Kathryn's Inbox

A toxic relationship is at the very heart of this LGBTQI+ graphic novel. Freddy Riley is learning the hard way that love hurts. All she wants, more than anything, is to have a meaningful relationship with her girlfriend, Laura Dean, who she loves more than anything. But Laura Dean likes to live life on her terms, and doesn't seem to understand how her actions and choices can hurt the people around her, especially Freddy. The pair break up after Laura Dean cheats on her, and Freddy finds herself searching for answers. Her search continues as she and Laura Dean get back together again, and she neglects her best friend Doodle, who is going through some pretty heavy duty struggles of her own. Eventually, Freddy realises what she needs to do, and how she deserves to be treated. This was a compelling read, one that provides readers with some insight into the nature of toxic relationships. Laura Dean is portrayed as being selfish to the point where she truly cannot comprehend how her beha...

Breaking Glass reimagines DC Anti-Hero Harley Quinn as eccentric, misfit teen Harleen. Harleen has experienced her fair share of injustices and prejudices by age fifteen. And things have compounded again, now that she's just arrived in Gotham City and discovered that her grandmother--who she was supposed to live with--has passed away and no one bothered to tell her, or her mother. Fortunately, she's taken in by her grandmother's dear friend, drag queen Mama, who becomes a solid role model. At Gotham High, she becomes firm friends with Ivy, an activist who truly wants to make a difference. But then more challenges arise when a powerful real estate company moves to take over Mama's apartment block. To stop it, Harleen needs to make a tough choice. Should she stand with her friends, who are campaigning tirelessly against the changes. Or should she join with her new friend, the Joker, who promises faster and more decisive action against the corporation who want Harleen and...

There is a quiet beauty to this graphic novel of a girl on the cusp of adolescence. Rose and her parents travel to Awago Beach every summer. Rose's friend Windy is always there with her family too, and the pair have become fast friends. This year things are different. Rose and Windy are no longer little kids, but they're not quite yet adolescents and they're starting to notice a lot of things in the world around them. Suddenly, things aren't quite as cozy or as happy as they used to be. Essentially, this is a story about a girl who is learning that the world isn't the safe place that she thought it would be. Rose is crushing on an older boy (one who really isn't much of a catch,) and struggles to come to terms with some of the harsh realities of life when she discovers that his girlfriend is pregnant. She reacts in a way that, while it isn't nice, is realistic. Luckily, Windy is slightly better adjusted and is able to set her straight. There is a con...