Tag: graphic novels for kids

REVIEW: Gordon: Bark to the Future by Ashley Spires

REVIEW: Gordon: Bark to the Future by Ashley Spires

Posted on by Jaymie

Summary

The adventure that started with Binky the Space Cat and FURST (Felines of the Universe Ready for Space Travel) takes a trip to the past.

Gordon the dog, part of PURST (Pets of the Universe Ready for Space Travel) finds himself alone when the aliens (insects) invade his “space station” (home). Binky has been captured, and their humans have been swarmed.

How can Gordon hope to defeat the aliens on his own? He’s not good with combat. His skills fall more on the science side. Their only hope is an untested time machine. Gordon only needs to go back five days to save his family. But one of the crafty aliens changes the setting to 5 YEARS.

One simple choice in the past threatens to undo everything Gordon holds dear. What will become of Gordon and his family now?

Review

I have been a fan of this series since the first book. A house cat who thinks he’s an astronaut, fighting insect “aliens”? Yes, please. When I was teaching, we had the whole series in the library, and they were often checked out for the majority of the school year. My teenager still keeps up with the new books in the series because he has been a fan since the begining.

This was a fun addition to the series with some great dramatic tension. The time travel piece was terrific. And the author does a great job on the details so even new readers can follow the story if they haven’t read the earlier books.

I recommend the whole series. Spires is one of my favorite illustrators. This is a graphic novel series that will appeal to animal lovers as well as kids who like some action and humor in their books. Gordon is a great main character (although Binky is still my favorite).

Thanks to Netgalley and Kids Can Press for the opportunity to read an electronic review copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

Rating: ♥♥♥♥

REVIEW: DC Superhero Girls: Date with Disaster! by Shea Fontana

REVIEW: DC Superhero Girls: Date with Disaster! by Shea Fontana

Posted on by Jaymie

Summary

Romance is in the air as the Super Hero High kids plan a dance and Batgirl sees her dad, Commissioner Gordon, on a date. Even Principal Waller has a boyfriend. Batgirl signs her dad up for a dating service because she doesn’t like the person he’s dating. But her plans to find true love for her dad backfire.

While the plans for the dance start coming together, and the kids start matchmaking for one another, there’s an explosion at STAR Labs. Dr Faulkner is hurt, and the mayor is trying to hide something. The kids will have to wait to put on their dancing shoes until they sort out what is really going on at STAR Labs.

Review

This was a fun story that really held together well.  There was a nice level of tension from chapter to chapter leading up to the end. The STAR Labs piece was especially well done. The matchmaking was more of a means to an end. It got people into places where they need to be for other parts of the story to take place.

Poison Ivy and Lois Lane had expanded roles in this story which was a lot of fun. The rest of the girls worked various angles on the mystery. The guys – Flash and Cyborg in particular – were more involved in the dance portions of the story.

This will be great for fans of the other graphic novels in this series as well as fans of the Lisa Yee middle grade novels and other DC properties. This is my favorite book so far in this graphic novel series.

Thanks to Netgalley and DC Comics for the opportunity to read an electronic review copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

Rating: ♥♥♥♥

REVIEW: DC Super Hero Girls Graphic Novels by Shea Fontana

Posted on by Jaymie

Summary

Graphic novels based on the DC Super Hero High story line (including novels by Lisa Yee).

In the first graphic novel, Finals Crisis, several of the girls are captured by a  mysterious figure right before their final exams. The only way they can escape and get to their exams on time will be to work together.  In the second story, Hits and Myths, the school English teacher goes missing and the Batplane is stolen. The kids will have to work together to solve both mysteries.

DC Super Hero High Graphic Novels

Review

These are fun stories for the young fans of DC heroes – and villains. The comics are fun, allowing each character to show his/her powers (It’s not just the girls, although they are the focus. Beast Boy and the Flash make appearances). I especially liked the first book because there was a “chapter” focus on each of the main girls. The mythology tie in for book 2 wasn’t as strong as I expected it to be. The theme of working together ran through both stories.

These books would be a great starting place for new fans who want to get to know the main characters (Wonder Woman, Batgirl, Supergirl, Katana, Harley Quinn, Poison Ivy, etc.) with a visual story.

These are also a great tie in with the middle grade novels, pictured below. I have really enjoyed the middle grade series. They give more depth to the characters introduced here in the graphic novels. But I find myself wishing for more pictures when I read the novels. These graphic novels meet that need.

Rating: ♥♥♥