By turns silly and serious, with a satisfying and thoughtful conclusion.
The Student Ambassador is back for another adventure, this time heading south on a special mission in Mexico.
The first book in the series saw Joseph smoothing diplomatic relations between the fictional East and West Rhutar. Now, on a field trip to the James Olman Presidential Library, he helps his classmates work through a propaganda-ridden simulation exercise. Joseph breaks the rules, goes rogue—and impresses former President Olman. The two team up to get to the bottom of the abandoned silver mines of Zacatecas, Mexico; the trip is also an opportunity for Joseph, whose father is Mexican, to reconnect with his roots. Olman wants to invest in the mines and convince the locals that reopening the tunnels would be for their benefit, as well as his own profit, but spooky masked creatures haunting the mines have kept speculators out. When Joseph discovers who is behind the masked figures and why, he must confront the former president about his misconceptions and persuade the powerful man to listen to the concerns of the disempowered. The storyline has a chaotic start and takes a beat to settle in, but once it does, it’s a lighthearted whodunit that encourages readers to think about whose voices they listen to and why. Cartoon images complement the plot, bringing plenty of humor. Olman is light-skinned; Joseph’s classmates are diverse.
By turns silly and serious, with a satisfying and thoughtful conclusion. (Morse code activity) (Graphic fiction. 7-11)Pub Date: May 14, 2024
ISBN: 9781638991328
Page Count: 150
Publisher: Iron Circus Comics
Review Posted Online: April 20, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 15, 2024
More trampling in the vineyards of the Literary Classics section, with results that will tickle fancies high and low.
Recasting Dog Man and his feline ward, Li’l Petey, as costumed superheroes, Pilkey looks East of Eden in this follow-up to Tale of Two Kitties (2017).
The Steinbeck novel’s Cain/Abel motif gets some play here, as Petey, “world’s evilest cat” and cloned Li’l Petey’s original, tries assiduously to tempt his angelic counterpart over to the dark side only to be met, ultimately at least, by Li’l Petey’s “Thou mayest.” (There are also occasional direct quotes from the novel.) But inner struggles between good and evil assume distinctly subordinate roles to riotous outer ones, as Petey repurposes robots built for a movie about the exploits of Dog Man—“the thinking man’s Rin Tin Tin”—while leading a general rush to the studio’s costume department for appropriate good guy/bad guy outfits in preparation for the climactic battle. During said battle and along the way Pilkey tucks in multiple Flip-O-Rama inserts as well as general gags. He lists no fewer than nine ways to ask “who cut the cheese?” and includes both punny chapter titles (“The Bark Knight Rises”) and nods to Hamiltonand Mary Poppins. The cartoon art, neatly and brightly colored by Garibaldi, is both as easy to read as the snappy dialogue and properly endowed with outsized sound effects, figures displaying a range of skin colors, and glimpses of underwear (even on robots).
More trampling in the vineyards of the Literary Classics section, with results that will tickle fancies high and low. (drawing instructions) (Graphic fantasy. 7-10)Pub Date: Dec. 26, 2017
ISBN: 978-0-545-93518-0
Page Count: 256
Publisher: Graphix/Scholastic
Review Posted Online: May 13, 2018
What a wag.
What do you get from sewing the head of a smart dog onto the body of a tough police officer? A new superhero from the incorrigible creator of Captain Underpants.
Finding a stack of old Dog Mancomics that got them in trouble back in first grade, George and Harold decide to craft a set of new(ish) adventures with (more or less) improved art and spelling. These begin with an origin tale (“A Hero Is Unleashed”), go on to a fiendish attempt to replace the chief of police with a “Robo Chief” and then a temporarily successful scheme to make everyone stupid by erasing all the words from every book (“Book ’Em, Dog Man”), and finish off with a sort of attempted alien invasion evocatively titled “Weenie Wars: The Franks Awaken.” In each, Dog Man squares off against baddies (including superinventor/archnemesis Petey the cat) and saves the day with a clever notion. With occasional pauses for Flip-O-Rama featurettes, the tales are all framed in brightly colored sequential panels with hand-lettered dialogue (“How do you feel, old friend?” “Ruff!”) and narrative. The figures are studiously diverse, with police officers of both genders on view and George, the chief, and several other members of the supporting cast colored in various shades of brown. Pilkey closes as customary with drawing exercises, plus a promise that the canine crusader will be further unleashed in a sequel.
What a wag. (Graphic fantasy. 7-9)Pub Date: Aug. 30, 2016
ISBN: 978-0-545-58160-8
Page Count: 240
Publisher: Graphix/Scholastic
Review Posted Online: May 31, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2016
SEEN & HEARD
BOOK TO SCREEN
BOOK TO SCREEN
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