I haven’t finished any adult books recently, but my kids and I have been flying through the junior graphic novel section of our local library lately, so I thought I’d review the latest books we’ve read.
I really like the Blue, Barry, & Pancakes series by Dan and Jason (credited without last names). The main characters are three best friends: a worm named Blue, a frog named Barry, and a rabbit named Pancakes. Blue is quirky and has esoteric interests (like spelunking). Barry is analytical and loves to create inventions; his catchphrase is “An idea is forming!” Pancakes is adorable, cuddly, and a force of pure chaos. They live together in a treehouse and stumble into all kinds of silly adventures. This installment begins with Barry inventing a new flotation device, Pancakes finding a box of old skates, and Blue reorganizing his beachball collection. One thing leads to another, and the trio ends up discovering a new sport called, “Roller Duck Ball.” They quickly rise through the ranks of the sport, dealing with merchandising pressure, aggressive fans, and unfair performance enhancements. The humor is silly, the pictures are bright and zany, and the book is a joy to read aloud. There are a few callbacks that won’t make sense if you haven’t read the other books in the series, but they don’t detract too much from the overall experience.
I grew up on Dav Pilkey’s Captain Underpants series. My cousins and I used to read the books together at sleepovers, and they always felt so deliciously rebellious. My kids came to Dav Pilkey through the Dogman books, and it’s so fun sharing that silly, slightly naughty humor with them. Now that we’re all caught up on the Dogman series, we’ve been exploring Pilkey’s back catalog, which led us to the Super Diaper Baby duology. The books are a spinoff of Captain Underpants, starring Billy, the titular superhero, and his sidekick, Diaper Dog. In the second book, they are fighting the evil Dr. Dinkle as he plots to steal all of the toilets in the world. Honestly, this book did not hit for me. It wasn’t as funny as a lot of Pilkey’s other work, and the gross-out humor is extra gross (at one point the villain turns into a sentient puddle of urine). There’s also a weird subplot where Billy’s dad feels emasculated by his son’s success as a superhero, so Billy and Diaper Dog stage a fake battle between Billy’s dad and a villain in order to boost Dad’s self-esteem. That whole arc felt weird to me. This book does introduce Petey the Cat, who becomes a central character in the Dogman series, so if you’re a Dav Pilkey completionist, I guess this book is important to the lore. Otherwise though, I wouldn’t bother with it.
My kids finished the Amulet series last year, and recently decided to reread them (fun sidenote, my youngest used to pronounce it “Am-lee-et.” That’s not really relevant to this review, but I thought it was cute). The first book in the series is about siblings Emily and Navin. After their father dies in a car accident, they move with their mother, Karen, to their great-grandfather’s house in the country. While the three are cleaning the house, a tentacled monster bursts through a mysterious door and abducts Karen. The kids go through the door hoping to save their mom, and encounter a world full of terrifying creatures, friendly robots, and a mysterious talking stone. This book is simply breathtaking. The art is atmospheric and moody, and conveys much of the story without any words. The bits of the magical world that are introduced in this installment are compelling, and there is a real sense of mystery and adventure. It appeals to a broad age range: my 4 year-old loved it, but it has enough depth and intensity to grab kids well into middle school. If you have kids that are interested in fantasy, Amulet is a must-read.
