SLOOMOO

The search for a missing scientist leads to the ultimate slime playground.

For 11-year-old Daisy Sterling-Chan, slime is a way of life. The latest episode of her video channel is devoted to Miss Joon, a famous slime scientist who, along with her slimy sidekick, Sloomoo, disappeared 10 years ago. Daisy’s lonely for like-minded friends, but her life becomes fuller when she tracks down Miss Joon (“I felt lost, so I left the celebrity life behind,” she explains) and Sloomoo, who’s the visual standout of the book, contorting across panels in bright primary colors. Tears apparently bring slime to life, but Caballo Loco Studio’s artwork truly animates them. Daisy also befriends her classmate Ren, who creates his own slime buddy and enjoys newfound popularity at school alongside Daisy and Sloomoo. Unfortunately, once Daisy and Ren reconcile a minor misunderstanding, the story peters out as the Sloomoo Institute opens to great acclaim. The book feels at times like an advertisement for the real-life Sloomoo Institute, where kids can play with slime. Mentions of Daisy’s late mother are awkwardly shoehorned in, and though many readers will be gratified to see the socially awkward Daisy make friends, the authors’ commentary on the challenges and rewards of friendship feel clunky. Daisy appears to be biracial (her father is East Asian, her mother was white), Ren is cued East Asian, and the supporting cast is diverse.

A tale of bonds built over slime that will be a stretch for all but the slime-obsessed.