Hand this goofy bigfoot to young readers eager to get their starts in graphic novels.
Young ranger Jay uses his camping trip to capture evidence of the Sasquatch while unknowingly being occasionally pranked by one himself.
“Sound off!” Jay, a little Asian boy, is so engrossed in his quest to find the elusive Sasquatch that he is oblivious to the prompts from Ranger Dove (a young woman of color). Each member of his diverse troop questions his search tactics, which he eagerly answers only to be rebuked. Unbeknownst to all, Jay’s “lures” successfully intrigue a flower- and occasionally grass-skirt–wearing sasquatch named Sass and her posse of savvy woodland friends. In episodes characterized by quirky and physical humor, Sass messes with Jay and his troop: She leaves a “Sasquatch Footprint” (really a butt-print); she also puts out their campfire by spitting river water all over it. Things start to get real (well…Sass gets only a tad more serious) when she saves Jay from drowning and Jay wants to thank her. The story moves back and forth between the rangers and Sass and her friends, easily developing both sets of characters. Torres is a veteran of comic-book writing, and it shows, the text conveyed only in dialogue, sans narrator or footnotes. Grand’s thin, pencil-lined illustrations and the linear layout of rectangular panels make the story easy to follow for younger readers.
Hand this goofy bigfoot to young readers eager to get their starts in graphic novels. (Graphic fantasy. 6-9)Pub Date: May 15, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-77147-277-7
Page Count: 64
Publisher: Owlkids Books
Review Posted Online: March 26, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2018
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
PERSPECTIVES
A fast-paced, linear story for chapter-book vampire enthusiasts; this kicks off a series.
Lee Price is like every other normal 9-year-old boy … except he is a vampire.
Each night he wakes up and goes to St. Orlok’s Elementary School, where he learns vampire essentials such as cloak swishing, scary staring and, most importantly, cooking without garlic. On the night of the big casketball game (which is precisely what it sounds like), Lee’s class is also learning the best lesson yet: how to turn into a bat. During the game, however, players are strictly forbidden to do any kind of transformation. But one player on the opposing team—the Chaney Street Werewolves—keeps pushing and growling his way to the casket, without the ref’s noticing. Lee must figure out how to play fair but still win. The setting may be unusual, but the dilemmas Lee faces are universal and immediately recognizable. Harrison’s loosely sketched spot illustrations capture the narrative’s unexpected humor, giving the young vampires a wide-eyed innocence and a gangly, almost bobble-head appearance.
A fast-paced, linear story for chapter-book vampire enthusiasts; this kicks off a series. (Paranormal. 6-8)Pub Date: July 1, 2011
ISBN: 978-0-8075-8462-0
Page Count: 96
Publisher: Whitman
Review Posted Online: June 21, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2011
Santa Claus hates you and wants you to die. 364 days a year, he’s a tyrant who forces children to fight to the death in an...
It’s surprising that a book with zombies and talking celery isn’t quite goofy enough to work.
Santa Claus hates you and wants you to die. 364 days a year, he’s a tyrant who forces children to fight to the death in an enormous coliseum. Once a year, on Christmas Eve, he travels across the dimensions to Earth, where his entire personality transforms, and he becomes a jolly gift giver with a bag stuffed with candy canes. Pilot and Huxley have the bad luck to meet him on December 23rd. To get home on his world-hopping sleigh, they’ll need to defeat Bruto the giant elf and Rudolph, who’s armed with a rocket launcher. Luckily, Huxley has a bowl of noodles. All of this is very silly. It’s the Simpsons’ fault it doesn’t work. Kids who’ve grown up on Captain Underpants and Shrek and Family Guy will recognize the formula: Sarcastic comment, self-referential joke, ridiculous occurrence that our heroes take perfectly in stride. In spite of the familiar pacing, some of the jokes are right on target. PILOT: “But isn’t Limbo supposed to be like an empty, blank place where lost souls roam forever?” TALKING STRAWBERRY: “…It seemed like a waste of good real estate, so we all moved in.”Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2011
ISBN: 978-0-545-26845-5
Page Count: 64
Publisher: Graphix/Scholastic
Review Posted Online: July 5, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2011
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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