by Chris Giarrusso ; illustrated by Chris Giarrusso ‧ RELEASE DATE: Feb. 17, 2015
Formulaic, built on well-worn tropes and replete with cheap jabs at grown-ups—destined, in other words, to be an easy sell.
Spun off from Giarrusso’s G-Man comics series, a wannabe superhero’s journal assignment records epic triumphs along with a catalog of middle-grade woes.
Jumping late aboard the Wimpy Kid bandwagon, the author couches young Michael G’s narrative in a mix of “handlettered” text and line-drawn cartoons with punch lines in the dialogue balloons. All on ruled paper, natch. Also predictable are Michael’s exaggerated but drearily familiar battles with a games-obsessed older brother, clueless parents who reflexively blame him for everything whether he’s culpable or not, a repellent rich kid at school, and a particularly loathsome teacher who not only assigns detentions for trumped-up reasons, but laughs in his face when he’s (falsely) accused of cheating on a test. Michael’s superhero ambition isn’t that odd, as this is set in a world well-stocked with costumed crime fighters—seven in his own class—and supervillains. Not only does he ultimately achieve said dream, by cutting a cape from what turns out to be a magic blanket, but he also cleverly sets up his hateful teacher for a fall and even joins his superfriends to take on mind-altering villain/cyborg Mister Mental.
Formulaic, built on well-worn tropes and replete with cheap jabs at grown-ups—destined, in other words, to be an easy sell. (afterword) (Graphic/fantasy hybrid. 9-11)Pub Date: Feb. 17, 2015
ISBN: 978-1-4494-5844-7
Page Count: 240
Publisher: Andrews McMeel Publishing
Review Posted Online: Nov. 17, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2014
Share your opinion of this book
More by Brian "Smitty" Smith
BOOK REVIEW
by Brian "Smitty" Smith ; illustrated by Chris Giarrusso
by Gertrude Chandler Warner ‧ RELEASE DATE: N/A
Separate e-book versions of the entire Boxcar Children series are or soon will be available, but this “bundle” makes an economical way to pick up the first 12. The classic (“dated” to use a more cogent term) original line-drawn illustrations have been preserved in each mystery, but the type size and style can be altered to suit, and each opens with an image of a recent color cover. The “enhanced version” adds four professionally produced, two-minute-or-shorter video clips. These feature fulsome appreciations of the books and their original author by employees and volunteers from Connecticut’s Gertrude Chandler Warner Museum, overviews of the museum and some of its memorabilia—plus a 500-or-so–word biography of Warner and 10 photos of the author, her home and the railroad station that inspired the stories. The absence of Gertrude Chandler Warner and The Boxcar Children, the 1997 biography of the author by Mary Ellen Ellsworth, represents a missed opportunity. As it is, the extra content is no more than a lagniappe but provides at least a glimpse of the series’ live-wire creator for both young readers and nostalgic adult fans. (Enhanced e-book. 9-11, adult)
Pub Date: N/A
ISBN: 978-1-4532-1117-5
Page Count: 2813
Publisher: Whitman
Review Posted Online: April 9, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2011
Share your opinion of this book
by R.L. Stine ‧ RELEASE DATE: July 19, 2011
Artie’s first day at Ardmore Middle School starts off badly: Before he even leaves the house he’s fallen out of bed, zapped...
A preteen horror take on Groundhog Day.
Artie’s first day at Ardmore Middle School starts off badly: Before he even leaves the house he’s fallen out of bed, zapped himself plugging in the cellphone charger and been squirted with syrup by his little brother. It gets so radically worse that by the afternoon he’s received the dismaying news that a gang has been dispatched to beat him up on the way home at the Principal’s request. Before that can happen, to his astonishment, he’s suddenly waking up in bed. Was it a dream? Hard to say, because again he falls out of bed, zaps himself, gets squirted and goes on to another first day that is nearly the same but even more disastrous. And then again. Each round gets shorter but weirder as Artie’s struggles to head off catastrophes he knows are coming lead to bizarre accidents, wild chases, scary discoveries in the school’s dank, dark basement and, at last, a truly memorable encounter with an oversized custodian who disintegrates into a pack of weasels. After that, it’s almost a letdown when Stine explains Artie’s misadventures with a logical and obvious revelation.Pub Date: July 19, 2011
ISBN: 978-0-312-64954-8
Page Count: 192
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends
Review Posted Online: May 20, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2011
Share your opinion of this book
More by R.L. Stine
BOOK REVIEW
by R.L. Stine
BOOK REVIEW
by R.L. Stine
BOOK REVIEW
by R.L. Stine ; illustrated by David SanAngelo
© Copyright 2024 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Hey there, book lover.
We’re glad you found a book that interests you!
We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!
It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!
Already have an account? Log in.
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Don’t fret. We’ll find you.