Different plot, different format, same cast: Running in parallel to published chapter-book episodes such as Magic Pickle and the Planet of the Grapes (2007), this scenario-setter introduces the bulked-up cuke superhero. Blasting out of a lab hidden beneath the floor of feisty everylass Jo Jo Wigman, he propels himself into battle with the Brotherhood of Evil Produce—in particular the quick and canny Romaine Gladiator. “Weapon Kosher” (his codename) comes through of course, dispensing “Dill Justice” to all villains while JoJo takes on class princess Lu Lu Deederly on the side. Portraying the nonstop action with an effervescent blend of discrete panels and insets, Morse depicts his flying pickled protagonist with muscular arms and a “tasteful yet mysteriously revealing” star above a pair of ferociously squinting eyes. Evidently to make up the page count, the author tacks on a short yet silly encounter between Pickle and a lottery-winning bazillionaire who’s been transformed into a coconut, then closes with basic advice for aspiring cartoonists. Diverting and dill-ectable. (Graphic novel. 8-10)
Pub Date: May 1, 2008
ISBN: 978-0-439-87995-8
Page Count: 112
Publisher: Graphix/Scholastic
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2008
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
In this middle-grade graphic novel, young Claire is distressed to discover that her family is about to move from their home in the city to the all-too-rural town of Bellevale. Claire’s parents are starting a new organic bakery, and their fights only serve to worry their daughter further. Just when Claire has settled in and made a new friend named Jet, her mom disappears with an artificial-flavoring salesman. Clearly sneaky dealings are afoot and it’s up to Clair and Jet to solve the mystery. What starts out as a perfectly nice bit of realistic fiction about making new friends and dealing with parental disputes ends up morphing into a bizarre and didactic tale of evil artificial ingredients and corporate domination. The art does little to improve the basic problems with tone. And while the recipes in the back of the book look yummy, there is a self-righteousness to this sketchily drawn story that will leave a bad taste in the reader’s mouth. (Graphic fiction. 8-10)
Pub Date: April 1, 2008
ISBN: 978-1-55453-286-5
Page Count: 104
Publisher: Kids Can
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2008
BOOK REVIEW
“By March 5, 1770, it was dangerous to be a soldier in Boston.” In a few lines of terse prose illustrated with densely hatched black-and-white pictures, Decker lays out the causes of the tension between Bostonians and British troops, and then delivers a blow-by-blow account of events on that March night and the ensuing trials. Along with casting a grim tone over all, his dark, crowded illustrations capture the incident’s confusion and also add details to the narrative. Despite some questionable choices—he names most of the soldiers but none of the casualties, and except for a row of coffins in one picture, never mentions how many actually died—the author leaves readers with a general understanding of what happened, and with a final scene of John Adams (who defended the soldiers in court) pondering the necessity of protecting true Liberty from the “lawless mob,” some food for thought as well. (Informational picture book. 9-10)
Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2009
ISBN: 978-1-59078-608-6
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Calkins Creek/Boyds Mills
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2009
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