A dastardly villain, a dash of humor, and a dollop of K.E.T.C.H.U.P. combine to model positive social skills.
A punny good-versus-evil story populated by fast foods kicks off a graphic-novel series for chapter-book readers.
One day, (chicken) Nugget and (hot) Dog, best friends since preschool, search for “cool old stuff” in Great-Grandpa Frank Furter’s attic and find a picture of Gramps as a K.E.T.C.H.U.P. Crusader. K.E.T.C.H.U.P. stands for “Kind / Empathetic / Thoughtful / Courageous / Helpful / Unique / Powerful,” and, many years ago, K.E.T.C.H.U.P. Crusaders saved Gastropolis from Mayo Naze and her evil mold. Nugget and Dog adopt the motto “less mean, more K.E.T.C.H.U.P.” and decide to revitalize K.E.T.C.H.U.P. Crusaders. But Dijon, Mayo Naze’s great-grandson, has a different idea and launches his “greatest evil plan yet”: G.R.U.M.P.S., or “Giant Real Ugly Monsters with Perfect Scowls.” Dijon’s first monster, Stomp, terrorizes Gastropolis, but no one knows what the monster really wants. Brains? Breans? When the Crusaders ask, they find out Stomp just wants…beans—and friends. They are happy to provide both. But…“K.E.T.C.H.U.P. Crusaders might have won this time… / …but this is just the beginning of what Dijon Mustard can do. Mwahaha!” Nine chapters ranging in length from two to 10 pages keep the action moving, but newly independent readers will need to follow the illustration clues to understand the early-chapter shifts between Nugget and Dog and Dijon as well as the flashback that introduces K.E.T.C.H.U.P. Crusaders. A preface on how to read comics should help.
A dastardly villain, a dash of humor, and a dollop of K.E.T.C.H.U.P. combine to model positive social skills. (Graphic fiction. 5-8)Pub Date: June 29, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-5344-8463-4
Page Count: 64
Publisher: Simon Spotlight
Review Posted Online: May 4, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 15, 2021
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
The dynamic interaction between the characters invites readers to take risks, push boundaries, and have a little unscripted...
Reinvention is the name of the game for two blobs of clay.
A blue-eyed gray blob and a brown-eyed brown blob sit side by side, unsure as to what’s going to happen next. The gray anticipates an adventure, while the brown appears apprehensive. A pair of hands descends, and soon, amid a flurry of squishing and prodding and poking and sculpting, a handsome gray wolf and a stately brown owl emerge. The hands disappear, leaving the friends to their own devices. The owl is pleased, but the wolf convinces it that the best is yet to come. An ear pulled here and an extra eye placed there, and before you can shake a carving stick, a spurt of frenetic self-exploration—expressed as a tangled black scribble—reveals a succession of smug hybrid beasts. After all, the opportunity to become a “pig-e-phant” doesn’t come around every day. But the sound of approaching footsteps panics the pair of Picassos. How are they going to “fix [them]selves” on time? Soon a hippopotamus and peacock are staring bug-eyed at a returning pair of astonished hands. The creative naiveté of the “clay mates” is perfectly captured by Petty’s feisty, spot-on dialogue: “This was your idea…and it was a BAD one.” Eldridge’s endearing sculpted images are photographed against the stark white background of an artist’s work table to great effect.
The dynamic interaction between the characters invites readers to take risks, push boundaries, and have a little unscripted fun of their own . (Picture book. 5-8)Pub Date: June 20, 2017
ISBN: 978-0-316-30311-8
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Little, Brown
Review Posted Online: March 28, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2017
A jam-packed opener sure to satisfy lovers of the princess genre.
Ice princess Lina must navigate family and school in this early chapter read.
The family picnic is today. This is not a typical gathering, since Lina’s maternal relatives are a royal family of Windtamers who have power over the weather and live in castles floating on clouds. Lina herself is mixed race, with black hair and a tan complexion like her Asian-presenting mother’s; her Groundling father appears to be a white human. While making a grand entrance at the castle of her grandfather, the North Wind, she fails to successfully ride a gust of wind and crashes in front of her entire family. This prompts her stern grandfather to ask that Lina move in with him so he can teach her to control her powers. Desperate to avoid this, Lina and her friend Claudia, who is black, get Lina accepted at the Hilltop Science and Arts Academy. Lina’s parents allow her to go as long as she does lessons with grandpa on Saturdays. However, fitting in at a Groundling school is rough, especially when your powers start freak winter storms! With the story unfurling in diary format, bright-pink–highlighted grayscale illustrations help move the plot along. There are slight gaps in the storytelling and the pacing is occasionally uneven, but Lina is full of spunk and promotes self-acceptance.
A jam-packed opener sure to satisfy lovers of the princess genre. (Fantasy. 5-8)Pub Date: June 25, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-338-35393-8
Page Count: 128
Publisher: Scholastic
Review Posted Online: March 26, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2019
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