KODI’S ADVENTURES

A middle schooler struggles with time management and executive functioning skills.

In Hudon’s debut graphic novel, time is always slipping away from Kodi, the main character. He wakes up on the first day of middle school intent on doing everything right and not being the “loser” he was last year. But extra time spent in bed means he forgets half his things, misses the bus, and leaves a mess in his home that angers his working single mother. Every day in his week is like this; he even loses track of time the night before an important report is due and falls asleep at the kitchen table trying to finish it. It isn’t until Kodi hears a snippet about something called “the Time Snatcher” in class that he starts to identify his problem and seek help from the school’s speech-language pathologist, Mrs. Norton (“The Time Snatcher wants to take your time by distracting you”). Learning the skills that he needs to reorganize his life isn’t easy, and it takes most of the school year for Kodi to find what works for him. The battle is tough, but Mrs. Norton and Kodi’s classmate Juan help him to fight and finally defeat the Time Snatcher once and for all. Their methods serve not only to help Kodi, but also ostensibly to aid the book’s audience, too, as this novel reads as a thinly veiled guide to time management skills. Its format makes it highly accessible for a variety of ages and reading abilities, though the story does come off as somewhat one-dimensional. Szucs’ illustrations, which portray a diverse cast, are plain but practical. A standout moment is the brain-as-orchestra metaphor that describes executive functioning skills. The backmatter includes worksheets for readers to use to tackle their own Time Snatchers. This work is a useful tool that may find its place in the collections of educators and psychologists rather than on recreational reading shelves.

A helpful novel/manual with a role to play in the classroom and therapy office.