A sparkling series opener certain to captivate a broad audience.
Rodent high jinks reign supreme as two BFFs make museum mischief in this giggleworthy graphic novel.
Adorable rodents Hammy and Gerbee are best buds who spend their days fist bumping, cracking jokes, and pulling pranks. They are thrilled to learn that they are both in the same class with the new teacher, Miss Capybara, but then they discover that Hanna and Anna—twin mice known as Double Trouble—will also be in their class. When the class must vote whether to visit the art or the science museum, Hammy and Gerbee use reverse psychology to induce the twins to choose in their favor. Once at the science museum, the pair can’t help but pull a prank on the twins but are quite surprised when their plans go uproariously awry and they unwittingly foil a robbery! Cuddly characters portrayed using a pleasing two-color scheme and oversized, free-form panels will certainly catch the eyes of fans of Jennifer L. and Matthew Holm’s Babymouse or Jarrett J. Krosoczka’s Lunch Lady series. Yee’s text is widely accessible but far from simplistic; puns and wordplay abound. When the adventure concludes, “fun facts” about Egypt are presented; although the idea seems well-intentioned, the facts are terse and rudimentary, only relating to the concluding narrative thread. This quibble aside, this is an otherwise guffaw-generating romp that should not gather any dust on the shelf.
A sparkling series opener certain to captivate a broad audience. (Graphic fiction. 6-10)Pub Date: Jan. 16, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-62779-462-6
Page Count: 112
Publisher: Christy Ottaviano/Henry Holt
Review Posted Online: Oct. 15, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 2017
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Another winner from Mills, equally well suited to reading aloud and independent reading.
When Franklin School principal Mr. Boone announces a pet-show fundraiser, white third-grader Cody—whose lack of skill and interest in academics is matched by keen enthusiasm for and knowledge of animals—discovers his time to shine.
As with other books in this series, the children and adults are believable and well-rounded. Even the dialogue is natural—no small feat for a text easily accessible to intermediate readers. Character growth occurs, organically and believably. Students occasionally, humorously, show annoyance with teachers: “He made mad squinty eyes at Mrs. Molina, which fortunately she didn’t see.” Readers will be kept entertained by Cody’s various problems and the eventual solutions. His problems include needing to raise $10 to enter one of his nine pets in the show (he really wants to enter all of them), his troublesome dog Angus—“a dog who ate homework—actually, who ate everything and then threw up afterward”—struggles with homework, and grappling with his best friend’s apparently uncaring behavior toward a squirrel. Serious values and issues are explored with a light touch. The cheery pencil illustrations show the school’s racially diverse population as well as the memorable image of Mr. Boone wearing an elephant costume. A minor oddity: why does a child so immersed in animal facts call his male chicken a rooster but his female chickens chickens?
Another winner from Mills, equally well suited to reading aloud and independent reading. (Fiction. 7-10)Pub Date: June 14, 2016
ISBN: 978-0-374-30223-8
Page Count: 144
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Review Posted Online: March 15, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2016
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Having put together a band with renowned cousin Duck Ellington and singer “Bee” Holiday, Rooster’s chances sure look...
Winning actually isn’t everything, as jazz-happy Rooster learns when he goes up against the legendary likes of Mules Davis and Ella Finchgerald at the barnyard talent show.
Having put together a band with renowned cousin Duck Ellington and singer “Bee” Holiday, Rooster’s chances sure look good—particularly after his “ ‘Hen from Ipanema’ [makes] / the barnyard chickies swoon.”—but in the end the competition is just too stiff. No matter: A compliment from cool Mules and the conviction that he still has the world’s best band soon puts the strut back in his stride. Alexander’s versifying isn’t always in tune (“So, he went to see his cousin, / a pianist of great fame…”), and despite his moniker Rooster plays an electric bass in Bower’s canted country scenes. Children are unlikely to get most of the jokes liberally sprinkled through the text, of course, so the adults sharing it with them should be ready to consult the backmatter, which consists of closing notes on jazz’s instruments, history and best-known musicians.Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2011
ISBN: 978-1-58536-688-0
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Sleeping Bear Press
Review Posted Online: July 19, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2011
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