Down in the Dumps (Lou! Series #3)

by Julien Neel, Julien Neel (Illustrator)

Overview

Lou's school year is off to a rocky start. Her BFF, Mina, won’t speak to her, but a new friend, Mary Emily, never shuts up. Lou's mom and her new boyfriend are madly in love, but all their smooching is starting to get on Lou's nerves. Meanwhile, a wrecking ball is smashing down the apartment that used to belong to her beloved Tristan. Lou still has a friend in Paul, if she can just work up the courage to write him a letter. Life was a lot easier when dressing up in her pink princess gown and going to the park for ice cream would solve any problem. Is it any wonder that Lou is down in the dumps?

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781467730976
Publisher:	Lerner Publishing Group
Publication date:	11/01/2013
Series:	Lou! Series , #3
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	48
File size:	22 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.
Age Range:	11 - 15 Years

About the Author

Award-winning author and artist Julien Neel began his career as a host of business seminars. His musical puppet show on developing management skills was unfortunately made obsolete by PowerPoint presentations, forcing him to consider a new career in music. After a tour of Europe, his band split over irreconcilable differences about food. He eventually settled in Aix-en-Provence and has joyfully devoted himself exclusively to comics creation for the past ten years or so.

Editorial Reviews

"Lou is almost a teenager, but don't hold that against her. She's the star of a rare combination in comics: a critical success (winner of the Youth Award for ages 9-12 at the world-famous Angoulême Comics Festival) and a runaway pop hit, too, with appearances in various languages in comics and animated television around the world.

And it's easy to see why the whole world has fallen in love with her. She's a sparkling combination of spunky (she frequently takes care of herself when her mother is off being a famous writer…or playing video games) and self-conscious (does Tristan like her? Does she like him?). She surrounds herself with interesting people who see what an interesting person she is even when she doesn't see it herself. She designs her own clothes—with mixed but enthusiastic success. She moves easily among pushy friends, stylish friends, nerdy friends, and even her mother's friends with a conviction that people are basically good and ought to be able to get along. The comics are drawn with daring, using vibrant colors to match Lou's bursting personality, but when the mood turns introspective, the colors slip effortlessly into muted ambers. There's even a hint of manga influence, as the characters' faces take on whatever ludicrous proportions are most appropriate for their emotions-of-the-moment. Lou! deserves every bit of its international acclaim, and you might as well get on the bandwagon now." —Teacher Librarian

From the Publisher

Spunky Lou is back with more drama, heartache and self-discovery. Now 13, Lou is starting a new school year. She quickly befriends the sullen, overprivileged, goth-wannabe Mary Emily. At home, Lou's erratic mother is still alarmingly quirky and is still in a relationship with Richard. With all these changes transpiring so quickly, Lou runs away seeking solitude and answers. Upon returning, she is able to sort things out and is invited to take a seaside vacation with Mary Emily's family. Book 4, The Perfect Summer, picks up on vacation, where Lou runs into past-love Tristan and new-love Paul. Lou's physical changes through these books are glaringly evident: She begins Book 3 still looking childlike, but by the end of Book 4, she begins to show womanly curves—a stark departure from one volume to the next. However, with her age, she seems to be losing her edge. Her funky fashions have fallen by the wayside in exchange for boys and friends, which feels age-appropriate—even though it was fun to see her esoteric ensembles. Though Lou is changing, Neel's inviting, candy-colored art acts as a cohesive element pulling the whole series together. Those new to Lou will find a charming board game at the beginning of Book 3 that introduces former plotlines and characters. A frothy, sugary early-adolescent offering. (Graphic fiction. 9-14)

Kirkus Reviews