After catching the wrong bus, young Bud finds himself at a school that’s out of this world—literally.
On what is to be his first day at his new school, Bud accidentally finds himself on a spaceship school bus on the way to the Cosmos Academy, where Earthlings are the most feared creatures in the galaxy. He is quickly befriended by lovable green alien computer geek Gort McGortGort. At the Academy, it is quickly apparent that the current administration is up to no good. They are suspicious of Bud, who is being passed off as a Tenarian, an alien race that excels at ZeroBall. Bud, desperate to get home, and Gort devise a plan to hitch a ride back to Earth by winning the ZeroBall tournament, a near-impossible feat. The classic underdogs must fight their way against bullies both young and old—a well-trod storyline. Fearing adds appealing touches, such as the Transchip, a nod to Douglas Adams’ Babel Fish, which makes all languages understandable, or the Blip, a handheld computer that’s “a map, runs homework modules...has video chat, staff directory...” Couple this with vibrant cartoon art and a surprise happy ending for an easy, feel-good read.
A fun, intergalactic buddy story that may not reinvent the wheel—or the UFO—but works well here, nonetheless. (Graphic science fiction. 9-12)
Pub Date: July 1, 2012
ISBN: 978-0-8118-7106-8
Page Count: 248
Publisher: Chronicle Books
Review Posted Online: May 8, 2012
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2012
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Roll initiative and pick this one up.
Valeria Winters approaches starting yet another new school by picturing herself as a bold fantasy character with a quest. Maybe this time she won’t get into fights?
Predictably, Val’s first day is horrible. Fortunately, it’s brightened by an invitation to join the all-boys Table Titans Dungeons & Dragons gaming club. Though Val’s excited, the invitation invokes the sneering disdain of popular Kate, who secretly wishes to join, too. Val realizes she loves D&D, and if hardcore gamer Alan isn’t thrilled with her, the other Titans are welcoming. When the club needs a new faculty sponsor, Val bags the wrestling coach by joining his team. But Kate remains jealous and dismissive, leading to a fight that jeopardizes both the club and Val’s place on the wrestling team. (Her wrestling prowess despite having no formal training is a minor point of disbelief.) Val is a delightful character: spirited, smart, imaginative, self-confident without conceit, and firmly lawful good. Other characters are also distinctive and believable, including the sympathetic adults who mete out fair consequences. Gamers will appreciate the unapologetic love of D&D. School-story fans will welcome the mild social drama mixed with themes of friendship and teamwork. Most main characters appear white; gamer Darius reads Black. Though the colorful, cartoony drawings suit the story, the stylized face- and ear-shapes used for multiple characters, including Val and Darius, render them somewhat apelike, and an Asian American teacher has an unnaturally yellow skin tone.
Roll initiative and pick this one up. (Graphic fiction. 9-12)Pub Date: March 5, 2024
ISBN: 9780823453160
Page Count: 224
Publisher: Holiday House
Review Posted Online: Dec. 16, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 2024
Should help readers muddle through middle school themselves.
Follow Dave’s journey as he navigates his time as a new student in middle, er…Muddle School.
Dave’s family has just moved to Muddle and hope that this new environment will inspire their son to get better grades and find himself. Sadly, his mother’s attempts to help him make a good first impression lead him to wear a powder-blue leisure suit that quickly makes him the target of a trio of bullies. This account begins an autobiographical retelling of the author/artist’s time at a new school and how his increasingly positive attitude over the course of the year helped him to gain popularity and develop a core group of friends. The message isn’t too heavy-handed (although the theme is directly addressed by a studious friend), and readers will have a lot of laughs (often at Dave’s expense) along the way. The cartoon artwork, heavily lined in black and shaded in faded blues with Dave’s looser cartoons interspersed on faux lined paper, is amusing, but characterizations are not always visually consistent. The theme and the humor transcend this concern, however, and rabid fans of series such as Diary of a Wimpy Kid or The Popularity Papers will happily gobble this up. Dave, his family, and most of his classmates present White, though there are some characters of color, including Dave’s chief bully and Dave’s crush.
Should help readers muddle through middle school themselves. (Graphic historical fiction. 9-12)Pub Date: Sept. 7, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-5253-0486-6
Page Count: 144
Publisher: Kids Can
Review Posted Online: Aug. 10, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2021
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