Amelia Rules!
Encyclopedia
Amelia Rules! is the title of a comic book
series written and drawn by Jimmy Gownley
. Amelia Rules! follows the life of Amelia Louise McBride as she adjusts to life in a new town after her parents' divorce causes her to leave life in Manhattan
. She is helped along the way by an odd group of friends and her ever-cool Aunt Tanner Clark.
The book has been nominated for 11 Eisner Awards as well as five Harvey Awards. It was also a short list finalist for the Howard E. Day Prize
in 2002. In 2007 Amelia Rules! Volume 3: Superheroes won the Cybil Award for Best graphic novel for readers twelve and under.
Seven book collections of comic book stories have been published so far: 'The Whole World's Crazy, What Makes You Happy, Superheroes, When the Past is a Present, The Tweenage Guide to Not Being Unpopular, True Things (Adults Don't Want Kids to Know) and The Meaning of Life...and Other Stuff (in which amelia's dad is in town, she makes and then is kicked off the team for reasons which happened in the last book and then put back on and amelia learning about it from tanner's diary searches for the meaning of life) .
In 2008 Amelia Rules! received 4 Eisner Nominations, tying Gownley for most nominations by an individual that year. Nominations that year were for "Best Title For A Younger Audience," "Best Single Issue," "Best Coloring," and "Best Lettering. Also in 2008, the Pennsylvania Library Association named Amelia Rules! Volume 4, as one of its "One Book" award winners.
In 2009 Amelia Rules! was nominated for three Harvey Awards: Best Artist (Jimmy Gownley), Best Letterer (Jimmy Gownley) and Best Graphic Album.
What Makes You Happy,
Superheroes,
When The Past Is A Present,
The Tweenage Guide To Not Being Unpopular,
True Things (Adults Don't Want Kids To Know),
The Meaning of Life (and Other Stuff)... not yet released,
A Very Ninja Christmas (Reprinting the Christmas story from The Whole World's Crazy plus an origin story),
Funny Stories (a best of digest sized collection)
Amelia Louise McBride is a 5th grade spitfire. A whip-smart, wisecracking tomboy who can be surprisingly sweet and giving. Forced out of New York City following her parents’ divorce, Amelia takes setbacks in stride...for the most part.
Reggie Grabinsky
Reggie Grabinsky will one day be th
Being popular is difficult for everyone. Being the most popular kid in class is a challenge.
Pajamaman
Being the most popular kid in class, being dirt poor, never speaking, and never changing out of your “footie” pajamas requires the magic of the man...Pajamaman. How does he do it? Pajamaman is a loyal friend, a great listener, and cute as a button.
Though he’s the shy, silent type, you can always know what “PM” is thinking by checking out the symbol on his jammies.
Tanner Clark
Amelia’s Aunt Tanner is a friend, a confidant, and a mentor. She’s Amelia’s Jiminy Cricket. That is, if Jiminy was a Rock ‘N Roll Hipster hottie, instead of, y’know, a bug. She always tells the truth, even when it’s difficult. At one time Tanner was a pop rock princess who ruled the charts, but she retired for mysterious reasons and now lives the quiet life in small town PA. But there’s always the chance of a big time comeback tour.
Amelia’s Mom & Dad
Typical average parents who are going through a divorce. Amelia’s mom is a bit too overwhelmed to completely connect with her daughter at times but her love for Amelia is evident. She uses care and caution when approaching potentially unsettling moments, like telling Amelia that they are moving (again) and breaking the news that she is going out on a date.
Amelia’s dad also loves his daughter unconditionally, but struggles to be an active part of her life, given his infrequent visits and the miles that separate them. A bit depressed from the collapse of his marriage and the dwindling popularity of the company he promotes (he’s marketing director for Softee Chicken, a once-popular kids’ franchise), he still maintains a semi-cordial relationship with his ex.
Ninja Kyle
Leader of G.A.S.P.’s arch-rivals, the Park View Terrace Ninjas, Kyle comes off as an arrogant jerk, taking great delight in embarrassing (even humiliating) other kids. But Kyle’s jerk-like tendencies may be rooted in something deeper - a genuine affection for Amelia, who reluctantly gets past Kyle’s tough exterior, and even agrees to be his “date” to their first school dance. It is difficult to understand how Amelia could ignore Kyle's awful behavior, and it can only be guessed that Kyle's occasional moments of humanity make it difficult for her to remember the worse things he's done. He was injured in a fall at the climax of "True Things".
Sunday Jones
Amelia’s best friend from her New York days, Sunday is Amelia’s equal in terms of spunk and wit.
Ninja Joan Driscoll
Originally known to Amelia only as a member of the rival Park View Terrace Ninjas, Joan became closer friends with Amelia and Rhonda after her father, a Captain in the US Army, was deployed overseas for a year. Joan’s tomboy tendencies and a quick wit make her a natural fit in Amelia’s small group of friends.
Owen
A minor friend of Amelia. He is mentioned to always smell like cheese. He is also a member of G.A.S.P., although, he doesn't seem to have an alter ego and simply wears homemade wings that he believes enables him to fly, which is proven wrong when he attempted to ambush the Park View Terrace Ninjas and fell.
Mary Violet/Ultra Violet
A girl who appears to be Catholic and described as a "Cabbage Patch Kid that threw up". In the second volume, she develops a violent personality after a fight with Reggie and joins G.A.S.P. under the alias Ultra Violet.
Earth Dog
Reggie's cousin who enjoys writing poems and is a member of G.A.S.P. as Bear Hugger.
Bug And Iggy
Bullies that torment Reggie. This is temporarily halted after Reggie sneeze-barfed on them. Later, they continue to bully and annoy Reggie by existing.
Comic book
A comic book or comicbook is a magazine made up of comics, narrative artwork in the form of separate panels that represent individual scenes, often accompanied by dialog as well as including...
series written and drawn by Jimmy Gownley
Jimmy Gownley
Jimmy Gownley is an American comic book writer/artist best known for his award winning comic book Amelia Rules. He grew up in the small town of Girardville, Pennsylvania and started to write and draw his own comics at an early age. His first published work was Shades of Gray, which he...
. Amelia Rules! follows the life of Amelia Louise McBride as she adjusts to life in a new town after her parents' divorce causes her to leave life in Manhattan
Manhattan
Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
. She is helped along the way by an odd group of friends and her ever-cool Aunt Tanner Clark.
The book has been nominated for 11 Eisner Awards as well as five Harvey Awards. It was also a short list finalist for the Howard E. Day Prize
Howard E. Day Prize
Created by comic-book writer-artist-publisher Dave Sim and his collaborator, Gerhard, in memory of Sim's late mentor and self-publishing pioneer Gene Day , the Howard E. Day Prize was awarded yearly from 2002 until 2008 for outstanding achievement in self-publishing...
in 2002. In 2007 Amelia Rules! Volume 3: Superheroes won the Cybil Award for Best graphic novel for readers twelve and under.
Seven book collections of comic book stories have been published so far: 'The Whole World's Crazy, What Makes You Happy, Superheroes, When the Past is a Present, The Tweenage Guide to Not Being Unpopular, True Things (Adults Don't Want Kids to Know) and The Meaning of Life...and Other Stuff (in which amelia's dad is in town, she makes and then is kicked off the team for reasons which happened in the last book and then put back on and amelia learning about it from tanner's diary searches for the meaning of life) .
In 2008 Amelia Rules! received 4 Eisner Nominations, tying Gownley for most nominations by an individual that year. Nominations that year were for "Best Title For A Younger Audience," "Best Single Issue," "Best Coloring," and "Best Lettering. Also in 2008, the Pennsylvania Library Association named Amelia Rules! Volume 4, as one of its "One Book" award winners.
In 2009 Amelia Rules! was nominated for three Harvey Awards: Best Artist (Jimmy Gownley), Best Letterer (Jimmy Gownley) and Best Graphic Album.
Books in the Series
'The Whole World's Crazy,What Makes You Happy,
Superheroes,
When The Past Is A Present,
The Tweenage Guide To Not Being Unpopular,
True Things (Adults Don't Want Kids To Know),
The Meaning of Life (and Other Stuff)... not yet released,
A Very Ninja Christmas (Reprinting the Christmas story from The Whole World's Crazy plus an origin story),
Funny Stories (a best of digest sized collection)
The Cast
Amelia McBrideAmelia Louise McBride is a 5th grade spitfire. A whip-smart, wisecracking tomboy who can be surprisingly sweet and giving. Forced out of New York City following her parents’ divorce, Amelia takes setbacks in stride...for the most part.
Reggie Grabinsky
Reggie Grabinsky will one day be th
Being popular is difficult for everyone. Being the most popular kid in class is a challenge.
Pajamaman
Being the most popular kid in class, being dirt poor, never speaking, and never changing out of your “footie” pajamas requires the magic of the man...Pajamaman. How does he do it? Pajamaman is a loyal friend, a great listener, and cute as a button.
Though he’s the shy, silent type, you can always know what “PM” is thinking by checking out the symbol on his jammies.
Tanner Clark
Amelia’s Aunt Tanner is a friend, a confidant, and a mentor. She’s Amelia’s Jiminy Cricket. That is, if Jiminy was a Rock ‘N Roll Hipster hottie, instead of, y’know, a bug. She always tells the truth, even when it’s difficult. At one time Tanner was a pop rock princess who ruled the charts, but she retired for mysterious reasons and now lives the quiet life in small town PA. But there’s always the chance of a big time comeback tour.
Amelia’s Mom & Dad
Typical average parents who are going through a divorce. Amelia’s mom is a bit too overwhelmed to completely connect with her daughter at times but her love for Amelia is evident. She uses care and caution when approaching potentially unsettling moments, like telling Amelia that they are moving (again) and breaking the news that she is going out on a date.
Amelia’s dad also loves his daughter unconditionally, but struggles to be an active part of her life, given his infrequent visits and the miles that separate them. A bit depressed from the collapse of his marriage and the dwindling popularity of the company he promotes (he’s marketing director for Softee Chicken, a once-popular kids’ franchise), he still maintains a semi-cordial relationship with his ex.
Ninja Kyle
Leader of G.A.S.P.’s arch-rivals, the Park View Terrace Ninjas, Kyle comes off as an arrogant jerk, taking great delight in embarrassing (even humiliating) other kids. But Kyle’s jerk-like tendencies may be rooted in something deeper - a genuine affection for Amelia, who reluctantly gets past Kyle’s tough exterior, and even agrees to be his “date” to their first school dance. It is difficult to understand how Amelia could ignore Kyle's awful behavior, and it can only be guessed that Kyle's occasional moments of humanity make it difficult for her to remember the worse things he's done. He was injured in a fall at the climax of "True Things".
Sunday Jones
Amelia’s best friend from her New York days, Sunday is Amelia’s equal in terms of spunk and wit.
Ninja Joan Driscoll
Originally known to Amelia only as a member of the rival Park View Terrace Ninjas, Joan became closer friends with Amelia and Rhonda after her father, a Captain in the US Army, was deployed overseas for a year. Joan’s tomboy tendencies and a quick wit make her a natural fit in Amelia’s small group of friends.
Owen
A minor friend of Amelia. He is mentioned to always smell like cheese. He is also a member of G.A.S.P., although, he doesn't seem to have an alter ego and simply wears homemade wings that he believes enables him to fly, which is proven wrong when he attempted to ambush the Park View Terrace Ninjas and fell.
Mary Violet/Ultra Violet
A girl who appears to be Catholic and described as a "Cabbage Patch Kid that threw up". In the second volume, she develops a violent personality after a fight with Reggie and joins G.A.S.P. under the alias Ultra Violet.
Earth Dog
Reggie's cousin who enjoys writing poems and is a member of G.A.S.P. as Bear Hugger.
Bug And Iggy
Bullies that torment Reggie. This is temporarily halted after Reggie sneeze-barfed on them. Later, they continue to bully and annoy Reggie by existing.