Joey Fly Private Eye by Aaron Reynolds and Neil Numberman

Joey Fly Private Eye in Creepy Crawly Crime by Aaron Reynolds

"Life in Bug City isn't easy. Crime sticks to the city like a one winged-fly on fifty-cent swatter." And Joey Fly Private Eye and his assistant Sammy Stingtail are willing to creep and crawl right into the slimy bottom of it. It all starts when Delilah, a swallowtail butterfly, walks in with a case that needs to be solved- someone has stolen her diamond encrusted pencil box. Joey Fly and Sammy hit the streets looking for clues, but the more they investigate the more they discover Delilah's story just doesn't add up.

Joey Fly is a buggy film noir knock-off, full of hard-boiled puns and big laughs. Give this one to kids grades 2 to 5 who like bugs, mysteries and cheap laughs.

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by Patrick

Rapunzel's Revenge by Shannon Hale

It's Rapunzel, but set in the wild west and as a graphic novel.

Rapunzel spends her young life blissfully unaware of the world beyond the walls surrounding Mother Gothel's estate, until one day she decides to find out what's over the walls. Beyond is a rocky wasteland of dusty stone, smoky chimneys and sad times. Rapunzel also just happens to run into a worn down old miner who turns out to be her birth mother, (what are the chances?) who had been forced to give up Rapunzel at birth by Mother Gothel. Rapunzel, of course flips out and then Mother Gothels counter flips out and sends Rapunzel off to live in a tower made out of a tree (Mother Gothels has growth magic, which lets her wilt or grow vegetation at will). So Rapunzel lives in the tower for 4 years with nothing to do except grow her hair and play with it. Anyway, eventually she grows it long enough to turn into a giant lasso and she rescues herself. The rest of the Graphic Novel she goes around as some kind of cowgirl superhero fighting for good and trying to stop Mother Gothel's tyranny. Oh and she also meets Jack (the guy who climbed the beanstock) and he follows her around helping out.

The Graphic Novel was an interesting idea and the art was great (although i didn't care for the way Rapunzel's red braid looked like hot dog links), but it was somehow lacking. About half-way thru I started looking for excuses to stop reading "Gee, I really should vacuum right now" and "Hmm, I think I've got some dishes in the sink that I ought to wash." When washing the dishes starts sounding more appealing than reading, I know something is off with the book. However, I finished reading it and all in one sitting too. I wouldn't say this book was bad, but I would say this book was a disappointment, great potential with only fair execution.

For wild west enthusiasts grades 5-9.

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by Patrick

The Stuff of Legend: Book 1: The Dark by Mike Raicht and Brian Smith

I think something very like this book would have been the result if Pixar had put Neil Gaiman in charge of Toy Story. A collection of toys band together to go into the 'Dark' of the closet to rescue their kidnapped owner. In this alternate world they are no longer toys and must engage in battles and thwart traps in their attempt to track down their boy.

Book 1 seems to just establish the world and characters, quite well, and the illustrations by Charles Wilson are top notch. Due to the high level of violence and somewhat mature themes I would only recommend this to older children, or those with a particular penchant for dark themes.

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by Scott

Copper by Kazu Kibuishi

The cover illustration is what compelled me to pick up this collection of comics. The illustration style is well defined, and quite cute. I was quite disappointed that the content of the strips did not match the illustrations. Many of them did not seem fully realized, or geared towards a very limited audience. The majority that I was able to make sense of dealt with issues that I wouldn't expect young readers to be able to appreciate, such as forbidden love...the recurring theme of a girl in a bubble, which causes the boy character to wake up crying.

A few strips were much simpler, and quite delightful, but the overall feeling I was left with after reading this graphic novel was confusion.

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by Scott

Dear Dracula by Joshua Williamson

This Graphic Novel is so funny! It is the story of Sam who one October decides to write a letter asking him for what he most wants in the world to Dracula, because Christmas is too far away. Much to Sam's surprise Dracula shows up on Halloween for a night of fun and trick or treating.

Wonderful glossy drawings augmented by a super funny story make for a killer read. Give this one to reluctant readers and kids who like to laugh grades 3 thru 6.

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by Patrick

Cameron and His Dinosaurs by Scott Sava

Mad scientist Professor Pointdexter P Poppycock has created four hyper intelligent dinosaurs to do his evil bidding. Unfortunately, because of their superior intellects they tell Professor Poppycock they are unwilling to hurt people and as result they must part ways. The dinosaurs meet a young boy named Cameron with whom they become fast friends. Soon Professor Poppycock is at it again, but this time with robotic dinosaurs programmed to follow his every command. Of course, Cameron and his dinosaurs are the only ones capable of standing in his way.

This was a surprisingly enjoyable graphic novel. The artwork was good and I really appreciated the artist's use of pastels and soft colors.The humor is slapstick and clearly designed for younger readers, but I still caught myself chuckling from time to time. The story was well-paced and although predicable, it still pulled me in. This book also does a good job of portraying disabled characters in a positive light. Cameron is in a wheel chair, but it in no way hampers his ability to join in on the action, in fact it even ends up helping. Plus the story had dinosaurs, how awesome is that? Recommend this one to fans of dinosaurs, robots and comic hijinx grades 3 to 6.

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by Patrick