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Emily the Strange #3
Dark Times
Emily's uniquely strange homeschool syllabus includes . . .
1. Time Travel 101
2. Advanced Spy Photography
3. Bonnet Basics
4. Great-Aunts Through the Ages
5. Intro to Germ Theory
6. Care and Feeding of ’Squito Fish
7. Fundamentals of Black Rock
8. Spiderweb Embroidery
9. Historical & Contemporary Felines
10. Pop Quizzes
11. Foodstuffs of the 1790s
12. Thwarting Ancestral Enemies
13. Techniques in Parallel Universe Management
1. Time Travel 101
2. Advanced Spy Photography
3. Bonnet Basics
4. Great-Aunts Through the Ages
5. Intro to Germ Theory
6. Care and Feeding of ’Squito Fish
7. Fundamentals of Black Rock
8. Spiderweb Embroidery
9. Historical & Contemporary Felines
10. Pop Quizzes
11. Foodstuffs of the 1790s
12. Thwarting Ancestral Enemies
13. Techniques in Parallel Universe Management
248 pages, Paperback
First published December 28, 2010
58 people are currently reading
2339 people want to read
About the author
Rob Reger
56 books383 followersReger'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.
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.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 156 reviews
March 25, 2019
Ahoy there me mateys! This here be a combined review of the second and third books of the Emily the Strange series. While I try to post no spoilers, if ye haven’t read book one and ye keep reading this log then ye have been forewarned and continue at yer own peril . . .
Okay so back when I read book one I stated that “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.” Further reading only solidifies the point that Emily and I would be good friends if we both didn’t hate other people so much.
Book one was awesome and I loved the audiobook. Sadly I was not able to listen to these in audiobook format but I still loved them. While book one remains me favourite, book two was excellent because Emily accidentally duplicates herself. At first Emily thinks that having two of herself is great but slowly begins to question that belief. But how does she get rid of “OtherMe?” This book continues with the 13-bullet-point-lists, made up curse words, pranks, fabulous diary entries, and absolutely marvelous cats! Even though much of the plot was predictable, I just didn’t care. It made me happy. I love Emily’s change of heart concerning OtherMe and how mom handles the whole situation.
Book three was the weakest of the books so far but was silly fun nonetheless. In this one Emily is homeschooled by her mom. It involves time travel, meeting Emily’s ancestors, and epidemics, among other things. I love how Emily’s classes work out. I love Emily’s artwork. I enjoyed Emily’s shenanigans in the 1780s but too much of this book was Emily (and gang) waiting for things to happen. I wanted more of Emily taking charge. This book did, however, set up the last book in the series. I do need to know what happens next!
If ye haven’t met Emily and enjoy strange, quirky, and snarky characters then give this series a shot!
Check out me other reviews at https://thecaptainsquartersblog.wordp...
Okay so back when I read book one I stated that “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.” Further reading only solidifies the point that Emily and I would be good friends if we both didn’t hate other people so much.
Book one was awesome and I loved the audiobook. Sadly I was not able to listen to these in audiobook format but I still loved them. While book one remains me favourite, book two was excellent because Emily accidentally duplicates herself. At first Emily thinks that having two of herself is great but slowly begins to question that belief. But how does she get rid of “OtherMe?” This book continues with the 13-bullet-point-lists, made up curse words, pranks, fabulous diary entries, and absolutely marvelous cats! Even though much of the plot was predictable, I just didn’t care. It made me happy. I love Emily’s change of heart concerning OtherMe and how mom handles the whole situation.
Book three was the weakest of the books so far but was silly fun nonetheless. In this one Emily is homeschooled by her mom. It involves time travel, meeting Emily’s ancestors, and epidemics, among other things. I love how Emily’s classes work out. I love Emily’s artwork. I enjoyed Emily’s shenanigans in the 1780s but too much of this book was Emily (and gang) waiting for things to happen. I wanted more of Emily taking charge. This book did, however, set up the last book in the series. I do need to know what happens next!
If ye haven’t met Emily and enjoy strange, quirky, and snarky characters then give this series a shot!
Check out me other reviews at https://thecaptainsquartersblog.wordp...
January 30, 2015
Emily the Strange should have just been left alone as a graphic on a T-shirt. The mystery behind her would have been cool. Not all this crazy ramblings and scribble drawings.
September 5, 2012
Emily the Strange: Dark Times by Rob Reger is the third of the Emily the Strange series. A new book, a new town and a new adventure. This time, she's going back in time to save her great aunt Lily from the white fever.
Emily, though, has a few problems. The first one is, she has only enough black rock for her Time Out Machine (TOM for short) to take her back to August 1790. To make matters worse, she can't get any more because Black Rock, the town, has become unhinged in time and space. Then there's Lily, who needs a cram session in girl power.
Throughout all of Emily's adventures this time are her homework assignments. She's been given permission to homeschool herself. That means giving herself homework with points. There's an appendix with some of her turned in assignments.
But even back in 1790, Emily has secret tunnels to explore and unusual characters with equally unusually talents to meet. This time, though, she has to be careful to keep her family tree safe while trying to get home.
There's of course discussion of parallel universes, the butterfly effect and other time travel tropes. Along with the time travel jokes, there's the usual black, white and red illustrations.
But there's a twist. While it might seem that the title is a play on the "'Curiouser and curiouser' said Alice" from Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, the title is more literal than literary. See, Emily has duplicated herself. But not it seems her twin is out to get her and her mother is no help at all, deciding to keep both daughters.
One Emily spends her time making a secret sanctuary (with help from a strange neighbor boy) in an abandoned bit of the city sewer. The other Emily meanwhile is honing her mad skateboarding skills and pulling pranks. All of their exploits are captured in diary form. There's just one problem... it's not always easy to tell which Emily is writing.
Emily the Strange: Dark Times is a book I had to re-read long parts of. This was a good thing. It was fun to track down the subtle changes in each Emily and figure out which one was writing.
While the setting is new there is a similar mixture of odd ball characters to round out this hybrid graphic novel. Emily's mother, while not a mad scientist, is just as delightfully odd as her daughter(s). There's also the boy in the sewer, and the dangerous next door neighbor who has her own agenda.
Emily, though, has a few problems. The first one is, she has only enough black rock for her Time Out Machine (TOM for short) to take her back to August 1790. To make matters worse, she can't get any more because Black Rock, the town, has become unhinged in time and space. Then there's Lily, who needs a cram session in girl power.
Throughout all of Emily's adventures this time are her homework assignments. She's been given permission to homeschool herself. That means giving herself homework with points. There's an appendix with some of her turned in assignments.
But even back in 1790, Emily has secret tunnels to explore and unusual characters with equally unusually talents to meet. This time, though, she has to be careful to keep her family tree safe while trying to get home.
There's of course discussion of parallel universes, the butterfly effect and other time travel tropes. Along with the time travel jokes, there's the usual black, white and red illustrations.
But there's a twist. While it might seem that the title is a play on the "'Curiouser and curiouser' said Alice" from Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, the title is more literal than literary. See, Emily has duplicated herself. But not it seems her twin is out to get her and her mother is no help at all, deciding to keep both daughters.
One Emily spends her time making a secret sanctuary (with help from a strange neighbor boy) in an abandoned bit of the city sewer. The other Emily meanwhile is honing her mad skateboarding skills and pulling pranks. All of their exploits are captured in diary form. There's just one problem... it's not always easy to tell which Emily is writing.
Emily the Strange: Dark Times is a book I had to re-read long parts of. This was a good thing. It was fun to track down the subtle changes in each Emily and figure out which one was writing.
While the setting is new there is a similar mixture of odd ball characters to round out this hybrid graphic novel. Emily's mother, while not a mad scientist, is just as delightfully odd as her daughter(s). There's also the boy in the sewer, and the dangerous next door neighbor who has her own agenda.
August 17, 2019
Witty, twisted and hard to put down.
Emily The Strange is the defining series of a generation of weird girls. A series so relatable to those of us who consider ourselves one of the 'Dark Girls'. Adventure awaits for the spooky at heart.
Emily The Strange is the defining series of a generation of weird girls. A series so relatable to those of us who consider ourselves one of the 'Dark Girls'. Adventure awaits for the spooky at heart.
February 29, 2020
Fun! Easily one of the strongest in the series. I normally hate time travel plots but this one is pretty sturdy. Such a strong, underrated urban fantasy/sci-fi series...
February 20, 2011
Incredible! I now understand why people find it fun to read other people's diaries! I get it now! Emily remains one of my all-time favorite protagonists ever and I am dying to get to know more about Jakey! As with the past two books, even though everything that happened is so totally not possible, the author sure makes it seem like it is. So yeah, at first the random comments and strange pictures all over the place seriously annoyed me, but then I realized that, hey, this is her diary so it totally makes sense! Somebody told me it was terrible and seemed like it was written by a kid...but that is exactly what it should be! It is brilliant! Rob Reger gets a huge two thumbs up for how incredibly well that was written- I am monstrously pleased with this book and the whole series, and am totally and eagerly awaiting book number four! And now...
Age Ratings:
7th-12th (No there isn't anything in there, but the vocabulary is going to zoom over a vast number of people's heads, as will the vast majority of the totally hilarious references she makes to random things.)
Contains: the number 13, improbable and likely impossible scientific occurrences, made-up bad language, black cats, innumerable references that will mostly be missed, and vaguely creepy descriptions of 1870's medical treatments.Oh yeah, and I suppose it might give younger readers some bad ideas- they do tend to be for the whole "children are equal to their parents" thing, but it really isn't that big of a deal.
It does not contain: actual bad language (Errmm, kinda...the use of the term "badass" does pop up a few times, but nothing major) romance of any kind, realistic violence, magic (though it has some fantastical occurrences), or controversial anything.
And so for all you nitpickers, unless you are triskaidekaphobic, I personally guarantee that this book is totally ok on all fronts- so stop worrying and read it already!
Age Ratings:
7th-12th (No there isn't anything in there, but the vocabulary is going to zoom over a vast number of people's heads, as will the vast majority of the totally hilarious references she makes to random things.)
Contains: the number 13, improbable and likely impossible scientific occurrences, made-up bad language, black cats, innumerable references that will mostly be missed, and vaguely creepy descriptions of 1870's medical treatments.Oh yeah, and I suppose it might give younger readers some bad ideas- they do tend to be for the whole "children are equal to their parents" thing, but it really isn't that big of a deal.
It does not contain: actual bad language (Errmm, kinda...the use of the term "badass" does pop up a few times, but nothing major) romance of any kind, realistic violence, magic (though it has some fantastical occurrences), or controversial anything.
And so for all you nitpickers, unless you are triskaidekaphobic, I personally guarantee that this book is totally ok on all fronts- so stop worrying and read it already!
November 26, 2022
Review to come
October 31, 2020
These books are so much fun. I love the individual personality that almost every character has. Emily is so quirky and funny but is also incredibly smart and self-assured. This is probably my favourite in the series so far and I'm excited to read the next one. these books are difficult to put down and are so light hearted and fun I would recommend to anyone who enjoys fiction.
December 13, 2014
Reseñado en mi blog Nanny Books:
En Los días perdidos descubrimos quién es Emily, en Cada vez más extraña hasta dónde es capaz de llegar y en Tiempos oscuros por qué es así de oscura. Adoro las novelas de Emily the Strange, absolutamente todas. Solo me falta una para completar la saga, pero lamentablemente no está a la venta en Argentina... Así que voy a ver cómo la consigo.
La edición del libro es preciosa, tal cual nos tiene acostumbrados la saga. Tapa dura y sobrecubierta con solapas, ambas muy lindas y con el típico estilo de los diarios de Emily. Las páginas tienen detalles a color (rojo y negro por supuesto). Con dibujos, ilustraciones, tachaduras y grafitis:
Bueno, ya basta de hablar sobre la edición (que es de lujo). Tiempos oscuros nos trae la historia familiar de Emily y la razón por la cual ella es "diferente" a los demás miembros de su familia. Con un ritmo extraño de idas y vueltas en el tiempo, pero con humor y fantasía radical.
Emily decide viajar en el tiempo para investigar un hecho extraño en su historia familiar. Al parecer una tía que tenía el don de sanar a la gente muere enferma en una epidemia... ¿Cómo es posible que alguien que tenga el poder de curar muera, justamente, de algo así? Así descubrirá que estudiar con su madre (en vez de ir a la escuela) no es tan grandioso, que viajar en el tiempo y que su máquina se quede sin combustible no es divertido, y que las tías oscuras son comunes en su familia.
La novela está narrada en primera persona (por Emily), en forma de diario. Las ilustraciones y demás añadidos son parte complementarias de la historia, le dan un giro original a todo. No trates de buscarle algún sentido a lo que te va contando, los sucesos carecen de lógica... ¡Pero son muy divertidos! Con toques góticos, y un tanto de magia moderna, Emily va en busca de una aventura muy peligrosa.
Tiempos oscuros me ha gustado, no tanto como la anterior (que me encantó), pero muchísimo más que la primera. Esta saga es divertida, única, recomendada para quien quiera leer algo diferente a lo que está por doquier. ¡Emily the Strange te va a enloquecer!
En Los días perdidos descubrimos quién es Emily, en Cada vez más extraña hasta dónde es capaz de llegar y en Tiempos oscuros por qué es así de oscura. Adoro las novelas de Emily the Strange, absolutamente todas. Solo me falta una para completar la saga, pero lamentablemente no está a la venta en Argentina... Así que voy a ver cómo la consigo.
La edición del libro es preciosa, tal cual nos tiene acostumbrados la saga. Tapa dura y sobrecubierta con solapas, ambas muy lindas y con el típico estilo de los diarios de Emily. Las páginas tienen detalles a color (rojo y negro por supuesto). Con dibujos, ilustraciones, tachaduras y grafitis:
Bueno, ya basta de hablar sobre la edición (que es de lujo). Tiempos oscuros nos trae la historia familiar de Emily y la razón por la cual ella es "diferente" a los demás miembros de su familia. Con un ritmo extraño de idas y vueltas en el tiempo, pero con humor y fantasía radical.
Emily decide viajar en el tiempo para investigar un hecho extraño en su historia familiar. Al parecer una tía que tenía el don de sanar a la gente muere enferma en una epidemia... ¿Cómo es posible que alguien que tenga el poder de curar muera, justamente, de algo así? Así descubrirá que estudiar con su madre (en vez de ir a la escuela) no es tan grandioso, que viajar en el tiempo y que su máquina se quede sin combustible no es divertido, y que las tías oscuras son comunes en su familia.
La novela está narrada en primera persona (por Emily), en forma de diario. Las ilustraciones y demás añadidos son parte complementarias de la historia, le dan un giro original a todo. No trates de buscarle algún sentido a lo que te va contando, los sucesos carecen de lógica... ¡Pero son muy divertidos! Con toques góticos, y un tanto de magia moderna, Emily va en busca de una aventura muy peligrosa.
Tiempos oscuros me ha gustado, no tanto como la anterior (que me encantó), pero muchísimo más que la primera. Esta saga es divertida, única, recomendada para quien quiera leer algo diferente a lo que está por doquier. ¡Emily the Strange te va a enloquecer!
December 29, 2010
Emily the Strange takes on homeschooling with a uniquely strange syllabus. One of her classes, "Great Aunts through the Ages", leads Emily on a time-travel adventure back to the 1790s. Emily not only has to try to stop the mysterious death of one of her Dark Aunts, but manage to not to permanently alter history, and return back to her own time in one piece.
Emily the Strange is an internet sensation that has grown into a series of graphic novels and now YA novels. Before I recieved this ARC of the latest Emily novel from a giveaway on Goodreads (thank you Goodreads and HarperCollins!), I had never heard of the franchise. So, I jumped into reading this book with very little knowledge of Emily, and without reading the other two YA novels that came before this one. So, my review comes from the perspective of someone new to the franchise. While I found this book to be witty and amusing, I also often felt confused or isolated. There were many inside jokes that only Emily fans would understand, and many references to events, people, or general knowledge from the other books that I just didn't get. Usually, books in a series tend to have at least a paragraph of summary from the other books to help new readers, and I didn't find that in Dark Times. This would have helped me immensely. Other than that, I really enjoyed Emily's sassy and quirky voice, and the writing was very humorous. I also enjoyed the diary-style format and the accompanying drawings were fun. This was a cute read, but I think you have to be a previous Emily fan to really enjoy it.
Emily the Strange is an internet sensation that has grown into a series of graphic novels and now YA novels. Before I recieved this ARC of the latest Emily novel from a giveaway on Goodreads (thank you Goodreads and HarperCollins!), I had never heard of the franchise. So, I jumped into reading this book with very little knowledge of Emily, and without reading the other two YA novels that came before this one. So, my review comes from the perspective of someone new to the franchise. While I found this book to be witty and amusing, I also often felt confused or isolated. There were many inside jokes that only Emily fans would understand, and many references to events, people, or general knowledge from the other books that I just didn't get. Usually, books in a series tend to have at least a paragraph of summary from the other books to help new readers, and I didn't find that in Dark Times. This would have helped me immensely. Other than that, I really enjoyed Emily's sassy and quirky voice, and the writing was very humorous. I also enjoyed the diary-style format and the accompanying drawings were fun. This was a cute read, but I think you have to be a previous Emily fan to really enjoy it.
March 9, 2011
REVIEW
Emily the Strange takes on homeschooling in Dark Times. Emily has always hated school and found creative ways to skip class. Now, it’s Emily’s turn to teach herself, with a little help from her mom. Emily’s classes have weird names and she learns some pretty wacky stuff.
Emily’s “Great Aunts Through the Ages” class leads to a mysterious trip back-in-time. I loved getting a glimpse into the lives of Emily’s ancestors. Once every generation, there is a strange little girl born who becomes a “Great Aunt.” We find out that Emily is one of these little girls and now things are starting to make sense.
As always, Emily’s diary is filled with doodles – but this time she adds finger paintings to the mix. I like that there are little surprises like that in the Emily the Strange books. Emily is very smart and her time travel concoction is the perfect evil scientist invention. I just love all of her crazy creations!
Dark Times takes Emily the Strange to another place and time. Science fiction meets historical fiction with mysteriously creepy results. Experience the strangeness yourself when Dark Times releases on January 1, 2011. Happy Creepy New Year indeed!
RATING
5 Plot
5 Characters
5 Attention Grabbing
5 Girlie Meter
4 Ending
24 TOTAL
5 STARS
Emily the Strange takes on homeschooling in Dark Times. Emily has always hated school and found creative ways to skip class. Now, it’s Emily’s turn to teach herself, with a little help from her mom. Emily’s classes have weird names and she learns some pretty wacky stuff.
Emily’s “Great Aunts Through the Ages” class leads to a mysterious trip back-in-time. I loved getting a glimpse into the lives of Emily’s ancestors. Once every generation, there is a strange little girl born who becomes a “Great Aunt.” We find out that Emily is one of these little girls and now things are starting to make sense.
As always, Emily’s diary is filled with doodles – but this time she adds finger paintings to the mix. I like that there are little surprises like that in the Emily the Strange books. Emily is very smart and her time travel concoction is the perfect evil scientist invention. I just love all of her crazy creations!
Dark Times takes Emily the Strange to another place and time. Science fiction meets historical fiction with mysteriously creepy results. Experience the strangeness yourself when Dark Times releases on January 1, 2011. Happy Creepy New Year indeed!
RATING
5 Plot
5 Characters
5 Attention Grabbing
5 Girlie Meter
4 Ending
24 TOTAL
5 STARS
March 9, 2015
4,5
Es complicado definir de qué se tratan los libros de Emily, pero para resumir, se tratan de una adolescente cuya vida es una prueba constante de su conocimiento y creatividad. Todo el tiempo desea aprender por el mero placer de saciar su curiosidad por el mundo sin medir los riesgos ni las consecuencias, lo que a veces la lleva a meterse en problemas, y no cualquier tipo de problemas. Más bien, líos de los cuales uno no imagina ni cómo meterse ni mucho menos cómo salirse. Pero de alguna forma, ésta inteligente y extraña chica logra salirse con la suya en la mayoría de las veces.
"Emily the Strange: Tiempos oscuros" es, como bien nos indica el nombre, la tercer y más oscura novela de la saga de la señorita Strange. Como me ocurrió en los anteriores, al principio me resultó un tedio total, por lo que dejé un tiempo y luego decidí volver a retomarla con más ganas. Creo que es mi preferido de la saga hasta ahora, porque siempre que la cosa se ponga turbia va a capturar mi atención, sin lugar a duda.
No tengo intención de profundizar demasiado en cuanto a su apariencia, porque creo que quienes leyeron algún libro de Emily se habrán dado cuenta que son la gloria. Tapa dura, con un arte en la portada que siempre esta tan acorde a la temática, las ilustraciones que trae son para morirse de emoción (al menos a mí me fascinaron). Detallazo por la contratapa con los tickets de CBGB, y dentro con las ilustraciones de los Ramones. Sí, quedé embelesada.
Es complicado definir de qué se tratan los libros de Emily, pero para resumir, se tratan de una adolescente cuya vida es una prueba constante de su conocimiento y creatividad. Todo el tiempo desea aprender por el mero placer de saciar su curiosidad por el mundo sin medir los riesgos ni las consecuencias, lo que a veces la lleva a meterse en problemas, y no cualquier tipo de problemas. Más bien, líos de los cuales uno no imagina ni cómo meterse ni mucho menos cómo salirse. Pero de alguna forma, ésta inteligente y extraña chica logra salirse con la suya en la mayoría de las veces.
"Emily the Strange: Tiempos oscuros" es, como bien nos indica el nombre, la tercer y más oscura novela de la saga de la señorita Strange. Como me ocurrió en los anteriores, al principio me resultó un tedio total, por lo que dejé un tiempo y luego decidí volver a retomarla con más ganas. Creo que es mi preferido de la saga hasta ahora, porque siempre que la cosa se ponga turbia va a capturar mi atención, sin lugar a duda.
No tengo intención de profundizar demasiado en cuanto a su apariencia, porque creo que quienes leyeron algún libro de Emily se habrán dado cuenta que son la gloria. Tapa dura, con un arte en la portada que siempre esta tan acorde a la temática, las ilustraciones que trae son para morirse de emoción (al menos a mí me fascinaron). Detallazo por la contratapa con los tickets de CBGB, y dentro con las ilustraciones de los Ramones. Sí, quedé embelesada.
July 7, 2015
Ridiculously quirky and delightful. I realized after page 1 that I was reading a book somewhere in the middle of a series, but it didn't matter. Emily's character made me want to read it anyway. Emily is full of sass and self-assuredness that comes with being brilliant and knowing it. Her disdain for various niceties and institutions makes her all the more enjoyable, considering her age. She is written with quirky tastes and humor and an extremely believable teenager's voice. Her voice is superbly created, making her character thoroughly enjoyable, despite the slow points in the story. And her footnotes and parentheticals often made me laugh out loud. Truly a fun read.
Will definitely be going back to read the series from the start.
Will definitely be going back to read the series from the start.
March 8, 2012
First of all, I really loved Emily's syllabus. I wish my syllabus was as cool as hers. Really had fun with all the time-travelling and as usual the nocturnal premise and the cats. That's why I can relate to Emily. She's certainly not your typical protagonist. She's all dark and gloomy, she loves things that an ordinary person will never love, and she's so intelligent and witty. In this book, you will learn more about her ancestry and have a really good glimpse of 1790's (and will probably erase all your dreams of living/time-travelling there).
I simply adore Emily Strange. Always have, and always will.
I simply adore Emily Strange. Always have, and always will.
November 10, 2016
This was by far my favorite of the Emily books so far! It was shorter than the first two, but the story was a lot more fun and interesting. I also really enjoyed Emily's "swear words." They are quite hilarious!
I really enjoyed the other characters in this book, and I really felt Rob Reger and Jessica Gruner upped their game with their writing in this book. And as always, Reger's illustrations were fun.
I hope the next (and I believe, last) book will be just as good!
I really enjoyed the other characters in this book, and I really felt Rob Reger and Jessica Gruner upped their game with their writing in this book. And as always, Reger's illustrations were fun.
I hope the next (and I believe, last) book will be just as good!
March 11, 2011
Much better than the second one! What a relief. Too bad I had to read it at top-speed because some anxious 13-year-olds were breathing down my neck so that they could get to it :)
I'll have to re-read it at some point to more thoroughly enjoy the illustrations and appendices.
I'll have to re-read it at some point to more thoroughly enjoy the illustrations and appendices.
June 26, 2014
Once again this series fails to disappoint! This book was so funny and entertaining. I especially loved the ending XD
August 24, 2015
Another book that I just can't get into. I wanted to read it because I heard they were turning it into a film. This is more a book than a graphic novel.
January 10, 2023
Grabbed this randomly from the library without re-reading either of the preceding books, which mostly meant that as soon as I started Dark Times I wanted to re-read The Lost Days. Having said that: very interesting how the world-building expanded as Emily learned about her ancestors. I vaguely felt it wasn't canon-compliant with the first book, and yet--who cares, I think? It was interesting and fun, and I did enjoy meeting new characters in this volume. Framing her adventures as both "homeschooling" and a points system allowed me to feel very connected to the goals, self-growth, and tasks she set herself without tapping into any judgment (my complex feelings) around how schools actually grade things. Seems a good way to gamify your to-do list.
While I recognize the format of these Emily the Strange books wouldn't suit every reader, I find the unique combination of constantly updated diary plus sketchbook plus scrapbook plus script a hilarious, exciting format. It seems to emphasize both the biases of Emily as documentarian and also the details of what, precisely, people say. I'm still impressed at how much fun I have reading the conversations, of "me: .... them: ...". Just--the format of these books makes giving them a shot so, so worth it, I cannot emphasize this enough.
I feel a bit iffy on the plot, and perhaps I simply lost track of some of the cause-and-effect moments, but I'm left with odd questions and musings that would be spoilers if I wrote them down. (So I won't.) I felt the middle of the volume lagged a tad, but enjoyed the ending. I know I rated this 2 stars (I deliberated 3), but this series is also the kind that makes me want to check out secondhand book stores in hopes of owning all 4 someday. Emily is a strange, ingenious, slightly spooky protagonist who libraries should definitely highlight each October.
While I recognize the format of these Emily the Strange books wouldn't suit every reader, I find the unique combination of constantly updated diary plus sketchbook plus scrapbook plus script a hilarious, exciting format. It seems to emphasize both the biases of Emily as documentarian and also the details of what, precisely, people say. I'm still impressed at how much fun I have reading the conversations, of "me: .... them: ...". Just--the format of these books makes giving them a shot so, so worth it, I cannot emphasize this enough.
I feel a bit iffy on the plot, and perhaps I simply lost track of some of the cause-and-effect moments, but I'm left with odd questions and musings that would be spoilers if I wrote them down. (So I won't.) I felt the middle of the volume lagged a tad, but enjoyed the ending. I know I rated this 2 stars (I deliberated 3), but this series is also the kind that makes me want to check out secondhand book stores in hopes of owning all 4 someday. Emily is a strange, ingenious, slightly spooky protagonist who libraries should definitely highlight each October.
September 27, 2018
It’s an experience to see something you loved when you were younger through fresh eyes. While I have yet to read the comics I was very fond of the first two Emily the Strange novels as a teen. I had the third and fourth books on my shelf but just never got around to them. Reading this installment as an adult, I still enjoyed it, but there are some things that stand out from what I remember.
First off, the art is still amazing, especially the covers. I don’t know if this was only done for the hardcovers, but while the dust jackets have amazing art on their own pulling them back reveals a different layer of detail that’s equally appealing to look at. It also has smaller details which make it feel like a real journal, not just with images “taped” on the back but with little doodles on the pages.
However Emily herself is the entire voice of the series, and while her behavior is very typical for an edgy gothic thirteen-year-old, she can be extremely full of herself. The character is at her best when she’s a mad scientist who loves her purring kitties and at her worst when she brags about how above the rest of the world she is. Again, this is typical goth tween behavior, but it can be grating when people around her are struggling and she goes on about how great she is or how she forgot her skateboard when she time travelled or how she’ll take over the world with ease (there’s a part in the book where she talks about how racism hasn’t changed much in the intervening time from the place and the she time traveled to, then circles it around to herself and how it’s another reason for her to resent humanity). However a few of her flaws are addressed and it helps that other characters call her out on her selfishness. If I recall correctly the first two books explore her flaws in more detail.
The supporting cast is likable for the most part. While I would have liked to see Emily interacting with more kids her age (the person who’s ID she takes literally disappears without explanation) her going to high school might have been a bit too typical. Emily’s companionship with Jakey is still likable, especially when he’s willing to call Emily out on her selfishness without downright insulting her. The plot revolving around Emily’s family was fine. I wish Pearl and Opal were more fleshed out. It’s implied Pearl can be strict because she upholds the parenting ideals of the 1700’s but we never see that. Opal does nothing besides motivating other characters or be a love interest. On that note, I’m relieved that in four books with a female protagonist there is no love interest for Emily.
I enjoyed that there was no romantization with traveling to the past. Some details are altered, but the past is brutal, filthy, and not a place you want to go to. Emily confronting her ancestor to get her confidence back by overcoming misogyny was a nice touch, and I think it helped that there’s a woman writer on this that didn’t make it feel forced. Though I think at times it would shame Lily, a thirteen year old girl, for having heightened emotions like crying.
Overall a decent adventure and I would like to see it conclude in book 4.
First off, the art is still amazing, especially the covers. I don’t know if this was only done for the hardcovers, but while the dust jackets have amazing art on their own pulling them back reveals a different layer of detail that’s equally appealing to look at. It also has smaller details which make it feel like a real journal, not just with images “taped” on the back but with little doodles on the pages.
However Emily herself is the entire voice of the series, and while her behavior is very typical for an edgy gothic thirteen-year-old, she can be extremely full of herself. The character is at her best when she’s a mad scientist who loves her purring kitties and at her worst when she brags about how above the rest of the world she is. Again, this is typical goth tween behavior, but it can be grating when people around her are struggling and she goes on about how great she is or how she forgot her skateboard when she time travelled or how she’ll take over the world with ease (there’s a part in the book where she talks about how racism hasn’t changed much in the intervening time from the place and the she time traveled to, then circles it around to herself and how it’s another reason for her to resent humanity). However a few of her flaws are addressed and it helps that other characters call her out on her selfishness. If I recall correctly the first two books explore her flaws in more detail.
The supporting cast is likable for the most part. While I would have liked to see Emily interacting with more kids her age (the person who’s ID she takes literally disappears without explanation) her going to high school might have been a bit too typical. Emily’s companionship with Jakey is still likable, especially when he’s willing to call Emily out on her selfishness without downright insulting her. The plot revolving around Emily’s family was fine. I wish Pearl and Opal were more fleshed out. It’s implied Pearl can be strict because she upholds the parenting ideals of the 1700’s but we never see that. Opal does nothing besides motivating other characters or be a love interest. On that note, I’m relieved that in four books with a female protagonist there is no love interest for Emily.
I enjoyed that there was no romantization with traveling to the past. Some details are altered, but the past is brutal, filthy, and not a place you want to go to. Emily confronting her ancestor to get her confidence back by overcoming misogyny was a nice touch, and I think it helped that there’s a woman writer on this that didn’t make it feel forced. Though I think at times it would shame Lily, a thirteen year old girl, for having heightened emotions like crying.
Overall a decent adventure and I would like to see it conclude in book 4.
September 2, 2018
The only reason I bought and read this book is to fullfil old curiosity. When I was in high school (err college?), I saw many backpacks and T-shirts with her face on it. I was curious enough to find out who she was. Then years later, I found her book in Kinokunoya.
I should have read the first book before reading this one. Because the author seems so busy to tell me who Emily is and what she has done in the previous book. I must discover everything myself.
I got difficulty to understand what Emily talked about. There are a lot of terms that might have been explained in the previous books.
I should have read the first book before reading this one. Because the author seems so busy to tell me who Emily is and what she has done in the previous book. I must discover everything myself.
I got difficulty to understand what Emily talked about. There are a lot of terms that might have been explained in the previous books.
March 16, 2022
Emily decides she might enjoy school if she gets to choose what to study, so she plans a curriculum and her mom offers to teach her the Strange family history. She's curious about her Great Aunt Lily's mysterious death so she builds a time machine and uses a family heirloom to go back to the 1790's and talk to her great aunt in person.
Not a lot of adventure in this one, and Emily needs to rely on others more than usual, but knowing the history of her family is important to understand the rest of the story so if you like this strange family and its great aunts you might still find it interesting.
Not a lot of adventure in this one, and Emily needs to rely on others more than usual, but knowing the history of her family is important to understand the rest of the story so if you like this strange family and its great aunts you might still find it interesting.
September 1, 2025
"I was about to be buried in the best-looking coffin I'd ever seen, and I wouldn't even be too dead to enjoy myself."
I've been binging on Emily the Strange series that I can feel Emily's vernacular seeping into mine, and this time travel book where she's stuck in the 1790s while trying to save her Dark Aunt from a deadly epidemic and the psychic Jakey from the present timeline is the best one. It's entertaining and creative in how the problems and solutions play out. I'm in awe that Rob Reger could write a fun and logical time travel story purely from a 13-year-old's diary entries!
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March 20, 2022I picked up this book not knowing it was the third in a series. Needless to say, I was confused with a lot of things... but somehow, that only added to the charm? But I would still recommend reading the first two books before reading this one.
I'm not a fan of stories that are told in the form of diary entries (though this one isn't the typical type), but this is more of a general opinion that I don't hold against the book.
I didn't give this a rating because I honestly don't know how to rate it. I would've loved this book as a kid, but right now, it just didn't resonate with me.
I'm not a fan of stories that are told in the form of diary entries (though this one isn't the typical type), but this is more of a general opinion that I don't hold against the book.
I didn't give this a rating because I honestly don't know how to rate it. I would've loved this book as a kid, but right now, it just didn't resonate with me.
July 14, 2022
I would have given this 5 stars but this book series, unfortunately, use some language that I personally just don't like, they are very much products of their time. But I do love these books from when I was a child and the art style and the overall aesthetic is to die for, they are edgy but fun and Emily is so likable as a character. I used these books in my dissertation to showcase what it was like to integrate art and narrative.
June 25, 2024
This one was a lot better then the other ones.
It might be because I just came off of a book I detested that this one just seemed so much better in comparison, but either way, I actually was a little more invested in this one.
I'm still enjoying the Diary format. The Time travelling got confusing at some points but I caught up rather quickly. Emily is still a badass, so I'm rather interested to see what hijinks she gets up to in her last book.
It might be because I just came off of a book I detested that this one just seemed so much better in comparison, but either way, I actually was a little more invested in this one.
I'm still enjoying the Diary format. The Time travelling got confusing at some points but I caught up rather quickly. Emily is still a badass, so I'm rather interested to see what hijinks she gets up to in her last book.
February 28, 2020
I'll admit I still see the loopy inner-goth-kid appeal of Rob Reger's "Emily the Strange" YA novels, but the returns are starting to diminish by volume 3. Maybe it's stranding the titular heroine so far back in time that the greyness of the period has little of the modern magic-realist touches that made the first two volumes work so well, but a touch of the magic is missing here.
September 28, 2018
The first quarter or so of this was intensely boring and I only kept reading because it's a quick read and I hate not finishing things, but once the time travel storyline got going it got a lot better. Not sure I need to read any of the other books in the series, though.
February 4, 2020
I enjoyed this one more than the last one I read, Lost Days. These are kind of cute. I would have enjoyed these as a little teen. Haha I wished they’d make some more of her older too. They are simple stories but still fun to read. Quick easy reads.
January 29, 2021
I've been a long time fan. This is my second time reading this book. And while I want to disclose more about it, I don't want to give too much away, I just want to share that this is a great series for teens and middle-grade students to read.
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