An enjoyable mixed bag of potty humor, insightfulness and the powerful bonds between a pet and its owner
A young boy loses his beloved dog, only to have him return as a feisty and lovable T-Rex.
Ely and Tommy are inseparable. Tommy might not be the best-behaved dog—he digs up Ely’s mother’s garden and steals bacon from the breakfast table—but he is loyal to Ely, and their bond is palpable. When Tommy meets a tragic end, Ely decides to spend the summer working at his grandfather’s farm. After being chased by a bully named Randy, he stumbles upon a gentle (and full-sized) T-Rex who reminds him of a certain dog he used to know. While Ely’s love for the prehistoric creature is immediate, the other townsfolk must be persuaded. When a plea to win their affections goes terribly wrong, Ely must again face the possibility of losing a friend. This colorized reprint of TenNapel’s 2004 indie graphic novel lacks some of the sophistication of his more recent works, relying more on crude humor to drive aspects of the story forward than on subtler techniques. However, his trademark inventiveness and depth are still present, making this an excellent offering for any dog lover or for anyone looking for a tale of friendship.
Pub Date: June 1, 2013
ISBN: 978-0-545-48382-7
Page Count: 144
Publisher: Graphix/Scholastic
Review Posted Online: March 26, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2013
This humorous and heartwarming glimpse into an immigrant family’s experiences entertains and educates.
Being a first-generation American makes school more challenging for a plucky tween boy.
Ming Lee faces middle school with his usual bowl haircut (administered by his mom), the embarrassment of thrift store shopping for back-to-school clothing, and a fervent wish to just get through it all unnoticed. His other deep desire is a pair of Air Elevates sneakers—much too costly for his extremely frugal Chinese-immigrant parents to ever buy him. After initially being assigned to an ESL class (even though English is his first and only language), Ming is placed in Honors English. He makes two new friends, Vikrum (who’s cued Indian) and Marcus (who’s Black). The trio support each other through Halloween hilarity, Ming’s crush, basketball mishaps, and school candy sales turf wars. But the real test of friendship comes when Ming, in a desperate move after his sneaker fund is stolen, involves his buddies in a bungled shoplifting attempt. In the aftermath, Ming learns about the power of family, religion, friends, and self-acceptance. His parents, grappling with their own tribulations around finances, racism, and familial duty, gain insight into Ming’s situation, improving their family bonds. In this graphic novel inspired by the author’s life, Chung inserts humor and love beside moments of pain and frustration in a way that meshes stylistically with the straightforward dialogue and clean, simple drawings.
This humorous and heartwarming glimpse into an immigrant family’s experiences entertains and educates. (author’s note, how to make a graphic novel) (Graphic fiction. 9-12)Pub Date: April 22, 2025
ISBN: 9781250887306
Page Count: 256
Publisher: Henry Holt
Review Posted Online: Feb. 1, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2025
Kibuishi gives his epic tale a hefty nudge toward its long-building climax while giving readers plenty of reasons to stick...
Stonekeeper Emily frees the elves from their monstrous masked ruler and sets out to rejoin her brother and mother in the series’ penultimate episode.
The multistranded storyline picks up with Emily’s return to the world of Alledia. Now a fiery, destructive phoenix struggling to regain control of her actions, Emily goes on to follow her brother Navin and allies as they battle invading shadows on the nearby world of Typhon, then switches back to human form for a climactic confrontation with the Elf King—in the course of which Emily rips off his mask to a chorus of “ERGH!! NO!!! GRAH! RRGH!! AAAGH!” to expose a rousingly hideous face. Cute animal heads on many figures (the result of a curse) and a scene with benevolent-looking trees provide at least a bit of relief from the grim expressions that all the human and humanoid elven characters almost invariably wear. But along with emphatic sound effects, the battle and action scenes in the cleanly drawn, if sometimes cramped, panels feature huge blasts of fire or energy, intricately detailed giant robots, weirdly eyeless monsters, and wild escapades aplenty to keep the pace’s pedal to the metal. Aliens and AIs in the cast come in a variety of hues, elves are a uniform gray, and except for a brief encounter between Emily and a slightly darker lad, the (uncursed) humans default to white.
Kibuishi gives his epic tale a hefty nudge toward its long-building climax while giving readers plenty of reasons to stick around for it. (Graphic fantasy. 10-12)Pub Date: Sept. 25, 2018
ISBN: 978-0-545-85002-5
Page Count: 208
Publisher: Graphix/Scholastic
Review Posted Online: July 23, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2018
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