Dragon Ball Z by Akira Toriyama

It’s been a long time coming but  Akira Toryama has brought manga and anime into the world spotlight! In Dragon Ball Z  Goku has settled down on planet Earth and started a family,  although never in his wildest dreams would the Saiyan warrior have thought this would be his life!   But it all comes crashing down as his elder brother Raditz arrives on Earth  ready to conquer it. 

This is only the tip of the iceberg as we learn that more Saiyan warriors,  led by an evil emperor,  are on their way to Earth.  Now Goku must gather up the strongest warriors to defend his new home and family. 

Anyone who is already a manga fan,  or anyone wanting to know where to start should pick up and read Dragon Ball Z! --Claudio Leon

Toriyama, Akira. Dragon Ball Z. San Francisco: VIZ Media, 2011. Print.

Safe Passage by G. Neri and David Brame

G. Neri, the acclaimed author of the graphic novel Yummy has crafted another unputdown-able graphic novel in black and white.   Set in  Chicago,  Safe Passage tells the story of 15 year-old Darius who recently lost his mother to gun violence.

Darius and his younger half-sister Cissy are being raised by Darius’ step- father who is struggling with unemployment and the threat of eviction after the loss of his wife.  Their stepfather is determined to keep his kids on a “safe path” through school, despite the ever-present threat of gang violence in the neighborhood.

At school Darius just wants to get through the day, but his friend Booger has flashy dreams about grabbing the chance to make a cool half-million.   Cissy however is not going to let Darius out of her sight.  And so the adventure begins.

Readers who have asked for another one just like Yummy will find that Safe Passage is at least twice as long,   but readers  who hunger for more and have the stamina to read 200 pages will not be disappointed.  In keeping things realer than real, and in bringing the hard truths of Chicago gangland to the page, Neri’s storytelling skills are on display. Highly recommended for all readers craving realistic, urban  stories.--Jessica Fenster-Sparber

Neri, G. and David Brame.  Safe Passage.  New York: Lee and Low, 2024.  Print.

Programming Spotlight: Playwriting with the New Victory Theater

 

The talented and charismatic Marisol Rosa-Shapiro and Hassiem Muhammad recently returned to Passages Academy’s Belmont site to reprise their mini-residency centered on playwriting and Lorraine Hansberry’s A Raisin in the Sun in collaboration with Mrs. Ernyey, Belmont’s English Language Arts teacher.  The  artists taught students from Abbott and St. John’s groups about the elements of playwriting and engaged students in creative writing activities that culminated in student-written dialogues performed in our school library today.  Students worked earnestly and had so much fun when it came time to perform!--Jessica Fenster-Sparber