This book is sooooooo adorable. A robot has lost his arm and he goes around his world looking for something to replace it. None are quite right, but maybe one will do. I love the end when we find out where his arm went. What contributes to the fun of this book is that silhouette illustrations. Never has beige/yellow and black displayed such fun.

I read this a month or so ago and Good Reads forgot my review. Annoying.

What do you get when Captain Underpants gets taken over by Marvel? You get Rocket and Groot stranded on Planet Strip Mall. It is a fun book for younger readers with lots of toilet humor. But it is all in good fun. I can not wait for book 2.

I have read a few children’s books about Billie Holiday. This one, while glossing over much of her life, focuses on one particular day and one special song. This was Billie’s fight song. The one that let people know she was going to stand as a proud black woman and not let anyone knock her down. It’s an approachable book for any age, and puts the past in the hands of today’s young, so they can see the history repeating itself, and maybe, just maybe, push for a stop. To really see a world where all are equal.

To me, Boo is not the world's cutest dog. Its an annoying dog. And the owner is a whiner. I have seen so many better all ages graphic novels, that I find this one boring and bland.

From the cover I was expecting an all ages graphic novel and was happily surprised when it turned out to be a beginning chapter book. This is a hard area for authors to break into because it is dominated by a few very large series. But I think this series deserves a place in line. These monsters do not want to be bad, they want to be superheroes. So they go out of the way to be different than their nature, and to help others. The book is full color, and contains four stories. I love the illustrations. They are so much fun.

I thought for sure that I read this when I was younger. But that can not be true, as I am sure I would remember it. What I find interesting is that even 26 years later this book is not only still relevant, but very much still how many of our communities relate to each other. Jeffrey Magee, aka Maniac, is a homeless boy who just wants to belong. He sees people as people, not the color of this skin. In the communities in which he lives the color of your skin is very decisive. The west and the east ends of two do not talk, do not work together, and often time are at the edge of clashing. What is worse is that the children are raised to believe this is okay. In Magee’s own way he is trying to break down these racial barriers, when all he wants is a home or a family. Magee’s life is a struggle, and as the reader it is a struggle not to cry. He leaves his first “adopted” family for their safety. They should not be trying to raise a white boy. His second family dies, and his third family is so unhealthy. Magee is a boy you want to admire. He strives to educate himself since he can not go to school. He does his best to inspire, or con, others into going to school, and doing the right thing. This book is heartfelt, sad, and lovely all at the same time. There is a reason it’s a new classic, but it is destined to be a forever classic.

Heads up warning: this book rips your heart out, but only in the best ways. The ancient yew tree that Conor can see out his back window is secretly a monster that is walking to help Conor with his troubles. His troubles are many, with one root cause, his mother is dying. The monster makes a deal with Conor. He will tell three stores, and then Conor must return the favor.


I would love to teach this book. For something so short, there is so much depth and heart, and everything else that makes a book that will forever be a classic. Why does the monster walk? What about all that destruction? How does that help Conor? Plus having someone to commiserate with would also be a good thing. I got through this book with only a few tears, but I will have to read many, many happy things to fill the gaping hole in my heart.


Part of me feels the story ends too soon, but the rest of me doesn’t want to go further. I don't want to know what happens when Conor walks away from the hospital room. I don’t want to know if he goes to live with his grandmother or his father. I don’t want to know because it would drag out the pain. This too must be dealt with. The bandage needs to be ripped, since I do not have my own monster walking to help me with the emotional aftereffects of this wonderful piece of literature.

I will not lie. I did not get through this graphic novel. I was a teenager, but I was never one of these teenagers. The harmless pranks were no bother, but it was at the point of "pub burger" and I was done. Theses were the kids I would avoid in high school for being immature, so why would I want to read about them?

So this started out as just a collection of comics;. About half way though the author started adding in what drove her to write those comics. About dealing with depression or being an introvert. Before reading this book I had only seen one of the strips (the one about the book store). I can see how the strip works on a day to day, or week to week basis. That being said, I would have liked author commentary throughout, or not at all.