadre of friends, both boys and girls who have crushed on each other, but I am too annoyed with the jumpy stories to figure out who likes whom. Maybe a 10-year old girl who is a little ADHD will like this book.
January 4, 2013
In this book Amelia gets invited to her first dance (with a boy no less), but she's not the only one getting a date, Amelia's mom is seeing someone too. Perhaps Reggie (a.k.a. Captain Amazing) can look into 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 which gets Amelia thinking about her own family, her past, and what it means for the present.
March 14, 2016
This series continues to be one of my favorites- it's touching, fun and funny, and I really enjoy the art. This volume centered a lot around family and the importance family plays in each of our lives (including friends, or as I like to refer to them, chosen family). Again, I really enjoy that there are "grown up" topics but nothing is overly simplified simply because the target audience is younger readers.
August 25, 2009
Another wonderful Amelia book. I love how funny and quirky this Graphic Novel can be and then how it can really reach your heart. This one still talks about Amelia dealing with her parents divorce but it also talks about a child whose father goes to war. This is a great book for a kid who is in this situation. Grades 4+
May 22, 2016
I felt the first couple volumes were needed to build up to the more complex material in this one. Deeper conflicts that remain appropriate to the characters' ages as well as more complex layouts. I'd encourage students to jump right to this point, but the other volumes are needed to understand Amelia's world (about a dozen characters and past storylines).
November 14, 2008
I really enjoy Amelia. This fourth book doesn't disapoint. The graphic presentation is so quick and smart with hints of parody and satire. A variety of important issues are covered in an age approriate way without sugary sweetness and it seems realistic in an uncynical way.
December 9, 2009
So incredibly impressed with the storytelling (art and words) in this series. They just get sharper with each volume. I may even have blinked back tears reading one segment at Panera. Gownley also does this just brilliant thing with panels weaving knowledge together....Fantastic.
December 22, 2010
Not quite as solid as the previous volume, but that's setting the bar absurdly high. I'm glad I had bought these for my library way back, because I'm trying to figure out a better comic book for kids at this point and having a lot of trouble.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 45 reviews