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FINDING GOSSAMYR by David A. Rodriguez

FINDING GOSSAMYR

From the Finding Gossamyr series, volume 1

by David A. Rodriguez ; illustrated by Sarah Ellerton

Pub Date: Jan. 7th, 2014
ISBN: 978-0-9832161-6-2
Publisher: Th3rd World Studios

No one ever trusts their math teacher, which is why kids need to read this comic before their teachers can recommend it, because it’s a math book that actually is fun.

For maximum effect with readers, tell them the premise of the book is: Math can kill you. On the world of Gossamyr, math is a form of combat and a vehicle for magic. A little boy named Denny ends up in Gossamyr with his sister when he completes a theorem. He’s suddenly in a parallel world with flying boats and blue oxlions. Younger readers will want oxlions of their own, to keep as pets. Hard-core fantasy readers may be frustrated with all the clichés. There’s an honorable warrior, and there are outsiders trapped in a world that only they can save. But the characters cease to be clichés as soon as they start to speak. Denny can measure pieces of wood by sight, to the millimeter, and when his sister tells him, “It’s okay if they’re not exact,” he says, “No, it’s not.” Ellerton’s glossy, luminous panels have an airbrushed look that gives both world and characters depth and warmth.

This book won’t make math any less troublesome, but it might keep students interested in the subject matter. (And if it doesn’t, they’ll have something to think about during the lecture on equilateral triangles.) (glossary) (Graphic fantasy. 8-13)