book review

Picture Book Review: Robobaby

Posted by

0

Robobaby by David Wiesner

Robobaby
by David Wiesner
5 out of 5 stars

Cathode (Cathy for short) is about to become a big sister when her parents order a new baby robot. The baby arrives in the mail, but requires some assembly. Mother tries to put the baby together, and Father tries to read the instructions, but they can’t get the gears to attach to the clockwork innards of the child. They call for help! What can Cathy do to help save the baby?

The cuteness level in this book is through the roof! The story is so clever and original, and I adore all the funny characters. There’s Uncle Manny who tries to help assemble the baby. The neighbor brings her little twins to meet the baby. And of course, Sprocket the dog will help big sister Cathy to save the day!

Continue reading →

Comic Review: We Found a Monster

Posted by

0

We Found a Monster by Kirk Scroggs

We Found a Monster
by Kirk Scroggs
4 out of 5 stars

Casey writes in his art journal to tell us the story of how monsters keep finding him! There’s a vampire in the attic, and gremlins in the basement. Frankenstein keeps recharging his brain batteries and making the electric bill go up. A huge cephalopod lives in the kiddie pool in the backyard. When a new girl arrives at school, Casey finds out that she is interested in monsters too. And there is a new pink monster in town.

I love the colorful art style! It really draws the reader into the story. The colors are so bright and fun. I love the funny expressions on the characters’ faces. Some of the sketches are just pencil drawings, and some are filled-in with color. It really looks like someone’s journal with text and illustrations thrown all over the page.

Continue reading →

Comic Review: Arkhamaniacs

Posted by

0

Arkhamaniacs by Art Baltazar

Arkhamaniacs
by Art Baltazar, Franco Aureliani
4 out of 5 stars

Little Bruce Wayne meets some strange tenants in an apartment building owned by Wayne Enterprises. The Joker, Poison Ivy, Catwoman, Harley Quinn, Penguin, and all the classic villains are young people and children, and Commissioner Gordon is the supervisor of the apartments. The villains only want to have fun and play games with little Brucie! But Alfred insists that they should follow the rules and not make trouble.

I liked the comedy in this comic! The Joker is always getting up to crazy hijinks, and dragging Bruce along. They get up an insane game of pirates at a pool party, and that is the perfect backdrop for some truly hilarious adventures.

Continue reading →

Comic Review: Teen Titans Go! Roll with It

Posted by

0

Teen Titans Go! Roll With It! by Heather Nuhfer

Teen Titans Go! Roll With It!
by Heather Nuhfer, P.C. Morissey, Agnes Garbowska, Sandy Jarrell
4 out of 5 stars

Robin has gathered the Teen Titans to play an exciting game of Basements and Basilisks. The friends just want to have fun, but Robin wants to force everyone to follow the rules and make the game difficult. Jinx puts them under a spell to stay in the game, and only Robin can save the day. That is… if he can let go of the rules.

I liked the comedy in this comic! Robin is always getting up to crazy hijinks and ruining everyone’s game experience with his insane determination to make the game impossibly difficult. He is always trying to prove that he is the fastest, smartest, biggest hero, and that is the perfect backdrop for some truly hilarious failures.

Continue reading →

Manga Review: Anne of Green Gables

Posted by

0

Manga Classics Anne of Green Gables by Crystal Chan

Manga Classics Anne of Green Gables
by Crystal Chan (Editor), Kuma Chan (Artist), L.M. Montgomery (Author)
5 out of 5 stars

In this classic story, Anne is an orphan who comes to live with Marilla and Matthew. She has an overactive imagination and a talent for getting into mischief, but she is delighted with her new home at Green Gables.

Condensing such a complex and deep story into manga form works very well here, and the plot closely follows the original story. Even the dialogue is almost always exactly the same as the book.

I loved the artwork so much! Beautiful panels in every chapter that draw you into the story. The artwork brings a lot of emotion into the story, and firmly connects the reader to the characters. Seeing the expressions on character’s faces as they experience joy, grief, fear, sadness, or relief, made me feel those things too as I was reading!

Continue reading →

Graphic Novel Review: The Inkberg Enigma

Posted by

0

The Inkberg Enigma by Jonathan King

The Inkberg Enigma
by Jonathan King
4 out of 5 stars

This graphic novel centers on a bookish young man, Miro, who lives in a fishing village where his father works in a history museum. There are strange occurrences around the town, and the fishermen have secrets to hide. Miro’s new friend, Zia, takes a photograph of a fisherman who has been attacked at sea, the local fishermen warn Miro and Zia to stay away and keep quiet about what they saw. But of course, they begin to investigate the weird phenomena around town.

I loved this book! The characters, the interesting plot, and the world-building are all excellent.

I liked that Miro is a bookworm, and spends his life diving into books but never having any real adventures. Each of the characters has their own vivid personality and backstory.

Continue reading →

Book Review: Starcross

Posted by

0

Starcross by Philip Reeve

Starcross (Larklight, #2)
by Philip Reeve (Goodreads Author), David Wyatt (Illustrator)
5 out of 5 stars

Myrtle and Arthur are having adventures again! This time they are visiting a seaside hotel called Starcross located in the asteroid belt. There are mysterious disappearances and strange beings lurking around the hotel, and it’s up to Myrtle and Arthur and their friends to save the empire!

I loved everything about this book! The plot, the characters, the hilarious writing, the world-building, the mystery, the adventure, and every single dramatic chapter all kept me reading for hours on end. This is one of those books where there isn’t a good place to stop reading. You just have to keep going through the next chapter and the next.

Continue reading →

Picture Book Review: Hello, Neighbor!

Posted by

0

Hello, Neighbor! by Matthew Cordell

Hello, Neighbor!: The Kind and Caring World of Mister Rogers
by Matthew Cordell
5 out of 5 stars

This book tells the true story of how Fred Rogers first began to be interested in television production, and how he began broadcasting the show, Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood. The story is told in a simple way for children to understand, but it captures the heart of the show through Mr. Rogers personality. He exhibited such a strong kindness and compassion that it reached people personally even through the airwaves of television. I love that this book expresses the true heart of Mr. Rogers and demonstrates just how special and original his TV show really was.

One of the things that is mentioned in this book is that Fred Rogers was a minister, and his faith played a huge role in the type of person he was and how he formed his famous TV show for children. The sincerity and love in every episode are beautifully represented in this book.

Continue reading →