Books – Books By Brown

Starred Reviews for 83 DAYS IN MARIUPOL

admin — Sat, 23 Sep 2023 20:06:36 +0000

★ “An important piece of history in progress is captured here, and readers will not fail to be moved.” — School Library Journal (starred review)

★ “Bolstered with robust source notes, this is a flawless book about a senseless atrocity.” — Booklist (starred review)

★ “Brown offers up an intensely powerful graphic novel that humanizes an overwhelming tragedy. [His] masterful composition layers the emotional impact throughout, utilizing each element of the graphic novel format to function much like a documentary, chronicling the violence, terror, and bravery seen in the 83 days of intense battle.” — Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books (starred review)

★ “Here’s a rare chronicle of a contemporary, ongoing war. This powerful work of graphic nonfiction concludes with source notes and a bibliography.”
— Horn Book (starred review)

2022 YALSA Non-Fiction Award Nominee!

admin — Mon, 10 Jan 2022 17:40:08 +0000

2022 YALSA Non-Fiction Award Nominee!

NY Times lauds FALLEN TOWERS

admin — Mon, 18 Oct 2021 17:48:26 +0000

“With striking illustrations and immersive storytelling, this is a helpful primer for young readers who want to learn about the significance of 9/11.”

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/07/07/books/summer-ya-graphic-novel.html

Horn Book Starred Review for FALLEN TOWERS!

admin — Mon, 18 Oct 2021 17:44:25 +0000

“Once again, Brown shows his mastery of the graphic format for portraying humanity in the most trying of circumstances.”

SLJ Review: “…One of comics journalism’s best.”

admin — Mon, 18 Oct 2021 17:38:32 +0000

“With a palette of mostly cool or ashy watercolors, the red heat of the destruction abruptly and noticeably pops off the page. Varied panel layouts capture the frenetic pace of the emergency, while spreads offer powerful moments of pause. Detailed back matter includes an afterword, sobering statistics, source notes, and an extensive bibliography. Most of the subjects featured in the book are white. VERDICT A succinct and impactful look at one of America’s worst tragedies, skillfully rendered by one of comics journalism’s best.”

Booklist Starred Review for SHOT IN THE ARM

admin — Mon, 08 Mar 2021 21:55:55 +0000

Brown could be considered the format’s premiere historian for young readers; his exhaustive research is always coupled with an understanding of human motivation and an inviting, unostentatious visual style, all while connecting the past to the world we live in now. It’s never been more urgent than in his latest, which is nearly a direct sequel to his previous Fever Year (2019). He begins his look at the development of vaccines with the origin of smallpox (smallpox scars were found on the mummified remains of an Egyptian pharaoh!) and the disease’s terrifying effects through the early eighteenth century, when our charming narrator, Mary Wortley Montagu, brought the idea of inoculations from the Ottoman Empire and popularized it in England. While tracing the work of several scientists (and cows!), Brown explicates the development of vaccines for the likes of anthrax, rabies, and polio and brings readers right back around to the eradication of smallpox. He includes stops along the way to look at the social resistance to vaccinations and the occasional but deadly missteps. And we end right now, with a note of hope for our current struggle against COVID-19. Simple visual flourishes, like a page full of graves to illustrate a death toll, have real impact, and copious back matter, including a time line, bibliography, and index, make for another insightful, erudite, and engaging work.

SLJ Starred Review for SHOT IN THE ARM

admin — Mon, 08 Mar 2021 21:45:17 +0000

Brown lays out the history of vaccinations in this relevant addition to the “Big Ideas That Changed the World” series. Narrator Lady Mary Wortley Montagu, an early Western champion of inoculation, marches readers through the history of smallpox, a highly contagious disease that claimed millions of lives all over the world, leaving survivors disfigured and blind. Born in 1689, Lady Mary had her own children inoculated, having learned of the practice from her time in the Ottoman Empire. When Princess Caroline of Wales discovered it, she commissioned an experiment on prisoners before having her own children safeguarded. This kicked off not only the normalization of inoculation in the Western world but also the critical research that led to safer methods of disease prevention, such as vaccinating people with the less deadly cowpox. Brown travels through time, covering the effective eradication of polio before arriving finally at the COVID-19 pandemic. Throughout, he emphasizes there were always those who did not trust scientists and doctors. The U.S. Supreme Court even ruled in the 1880s that Cambridge, MA, had “the right to protect itself against an epidemic of disease which threatens the safety of its members” by making smallpox vaccination mandatory. The blue and sepia tones add a nostalgic wash to the clean, clear layouts. Brown’s decisive tone is at times firm, often playful, and never condescending. VERDICT Shedding light on a topic that’s all too timely, this thorough chronicle of vaccination is essential for all libraries.

The Unwanted Sibert Honors!

admin — Mon, 04 Feb 2019 22:46:45 +0000

The Unwanted chosen as a Sibert Honors book!

A portion of my awards speech at the ALA Mid Winter Conference.

THE UNWANTED YALSA 2019!

admin — Mon, 04 Feb 2019 22:44:29 +0000

The Unwanted wins 2019 YALSA AWARD for non-fiction!

A portion of my awards speech.

Rocket to the Moon: Kirkus Starred Review!

admin — Wed, 19 Dec 2018 21:55:28 +0000

Kirkus starred review for Rocket to the Moon