Newly minted fans will hope that future myth-adventures will be just as silly.
Middle school is never easy, especially when you’re powerless and your brother’s a perfect God.
Oddonis, son of Zeus and Freya, has never resembled his twin, Adonis. Adonis was born with a six pack and a mane of beautiful, blond hair. Oddonis was born with an “old guy jelly belly.” Elementary school was no fun, but Oddonis’ hoping that Mount Olympus Middle School will be different. Ha. On the first day, he and his best friend, Gaseous, the flatulent son of Uranus and Chalupa, the Refried Bean Queen, are pranked by Adonis and his God friends on the bus and then refused entrance via the Gods’ door. Yep, more of the same. They do make more friends, including tiny Puneous, smart Mathena, and contagious Germes, but the Gods rule the school, and the election for class president will soon make that official. Adonis runs unopposed until a fed-up Oddonis decides to try to beat his conceited brother. Can the Odds beat the Gods? This series opener sports in-line comics and spot illustrations as well as plenty of potty humor (Oddonis’ dog’s name is Trianus, and the name’s appropriate). The whackadoodle mishmash of world mythologies and…other stuff (Germes’ mom is Typhoid Mary—go figure) may bug both myth-heads and readers who appreciate consistency in worldbuilding, but even they will have to laugh.
Newly minted fans will hope that future myth-adventures will be just as silly. (Graphic/fantasy hybrid. 7-11)Pub Date: May 14, 2019
ISBN: 978-0-06-283953-4
Page Count: 224
Publisher: Harper/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: Jan. 27, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2019
Trisha is ready to start at a new school, where no one will know she has dyslexia. At first, she is heartbroken to be in Miss Peterson’s special-ed class, aka, “the junkyard.” But Miss Peterson treats the children as anything but junk, showing them that everyone has a unique talent. Polacco’s trademark style is fully present here; her sensitively drawn alter ego shines with depth of feeling. When bullying occurs, Miss Peterson proves her students are worthwhile by planning a junkyard field trip, where they find valuable objects to be used in exciting ways. Trisha’s group repairs a plane, and the class buys an engine for it. Then a beloved class member dies, and the children must find a way to honor him. While the plot meanders somewhat, the characters are appealing, believable and provide a fine portrayal of a truly special class. Children will be drawn in by the story’s warmth and gentle humor and will leave with a spark of inspiration, an appreciation of individual differences and a firm anti-bullying message, all underscored by the author’s note that concludes the book. (Picture book. 7-10)
Pub Date: July 1, 2010
ISBN: 978-0-399-25078-1
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Philomel
Review Posted Online: May 31, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2010
Alert readers will find the implicit morals: know your audience, mostly, but also never underestimate the power of “rock”...
The theme of persistence (for better or worse) links four tales of magic, trickery, and near disasters.
Lachenmeyer freely borrows familiar folkloric elements, subjecting them to mildly comical twists. In the nearly wordless “Hip Hop Wish,” a frog inadvertently rubs a magic lamp and finds itself saddled with an importunate genie eager to shower it with inappropriate goods and riches. In the title tale, an increasingly annoyed music-hating witch transforms a persistent minstrel into a still-warbling cow, horse, sheep, goat, pig, duck, and rock in succession—then is horrified to catch herself humming a tune. Athesius the sorcerer outwits Warthius, a rival trying to steal his spells via a parrot, by casting silly ones in Ig-pay Atin-lay in the third episode, and in the finale, a painter’s repeated efforts to create a flattering portrait of an ogre king nearly get him thrown into a dungeon…until he suddenly understands what an ogre’s idea of “flattering” might be. The narratives, dialogue, and sound effects leave plenty of elbow room in Blocker’s big, brightly colored panels for the expressive animal and human(ish) figures—most of the latter being light skinned except for the golden genie, the blue ogre, and several people of color in the “Sorcerer’s New Pet.”
Alert readers will find the implicit morals: know your audience, mostly, but also never underestimate the power of “rock” music. (Graphic short stories. 8-10)Pub Date: June 18, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-59643-750-0
Page Count: 112
Publisher: First Second
Review Posted Online: April 27, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 15, 2019
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