Ginormous fun…with sneaky food for thought and, as usual, step-by-step drawing instructions at the end.
A sixth “EPIC tale of Glorious Ginormity!!!” featuring good guys, bad guys, many poop jokes, and a “molto arrabbiato” “clay monster guy.”
A bit of dog-sledding is the only direct crib from the classic referred to in the title—but themes of loyalty and of oddballs bonding together crop up occasionally. Otherwise, George and Harold’s latest comic pits costumed “supa buddies” (“We fight for freedom—that’s our duty… / …so everybody shake your booty!”) and other allies against a trio of flea-sized villains using a stolen can of “supa evil living spray” to frame Dog Man for a bank robbery and to turn a clay figure from a new Dog Man movie into a rampaging (if eminently sliceable) monster. Meanwhile, in an ongoing subplot, angelic cloned mini-me Li’l Petey continues to chip away at his supervillain parent Petey’s conviction that once a bad guy, always a bad guy. Also meanwhile, to counter Dog Man’s depression at being neither entirely human nor entirely dog (which is true), his friends gather at the end for a triumphal “March of the Misfits.” All in all, a typical wild free-for-all punctuated by Flip-O-Rama and, for special treats, occasional “Hurl-O-Rama” set pieces.
Ginormous fun…with sneaky food for thought and, as usual, step-by-step drawing instructions at the end. (Graphic science fiction. 7-10)Pub Date: Dec. 24, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-338-23657-6
Page Count: 224
Publisher: Graphix/Scholastic
Review Posted Online: Nov. 25, 2018
A classic sibling rivalry tale that still satisfies to the last drop.
In this graphic novel adaptation of Davies’ 2007 book, hurt feelings propel an intense business battle.
Fourth grader Evan can’t stand the thought of his brainy younger sister, Jessie, skipping a grade and joining his class this fall. Intelligent but emotionally immature, Jessie sometimes misses social cues and wishes she could be more like the gregarious Evan. These insecurities set the stage for a contest to see who can raise the most money selling lemonade this summer. Will Jessie’s book smarts beat Evan’s people skills? The beauty of this story lies in how each sibling’s strengths rub off on the other: Evan brushes up on his math, while Jessie tentatively makes a new friend. De la Vega’s polished cartoon artwork creatively translates Davies’ metaphors to a visual medium. When the author compares the “mean words inside Evan…fighting to get out” to bats, illustrations depict the furry animals emerging from beneath his shirt; Jessie’s negative thoughts take the form of a tiny purple creature irritatingly tapping her shoulder. Tender scenes depict flashbacks of the siblings supporting each other through their parents’ divorce. The book has business savvy to match the emotional beats (each chapter opens with an entrepreneurial definition that relates to the plot), and several scenes feature math problems that readers can solve for themselves. Evan and Jessie appear white; both have friends of color.
A classic sibling rivalry tale that still satisfies to the last drop. (business tips) (Graphic fiction. 8-10)Pub Date: April 29, 2025
ISBN: 9780063310407
Page Count: 208
Publisher: Clarion/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: Feb. 15, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2025
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A winner.
When a young girl’s imagination and creativity are co-opted by a mysterious new friend, she must find a way to regain what is rightfully hers.
Sandy is a brown-skinned, dark-haired girl with big black eyes and a vivid imagination. At night, as she goes to sleep, she catches the lights bobbing about in her room and turns them into anything she imagines. The next day is spent drawing the fantastical creatures from her dreams, much to the detriment of her schoolwork. When a tall, pale-skinned girl with purple hair befriends her, Sandy is excited, though there is something eerie and unsettling about her new companion. Her excitement soon turns to anger as Morfie enters her imaginative nighttime world and tries to take it over. Readers will cheer at the clever way in which Sandy regains control. Using a lovely palette that includes a liberal amount of rich, dark purple, Colombian-born Alvarez has drawn a world that harks back to her native Bogotá and days in Catholic school, evoking it in wonderful detail and atmosphere. Her pages are not crowded yet are filled with details that will engage readers. The beings that inhabit Sandy’s nighttime world are simply delightful. The album size, cloth spine binding, and spot gloss on the cover are the icing on the cake of this beautiful graphic novel.
A winner. (Graphic fantasy. 8-10)Pub Date: March 14, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-910620-13-7
Page Count: 56
Publisher: Nobrow Ltd.
Review Posted Online: Dec. 13, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2017
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