FITZ AND CLEO PUT A PARTY ON IT

Ghost siblings find numerous causes for celebration.

Boredom drives Cleo to invite her brother, Fitz, to play games. But her unbreakable winning streak makes Fitz feel bad—and makes Cleo feel “really, really, really, REALLY bored.” Craving “LOTS of pizzazz,” Cleo invents the “Party Squad.” The club (initially the two ghosts and their cat, Mr. Boo) has one rule and one rule only: “HAVE FUN!” Joy abounds in chapter after chapter as the group comes up with party ideas, inventions like the Wrap-O-Matic 400, and more. No matter the situation, the Party Squad can “PUT A PARTY ON IT!!” and let every and any day be the party it deserves. This third series entry maintains a jovial tone, with simple yet expressive full-color art. As in previous installments, Fox consistently uses black lines to connect speakers with dialogue (with occasional speech bubbles). The plot is primarily dialogue-driven, with short sentences and relatively few descriptive text boxes overall. Though the book has 13 chapters total, most are just a few pages long, which keeps the pace quick and the content accessible to emerging comics readers. As a trio, Fitz, Cleo, and Mr. Boo have an entertaining dynamic that caters to Cleo’s infectiously enthusiastic whims. Scenes showing Mr. Boo’s reactions and kitty shenanigans are comedy gold. Additional paranormal characters briefly appear in a few group party scenes.

Feel-good phantasmic fun.