Jun is a scholarship student at the exclusive, all-girls Ellsmere Academy. We follow her through her first year at the academy as she adjusts to the harder coursework and makes friends and enemies alike. While an ominous presence is hinted at in the forest, the fantasy elements were barely-there, poorly explained, and didn't add much to the story except a deus ex machina. While Faith Erin Hicks' artwork is beautiful and a joy to look at, the story didn't feel fleshed out and the fantasy element was underdeveloped.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher I was able to read this book in exchange for an honest review.
***
One Year at Ellsmere by Faith Erin Hicks is a reprint that was originally titled The War at Ellsmere that was touched up and shows Hicks art style off as it’s grown. (The original publishing date was 2008, and Hicks has done a lot of work over the years. It’d be cool to compare the two books at some point.)
Juniper, Jun, is the new girl at Ellsmere Girls Academy, the first and only scholarship student so far to attend. She starts off making a new friend (Cassie) and enemy (Emily) all on the same day and so starts her introduction to her new school life. She fights to stay on top of her grades and prove (mostly to just herself) that she deserves to be at this school.
It’s a quick, easy, and fun read. Jun has a lot of pressure on her (again mostly herself putting it all there) but her head butting with Emily keeps the tension and the story moving forward. Enjoyable read for a middle schooler or anyone really. Hicks creates a consumable story where you cheer for Jun to rise in defense of herself and not let herself be knocked down.

I love a good graphic novel, and one set at a boarding school....yes please! I discovered Faith Erin Hicks when she collaborated with Rainbow Rowell on Pumpkinheads, which was adorable, so I was very excited to get an advanced review copy of One Year at Ellsmere. From what I understand, she kind of "redid" and "fancied up" this comic from when she published it before, and I definitely think it looks nicer, though I'll be interested to compare it to the original as well! 

Juniper arrives at Ellsmere School (Academy?) for Girls and immediately ends up dealing with the social scene that is a new school, girls who think highly of themselves, and adapting to a new environment. I expected this to be a lot more magical than it was--and I'm really not sure why. Maybe it's just the cover that made me feel more whimsical? There's a little bit of intrigue in the forest, but this is far from Hogwarts. It's got serious Mean Girls vibes going on--there's the nice roommate who has her own issues, the mean girl who thinks she's uber smart and deserves it all, and Juniper, the scholarship kid--so you know what that means. I'm pretty sure this was originally titled "The War at Ellsmere" so I'm interested to see where future books in the series go. 

This book is pretty low-stakes, but it's a cute read. I like boarding school settings, and Juniper is a cool character, so I'll probably pick up the next book in the series, but I am just simply curious about where this plot will take us.

I fell in love with Faith's style in Pumpkinheads and I'm so lucky I got an e-ARC of this title. The story is linear and well structured, and I almost immediately fell for all the characters. Jun reminds me of me in high school and so I felt like the emotions captured in her year at a new school, with so many expectations on her, was well-captured and familiar. The bit of whimsy in the story just makes me like it even more. Can't wait to be able to pass this along in July!

I really enjoyed this book as it was originally published "War at Ellsmere." I liked this newly drawn version even better! It is crisp and clear. The story is great (I am hoping to see year two and beyond)! The art is really nice; I appreciate Hicks' bolder lines with not too many small details. This makes it easier to take in a whole panel easily. The story is a good school drama with new friends and "enemies." I look forward to sharing this newly enhanced version with my patrons! Perfect for fans of the Berrybrook Middle School series and Raina Telegemeire.

An interesting take on the new girl at boarding school trope. Faith Erin Hicks adds a dash of fantasy. As usual her artistry is gorgeous but I found the plot to jump around a little bit and the fantasy elements needed more build up.

I really liked this sweet story about friendship and rivalry at a girls' boarding school. I fell in love with boarding school stories as a child and never grew out of my love for them, so I look forward to handselling this graphic novel to a new generation of readers who can grow up to love campus novels. Beautiful artwork as usual from Faith Erin Hicks.

I'm already a fan of Faith Erin Hicks' work, so I'm probably biased, but I very much enjoyed One Year at Ellemere. The story is short and, in its current form as a standalone book, a bit one-one, but I could easily see this spinning out into a longer series. While at its heart it is a fish out of water school days tale, there's also an interesting fantasy/horror element. Both aspects of the story are deserving of additional volumes.

One Year at Ellsmere is a revamping of Faith Erin Hicks' 2008 graphic novel The War at Ellsmere. I'm not familiar with the original graphic novel, but as a fan of Hicks' other works (Nameless City series, Pumpkinheads) I couldn't wait to dive in.

This middle grade graphic novel introduces readers to Juniper, a 13-year-old who just transferred to Ellsmere thanks to a scholarship. She quickly becomes friends with her roommate Cassie. Things are going smoothly, other than the fact that Jun and Cassie are often bullied by mean-girl Emily.

I always enjoy Faith Erin Hicks' art. Her character design is so appealing to me, and she's great at capturing facial expressions. It was also nice to see a decent amount of the school and grounds.

I came away wanting a little bit more from the story: more character development (especially from Emily, who comes across a little one-note as the villain here), a little more about Ellsmere's history (which intrigued me from the glimpse we were given), and more about the magical elements. The ending gave me a sense that this has the potential to become a series, and I think that could help answer some of the questions I was left with. If there was a second book, I'd definitely be checking it out.

That being said, this was an fast single-sitting read for me. Hicks is a great writer and artist, and I think this tale of friendship is one that middle grade readers will enjoy.

One Year at Ellsmere is a great school comic about friendship. I remember the old version, so I was happy to see what Hicks had done with the revamping! The comic looks quite fresh now and it's in color, which is awesome. Juniper wins a scholarship to a school for rich and legacy kids called Ellsmere. She's smart and wants to become a doctor and needs the experience. Except the school isn't quite what she expected, but she manages to make a friend and even enemies. The forest is dark and it has a protector of sorts, who cannot stand injustice. Gladly Juniper is all for justice! I enjoyed the plot although it was somewhat cliched and didn't build enough persona for the characters. The comic is an easy read surely and works for younger readers too, but perhaps I didn't see the kids being their age in the comic - they felt older. Somehow it all seemed so distant in a sense.

The art looks very Hicks-like as in it's clear and easy to follow. The line art is steady and soft with heavy ink at times. Works nicely! The color world is very realistic and deep. Hicks makes good comics for kids and they are easy to approach, but still have content, which is important. I enjoy reading her works a lot! This one too doesn't have too much text and it's a good thing for younger readers, since we need comics like that more.

"One Year at Ellsmere" is a fun graphic novel. The art and story are simple. I'll recommend this one to patrons.