Featuring wacky humor and a relatable protagonist, this one’s sure to fly off shelves.
Does anyone have worse luck than Quin?
As the various scenarios depicted in the three stories within this graphic novel demonstrate, things tend to go from bad to worse for the curly-haired young boy. Despite his best intentions and a kind heart, somehow even a day at the beach goes south after he offers a fry to a seagull; word of his generosity spreads, and he’s soon surrounded by hungry gulls. In the second story, Quin’s sister’s elaborate attempts to help him yank out a loose tooth result in mayhem. In the final entry, Quin has a painful encounter with hornets during a fishing trip. Quin’s laugh-out-loud exclamations add to the hilarity—“Holy Fowl Breath!” “Holy Buttered Yum!” “Holy Head Yank!”—as do the frequent sight gags and gross-out humor. Digital cartoon panels relate Quin’s mishaps with aplomb, adding to the kid appeal, while his orange cat Kitty’s spot-on observations heighten the amusement. Though the situations are over-the-top, Quin’s bad luck will resonate with young people—after all, who among us hasn’t had a run of bad luck? Readers will appreciate that Quin’s family always has his back and even seems to anticipate his unluckiness. Quin and his family are brown-skinned.
Featuring wacky humor and a relatable protagonist, this one’s sure to fly off shelves. (Graphic fiction. 6-9)Pub Date: May 7, 2024
ISBN: 9781525306594
Page Count: 64
Publisher: Kids Can
Review Posted Online: Feb. 17, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2024
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
What a wag.
What do you get from sewing the head of a smart dog onto the body of a tough police officer? A new superhero from the incorrigible creator of Captain Underpants.
Finding a stack of old Dog Mancomics that got them in trouble back in first grade, George and Harold decide to craft a set of new(ish) adventures with (more or less) improved art and spelling. These begin with an origin tale (“A Hero Is Unleashed”), go on to a fiendish attempt to replace the chief of police with a “Robo Chief” and then a temporarily successful scheme to make everyone stupid by erasing all the words from every book (“Book ’Em, Dog Man”), and finish off with a sort of attempted alien invasion evocatively titled “Weenie Wars: The Franks Awaken.” In each, Dog Man squares off against baddies (including superinventor/archnemesis Petey the cat) and saves the day with a clever notion. With occasional pauses for Flip-O-Rama featurettes, the tales are all framed in brightly colored sequential panels with hand-lettered dialogue (“How do you feel, old friend?” “Ruff!”) and narrative. The figures are studiously diverse, with police officers of both genders on view and George, the chief, and several other members of the supporting cast colored in various shades of brown. Pilkey closes as customary with drawing exercises, plus a promise that the canine crusader will be further unleashed in a sequel.
What a wag. (Graphic fantasy. 7-9)Pub Date: Aug. 30, 2016
ISBN: 978-0-545-58160-8
Page Count: 240
Publisher: Graphix/Scholastic
Review Posted Online: May 31, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2016
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
SEEN & HEARD
BOOK TO SCREEN
It’s hard to argue with success, but guides that actually do the math will be more useful to budding capitalists.
How to raise money for a coveted poster: put your friends to work!
John, founder of the FUBU fashion line and a Shark Tank venture capitalist, offers a self-referential blueprint for financial success. Having only half of the $10 he needs for a Minka J poster, Daymond forks over $1 to buy a plain T-shirt, paints a picture of the pop star on it, sells it for $5, and uses all of his cash to buy nine more shirts. Then he recruits three friends to decorate them with his design and help sell them for an unspecified amount (from a conveniently free and empty street-fair booth) until they’re gone. The enterprising entrepreneur reimburses himself for the shirts and splits the remaining proceeds, which leaves him with enough for that poster as well as a “brand-new business book,” while his friends express other fiscal strategies: saving their share, spending it all on new art supplies, or donating part and buying a (math) book with the rest. (In a closing summation, the author also suggests investing in stocks, bonds, or cryptocurrency.) Though Miles cranks up the visual energy in her sparsely detailed illustrations by incorporating bright colors and lots of greenbacks, the actual advice feels a bit vague. Daymond is Black; most of the cast are people of color. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
It’s hard to argue with success, but guides that actually do the math will be more useful to budding capitalists. (Picture book. 7-9)Pub Date: March 21, 2023
ISBN: 978-0-593-56727-2
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Random House
Review Posted Online: Dec. 13, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2023
© Copyright 2024 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
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