A fantastically fun cartoon romp.
In this graphic charmer, an evil penguin, his octopus sidekick, and a cuddly minion take on a diabolical feline.
Nestled in a remote hideaway in Antarctica, the red-caped, “spaghetti ring”–loving Evil Emperor Penguin works tirelessly on his plans for world domination. Aided by his monocled octopus sidekick, Number 8, and his adorably red-cheeked and fuzzy-enough-to-cuddle “top minion,” Eugene, he invents doomsday devices that never quite deliver. EEP soon meets his ultimate adversary, Evil Cat, a feline with a handlebar mustache, a tiny top hat, and a nefarious agenda. EEP, staying true to his evil persona, doesn’t treat Eugene kindly, and after a comic mishap, Eugene decides to serve Evil Cat. Will the Evil Penguin get his minion back from under Evil Cat’s claws? With its sprightly tone and unfaltering cheerfulness, Anderson’s graphic offering seamlessly moves from rainbows and unicorns to the occasional well-timed fart joke. Shown through a cinematic lens and possessing an animated sensibility, her animal cast will instantly captivate readers. Between the book’s look and its goofily offbeat sense of humor, it should be difficult for many young readers to get through without dissolving into a fit of giggles. With a tried-and-true formula of a not-quite-too-evil leader and lovably bumbling minion, this will undoubtedly appeal to fans of the Despicable Me franchise.
A fantastically fun cartoon romp. (Graphic fantasy. 7-11)Pub Date: April 25, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-338-13274-8
Page Count: 64
Publisher: David Fickling/Phoenix/Scholastic
Review Posted Online: March 5, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2017
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
We challenge anyone to read this and keep a straight face.
Four misunderstood villains endeavor to turn over a new leaf…or a new rap sheet in Blabey's frenzied romp.
As readers open the first page of this early chapter book, Mr. Wolf is right there to greet them, bemoaning his reputation. "Just because I've got BIG POINTY TEETH and RAZOR-SHARP CLAWS and I occasionally like to dress up like an OLD LADY, that doesn't mean… / … I'm a BAD GUY." To prove this very fact, Mr. Wolf enlists three equally slandered friends into the Good Guys Club: Mr. Snake (aka the Chicken Swallower), Mr. Piranha (aka the Butt Biter), and Mr. Shark (aka Jaws). After some convincing from Mr. Wolf, the foursome sets off determined to un-smirch their names (and reluctantly curbing their appetites). Although these predators find that not everyone is ready to be at the receiving end of their helpful efforts, they use all their Bad Guy know-how to manage a few hilarious good deeds. Blabey has hit the proverbial nail on the head, kissed it full on the mouth, and handed it a stick of Acme dynamite. With illustrations that startle in their manic comedy and deadpan direct address and with a narrative that follows four endearingly sardonic characters trying to push past (sometimes successfully) their fear-causing natures, this book instantly joins the classic ranks of Captain Underpants and The Stinky Cheese Man.
We challenge anyone to read this and keep a straight face. (Fiction. 7-11)Pub Date: Jan. 3, 2017
ISBN: 978-0-545-91240-2
Page Count: 144
Publisher: Scholastic
Review Posted Online: Sept. 18, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 2016
Another winner from Mills, equally well suited to reading aloud and independent reading.
When Franklin School principal Mr. Boone announces a pet-show fundraiser, white third-grader Cody—whose lack of skill and interest in academics is matched by keen enthusiasm for and knowledge of animals—discovers his time to shine.
As with other books in this series, the children and adults are believable and well-rounded. Even the dialogue is natural—no small feat for a text easily accessible to intermediate readers. Character growth occurs, organically and believably. Students occasionally, humorously, show annoyance with teachers: “He made mad squinty eyes at Mrs. Molina, which fortunately she didn’t see.” Readers will be kept entertained by Cody’s various problems and the eventual solutions. His problems include needing to raise $10 to enter one of his nine pets in the show (he really wants to enter all of them), his troublesome dog Angus—“a dog who ate homework—actually, who ate everything and then threw up afterward”—struggles with homework, and grappling with his best friend’s apparently uncaring behavior toward a squirrel. Serious values and issues are explored with a light touch. The cheery pencil illustrations show the school’s racially diverse population as well as the memorable image of Mr. Boone wearing an elephant costume. A minor oddity: why does a child so immersed in animal facts call his male chicken a rooster but his female chickens chickens?
Another winner from Mills, equally well suited to reading aloud and independent reading. (Fiction. 7-10)Pub Date: June 14, 2016
ISBN: 978-0-374-30223-8
Page Count: 144
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Review Posted Online: March 15, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2016
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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