Fans will feel fulfilled.
What would a film of Timmy Failure’s life look like? Greatness!
Great detective Timmy Failure’s possibly imaginary business partner and polar bear, Total, is missing his polar-bear brother. Timmy would like to help him, but it would disrupt his detecting business—and then there is a solar eclipse at a crucial moment. Taking it as a sign from the gods, Timmy retires from detecting to help Total. Before the polar-bear hunt can progress very far, Timmy’s teacher assigns the class a movie project, and Timmy must write the script. He knows the greatest story never told: his life from birth to detective greatness. Unfortunately, new student Tom John John is to direct it. Now Timmy must deal with his perpetually absent father’s reappearance in town (and his patent refusal to be an international spy), the disappearance of the greatest script ever written, Tom John John’s pretentious frippery, a despondent polar bear, and a host of regular hangers-on (whom anyone else would call friends). Pastis caps his offbeat, frequently absurd, and oft-times sedately madcap series with a satisfying closer. Timmy narrates his tale of greatness in his customary deadpan; Pastis’ line drawings often supply wry punchlines and depict an all-white cast.
Fans will feel fulfilled. (Graphic/fiction hybrid. 7-11)Pub Date: Sept. 25, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-5362-0240-3
Page Count: 352
Publisher: Candlewick
Review Posted Online: Oct. 27, 2018
BOOK TO SCREEN
The second installment in this spirited series is a hit.
A new baby coming means Ryan has lots of opportunities to grow love.
Ryan has so much to look forward to this summer—she is going to be a big sister, and she finally gets to go to church camp! But new adventures bring challenges, too. Ryan feels like the baby is taking forever to arrive, and with Mom on bed rest, she isn’t able to participate in the family’s typical summer activities. Ryan’s Dad is still working the late shift, which means he gets home and goes to bed when she and her older brother, Ray, are waking up, so their quality daddy-daughter time is limited to one day a week. When the time for camp finally arrives, Ryan is so worried about bugs, ghosts, and sharing a cabin that she wonders if she should go at all. Watson’s heroine is smart and courageous, bringing her optimistic attitude to any challenge she faces. Hard topics like family finances and complex relationships with friends are discussed in an age-appropriate way. Watson continues to excel at crafting a sense of place; she transports readers to Portland, Oregon, with an attention to detail that can only come from someone who has loved that city. Ryan, her family, and friends are Black, and occasional illustrations by Mata spotlight their joy and make this book shine.
The second installment in this spirited series is a hit. (Fiction. 8-10)Pub Date: April 27, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-5476-0058-8
Page Count: 192
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Review Posted Online: March 16, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2021
A classic sibling rivalry tale that still satisfies to the last drop.
In this graphic novel adaptation of Davies’ 2007 book, hurt feelings propel an intense business battle.
Fourth grader Evan can’t stand the thought of his brainy younger sister, Jessie, skipping a grade and joining his class this fall. Intelligent but emotionally immature, Jessie sometimes misses social cues and wishes she could be more like the gregarious Evan. These insecurities set the stage for a contest to see who can raise the most money selling lemonade this summer. Will Jessie’s book smarts beat Evan’s people skills? The beauty of this story lies in how each sibling’s strengths rub off on the other: Evan brushes up on his math, while Jessie tentatively makes a new friend. De la Vega’s polished cartoon artwork creatively translates Davies’ metaphors to a visual medium. When the author compares the “mean words inside Evan…fighting to get out” to bats, illustrations depict the furry animals emerging from beneath his shirt; Jessie’s negative thoughts take the form of a tiny purple creature irritatingly tapping her shoulder. Tender scenes depict flashbacks of the siblings supporting each other through their parents’ divorce. The book has business savvy to match the emotional beats (each chapter opens with an entrepreneurial definition that relates to the plot), and several scenes feature math problems that readers can solve for themselves. Evan and Jessie appear white; both have friends of color.
A classic sibling rivalry tale that still satisfies to the last drop. (business tips) (Graphic fiction. 8-10)Pub Date: April 29, 2025
ISBN: 9780063310407
Page Count: 208
Publisher: Clarion/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: Feb. 15, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2025
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