Graphic Novel Review: The Girl Who Owned a City by O.T. Nelson, Dan Jolley, Joelle Jones, and Jenn Manley Lee

Title: The Girl Who Owned a City
Author: O.T. Nelson, Dan Jolley, Joelle Jones, and Jenn Manley Lee
Pages: 125
Publication: April 1, 2012
Publisher: Graphic Universe
Summary taken from goodreads: 

A deadly virus killed every adult on Earth, leaving only the kids behind. With her parents gone, Lisa is responsible for her little brother, Todd. She has to make sure they stay alive. Many kids are sick or starving, and fierce gangs are stealing and destroying everything they find. Lots of people have given up, but on Grand Avenue, some kids are surviving. Because of Lisa. 

Lisa figured out how to give the kids on Grand Avenue food, homes, and protection against the gangs. But Tom Logan and his army are determined to take that away and rule the streets themselves. How long can Lisa's group keep fighting them off? They need to find a place to live safely. A strong place. A secret place. 

In a world like this, someone has to take charge. But does Lisa have the strength to take charge of a whole city?

3 STARS - I LIKED IT

MY REVIEW: 

I really liked Lisa. She was smart and mature for a twelve year old while, but you could tell that she was still a kid because of the naivete that she displayed on rare occasions. Plus, she was a natural born leader who did not become pigheaded from arrogance because she acknowledged the heavy burden of responsibility that came with being a leader. 

The other characters weren't that fleshed out, but they still were interesting to read, especially Lisa's little brother.

There were some plotholes that weren't mentioned again after the beginning, like the origins of the virus that killed everyone but the kids (which reminds me of Michael Grant's Gone series), and if it was still alive, ready to kill kids at a certain age. And the resolution was somewhat iffy, too. I'm not going to give it away, but we're talking about kids here; kids easily let their emotions get in the way. I'm not sure if Logan's decision was really plausible. 

Nonetheless, I actually liked this graphic novel enough to overlook the plotholes.