Laddertop by Orson Scott Card and Emily Janice Card, art by Honoel A. Ibardolaza

When the Givers came to Earth, they made a gift of four towers that stretch from Earth to space stations.  These space stations provide power for the whole world.  Then the Givers disappeared.  The towers were built in such a way that the only people who can fit to maintain them are children.  Competition to get into Laddertop Academy is intense, and of the few who are invited, even fewer will make it to space.  Robbie and her friend Azure have both been accepted to the Academy, but only one of them will make it in to space.

Here's the thing, at this point, when I have heard Orson Scott Card speak at a number of events and on panels, I have such a strong aversion to him as a person that when I read something by him that I quite like I think, "That was good.  Stupid Orson Scott Card."  I wish he would never talk again and just write us books that we will surely enjoy.  Is that too much to ask?

So the graphic novel: I quite enjoyed it (stupid Orson Scott Card).  A whole bunch of awesome girl characters that are all different from each other.  Azure has a short temper and a strong drive to succeed.  She will do whatever she has to to achieve her dreams of going in to space and she's a natural leader.  Robbie is much quieter and calmer.  There are hints of an unstable home life.  She is the hero of the story, and seems to have been chosen by the Givers for some purpose.  There's also Nine, who's super smart but not the best at making friends.  It's not totally clear what's going on with her, but she definitely knows something that she isn't telling.

This is only the first volume, so there have been many characters introduced and many things hinted at that haven't been fully explained or explored yet.  For instance, being chosen for Laddertop was looked on as such an important honor, but it seems that once the kids actually get there they're looked down on as menial workers.  There's a lot of mystery surrounding the selection process, and why the Givers didn't explain how anything worked.  It seems people have just been blindly following what the Givers told them to do for the past 25 years, and no one has ever questioned why it has to be done that way.

The art is black and white with clear manga influences.  It's all very cute, all big eyes and long eyelashes.  It's quite clear the characters we don't like, because they are lacking the wide open eyes.

I will look for the next volume.  I'd like to see where this series goes.