by Frank Cammuso ; illustrated by Frank Cammuso ‧ RELEASE DATE: May 20, 2014
With lots of laughs and lots of heart, this sophomore offering doesn’t disappoint.
With giant spectacles and even more spunk, budding witch Salem Hyde is back, determined to give her friend the best birthday ever.
Tempestuous Salem is a flurry of a girl, always acting first and thinking second. Luckily, her feline companion, Whammy, is there to help keep her grounded and help her use—or, more often, help her undo her use of—her nascent magical powers. When Salem is invited to her friend Edgar’s big birthday bash, she’s beyond excited. However, right from the start, her adversary, the know-it-all Shelly, is determined to upstage her at every turn. Salem decides she’ll give Edgar the best and biggest present ever—with disastrous, magical results. Salem and Whammy are perfect foils, with her whirlwind liveliness balanced by his (semi) calm wisdom. Cammuso keeps the jokes flowing throughout the volume and adroitly weaves them in and out of each narrative section, coming full circle by the end. Line-based art reminiscent of Calvin and Hobbes sets an immediate mood, and the characters’ dramatic facial expressions make a winning complement to the steady stream of chuckle-worthy antics. This volume makes a fine jumping-in point for the series, but readers should also make sure to check out the excellent series opener, Spelling Trouble (2013).
With lots of laughs and lots of heart, this sophomore offering doesn’t disappoint. (Graphic fantasy. 7-10)Pub Date: May 20, 2014
ISBN: 978-1-4197-1025-4
Page Count: 96
Publisher: Amulet/Abrams
Review Posted Online: March 11, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2014
Share your opinion of this book
More by Frank Cammuso
BOOK REVIEW
by Frank Cammuso ; illustrated by Frank Cammuso
BOOK REVIEW
by Frank Cammuso ; illustrated by Frank Cammuso
BOOK REVIEW
by Frank Cammuso ; illustrated by Frank Cammuso
by Jarrett Lerner ; illustrated by Jarrett Lerner ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 26, 2021
Skip this meal.
Four foodstuff friends help a student stave off ill effects from a brushed-aside breakfast.
Snacks are absolutely not allowed in Mrs. Sternbladder’s classroom at the James H. Pinchkid Elementary School. When the four taco-ingredient Hunger Heroes—Tammy the tomato, Leonard the cheese, Mr. Toots the bean, and Chip Ninja the tortilla chip—get an alert about a student’s missed meal and his flagging energy before a big test, they immediately take to their taco hovercraft to save the day. This job won’t be easy: An autonomous vacuum, a gym full of dodgeballs, and a snack-loathing teacher all stand in their way. The first in a proposed series, this graphic hybrid is bland as white bread. All the elements are seemingly there: cute, cartoony characters, silly jokes galore, and zippily paced chapters. Unfortunately, the whole never quite equals the sum of its parts. The characterizations are thin, the resolution is quick and questionable, and many scenes feel like dreaded heavy-handed teachable moments having all the allure of a brownie made from brussels sprouts. There is little connection for its readers, who most likely will wonder why they should care about a kid (hardly more than a name and a face) who missed breakfast and why taco ingredients care so much. Humans portrayed throughout show a range of skin tones; however, there is little differentiation between adult and juvenile characters.
Skip this meal. (Graphic/fiction hybrid. 7-10)Pub Date: Oct. 26, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-5344-6282-3
Page Count: 128
Publisher: Aladdin
Review Posted Online: Sept. 14, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 2021
Share your opinion of this book
More by Jarrett Lerner
BOOK REVIEW
by Jarrett Lerner ; illustrated by Jarrett Lerner
BOOK REVIEW
by Jarrett Lerner ; illustrated by Jarrett Lerner
BOOK REVIEW
by Jarrett Lerner ; illustrated by Serge Seidlitz
Awards & Accolades
Our Verdict
GET IT
New York Times Bestseller
IndieBound Bestseller
by John Patrick Green ; illustrated by John Patrick Green ‧ RELEASE DATE: Feb. 25, 2020
Silly and inventive fast-paced fun
Awards & Accolades
Our Verdict
GET IT
New York Times Bestseller
IndieBound Bestseller
A zippy graphic-novel series opener featuring two comically bumbling reptile detectives.
As agents of SUIT (Special Undercover Investigation Team) with customized VESTs (Very Exciting Spy Technology) boasting the latest gadgetry, the bright green InvestiGators Mango and Brash receive their newest assignment. The reptilian duo must go undercover at the Batter Down bakery to find missing mustachioed Chef Gustavo and his secret recipes. Before long, the pair find themselves embroiled in a strange and busy plot with a scientist chicken, a rabid were-helicopter, an escape-artist dinosaur, and radioactive cracker dough. Despite the great number of disparate threads, Green manages to tie up most neatly, leaving just enough intrigue for subsequent adventures. Nearly every panel has a joke, including puns (“gator done!”), poop jokes, and pop-culture references (eagle-eyed older readers will certainly pick up on the 1980s song references), promising to make even the most stone-faced readers dissolve into giggles. Green’s art is as vibrant as an overturned box of crayons and as highly spirited as a Saturday-morning cartoon. Fast pacing and imaginative plotting (smattered with an explosion here, a dance number there) propel the action through a whimsical world in which a diverse cast of humans live alongside anthropomorphized reptiles and dinosaurs. With its rampant good-natured goofiness and its unrelenting fizz and pep, this feels like a sugar rush manifested as a graphic novel.
Silly and inventive fast-paced fun . (Graphic fantasy. 7-10)Pub Date: Feb. 25, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-250-21995-4
Page Count: 208
Publisher: First Second
Review Posted Online: Nov. 23, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 15, 2019
Share your opinion of this book
More In The Series
by John Patrick Green ; illustrated by John Patrick Green
by John Patrick Green ; illustrated by John Patrick Green with Aaron Polk
More by John Patrick Green
BOOK REVIEW
by John Patrick Green ; illustrated by John Patrick Green
BOOK REVIEW
by John Patrick Green ; illustrated by John Patrick Green with Aaron Polk
BOOK REVIEW
by John Patrick Green ; illustrated by John Patrick Green with Cat Caro
© Copyright 2024 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Hey there, book lover.
We’re glad you found a book that interests you!
We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!
It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!
Already have an account? Log in.
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Don’t fret. We’ll find you.