Reaches great heights of humor—of course.
"Love is something eternal. It may change in aspect, but not in essence."
Quoting Vincent Van Gogh in its epigraph, this latest adventure in the Dog Man saga ramps the previous installment’s love theme up to 11. From the nascent romance of Chief and Nurse Lady through the ever evolving familial bond between Petey and Li’l Petey to some begrudgingly partnered cats in crime, the story doles out the sap more gleefully than a maple tree in spring—but never at the expense of the action-packed shenanigans so characteristic of the series. The villains of the hour (a pair of evil, sentient, mobile sippy cups) are realized with gusto and panache, with almost a third of the book and a great deal of ensemble help devoted to the epic battle. Indeed, the series seems en route to becoming more of an ensemble affair as it progresses, an unexpected but not unwelcome development. True to form, Petey’s arc metes out a dose of sobering reality; the overbearing societal forces keeping him chained to the life of a criminal are played dramatically against the redemptive power of forgiveness and love. Striking color, interactive pages, drawing tutorials, and a plethora of laugh-out-loud moments all work to keep readers’ attention on a tight leash. Of especial note is the liberal use of increasingly bizarre onomatopoeia, several instances of which contain amusing pop-culture references. Human characters are diverse.
Reaches great heights of humor—of course. (Graphic adventure. 7-18)Pub Date: March 23, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-338-68045-4
Page Count: 224
Publisher: Graphix/Scholastic
Review Posted Online: March 29, 2021
SEEN & HEARD
Riveting, inspiring, and sometimes hilarious.
If you made a recording to be heard by the aliens who found the iPod, what would you record?
For 11-year-old Alex Petroski, it's easy. He records everything. He records the story of how he travels to New Mexico to a rocket festival with his dog, Carl Sagan, and his rocket. He records finding out that a man with the same name and birthday as his dead father has an address in Las Vegas. He records eating at Johnny Rockets for the first time with his new friends, who are giving him a ride to find his dead father (who might not be dead!), and losing Carl Sagan in the wilds of Las Vegas, and discovering he has a half sister. He even records his own awful accident. Cheng delivers a sweet, soulful debut novel with a brilliant, refreshing structure. His characters manage to come alive through the “transcript” of Alex’s iPod recording, an odd medium that sounds like it would be confusing but really works. Taking inspiration from the Voyager Golden Record released to space in 1977, Alex, who explains he has “light brown skin,” records all the important moments of a journey that takes him from a family of two to a family of plenty.
Riveting, inspiring, and sometimes hilarious. (Fiction. 10-14)Pub Date: Feb. 28, 2017
ISBN: 978-0-399-18637-0
Page Count: 320
Publisher: Dial Books
Review Posted Online: Oct. 18, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 2016
BOOK REVIEW
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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