A delightful middle-grade tale that is inclusive, imaginative, and complex.
A group of animal friends investigates a pernicious plant.
Set within a vaguely medieval landscape, friends Goro, a hulking snakelike creature with legs; golden retriever and plant expert June; pun-loving arsonist cat Rose; and hot-tempered royal frog Prince Chirp are known as the Dungeon Critters. The Devil’s Thorn, a villainous vine, has appeared in their kingdom, and their investigation leads them to Chirp’s archnemesis, Baron Foxworthy, and his daughter, Verona. When Prince Chirp’s dad is gravely injured by the plant, June is implicated and the group is divided. Will they be able to find the source of the plant and save the king? Riess and Goetter’s brightly hued graphic novel is not only an inventively wrought fantasy, but also features queer characters; male Goro has a boyfriend; next in line to be king, Prince Chirp uses she/her pronouns; and Rose and June have a budding romance. The worldbuilding is accessible and instantly engaging, consisting of not only an approachable setting, but also emphasizing the importance of friendship and communication. Though primarily a fantasy, the fast-paced adventure, romance, and humor make for easy crowd appeal that traverses genre boundaries. The first in a proposed series (a cliffhanger teases subsequent adventures to save Goro’s boyfriend, horseboy), anticipate demand and expect rereads. Aftermatter offers a fascinating glimpse into the creators’ collaborative process of writing, drawing, and coloring the work.
A delightful middle-grade tale that is inclusive, imaginative, and complex. (Graphic fantasy. 8-13)Pub Date: Sept. 29, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-250-19547-0
Page Count: 256
Publisher: First Second
Review Posted Online: July 13, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2020
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Readers can still rely on this series to bring laughs.
The Heffley family’s house undergoes a disastrous attempt at home improvement.
When Great Aunt Reba dies, she leaves some money to the family. Greg’s mom calls a family meeting to determine what to do with their share, proposing home improvements and then overruling the family’s cartoonish wish lists and instead pushing for an addition to the kitchen. Before bringing in the construction crew, the Heffleys attempt to do minor maintenance and repairs themselves—during which Greg fails at the work in various slapstick scenes. Once the professionals are brought in, the problems keep getting worse: angry neighbors, terrifying problems in walls, and—most serious—civil permitting issues that put the kibosh on what work’s been done. Left with only enough inheritance to patch and repair the exterior of the house—and with the school’s dismal standardized test scores as a final straw—Greg’s mom steers the family toward moving, opening up house-hunting and house-selling storylines (and devastating loyal Rowley, who doesn’t want to lose his best friend). While Greg’s positive about the move, he’s not completely uncaring about Rowley’s action. (And of course, Greg himself is not as unaffected as he wishes.) The gags include effectively placed callbacks to seemingly incidental events (the “stress lizard” brought in on testing day is particularly funny) and a lampoon of after-school-special–style problem books. Just when it seems that the Heffleys really will move, a new sequence of chaotic trouble and property destruction heralds a return to the status quo. Whew.
Readers can still rely on this series to bring laughs. (Graphic/fiction hybrid. 8-12)Pub Date: Nov. 5, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-4197-3903-3
Page Count: 224
Publisher: Amulet/Abrams
Review Posted Online: Nov. 18, 2019
SEEN & HEARD
An emotional, much-needed historical graphic novel.
Sandy and his family, Japanese Canadians, experience hatred and incarceration during World War II.
Sandy Saito loves baseball, and the Vancouver Asahi ballplayers are his heroes. But when they lose in the 1941 semifinals, Sandy’s dad calls it a bad omen. Sure enough, in December 1941, Japan bombs Pearl Harbor in the U.S. The Canadian government begins to ban Japanese people from certain areas, moving them to “dormitories” and setting a curfew. Sandy wants to spend time with his father, but as a doctor, his dad is busy, often sneaking out past curfew to work. One night Papa is taken to “where he [is] needed most,” and the family is forced into an internment camp. Life at the camp isn’t easy, and even with some of the Asahi players playing ball there, it just isn’t the same. Trying to understand and find joy again, Sandy struggles with his new reality and relationship with his father. Based on the true experiences of Japanese Canadians and the Vancouver Asahi team, this graphic novel is a glimpse of how their lives were affected by WWII. The end is a bit abrupt, but it’s still an inspiring and sweet look at how baseball helped them through hardship. The illustrations are all in a sepia tone, giving it an antique look and conveying the emotions and struggles. None of the illustrations of their experiences are overly graphic, making it a good introduction to this upsetting topic for middle-grade readers.
An emotional, much-needed historical graphic novel. (afterword, further resources) (Graphic historical fiction. 9-12)Pub Date: Oct. 5, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-5253-0334-0
Page Count: 112
Publisher: Kids Can
Review Posted Online: June 28, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2021
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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