Delightful and rib-tickling comic-book adventures with an adorable young hero.
A boy who battles diabolical rats in his dreams must thwart a real-world invasion in Cape’s graphic novel for young readers.
In 4-year-old Zicky’s dreams, he wields a sword against the Rat King and his army; before sunrise, he uses a special ring to open a portal and make it back in time for breakfast with his family. In the real world, Zicky is smaller, his sword is wooden, and his ring is his binky. The rats would like nothing more than to invade Zicky’s world, mostly to get at its cheese. They go after his ring, and when Zooky, Zicky’s lookalike archnemesis, gets his hands on it, he takes Zicky captive and jumps through the portal. All Zicky’s family sees is Zicky, although his replacement is decidedly more sullen and secretly cavorts with rats. Zicky looks for a way to escape the dreamworld and get back home. An unlikely ally may be able to help him stop the rats’ widespread cheese thievery and whatever scheme Zooky is cooking up. Cape’s story is endlessly entertaining, particularly in its use of the dual worlds. The dreamworld resembles an anime (there’s impossibly spiky hair and action relayed via onomatopoeia); in the real world, Zicky’s biggest trouble seems to be his mean older brother. Decrux and Gabotto’s vibrant illustrations wonderfully combine gleefully exaggerated action sequences with nuanced touches, most notably Zicky’s perpetual bedhead and missing teeth. Comedy reigns throughout; Zicky is sassy even in captivity (“Rats are so gullible”), and the apathetic Zooky playing in Zicky’s soccer match is a highlight. The supporting cast is equally memorable, including Zicky’s homemaker father, his doting mother, and Zooky’s snarling dog, Damien, who, like everyone else, looks completely different in the real world. Whether the narrative plays out entirely or partially in Zicky’s imagination isn’t fully clarified until later in the book, leaving room for this plucky, down-to-earth boy to continue trouncing evil.
Delightful and rib-tickling comic-book adventures with an adorable young hero.Pub Date: March 10, 2026
ISBN: 9798992749939
Page Count: 160
Publisher: SHP Comics
Review Posted Online: Nov. 7, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2026
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
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
BOOK REVIEW
Brava!
From award winner Telgemeier (Smile, 2010), a pitch-perfect graphic novel portrayal of a middle school musical, adroitly capturing the drama both on and offstage.
Seventh-grader Callie Marin is over-the-moon to be on stage crew again this year for Eucalyptus Middle School’s production of Moon over Mississippi. Callie's just getting over popular baseball jock and eighth-grader Greg, who crushed her when he left Callie to return to his girlfriend, Bonnie, the stuck-up star of the play. Callie's healing heart is quickly captured by Justin and Jesse Mendocino, the two very cute twins who are working on the play with her. Equally determined to make the best sets possible with a shoestring budget and to get one of the Mendocino boys to notice her, the immensely likable Callie will find this to be an extremely drama-filled experience indeed. The palpably engaging and whip-smart characterization ensures that the charisma and camaraderie run high among those working on the production. When Greg snubs Callie in the halls and misses her reference to Guys and Dolls, one of her friends assuredly tells her, "Don't worry, Cal. We’re the cool kids….He's the dork." With the clear, stylish art, the strongly appealing characters and just the right pinch of drama, this book will undoubtedly make readers stand up and cheer.
Brava! (Graphic fiction. 10-14)Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2012
ISBN: 978-0-545-32698-8
Page Count: 240
Publisher: Graphix/Scholastic
Review Posted Online: July 21, 2012
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2012
SEEN & HEARD
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