Paper Girls, Volume 2

Action-packed sci-fi about growing up and growing older.
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A Lot or a Little?
The parents' guide to what's in this book.
What Parents Need to Know
Parents need to know that Paper Girls , Volume 2 collects five issues of the ongoing comics series by writer Brian K. Vaughan and artist Cliff Chiang. Set in 1988 and in 2016, it tells the story of four 12-year-old newspaper delivery girls who witness incredibly strange events during their early morning rounds. The characters occasionally use strong language, including one or two instances each of "goddamn," "s--t," dick," "hell," and "f--k." One of the girls is a regular smoker. Violent scenes include a fight between two gigantic water organisms, the explosive death of an innocent bystander, and a fight inside a moving helicopter.
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What's the Story?
PAPER GIRLS, VOLUME 2 continues the adventures of newspaper delivery girls.Mac, Tiffany, KJ and Erin as they cope with what might be an alien invasion. KJ has disappeared somehow, and the arrival of Erin's 40-year-old self puts a new spin on things. Previously microscopic water organisms battle to the death, a third version of Erin arrives, and Mac learns more about her future than she wants to know.
Is It Any Good?
The need to add complications to the main plot sometimes scuttles even the most promising ongoing comics series, but this second collection smoothly introduces new wrinkles to the story. Author Brian K. Vaughan makes each character distinct but believable, and the feminist underpinnings of the story ground it in more than empty theatrics. Illustrator Cliff Chiang knows how to choreograph a fight scene, but his artwork also serves the story's quieter, more introspective moments. There are many aspects of the plot left unresolved in Paper Girls, Volume 2, but this superior sci-fi saga is only getting going.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about how Paper Girls, Volume 2 uses the concept of time travel to explore how people change over decades. What would it be like to meet your 40-year-old self?
How does Paper Girls, Volume 2 explore the notion of fate? Are our lives pre-determined, or do we have free will?
What role does violence play in Paper Girls 2? Could some of the violence be avoided?
Book Details
- Author: Brian K. Vaughan
- Illustrator: Cliff Chiang
- Genre: Science Fiction
- Topics: Dinosaurs, Adventures, Friendship, Great Girl Role Models, Middle School, Space and Aliens
- Book type: Fiction
- Publisher: IMAGE
- Publication date: December 6, 2016
- Publisher's recommended age(s): 13 - 18
- Number of pages: 128
- Available on: Paperback, Nook, iBooks
- Last updated: July 13, 2017
Our Editors Recommend
For kids who love graphic novels and science fiction
Themes & Topics
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