Review: The Dumbest Idea Ever! by Jimmy Gownley

 
Title: The Dumbest Idea Ever!
Author: Jimmy Gownley
Illustrator: Jimmy Gownley
Publisher: Scholastic Graphix
Copyright: 2014
Price: $11.99

ISBN: 978-0545453479
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Summary and Quick Thoughts: Being a teenager sucks, but for Jimmy, he's having a tough time. First he gets sick and misses school, then he gets sick AGAIN and misses more school. He stops caring about school and starts focusing on his comics. A friend suggests a comic book idea for him, but he decides it's the dumbest idea. Only when his first idea flops, does he give it a chance and lands on possibly the best idea ever. As Jimmy rise in fame, he's also dealing with normal teenage things like first loves and changing friendships.
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Recommended Audience: Middle School
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Things to be aware of: Nothing.
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Further Thoughts:  Jimmy Gownley is probably best known for his Amelia Rules series, which is very popular (it is in my library), so this will probably be snatched up by readers who love the series. To be honest, readers will probably read this because it's a Scholastic middle school slice of life graphic novel with praises from Jeff Smith (Bone), Raina Telgemeier (Smile, Sisters), and Jeff Kinney.

Take all that away though and you have a great biographical story about how Jimmy Gownley's teen years helped him become a graphic novel artist. He shows how he did research, practiced drawing, and had a good support system, including supportive parents. This graphic novel is perfect for any budding artist, writer, or creator to see how Jimmy survived his teen years and made it.

There are a few fantastical elements that help him. Jimmy talks to the Grim Reaper, showing at least twice how he thinks he wants to die, only to realize he wanted to press on. For me, this was a strong point in the story and helped me become invested in it. When it ended, I didn't want it to end. Thankfully there's an afterward that expands on it.


Overall feeling: Cartoonish art, inspiration, slice of life, and teen years combine for a powerful story that begs to be read multiple times and shared with friends. A must have.
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Bonus: Jimmy Gownley is from PA (according to the bio). He spoke at PaLA in 2008.
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Source: Library/Review copy

Rapunzel's Revenge

Title:  Rapunzel’s Revenge
Author: Shannon and Dean Hale
Illustrator: Nathan Hale
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Copyright: 2008
Price: $18.99
ISBN: 978-1-59990-070-4
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Summary and Quick Thoughts: Have you ever wondered what happened to Rapunzel before she was placed into her tower of solitude? Did she live an idyllic life? Rapunzel’s Revenge tries to answer some of the before questions by presenting a young Rapunzel, who has an independent streak that causes Mother Gothel, her witch mother, no end of grief. One day though, Rapunzel goes too far, causing her to be locked away for four years. As time passes, she thinks, she reads, she eats, and she trains, especially when the day comes that she might never get out of the tower. When she escapes, she meets the possible Prince Charming of the fairy tales, only to trick him so she can make her way into the world. Rapunzel’s life is about to change as she is confronted with a world of hatred and “eat or be eaten” wild west world that Mother Gothel has created. With the help of Jack (of Beanstalk fame) and his goose Goldy, Rapunzel sets out on adventures to right the wrongs and end Mother Gothel’s reign, once and for all.
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Recommended Audience: Middle school and up.
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Things to be aware of:
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Further Thoughts: Take the wild west, mix in a little fairy tale of Rapunzel, Jack and the Beanstalk, and maybe even Hansel and Gretel and you have this book. Rapunzel is a strong character, very unlike the ones who wait in the tower for their prince to come along. This Rapunzel is out for a taste of adventure, and to save her real mother. While 20 feet of long hair as whips and lassos is slightly unbelievable, this is a fun romp of a heroine’s tale. I enjoyed discovering the world that she was in and facing some of the same feelings.

The art partially makes this title so believable. Hale (no relation to the authors) creates detailed scenes, living characters, and more as readers travel the story. Overall, this book deserves all the praise it has received over the years and is a fine fit in school libraries.
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Bonus: PA Young Readers Choice Nom.

Source: Library Copy.

Sherlock Holmes and the Adventure of the Cardboard Box (#12)

Title: Sherlock Holmes and the Adventure of the Cardboard Box (#12)
Author: Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (Retold by M. J. Cosson & Murray Shaw)

Illustrator: JT Morrow & Sophie Rohrbach
Publisher: Lerner Publishing

Copyright: 2012

Price: $27.93

ISBN: 978-0761370901
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Summary and Quick Thoughts: Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson are called to help Lestrade investigate a mysterious package with disturbing contents sent to Miss Susan Cushing. Told in a bland tale about a bland adventure

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Recommended Audience: Upper Elementary

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Things to be aware of: Gross box contents
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Further Thoughts: When poking around Netgalley for interesting graphic novels to read I saw this title and thought “OH MY GOSH, Sherlock Holmes and the Adventure of the Cardboard Box sounds great. What could be so mysterious about a cardboard box?” Sadly, it did not live up to the greatness that the title implies. If anything, I figured it’d be some hilarious zombie story that had me in stitches. Instead, it is the mystery of Miss Susan Cushing receiving a mysterious box with severed [spoiler] in it. BORING.

If this is a Sherlock Holmes story, I have yet to read this one or even hear about it or see it adapted with Jeremy Brett. Unless it was ages ago and I forgot, which tells you what I think the fate of this book will be: forgotten.

The text is unappealing. The art is unappealing (to me). The text is badly done: told not shown, not spiced up a bit. The words probably borrowed from Doyle or they were adapted to make it a more interesting and easier read for kids. Alas, it comes off stiff and dull. The art is not my thing at all. The characters are all bizarre shapes and Sherlock is a different skin tone than everyone else. Not to mention his chin: it grows, it shrinks. The only character who seems consistent and true to the tale is Dr. Watson.

Despite the word “adventure” in the title, this Sherlock Holmes lacks it. Pass for better adaptations, which I know are out there.

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Bonus:

Source: Netgalley.

Pilot & Huxley: The First Adventure

Title: Pilot & Huxley: The First Adventure
Author: Dan McGuiness

Illustrator: Dan McGuiness
Publisher: Scholastic Graphix

Copyright: 2011

Price: N/A

ISBN: 978-0-545-26504-1 (Paw Prints Edition has no ISBN).
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Summary and Quick Thoughts: Huxley’s parents have disappeared, so what is a kid to do? Go visit his best friend Pilot and threaten that they hate him and have run away. Oh wait, that note was written by Pilot when he found out that Huxley erased over his game data on a video game that he rented. Wait a minute…that game is overdue! Normally, this wouldn’t be a problem, but today, that particular video game from Awesome Video is needed by the aliens because it has the pass code to help them take over the world! In this mad cap adventure, Pilot and Huxley find themselves zapped to another dimension where Huxley is a curse word and Pilot’s crazy Internet theories make sense.

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Recommended Audience: Middle School and up

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Things to be aware of: Mild potty humor
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Further Thoughts: First off, every once in a while, I find when I read that the characters have voices. Oddly enough, I heard Pilot & Huxley as South Park characters. Why do I bring this up? In the fun epilogue, Pilot suggests that Cartman from South Park should play Huxley. How odd I heard them as South Park characters but as the two other kids (not Kenny and not Cartman). The aliens even had a voice, which was the typical grumbly alien voice. Pity Death didn’t sound like Death from The Grim Adventures of Billy and Mandy.

I had a bit too much adventure in this one. There was a bit of potty humor in the story (to get on a “bus” you have to go through its butt, eww), oddball foreshadowing, and just stupidness and sillyness after another. As I looked at where this ended up in my collection (J GN at the moment), I asked myself who is this for?

Middle school boys. I suspect they will eat this title up as it is almost as crazy as a ride as Hitch Hikers Guide or maybe some of the cartoons on TV today (i.e. The Grim Adventures of Billy and Mandy?) where one silly thing ends up being explained by another and it somehow makes sense because you are in a different universe.

As to the art work, it is very (I think) crude and I can tell it was digitally done. On the other hand, when taken in context as to who the audience is, it works. It does lend itself to having a South Park feeling though, which might annoy parents.

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Bonus:

Source: Library copy.

Meanwhile

Title: Meanwhile
Author: Jason Shiga
Illustrator: Jason Shiga
Publisher: Amulet Books (Abrams)
Copyright: 2010
Price: $15.95
ISBN: 978-0-8109-8423-3
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Summary and Quick Thoughts: For Jimmy, the story starts with a simple question: should he order chocolate or vanilla ice cream. After this simple choice the reader is launched into a topsy-turvy story as Jimmy discovers a professor and his gadgets. After that, there are even MORE options and story paths to travel. Each variant could take the reader just a minute to read or close to a half an hour to read as you explore options, try something again, or go in circles. Simply put, this is a graphic novel style, Choose Your Own Adventure but on an epic and crazy scale. Fantastic.
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Recommended Audience: Middle school and up.
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Things to be aware of: Cartoon death and destruction.
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Further Thoughts: Oh how do I describe this book? I still think it is something like “Choose Your Own Adventures on steroids.” This is one awesome book and honestly, I think perfect for reluctant readers (if they figure out how it works). The Philosopher Musician and I spent about two hours reading this title after I heard a librarian say she only got 4 pages into it and was proud of herself. I spent two hours reading this book out loud to him and more as I picked it up, followed the story line and decided “I want to do this differently” or “what about this?” The entire time I had this checked out I flipped through it and looked at panels and endings and decided to see if I could land there or just wanted to follow a favorite plot line. Either way, this is a must have and with 3,856 story possibilities, how could you go wrong?
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Bonus: ALA Great Graphic Novel 2011. Pages are not typical paper. These can handle multiple readings (I bet with 3,856 story lines!).

Source: Library copy.

Patrick in: A Teddy Bear's Picnic and Other Stories

Title: Patrick in A Teddy Bear’s Picnic and Other Stories
Author: Geoffrey Hayes
Illustrator: Geoffrey Hayes
Publisher: Toon Books (Candlewick Press)
Copyright: 2010
Price: $12.95
ISBN: 978-1-93579-09-2
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Summary and Quick Thoughts: Patrick is a young bear who enjoys having fun and being with his Ma, but he also has problems, such as naptime (which doesn’t make sense to him), and a bully named Big Bear. The first story tells of Patrick and his Ma as they go out on a picnic. Things don’t seem to go well for him after he has a run-in with Big Bear, and the day only gets worse. Ma is there though to cheer him up and give him a reassuring hug. Other, really short stories include Patrick avoiding naptime by faking it, which I’m sure young children can relate to, along with another run in with Big Bear. Will Patrick ever be able to stand up to Big Bear? A visual treat with timeless art that speaks to an older generation, stories that speak to a younger generation, and simple visual fun throughout, this is a strong graphic novel for young children and their parents. An added bonus: reading levels and tips on reading the graphic novel together (which look very similar to general reading tips).
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Recommended Audience: Ages 4-8 (beginning readers)
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Things to be aware of: Nothing!
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Further Thoughts: I adore this. It is a simple story with simple, child friendly art that speaks of a quieter, more innocent, happy time. I enjoyed Patrick as he enjoyed the rain, in the first story, to his lack of understanding the logic of naptime. In my library, with a high population of grandparents, this is a great title to pass along and suggest as something to read together or a “safe” graphic novel. Overall, the stories relate very well to the younger half of the suggested age, although, children older than 6 or 7 may be beyond nap time by the time they pick this up. A great pick for young children starting to discover graphic novels.
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Bonus: Tips on reading with children and GN; Level ratings.

Source: Library copy.

Benny and Penny In Just Pretend

Title: Benny and Penny In Just Pretend
Author: Geoffrey Hayes
Illustrator: Geoffrey Hayes
Publisher: Toon Books
Copyright: 2008
Price: $4.99
ISBN: 978-0-9799238-6-9
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Summary and Quick Thoughts: Benny and Penny reflects a bygone era where children played in the backyard pretending to be pirates and princesses. Benny is a brave pirate, while Penny is an annoying little sister. She wants to join him. He wants to be alone. Typical sibling behavior ensues until Benny comes up with the perfect plan to get Penny to leave him alone. He convinces her to hide somewhere, but after some time passes he worries about her. Typical sibling drama combined with timeless, classic style art come together to make a charming graphic novel for young readers.
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Recommended Audience: Ages 5 to 8 (early readers)
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Things to be aware of: Nothing!
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Further Thoughts: What an entertaining story of two mouse children as they go through the adventures of pretending! The story of Benny and Penny is very traditional since the big brother doesn’t want to play with the little sister, but something about her princess outfit, her determination, and his surprising (or not surprising) fear make this a great graphic novel for young children. Parents and grandparents will enjoy sharing this with children and feel safe letting them read this comic book.
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Bonus:

Source: Library copy.

Stinky

Title: Stinky
Author: Eleanor Davis
Illustrator: Eleanor Davis
Publisher: Toon Books
Copyright: 2008
Price: $4.99
ISBN: 978-1-935179-06-1
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Summary and Quick Thoughts: Stinky loves to stink and stinky loves his swamp. He hates kids because they like baths and being clean. One day, Nick, a real live kid, comes to Stinky’s swamp and builds a tree house. Stinky will do whatever it takes to make the kid leave. Can Stinky learn to make a friend and share his swamp?
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Recommended Audience: Ages 6 to 8
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Things to be aware of: Nothing.
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Further Thoughts: If you’re looking for a story about making friends, sharing, and caring, this is the story and in graphic novel format to boot. Stinky faces the lesson of learning as all monsters do: reluctantly. What is even more entertaining is that Stinky learns his preconceptions about kids might be wrong, and Nick’s preconceptions of monsters could be wrong too. The cartoonish illustrations are enjoyable, bright, and fun. There is something to look for in every panel and certain panels help the reader focus on exactly what he/she needs to focus on. According to the cover of the paperback version, the book is a “Geisel Honor,” “Booklist Notable,” and a “Bank Street Best.” Well deserved.
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Bonus:

Source: Library copy.