A wannabe superhero faces multiple mysteries and tests in this engaging series opener.
A kid with unpredictable superpowers gets a crash course in heroes, villains, and perspective.
The book opens as the nameless protagonist/narrator wakes up one day with unexplained powers of telekinesis. Understanding the nature of the ways his powers switch every day—and choosing his superhero name, the Stupendous Switcheroo—comes later, but with his inventor mother gone on an extended trip, he only has to answer to Al, a babysitting robot. When Vin Valor, Switcheroo’s favorite superhero, needs a hand, he uses his mom’s teleportation technology to leap into action. However, with each passing day, he misses his mom a little more. Switcheroo teams up with Tana, a wunderkind from Vin Valor’s organization, to navigate his changing powers, find his mom, and even uncover some dirty secrets about his hero. The story remains fresh through the evolving mystery and seeing how Switcheroo’s latest power will come into play in each chapter, especially as he begins to doubt Vin Valor’s motives and sympathize with those labeled villains. The interplay between the text and the black-and-white comics panels is seamless. Switcheroo’s thoughtful internal monologues and the expressively drawn eyes and costumes demonstrate a deep love and care for this superpowered universe and its denizens. True to serialized superheroics, the next installment is teased at the end. Switcheroo has paper-white skin and black hair; Tana’s skin is shaded, and she has Afro-textured hair.
A wannabe superhero faces multiple mysteries and tests in this engaging series opener. (Graphic adventure. 8-12)Pub Date: Sept. 12, 2023
ISBN: 9780593427309
Page Count: 304
Publisher: Knopf
Review Posted Online: July 13, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2023
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A pleasing premise for book lovers.
A fantasy-loving bookworm makes a wonderful, terrible bargain.
When sixth grader Poppy Woodlock’s historic preservationist parents move the family to the Oregon coast to work on the titular stately home, Poppy’s sure she’ll find magic. Indeed, the exiled water nymph in the manor’s ruined swimming pool grants a wish, but: “Magic isn’t free. It cosssts.” The price? Poppy’s favorite book, The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. In return she receives Sampson, a winged lion cub who is everything Poppy could have hoped for. But she soon learns that the nymph didn’t take just her own physical book—she erased Narnia from Poppy’s world. And it’s just the first loss: Soon, Poppy’s grandmother’s journal’s gone, then The Odyssey, and more. The loss is heartbreaking, but Sampson’s a wonderful companion, particularly as Poppy’s finding middle school a tough adjustment. Hartman’s premise is beguiling—plenty of readers will identify with Poppy, both as a fellow bibliophile and as a kid struggling to adapt. Poppy’s repeatedly expressed faith that unveiling Sampson will bring some sort of vindication wears thin, but that does not detract from the central drama. It’s a pity that the named real-world books Poppy reads are notably lacking in diversity; a story about the power of literature so limited in imagination lets both itself and readers down. Main characters are cued White; there is racial diversity in the supporting cast. Chapters open with atmospheric spot art. (This review has been updated to reflect the final illustrations.)
A pleasing premise for book lovers. (Fantasy. 9-12)Pub Date: May 2, 2023
ISBN: 9780316448222
Page Count: 320
Publisher: Little, Brown
Review Posted Online: Feb. 24, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2023
File under “laugh riot.”
A rogue spell-check program’s bid to transform all life-forms into that eminently useful office item, the paper clip, touches off a fresh round of lunar lunacy.
Predicated on the entirely reasonable premise that eliminating all spelling and grammar errors everywhere would logically lead to the necessity of exterminating carbon-based life in the universe, this third series entry combines high stakes with daffy banter and daring exploits. CheckMate—a chipper, jumped-up editing program—has invented the Transmogratron, a giant laser that will fulfill its ultimate goals in both the cyber world and “meatspace.” Facing challenges as random as prankster lunar unicorns and a disarmingly motherly Motherboard, scowling First Cat joins a motley crew of diversely carbon- and silicon-based allies, led by the pearlescent Queen of the Moon. They’re in a race to the finish—diverted occasionally by, for instance, a relentlessly punny comic-book interlude featuring a pair of literal and figurative Pool Sharks. They ultimately triumph thanks to teamwork and moxie. Following a celebratory party and toasts to “new friends…and steadfast comrades” (and, of course, “MEOW”), the story’s energetic, brightly colored panels close with a reveal of the next volume. (“I always hate it when comics end by announcing a sequel. SO CRINGE!” declares an authorial stand-in.) It can’t come too soon.
File under “laugh riot.” (Graphic science fiction. 8-11)Pub Date: Nov. 5, 2024
ISBN: 9780063315280
Page Count: 272
Publisher: HarperAlley
Review Posted Online: Sept. 14, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2024
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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