Member Reviews

Very cute story and lovely watercolour illustrations. It's maybe trying to be a little bit TOO wholesome (Katie O'Neill's work is the perfect mix of adorable and positive messages without going overboard and this story is more wholesome than those) but there's no doubting there's a lovely story to share with children here, and I can't imagine anyone not smiling as they put it down. Certainly one that younger children will enjoy if they like fantasy.

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I was provided an e-arc from netgalley to read and review

I unfortunately missed the opportunity to read

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This is a great book for libraries serving young readers, especially kids who are struggling learning to read. The art is lovely, and the story is empowering, showing readers that reading is only one kind of skill, not the definition of smart.

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Emiline is a girl who wants to be a knight. How she gets there is an interesting story.

This is book that looks very promising. However, the story gets very confusing and difficult to follow. As an adult, I had to re-read several pages to understand, so the intended audience would definitely have problems following the story. The illustrations are wonderful, but the text could use some editing and refining.

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'Emiline: Knight in Training' with words and art by Kimberli Johnson is about a young girl training to be a knight and the problems she is having.

Emiline is a young child training to be a knight. We don't know why because we just get dropped in to the story. The young knights are trying to learn things, but Emiline is hindered because she has trouble reading. Emiline is good at other things. Can she be good at reading too?

I didn't realize that this was a #1 in the series, because it felt like there should have been a bit more lead-in to the story. The art is a bit too cutesy for me. So was the story. I like the idea of a story about learning to read, but this story felt lacking.

I received a review copy of this graphic novel from Oni Press and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this graphic novel.

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The illustrations are absolutely lovely, but the story left a lot to be desired. It read like it was just the beginnings of a plot without anything to flush it all out and it desperately needs more text to flush it out. First, it felt like it was the middle of a much larger story, none of which we get - it refers to past events that aren't covered and I felt needed to be, and I didn't feel it fully reached the end of the story either. The premise was intriguing though, so I do hope the author continues with the characters in more depth.

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Emiline is a beautiful book. I was not in time to read this book on Netgalley but enjoyed the experience of reviewing it later. Recommended for young readers and ready for classroom use.

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This was a cute picture book about Emiline, a dyslexic knight-in-training who learns to read to save her friends.

I'm definitely not the target demographic for this book but I felt the story was too short and simple and wish readers knew more about Emiline's training, relationship with her unicorn and friends (as well as their names) and what kind of knight she is.

The illustrations were cute (the blue dragon and pink unicorn were adorable). I might be being a bit too picky but the inconsistent proportions bugged me - in some panels, Emiline's teacher looks like a giant, but in other pages, she appears to be a regular sized adult. Also, the blue dragon looks tiny in most panels but is also big enough to wrap it's body around four kids and an adult?

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With a dyslexia-friendly font this little book is accessible to many young readers,
Emiline is a knight in training, very good at riding and other ‘’knight things’ but not so great at reading. Her teacher reminds her that somethings can sometimes be more difficult and there are things she is very good at.
When disaster strikes, it’s up to Emiline to help her friends. Through her perseverance with her reading, she is able to save the day,

With lovely pictures and child-friendly language, using a theme that many children will find engaging, this story effortlessly gives out the message that resilience and perseverance can pay off.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for granting me access to an advance copy of this ebook in exchange for an honest review.

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A wonderful story that is concise with a clear message for young readers about the power and the privilege of becoming literate.

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Emiline is a knight in training. She likes many aspects of their learning, but reading is not one of them. Reading is proving to be quite the challenge for her, but her teacher encourages her not to give up. While on a field trip to move some dragon eggs out of the winter cold to a warm cave, Emiline learns the importance of persistence and reading for a successful quest.

The point of this book is obviously to encourage kids who are having extra trouble with reading to not give up. Like a knight trying to fulfill a quest, they must be brave and not give up when it gets tough. (I thought at first that because the words swam in front of Emiline’s eyes in one frame she was going to end up having dyslexia, but that wasn’t the case. Which I found disappointing because we could use a picture book on dyslexia for kids. Oh well.) The pastel colors of the illustrations, and the frilly fanciful beasts that Emiline and her classmates ride will highly appeal to the same crowd who loves Fancy Nancy and other such books. This book is picture book length and aimed at the typical picture book age reading audience, but is also set up like a graphic novel with frames (which allows for a bit more dialogue and action than a typical 32 page picture book). It’s a cute story set in an imaginative world featuring a little main character who doesn’t give up when the going gets rough. I feel like it could have been better with a little more plot development of other aspects of the world as it felt a little choppy as is, but kids likely won’t care. Hand this one to readers who like the glittery and frilly, and those who are having a hard time at something.

I received an ARC of this title from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

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Sweet story that shows everyone has their own skills and speeds for learning. I like the gentle art and the fanciful animals. A great tale of brave deeds for boys and girls alike.

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Emiline was a quick, pleasant read. The art is warm and soft, and the character's steeds were extra sweet. However, the book was a little heavy-handed with the moral of the story. It might be a good readaloud, but I'd be surprise if it was anyone's favorite book.

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Emiline by Kimberli Johnson has such lovely picture done in comicbook style. Emiline is a smart girl in Knight training but she is having trouble learning to read. The class has a mission to complete and when it falls on Emiline, can she show she has what it takes?
I struggled getting into this short story but in the end I thought it was a cute story to encourage children to stick it out when things get hard and they can achieve their goals.

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This picture book features Emiline, a little girl who is training to be a knight. She struggles with reading because she has dyslexia, but her teacher encourages her to do her best and rise to the challenge. When her fellow knights are in danger, Emiline is the only one who can lead the way to safety by reading the riddle on a magic door and opening the portal.

The story is simple and fun. The illustrations are soft and graceful. But I'm not particularly impressed.
The story is almost TOO simple. The illustrations are TOO soft. I would have liked a little more clarity in the artwork. And the plot needed some more depth. There's a lot of "telling" instead of "showing", and the dialogue could have been more polished.

It's a lovely little book, and I enjoyed reading it. Emiline is completely adorable, and I admire her spunk.

Disclaimer: I received an ecopy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for a free and honest review. All the opinions stated here are my own true thoughts, and are not influenced by anyone.

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Emiline: Knight in Training tells the tale of a brave little knight who has trouble with reading in a graphic novel. The water-color illustrations are some of the most beautiful you’ll find; however, readers will find that only the youngest readers won’t find the story too preachy and predictable.

In the interest of full disclosure, I received this book from NetGalley and Oni Press in exchange for an honest review.

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Emiline is a sweet little story about a little girl who is learning to read, problem solve, and become braver. The story is placed in a knight-in-training setting, but being a "knight" is not central to the story. The story jumps from task to task, showing how Emiline masters each, while discovering herself in the process.

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Oh my gosh, this was so heartwarming! Now I need a physical copy to hug all night long. So sweet!

This is the story of Emiline, a child training to become a knight who has a hard time reading. While she’s brave and smart, she struggles when she must read books and magical words.

The book is a really uplifting story about overcoming challenges and never giving up. The best part: the book has been designed to be easier to read for children with dislexia!

As a school counselor, I highly recommend this book. I think there are a lot of children out there who really need to read something like this.

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Firstly the art is absolutely stunning and I loved the characters with their different mounts in the pastel watercolor tones. The idea for the book was great, but the end product is lacking in my opinion. We are thrown into the story and don't get any introduction, map or whatsoever. I don't even think that we got to know the name of the boy on the goat.
What I am saying is it should have been longer and more fleshed out. So much potential! I can only give this 2 stars for the artwork and the idea of the book. I hope the author is re-publishing a re-edited longer version at some point in the future.

Thank you Netgalley and ONI press for providing me with a copy of Emiline.

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Thank you to @netgalley and @onipress for the ARC of Emiline Knight in Training by Kimberli Johnson.
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So this is not your typical graphic novel even for kids. It is going to appeal to a very small age range and is definitely going to appeal to more girls than boys. The artwork is very retro and reminiscent of the 1980’s, think original Strawberry Shortcake. With that being said I think this graphic novel is sweet, beautiful, and has a beautiful message. It would be a perfect tool for teachers in pre-k, kindergarten who have children in their classroom who are learning to read or struggling to learn to read. Beyond this small group or a parent who has a struggling reader at home, I don’t see this book having a large reading base.
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The story follows a little girl in knights school who is struggling with the tasks due to not being able to read. She keeps trying though, and in the end her stick to it personality saves the day. As someone who personally struggled to learned to read, I can say I would have LOVED this book when I was a little girl. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

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