Lou! 3: Down in the Dumps

(Paperback)

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Description

This award-winning series has sold over 800,000 copies in France and Belgium and it has been translated into 14 languages. It is also a popular animated series in France. The romance between Richard and Lou's mom has finally blossomed (with more PDA than Lou can stomach). Lou's new school year is off to a bad start when she and Mina are assigned to different classrooms. An argument breaks out (who can remember why) and suddenly these best friends aren't on speaking terms. Lou finds a new friend in Mary Emily, a moody goth who loves nothing more than talking about herself. Lou misses her best friend and the simpler days of her childhood. She is troubled by something she can't quite describe--her doctor's diagnosis is an "adolescence crisis."

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 Angoulme 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

Lou's new school year starts disastrously when BFF Mina seems to quickly find a new friend and won't talk to Lou. Meanwhile, Lou's new friend, Mary Emily, talks nonstop. Lou's mom and her new boyfriend get on her nerves with all their smooching, and she doesn't know how to reply to a letter. She is feeling low and lonely, so now what The front endpapers are set up like a board game that provides readers with a great synopsis of the first two volumes in the Lou! series. Middle-grade readers will relate to the angst of changing relationships that comes with adolescence. --Booklist Online

Author Bio

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.

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.