An interesting series opener that gets lost on its own trail.
In this Canadian import, translated from the French, a young raccoon named Billy Stuart sets out on an adventure through time.
Kilt-wearing Billy lives in the town of Cavendish, where he begrudgingly walks his neighbors’ poodle, FrouFrou. Billy also leads the Zintrepids, a scout troop of five animals (well, six, if you include FrouFrou). One day, a letter from Billy’s grandfather arrives, inviting Billy to join him at a newly discovered passageway through time in Belcher’s Cavern. But there’s a snag: Billy’s grandfather’s journey is the same day Billy has a forest hike with his scout troop! Can he complete the hike and also see his grandfather? Told mostly in first person from Billy’s perspective, the narrative sets some words apart in bolded, brightly colored type to add emphasis. Numerous yellow sticky notes (from author Bergeron, who claims to have met Billy) corroborate the story’s events. Sampar’s full-color cartoon illustrations add a cinematic quality, especially in the text’s occasional comic-book panels. Simple vocabulary, ample leading, and supporting spot illustrations make this a good transitional chapter book. Still, the overall narrative structure juggles too much and sacrifices plot for the sake of its own cleverness. Some puzzle games are included between chapters—though they are not referenced in the plot. The ending suggests future adventures for the Zintrepids.
An interesting series opener that gets lost on its own trail. (puzzle solutions) (Graphic/fiction hybrid. 6-10)Pub Date: Sept. 4, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-4598-1837-8
Page Count: 160
Publisher: Orca
Review Posted Online: June 10, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2018
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Silly and inventive fast-paced fun
A zippy graphic-novel series opener featuring two comically bumbling reptile detectives.
As agents of SUIT (Special Undercover Investigation Team) with customized VESTs (Very Exciting Spy Technology) boasting the latest gadgetry, the bright green InvestiGators Mango and Brash receive their newest assignment. The reptilian duo must go undercover at the Batter Down bakery to find missing mustachioed Chef Gustavo and his secret recipes. Before long, the pair find themselves embroiled in a strange and busy plot with a scientist chicken, a rabid were-helicopter, an escape-artist dinosaur, and radioactive cracker dough. Despite the great number of disparate threads, Green manages to tie up most neatly, leaving just enough intrigue for subsequent adventures. Nearly every panel has a joke, including puns (“gator done!”), poop jokes, and pop-culture references (eagle-eyed older readers will certainly pick up on the 1980s song references), promising to make even the most stone-faced readers dissolve into giggles. Green’s art is as vibrant as an overturned box of crayons and as highly spirited as a Saturday-morning cartoon. Fast pacing and imaginative plotting (smattered with an explosion here, a dance number there) propel the action through a whimsical world in which a diverse cast of humans live alongside anthropomorphized reptiles and dinosaurs. With its rampant good-natured goofiness and its unrelenting fizz and pep, this feels like a sugar rush manifested as a graphic novel.
Silly and inventive fast-paced fun . (Graphic fantasy. 7-10)Pub Date: Feb. 25, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-250-21995-4
Page Count: 208
Publisher: First Second
Review Posted Online: Nov. 23, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 15, 2019
Cute as a boo-ton—if a tad stereotypical.
Ghost siblings ghoul it up in a new graphic-novel series.
A “THUMP” from the attic sends siblings Fitz and Cleo up to investigate. The spooky vibes delight Cleo, so she improvises “The Spooky Attic Song.” Fitz tries to shush his sister so they can maintain “the element of surprise” as they approach the sound’s source. The mystery is solved: It’s a cat! Cleo promptly scoops the (seemingly mortal) cat up and names him Mister Boo. Fitz has reservations but relents when Mister Boo sits on his head. Ten subsequent chapters, varying between four and seven pages in length, chronicle the trio’s further shenanigans. Husband-and-wife team Stutzman and Fox create an entertaining early graphic novel in the vein of Ben Clanton’s Narwhal and Jelly series. Though there are occasional speech bubbles, dialogue is most often connected to the speaker by a solid black line. Sentences are short, and there are at most two speakers per panel. Additionally, with no more than six panels per page and simple backgrounds, the story provides adequate support to emerging readers. Fox’s expressive illustrations and clever use of panel layouts effectively build off the humor in Stutzman’s text. Cleo is depicted with a purple bow; Fitz with a baseball cap and glasses. Unfortunately, their personalities as well as their appearances play into gender stereotypes.
Cute as a boo-ton—if a tad stereotypical. (Graphic fantasy. 6-10)Pub Date: May 4, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-250-23944-0
Page Count: 64
Publisher: Henry Holt
Review Posted Online: March 16, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2021
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