Next book

TARGET PRACTICE

From the Cleopatra in Space series , Vol. 1

Offer this winning adventure to young fans of Ben Hatke’s Zita the Spacegirl (2011)

This Cleopatra wasn’t born to rule over Egypt—she has a galaxy to save!

Fifteen-year-old Cleo is playing hooky from her algebra lessons when she stumbles across a mysterious tablet that takes her on a one-way trip to the future. Upon her arrival, she learns that it’s her destiny to defeat the evil aliens who have conquered half of the Nile galaxy. Cleo is remarkably nonchalant about her change in circumstances, though she grumbles about enrolling in Yasiro Academy. “Light years from my home planet, millennia in the future, and a supposed savior of the galaxy… / and I still have to go to school?!” At least the curriculum includes target practice, where her old slingshot skills prove to be transferable. Cleo’s easygoing confidence makes her a likable, if not especially complex, heroine, but the real star of the graphic novel is Maihack’s art. The cinematic paneling during action sequences skillfully conveys Cleo’s vivacity and flair. Moreover, Cleo’s novel surroundings—which include talking cats, ray guns and even a flying sphinx—feel fresh and immediate to readers thanks to Maihack’s character designs and backgrounds, which manage to be winsome without being cloying.

Offer this winning adventure to young fans of Ben Hatke’s Zita the Spacegirl (2011) . (Graphic science fiction. 9-12)

Pub Date: April 29, 2014

ISBN: 978-0-545-52842-9

Page Count: 176

Publisher: Graphix/Scholastic

Review Posted Online: Feb. 11, 2014

Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2014

Next book

CAPTAIN UNDERPANTS AND THE TERRIFYING RETURN OF TIPPY TINKLETROUSERS

From the Captain Underpants series , Vol. 9

Is this the end? Well, no…the series will stagger on through at least one more scheduled sequel.

Sure signs that the creative wells are running dry at last, the Captain’s ninth, overstuffed outing both recycles a villain (see Book 4) and offers trendy anti-bullying wish fulfillment.

Not that there aren’t pranks and envelope-pushing quips aplenty. To start, in an alternate ending to the previous episode, Principal Krupp ends up in prison (“…a lot like being a student at Jerome Horwitz Elementary School, except that the prison had better funding”). There, he witnesses fellow inmate Tippy Tinkletrousers (aka Professor Poopypants) escape in a giant Robo-Suit (later reduced to time-traveling trousers). The villain sets off after George and Harold, who are in juvie (“not much different from our old school…except that they have library books here.”). Cut to five years previous, in a prequel to the whole series. George and Harold link up in kindergarten to reduce a quartet of vicious bullies to giggling insanity with a relentless series of pranks involving shaving cream, spiders, effeminate spoof text messages and friendship bracelets. Pilkey tucks both topical jokes and bathroom humor into the cartoon art, and ups the narrative’s lexical ante with terms like “pharmaceuticals” and “theatrical flair.” Unfortunately, the bullies’ sad fates force Krupp to resign, so he’s not around to save the Earth from being destroyed later on by Talking Toilets and other invaders…

Is this the end? Well, no…the series will stagger on through at least one more scheduled sequel. (Fantasy. 10-12)

Pub Date: Aug. 28, 2012

ISBN: 978-0-545-17534-0

Page Count: 304

Publisher: Scholastic

Review Posted Online: June 19, 2012

Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2012

Next book

STEALING HOME

An emotional, much-needed historical graphic novel.

Sandy and his family, Japanese Canadians, experience hatred and incarceration during World War II.

Sandy Saito loves baseball, and the Vancouver Asahi ballplayers are his heroes. But when they lose in the 1941 semifinals, Sandy’s dad calls it a bad omen. Sure enough, in December 1941, Japan bombs Pearl Harbor in the U.S. The Canadian government begins to ban Japanese people from certain areas, moving them to “dormitories” and setting a curfew. Sandy wants to spend time with his father, but as a doctor, his dad is busy, often sneaking out past curfew to work. One night Papa is taken to “where he [is] needed most,” and the family is forced into an internment camp. Life at the camp isn’t easy, and even with some of the Asahi players playing ball there, it just isn’t the same. Trying to understand and find joy again, Sandy struggles with his new reality and relationship with his father. Based on the true experiences of Japanese Canadians and the Vancouver Asahi team, this graphic novel is a glimpse of how their lives were affected by WWII. The end is a bit abrupt, but it’s still an inspiring and sweet look at how baseball helped them through hardship. The illustrations are all in a sepia tone, giving it an antique look and conveying the emotions and struggles. None of the illustrations of their experiences are overly graphic, making it a good introduction to this upsetting topic for middle-grade readers.

An emotional, much-needed historical graphic novel. (afterword, further resources) (Graphic historical fiction. 9-12)

Pub Date: Oct. 5, 2021

ISBN: 978-1-5253-0334-0

Page Count: 112

Publisher: Kids Can

Review Posted Online: June 28, 2021

Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2021

Close Quickview