Lorena Alvarez

ARTWORK: 5 stars
PLOT: 3.5 stars
Hands down the best part of this graphic novel is the artwork! Not only are there huge, splashy, decadent sprawls of imaginative artwork, but the artwork in the everyday, school, and city scenes is equally as wonderful to look at.
I think the plot could have used a few more pages just to thicken it up, but that being said I can definitely see a middle school-age reader going head over heels for this just as it is. I think it has very relatable themes: feeling a little outcast/misunderstood, wanting to explore interests, the drudgery of schoolwork, and each of these is expressed well.… (mehr)

I bought this book an age ago for my oldest child, and something made me pull it out recently and put it on my stack of books to read for the readathon.

I will acknowledge that this is a very strange book. It blurs the line between illustrated children's book and graphic novel. It is presented as being for kids age 9-12, but has some scary/disturbing story moments that could easily read older. The story itself is... truncated? There are abrupt shifts and unexplained elements...

All that said, IT REALLY WORKED FOR ME. And not just because the art is REALLY TRULY AMAZEBALLS. I mean, just absolutely beautiful, riots of color and creativity. I was charmed also that you could interpret the story in different ways.

There's a second book out now! We need it!… (mehr)