The Amelia Rules! series is probably the best kids comic I’ve seen on our library’s bookshelf, especially if you’re a 10 year old girl.  Amelia McBride is smart, sassy, but still normal and down-to-Earth.  In a market where everything for girls is pink or focused on being a “Bratz” kind of kid, Amelia still runs around outside with her friends.

One of the best things about this series is that it works on two levels.  A child will enjoy Amelia’s point of view and her story while parents will get her Aunt’s and Mother’s popular culture references and adult life trouble stories. 

The newest collection, When the Past is  Present, collects Amelia’s story from 2007, including the comic that was part of Free Comic Book Day.  The topics range from dreading the first day of school, learning that her divorced mother is doing out on a date, remembering the time she tried to run away from home with a friend, comforting a fellow classmate whose father is being shipped off to Iraq, and taking a moment to find out about her own family history. 

This volume would be great for a family read.  There is so much to discuss.  I found the story about the dad being shipped to Iraq overdone but at the same time, it was interesting to see it told from a 10 year old’s perspective.  And perhaps a child going through something similar or that new someone who was experiencing that, would find comfort in this comic.  The other comic about embracing your family history and getting to know your parents as people was touching, since I don’t think many of us get to that point until we are in college. 

Another solid set of stories and great artwork.  I hope we see many more years of Amelia Rules!