Editorial Review

Greg Heffley has always been in a hurry to grow up. But is getting older really all it’s cracked up to be?

Greg suddenly finds himself dealing with the pressures of boy-girl parties, increased responsibilities, and even the awkward changes that come with getting older—all without his best friend, Rowley, at his side. Can Greg make it through on his own? Or will he have to face the “ugly truth”?

Reviews

Excellent book! My niece loves this book too!
*** Dec. 6, 2010
My niece loves this book too. She loves the humor, the simple amusing cartoons, and the funny jokes in it.

*** Nov. 30, 2010
Greg and Rowley are best friends.
But Greg's dad didn't like Rowley too much, because he thought Rowley was an accident prone kid, so Rowley may ruin his 'warfield' accidently. And Rowley's dad didn't like Greg, either, because two kids liked to do silly things together at home. Nowadays, many parents hope that their kid behaves properly. Reading good books are very important for kids. A good book is a good teacher.This book presents humorous stories that could make kids become more considerate. I feel very happy when my kid read this book and talk to me about the stories in the book.

*** Nov. 27, 2010
Greg's mom and dad had very different interests. She tried to train him to become more romantic while he only wanted to play his war games. He had to sit beside her to watch the romantic movies as she said so, then he'd try to slip out whenever possible. This is what happens to many couples every day. Reading this book makes me think about own daily life more objectively.

*** November 9, 2010
Greg's a very self-centered smart young schooler. His Dad wanted him to live up his potential, but often he had his own ideas. Greg had to learn how to communicate with his brother, though it's not a easy job. First he had to think and learn how to talk to his brother, because his brother was the person picking up Greg after school everyday. Greg's brother became really mad after Greg talked to him about how to drive his car. Finally Greg and his brother had a fight. Greg's mom had been a preschool teacher, so she thought she was very good at handle the situation. But Greg thought it didn't work at all. The book successfully illustartes Greg's thought processes. It seems like an actual diary in words and amusing pictures about Greg's daily life at home and at school.
My son is a reluctant reader, but he really likes to read this book. I also enjoyed reading it! I would like to recommend this book to all schoolers, parents, teachers, and librarians.

Last book of the series (so far) didn't disappoint!
Another very funny installment. If you haven't already read all of the previous books, you must read them first! The story of Greg's life continues. My favorite part from this book is, "When you're a little kid, nobody ever warns you that you've got an expiration date. One day you're hot stuff and the next day you're a dirt sandwich." :-) Great, funny stuff!

He loved it.
My son has all of the books in this series. He says, 'It's one of the best series' ever.' He was very excited to get the newest book.

Great!
Read in one sitting when it arrived. It has bee re-read and re-enjoyed. If you liked the others, you will like this one.

Thank You Jeff Kinney!
For any of you who have a child who does not want to read, I suggest any of the Wimpy Kid books! I wish Jeff Kinney could come out with a book a week! My son does not like to read and fights me tooth and nail to read, however, he usually reads these books within 24-48hours now and asks to "Pre-order" them when he knows there is one coming out.

Thank you Jeff Kinney! and continue the great work!

my son's review (age 9)
Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Ugly Truth is AWESOME!!!!! This book is very very funny. It involves Greg wanting to grow up too fast. Things go a little wild at Uncle Gary's wedding. Also, he has to have "the Talk' with his grandma Gammie, but after "the Talk" Greg might have to take her advice, or he might have to face the 'Ugly Truth." I recommend this book for people who have a good sense of humor. ... Read more

Editorial Review

Reviews

Another Instant Favorite with Son!
My son loves this series so of course I pre-ordered this book for him. It just arrived today and boy did he gush when I surprised him with it after school. I even got a hug and an "I love you!" before he disappeared with it for the remainder of the evening. He's about halfway through with it already and stopped himself so he would have more to enjoy tomorrow. He rereads them all anyways. I also flipped through it before he came home and chuckled at the parts, the boy reminds me of my own and is probably why he loves this series so much. It is very relatable to kids without being a bad influence. I love the humor and that it keeps my son reading!

Not only fun
First of all the whole series of Wimpy Kid books deserves its success. My kids love the books and I also read all of them myself. I think it is a great series of books not only for the children but for their parents as well. And if you pay some attention to the reading you will actually realize that the books are also in a way educational. Greg is actually a very smart kid and the simple drawings are just perfect for demonstrating humour. Another kid's series that I like for that educational aspect is Why Some Cats are Rascals, Book 2 .

dog days
I think Dog Days is the best wimpy kid book yet. It is also a hilarious book. I love how it follows the story so well. There is a lot of unexpected parts in this book. It had an outstanding ending. I had waited one month for this book to come out. I think it was "totally" worth the wait. There aren't any new characters, but it does have a lot more of Rowley for people who like Rowley. I hope the people who buy this love it. (Review by George, Age 10)

wonderful book
Diary of a wimpy kid really amazes me. It's about a person named Greg who has to survive middle school. Now, he's in summer vacation.
I think the summer vacation theme is a good idea in this series, so readers can take a little break from the school theme. The first few pages are basically explanation of Greg's summer vacation. After that, the funny parts come. Overall, this book is great.
My tip in reading this book is that you don't read too much of it in one day. That way, you can hold the suspense of the story for the next day.

This book is da bomb
I think this book was the best book i have ever read in my entire life! One of the reasons why i love this boom so much is because it is outrageously funny. I have read all of the book series that are out and i definitely think this one is the funniest, humors, children book i have read. If you are in the 3rd grade up to 6th grade this is the best book you will have ever read in your life. Ever since I have read the first sentence of the first book of Diary of a Wimpy Kid, Jeff Kinney has been my favorite author, and i thought Dave Pilkey was hilarious.

Rankings of the books and the funny moments in the book
I really like your books. You have a great sense of humor and are good at doing cartoons. The minute I got the 3rd book I just started laughing meaning I really liked the book. So I thought the books were so great that I chose to put them in rankings:
1.#3
2.#4
3.#2
4.#1
I also have the movie that I got in the summertime and Have the movie novel and the Do-It-Yourself book.
I am so happy about the books and the type of books they are.
The only items left by you that I so want is the movie soundtrack, book #5 The Ugly Truth. Thank you so much for writing these books. More books by you I would really like. But if you can do that.
The last thing I am going to tell is that I have also gotten into the Big Nate series. The 5th book sounds so RAD. Please write more books. ... Read more

Editorial Review

Reviews

Please Read this:
I bought this product for the younger grandchild but found that the older one also enjoyed it.
... Read more

Editorial Review

Recipe for disaster:

4 parties.

Add 2 friends and 1 crush.

Divide by 1 mean girl out to RUIN Nikki.

Mix well, put fingers over eyes, and CRINGE!

Settled in at her new school and flanked by awesome friends Chloe and Zoey, life is looking up for Nikki Maxwell, especially since her crush, Brandon, asked her to be his lab partner—a seriously awesome development. However, when Nikki overhears mean girl Mackenzie bragging that Brandon’s taking her to the Halloween dance, a bummed Nikki signs on to spend Halloween at a kids’ party with her little sister, Brianna, instead. After she finds out Mackenzie was lying and her dream of going to the party with Brandon could be a reality, Nikki has two events to juggle . . . plus plenty of other entertaining trials and tribulations along the way!

www.dorkdiaries.com ... Read more

Reviews

Great follow-up in the Dork Diaries series!
I was SO excited to hear that the Dork Diaries series would be continuing with this second book, Dork Diaries: Tales From A Not-So-Popular Party Girl. I adored the the first book, the author has such a way with humor that I think all her jokes are funny and I just adore Nikki! And the situations Nikki finds herself in, oh man, I'm not the target audience but they were hilarious! There is something about the way that Nikki writes her journal that is so innocent and genuine that she's instantly lovable.

In this book nemesis MacKenzie really starts to show her claws so it's really interesting to see how Nikki will handle these situations in her polite and innocence manner. Nikki's friends Chloe and Zoey are also a great backup duo to Nikki and her crazy ideas! While I would have loved to have seen Nikki's little sister Brianna a bit more in this book, she was still as funny as I remember her from the first book.

I can see the Dork Diaries series going on for a long time and with each book Nikki is maturing a bit more and learning new things about herself. I love how this book ended and it's set up for what I'm sure will be a great third book to the series! Can't wait to read it!

Courtesy of Teens Read Too
This is the second installment of the DORK DIARIES, the girls version of the DIARY OF A WIMPY KID books for boys.

It is written in a diary form with drawings. When I told my fifth grade girls that I had the second book in the series, they got very excited, since most of them had already read the first installment.

Nikki is the heroine of this series. She is in middle school and is a great artist. She has two BFFs, Chloe and Zoey, and a crush on a popular boy named Brandon. There is also a queen bee named MacKenzie. Nikki gets involved with the Halloween dance. She has to plan and organize it - and MacKenzie wants her to fail.

The story is told in a very charming way and has a lot of good cultural references. You want to root for Nikki and boo MacKenzie. The story is a little unrealistic, but I still accepted it hook, line, and sinker.

I enjoy this series and so do all the girls I have given it to. So curl up and enjoy this very funny story!

Reviewed by: Marta Morrison

A Great Sequel!
After reading the first Dork Diaries book I couldn't wait to read the second addition, and luckily enough, Tales from a Not-So-Popular Party Girl was even better than the original book!

From the first page of Tales from a Not-So-Popular Party Girl the reader is thrown back into the hectic life of seventh grader Nikki Maxwell, dork extraordinaire. Much to Nikki's surprise she's quickly adjusting to middle school life and is actually enjoying it. You see, she has her two equally dorky side-kicks Chloe and Zoey on her side and her crush Brandon is starting to notice her. Plus, she's been invited to popular/ mean girl Mackenzie's latest party. Though soon enough all the good things in Nikki's life come to an end when Nikki finds out Mackenzie is set to not only sabotage Nikki's chances with Brandon but the Halloween party Nikki is now in charge of as well. What will one No-So-Popular Dorky Party Girl do? Well, only time and more pages can tell!

Nikki is such a fabulous main character! Sure, she's awkward and dorky, but she's hilarious, a great friend, and full of snark in all the best kind of ways as well. While Nikki is a lot younger than me, I can still find myself relating to her, especially when I think back to my own middle-school days, and I feel most people will feel the same kind of way if they give this series a chance. I also loved the additions of Nikki's best friends, Chloe and Zoey, two girls anyone would be lucky to have on their side, and Brandon, the seventh grade's token cutie.

Another aspect I love about this series is how it's told through Nikki's own personal diary entries. I feel that they give the reader a great and a more personal look into Nikki's life than what a regular narration would provide. Plus, I have to admit the pictures and comic strips included are simply hilarious!

While the story is a bit predictable, it never stopped it from being cute and laugh-out-loud funny. I loved being there right along with Nikki as she went through planning the Halloween party to attending two parties at once.

In all, the Dork Diaries is well-worth the read no matter how old you are, and I'm sure I'm not the only one out there who can't wait to read more about Nikki's adventures!

Grade: B+ ... Read more

Editorial Review

New school. New mean girl. New crush.

New diary so Nikki can spill about all of it... ... Read more

Reviews

Funny and authentic, June 16, 2009
Nikki Maxwell, a self-proclaimed dork, is just trying to get through her eighth grade year at her new private school, Westchester Country Day. A voracious writer and budding artist, she deals with all the normal things girls her age face: her parents not understanding her, an annoying sibling, friend troubles, and stuck up girls. But then a school art competition gives Nikki the chance to shine--if she can beat Mackenzie, the most stuck-up and snobbish girl in the school.

Dork Diaries is a hilarious and authentic portrayal of the ups and downs of middle school, finding friends who understand you, and finding yourself. Nikki is a witty, smart, and self-deprecating character that many young teens and preteens will be able to relate to, and her voice is especially compelling, despite her tendency to be a bit dramatic. The many drawings and the simple, straightforward writing style in Dork Diaries is certain to appeal to girls who don't normally read. Rachel Russell has created a fun, clever, and highly entertaining book that is sure to satisfy.

Wimpy Kid - For Girls, August 20, 2009
Nikki Maxwell needs a cell phone, and she needs it before she starts at her new school, otherwise she can kiss popularity and a social life goodbye. Fortunately for us, Nikki's mom doesn't comply in the way she expected. Instead, she gets a diary, and in the line of Greg from Diary of a Wimpy Kid. The formats of the two books are pretty much identical: a teenager writing and drawing about their life. The main difference is that Dork Diaries is aimed at girls, while Diary of a Wimpy Kid is targeted at boys. The interesting thing about the two is that Wimpy Kid will appeal to girls also. And I don't mean that boys won't identify with Nikki, it's just that when you put a pink cover on a book you are saying: This book is for girls. There are few boys out there that will willingly pick up a pink book.

The content of the book is Nikki getting adjusted to life at an upper-class school that she is only attending because her dad got the exterminator contract for it. I love when she wants to melt into a puddle when he pulls up in his van; because of course it has a giant roach on the top of it. At one point she pulls out the old `take-a-garbage-bag-and-poke-holes-in-it-so-no-one-sees-me' trick which I absolutely loved because I happen to have had an experience that required a paper bag! (No, I'm not telling, and yes, it was forever ago!)

Nikki goes through the trials and tribulations of a young girl who wants to be friends with the popular girls, realizes the popular girls are really mean, and finds friends who she wouldn't necessarily have chosen, but who turn out to be good for her. All-in-all Nikki is a believable 14-year-old (who sometimes seems a bit younger, but that could have just been me reading her as being whiny) who will have her readers laughing and sighing in agreement all at the same time.

Notes on the Cover:
I love the yellow post-it on the cover with the stick drawing of the gossipy girls in the background with Nikki front and center. I love that she's writing with her favorite pen and trying to ignore the haters behind her. I do like the pink, but my concern is that boys won't pick it up. Of course, they're not the target audience, but that doesn't mean they wouldn't enjoy it!

You will love Nikki Maxwell! Cute, cool & captivating!, May 31, 2009
The heroine of this YA story is eighth-grader Nikki Maxwell, a cute, cool and captivating girl you will fall in love with. Although the word cute is not a cool vocabulary choice for today's kids, I use it here because I love that word; it means much more than cool. To me it encompasses looks, personality and sincerity, while cool is...well "cool"...it can be a pose with some kids. So our NIkki is not only cool to her friends, she's also cute to us parents: the kind of girl every decent kid wants for a friend, every parent wants for a daughter. And I predict she will captivate everyone who reads this book, young and old alike.

But Nikki thinks of herself as a dork because rich, snooty MacKenzie Hollister and her wannabe followers go out of their way to make her appear that way. After one too many "klutzy" accidents--caused by the despicable MacKenzie, of course--Nikki starts writing the "Dork Diaries."

And what fun diaries they are! This honest, precocious girl writes EVERYTHING in those pages, illustrating her tales with humorous drawings. These drawings by the author enhance this book, making it an unforgettable reading pleasure.

I admire the way Nikki handles all the set-backs in her life; she never loses her temper, attacking MacKenzie as many girls would. Instead she remains calm and works things out in her own way. That girl has more self-confidence than she knows.

While Nikki doesn't follow the dictates of the "Fashionista Police," she dresses cute and flattering. But there's much more substance to Nikki than clothing; this is evident when she attracts the attention of Brandon, a school photographer that MacKenzie has set her cap for.

So what does MacKenzie do when Brandon repeatedly helps Nikki? And what do tattoos have to do with Nikki suddenly becoming so popular that even MacKenzie pretends to be her friend? Does Nikki fall for it? Do her best friends, Zoey and Chloe drop her for MacKenzie? And what does Nikki do when MacKenzie finally learns that Nikki'a father is the local bug exterminator, driving around with a huge roach atop his truck? How embarrassing is that to our heroine?

And does she ever get the coveted iPhone that she thinks she needs to be cool?

The final showdown between Nikki and MacKenzie is a big school project. Nikki has much more talent (skills, as they call it), but will MacKenzie win through trickery? But to learn more about our Nikki, you will have to read for yourself, and follow along with the illustrations.

Even though author Rachel Renee Russell's writing flows easily, I had a hard time reading this book--through no fault of hers. Each time I put it down, my granddaughter grabbed it and when I wanted to read a chapter, I had to search for it. I told that girl I would pass it on to her. Can't she wait? (But she's a lot like NIkki, so I can see the appeal.)

A side note about this author: As I was reading this story, it was obvious the writer knew and understood the teens' mind, so I felt as though I were actually reading a diary written by a teen. I was surprised to learn that Russell is an attorney who "prefers writing children's books to legal briefs." After reading "Dork Diaries" I can see why. I look forward to many more books by her.

This review is from an ARC sent to me by the author.

Reviewed by Betty Dravis, May, 2009
Author of "The Toonies Invade Silicon Valley"

GREAT book for tweens(like me)and fans of Diary of Wimpy Kid fans(also like me)..., December 27, 2009
Funny book about a 14 yr old at a new school. Not just doesn`s have friends for a while but has horrible luck. HILARIOUS book. DEFINITLY worth the money. And it Is not like Diary of a wimpy kid because the pictures are a completely different style and story is waayy different.

From Nona at J. Kaye's Book Blog, June 21, 2009
Dork Diaries is very much like the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series, only for girls. Since I am a fan of that series, I was really excited to read this book. Nikki Maxwell, an enormously funny character, is getting ready to start a new school. She wants to be part of the CCP group. CCP stands for cute, cool, and popular. She's positive that if her mother purchased her a new iPhone, it would secure her a spot there.

Nikki's mother arrives home with a back-to-school present she purchased at the mall. Nikki is positive it's an iPhone. What does her mother purchase for her instead? A diary. Although Nikki swears not write in the diary, she does. And because she is artist, many of the pages include her sketches.

Even though Nikki doesn't get an iPhone, that doesn't stop the desire. An opportunity presents itself when Nikki learns about an art contest. The grand prize is $500. The only problem is Mackenzie Hollister, leader of the CCP group, is also entering. Mackenzie will do whatever it takes to win.

There was so much to love about the book. The ending was different than I expected, which was a great surprise. What I liked best was seeing her grow in the book. Nikki experienced some pretty horrible things, but she did find friends - good friends, not the superficial CCP ones.

Hilarious!, June 3, 2009
This book was HILARIOUS! Nikki Maxwell has the greatest imagination from turning a old hearing aid into a faux cell phone to making up stories about the tooth fairy to scare her little sister, Nikki is always right on the ball. I just love the author's sense of humor!

When I found out that Dork Diaries was a diary that also included illustrations and comic strips I was sold. There is no way you can go wrong with a diary format and comics. And it worked out so well. Some of my favorite drawings were an overview of the cafeteria and reading themed tattoos! The drawings definitely enhanced the story and made Nikki come to life that much more! It's definitely one of my favorite styles of storytelling!

So many of the situations that Nikki finds herself in are pretty easy to relate to. I really liked how well rounded the story was, there was friendship, art (I'm all about the art), crushes, family, humiliation, bullies, fitting in, it's all there. So while the book was laugh out loud funny at parts, I liked how it dealt with issues that young girls find themselves dealing with everyday, a great balance I think!

All in all, Dork Diaries is a fun, hilarious, and sweet book!

Delightful & Funny, May 29, 2009
Dork Diaries by Rachel Renee Russell is a delightful book for middle school kids, especially girls (9-13), but truth be told I thoroughly enjoyed it and I'm a whole lot older! It's full of all kinds of great little sketches and doodles and is written in a diary format with entries by 14 year old, eighth grader, Nikki Maxwell.

Nikki is attending a new private school courtesy of her father getting her a scholarship as he's the new exterminator for the school, a fact that causes Nikki never ending embarrassment and horror at being discovered. Now Nikki isn't exactly private school material and she knows it. She thinks to fit in she needs a new cell phone, new clothes and very likely a new family as hers certainly can't afford all those things. Above all, her parents or 'rents as she calls them just don't get it! She can't fit in at a private school-she's just not one of them so who are they kidding?

Fast forward to the first day of school and of course, the always most popular girl who this time happens to be the rich, pretty and 'mean' Mackenzie. Nikki is torn between hating her and wanting to be like her and have her as a friend. After all, that would put her in line with the popular kids, the CCP-Cute, Cool & Popular. Even worse, Nikki's locker is right beside Mackenzie's so she has to tolerate Miss Perfect and her attitude every day. Then came the art competition which Nikki had been intimidated by Mackenzie not to enter. Nikki is a really talented artist already and deep down she knows she can do well. Finally, she throws caution to the wind and enters but that ends up being a whole other story too.

I should also mention that Dork Diaries is downright funny. I found myself laughing out loud throughout. There's the cute little sayings like GGG-ing which is giggling, gossiping, & glossing. Also , throughout the book, Nikki screams or says things inside her head-always so one else hears but her. How many of us do that? I still do that. Added to that are the cartoons which really add so much to the telling of Nikki's story.

What I loved most about this book is how real Nikki is-she's a normal 14 year old girl with all the worries and fears that come with it. I love how this book relates the fact that you don't have to be popular and belong to the in-crowd to have fun and have friends. You can carve out your own little space in the world. Yes, it's a struggle but it can be done. This is why young girls are going to love this book-because it's true to life and maybe even very close to what they're experiencing at that very time. There's maybe even a hint of first love which is really sweet.

Perfect reading for a young girl or for a mother/daughter read. I found it really took me back to memories of being in grade school myself. Let's face it, for most of us it's a rough time. We're just learning about ourselves and really trying to find our place in it all while lacking the self confidence to achieve it. This books shows girls that it's ok not to be the popular one. You can be just as happy if not happier just by being yourself!

Perfect for teens, tweens and anyone who loves YA reading., March 14, 2009
Eighth grader Nikki Maxwell candidly shares with us the journaling of her no-so-fabulous days at her new private school Westchester Day School. Nikki's father, being the new exterminator, earned her a scholarship to a school where she doesn't fit in with the rich and snobby CCP (Cute, Cool & Popular) clique led by the snarky Mackenzie.

Nikki knows that in order to dazzle the new crowd into accepting her she needs a new iPhone but her `rents stubbornly refuse to buy her one. Her Mom even goes so far as to tell her that if she really wants one she'll have to save up and buy it with her own money. Ugh!

Just when everything seems to be doomed the school announces a school-wide art competition where the first prize is $500!! Nikki knows she's totally got this since she's an artist with plenty art camp experience. Nikki runs to the school office to sign up and who does she run into??? None other than Mackenzie. No way is she brave enough to compete against the queen bee of WDS. Can she turn one disaster after another into triumph?

Dork Diaries is simply fabulous! I've been in Nikki's shoes a time or two as I changed schools 8 different times while growing up so I can totally sympathize with being new girl on the block. At least my Dad didn't drive me to school with a giant roach on top of his van.

The entire book is Nikki's diary filled with hilarious stories and amazing drawings (also illustrated by Rachel Renee Russell). It's the perfect read for young girls who agonize over not being part of the in-crowd like I used to. Nikki goes from the zero to a hero and then finally settles nicely into her niche as a typical teen. I recommend this read for all YA lovers.

Perfect Book for Middle Grade Girls!, June 9, 2009
I can't believe how much I enjoyed the new middle grade book DORK DIARIES: TALES FROM A NOT-SO-FABULOUS LIFE by Rachel Renee Russell. I guess you could say I was pleasantly surprised by my reaction to this book -- basically, I didn't want to put it down. It was just so much fun to read, and I absolutely couldn't wait to hear what my nine year old daughter thought.

I just adored this book. I loved the character of Nikki and felt that almost all young girls are going to be able to relate to her. She has the "normal" middle school insecurities such as the desire to be popular, wondering who she can trust as a friend, and fear of being laughed at. It's been a long time since I was in eighth grade, but I could definitely relate to being the new girl in school -- it's very hard at that age!

While there were certainly times that I felt Nikki's pain, I'd say for the most part this book was a hoot! Nikki was a terrific character who had a great perspective on her life. I found myself laughing hysterically at her attempts to get an iPhone, and I also thought the scenes with her little sister to be fantastic. (Like Nikki, I had a sister who was a good bit younger.) And her parents....well, as a parent I probably shouldn't have thought they were so funny, but the way Nikki described their actions was hilarious. I can't even begin to tell you how many times I laughed out loud while reading this story.

Since DORK DIARIES is supposed to read like Nikki's actual diary, the book had a really cool format with interesting fonts and amazing illustrations. I loved the look of this book and thought that Nikki's drawings really enhanced the story and allowed the reader to better understand Nikki. Ms. Russell is not only a fantastic writer but also a terrific artist! The various pictures of Nikki's life were just adorable while also being extremely funny. DORK DIARIES is very easy to read with the font and pictures, and I think this book will appeal to even the most reluctant reader. I am sincerly hoping that it's going to be the first in a series. I definitely want to see more of Nikki and her family and friends.

I have a feeling that this book is going to be a big hit with middle grade girls. When my daughter took this book to school, the girls were all over it -- asking her questions like "where did you get it?," "how did you get it?," "can I borrow it?," etc. I think the cover alone will attract many young girls because it is just so cute.

I definitely recommend this book for any middle grade girl in your life, although I have to admit that I enjoyed it a great deal too! The messages in this book are fantastic -- ones that young girls need to hear over and over again. I like that the book focused on what's really important in our lives such as family and friends. This book also showed that it's normal to feel insecure at this age, but I'm hoping that young girls will see how Nikki coped and learn from her. In fact, my daughter thought Nikki was great and didn't understand why she thought she was a "dork." I jumped at this opportunity and told her that maybe some people would say the exact same thing about her! (I think it's sometimes easier to see things in others.) I also liked the message that girls who seem to have it all, sometimes don't; and that it does pay to be a nice girl and a good friend.

I wasn't surprised when my daughter absolutely devoured this book. I don't think we saw her face the entire time she was reading DORK DIARIES because she had her nose buried in the pages. Here are some of her thoughts:

I liked DORK DIARIES because it was really made me laugh. It was kind of sad too in parts of the story, but it was still funny. I liked Nikki because she is really funny. I liked her drawings of the characters. I sometimes feel geeky and nerdy at school, so I understood how Nikki felt.

A hilarious look at middle school from a girls eye view, August 8, 2009
Dork Diaries: Tales from a NOT-SO Fabulous Life by Rachel Renee Russell is a hilarious look at middle school from a girls eye view. I adored this book and read it in one sitting and I can easily imagine a middle school girl doing the same.

Nikki, the main character, is 14 years old and an eighth-grader at a "new" private school and she is the "new" girl in town. That is always so hard and many girls will relate to this. Nikki desperately wants an i-phone so that she can be "cool" and accepted by the other girls. She does some hilarious things along the way in trying to be cool. Her mother tries to understand and gives her a diary to help her adjust to her new school. This is definitely now what Nikki thinks is cool but she ends up filling it with her writings and drawings. The story is told in Nikki's voice through daily diary entries complete with wonderful whimsical drawings, sketches, doodles and comic strips all drawn by Nikki. These drawings are illustrated by the author Rachel Renee Russell, she's a very talented lady.

I laughed along with Nikki and felt her pain and awkward moments as well. We all go through those growing up and Ms. Russell honed in on typical challenges that girls of middle school would face such as peer pressure, being popular and accepted, finding your identity and who your "true" friends are and even dealing with your first crush. Nikki got herself into some sticky situations and was able to figure her way out with her wits and talents as well as her friends support. She has to face down the popular girl who humilites her and not be intimidated and that takes a lot of strength for a young girl.

Nikki seems like a typical teenager and although she feels like a dork, in reality she is not. The author did a wonderful job in having Nikki be a relatable character. I think that many young girls will relate to her. As an adult reading this book, it brought back memories of my own teen years. I liked that Nikki has a normal family with typical issues to deal with such as annoying siblings, and being embarressed of your parents and a relationship with her grandma who gives her advice and is someone that she can turn to. In the end, I think that Nikki realizes that her parents have her best interest at heart and Nikki realizes how important family is.

I believe that this book will be a sure winner for middle school girls. The reading level for the book is 9-12 but I wonder if some of the pop culture references may be over a 9 year old girls head. I think that this book willl definitely draw girls interests who will appreciate the humor and storyline. I would definitely recommend this book for 10-11 and up. The style and content do remind me of a girls version of Diary of a Wimpy Kid, so if your child is a fan of that series this one will definitely be a good one to pick up next.



... Read more

Editorial Review

Big Nate, a.k.a. middle schooler Nate Wright, is eleven years old, four-and-a-half feet tall, and the wunderkind creation of cartoonist Lincoln Peirce. Nate is also the star of six novelized books to be published by HarperCollins, the first of which debuted on the New York Times children's best-seller list. This Big Nate Collection collects Peirce's Big Nate strips, originally published only in newspapers.

For those not familiar with Big Nate, think Diary of a Wimpy Kid meets Calvin and Hobbes. Nate is a self-described genius and a sixth-grade Renaissance man equipped with only a #2 pencil and the unshakable belief that he is destined for greatness (a fortune cookie told him so). He fights a daily battle against overzealous teachers, undercooked cafeteria food, and all-around conventionality. He's the original rebel without a clue, alternately abrasive and endearing to classmates and teachers alike. Throughout Peirce's Big Nate Collection, Nate blazes an unforgettable trail through the sixth grade at P.S. 38, earning straight As in laughs (and numerous detentions) along the way. ... Read more

Reviews

loved it., December 3, 2010
My 8 year old has read and loved the Diary of a Whimpy Kid books and the Captain Underpants books. He was thrilled when I got him the Big Nate books. He's read them all and can't wait for the next one! ... Read more

Editorial Review

Reviews

Review by 10 yr old (with mom's help), August 14, 2010
This is a review by the 10 year old who insisted on buying this book:

The book is hilarious. It has all sorts of funny things. They have all sorts of adventures, it's just like the old Capt. Underpants books only it's even funnier.

A dinosaur chased Ook & Gluk, and the dinosaur fell into quicksand, but Ook & Gluk found the dino was just scaring them because of it's baby. So they tried to get it out of the quicksand by having a gorilla chase them. They ran up a tree, the gorilla pushed the tree over into the quicksand and saved the dinosaur.

The reason they say Kung Fu cavemen from the future, was because it takes place in cavemen time. There's time travel with evil guys from the future going back in time to take all of the trees, all of their energy, most of the oil, some of the delicious good water, and they're going back to the future in 2222 AD.

You have to read this book. It has a bunch of flip o ramas - that's when you take 2 pages that look almost the same and you flip them back and forth to look like a little cartoon. I read the book in one day. I can not wait till the sequel 'The Adventure of Ook & Gluk Jr, Kung Fu Cavekids in Outer Space' comes out.

Note by Mom: This is a book that encourages children to read and have fun with their imagination. It's a quality hard back book, and is suitable for a boy or girl.

Reluctant Reader Was Excited About This Book, October 6, 2010
Reason for Reading: My ds read aloud to me as his reader.

I received this book as an *extra* from Scholastic, along with one I had requested to review. I was not entirely impressed, I'm sorry to say. Neither I nor my children (up to 21 yo) have ever read a Dav Pilkey book and there has been a reason for that. I admit I do have certain la-di-da standards when it comes to what books I allow to pass through my children's hands and yes, you could call me a "book snob" in that sense. One of the things that has always irritated me to no end is when parents, teachers, librarians, etc. will say about a child who consistently reads books with little to no literary merit is "At least they're reading!". My response to that has always been: You don't hand a child who won't eat his vegetables a box of cookies and say "At least they're eating!". It's the same thing, to me.

But I have to admit, publicly, here and now, that I WAS WRONG about Dav Pilkey! At first glance through this book, I cringed at the purposeful spelling and grammar errors. I thought the story was silly (stupid, even) but then told myself the book is for 10yo boys not *ahem*yo mothers; the boys would love it. Wait a minute, *I* have a 10yo boy! Then I began to actually read the text and realized my 10 yo son would be able to read a good portion of this book. My son is autistic with several learning disabilities and at this point is reading easy readers. Here was a book, a thick book, with chapters, that was aimed at his age group that might actually excite him about reading. So I gave him the book, and while he did need a lot of help, he *could* read much of the book and LOVED the story. Every morning when we started our routine, he would say "I can't wait to read my book!" You don't know what music that was to this readaholic mum's ears! I usually give him a break from reading from his reader on Fridays, as he reads a story from an easy reader Bible that day but he was so upset to find "Ook and Gluk" missing that first Friday that he stormed off to get the book and happily read twice on Fridays from then on, without even thinking it was a chore!

My son absolutely loved this book! Thought it was hilarious, loved the "flip-o-rama" pages and it is probably his favourite book *ever* right now. He was thrilled to see the page that said another Ook and Gluk book would be coming soon. Myself, I have to admit, it was funny and silly. I did laugh. The spelling and grammar errors were irksome but I got used to it and realize they made the book easier to read. My son was able to read some of the big words because they were misspelled, which gave him reading confidence. I don't intend to feed him a daily diet of Dav Pilkey but Dav is now welcome in our home and I intend to have him read the first graphic novel about the Diaper Baby in the not too distant future. Then I will finally go have a look at those darn Captain Underpants books! and check out the reading level. Thanks to OOk and Gluk, a mum learned a lesson and a boy found a book he was passionate to read.

Disappointed Capt Underpants fan, November 2, 2010
My sons and I have read all the Captain Underpants books and have loved most of them. Super Diaper Baby wasn't fantastic but still had some funny stuff in it. The mis-spelled words haven't been a problem. However, I regret buying Ook & Gluk. There are a few reasons, but the main one I'm writing about is the name-calling. Like "you dummies", "you dumb kids", "you idiot", "you are an idiot", "hate you guys", "you dipwad", etc. Also, things like "dang", "what the", "me keel you", "you're the father of my butt". Anyway, we were all looking forward to this book. But it's just not as good as the CU series.

Good Lessons for Kids and Parents, September 5, 2010
There is a MORAL to the story. It teaches kids new perspectives. For example, Master Wong points out that the boys think Lily, the baby dinosaur, is small but from a bug's point of view, Lily is big. Master Wong teaches the boys that trophies and accolades do not make you a good person. It's actually pretty deep philosophically believe it or not. Something that may be considered negative, like barfing, can actually be used to save the world! Using poison as medicine seems to be the theme. Parents need to really READ the book. It's funny and you might learn something. Dav Pilkey isn't just about "poop fiction". He's a genius at getting good messages across to kids through humor and helping them to learn the truly important things in life that matter. It's a good story with lively illustrations. If you are caught up in the gross humor and misspellings than you've missed the point of the story as most people seem to miss the point because they just laugh so hard. It teaches people to look beyond what they can see. There is so much more to life. Yes, we live in an age of spell check and grammar check. Parents may be worried their children will not learn to spell. Wouldn't it be sad if children stop writing and creating because they have been programmed to use spell check and are afraid of making mistakes?

Book contains puns, clever illustrations, and an actual story which may offend the average or less than average imagination, August 28, 2010
Dav Pilkey hasn't lost his touch with kids. The illustrations are sheer joy. There is even a moral to the story. Remember it's a book written by 2 elementary school boys, so there are misspellings. Dav Pilkey uses this method to encourage kids to write. It may seem appalling, but it does work. My son has been inspired by Pilkey to write and draw his own comics.

Out of the ordinary methods or thoughts will always be reprimanded by fearful, ignorant people. Take a lesson in history. Mark Twain and George Orwell both revered authors, once had their books banned. I think after Pilkey has published over 45 books, which he has not only written but illustrated himself, he may be on to something. KEEP AN OPEN MIND. Check out Pilkey's other books: GOD BLESS THE GARGOYLES or THE PAPERBOY. Poetic and stunning art. I believe many adults and kids have lost the magic of pure imagination and also a sense of humor.

Pretty funny, but ultimately not good for young kids, November 7, 2010
My 6-year old picked this up at her first-grade book fair. I've never had any problems with the sort of books she gets at these things, but this time I really regret not having browsed this particular book before buying it for her. I'll admit that the writing is clever and at times very funny. But there are some issues:

+ As other reviewers have noted, the book is full of intentionally misspelled words. As in, probably 1 in 5 words is intentionally misspelled. Yes, I know it's supposed to be funny and it's caveman-speak. But a 6-year old doesn't necessarily realize that "cheif" is misspelled, or "finelly", "queshtion", etc. etc. etc. Seriously, the misspelled words are everywhere. This is probably fine for kids who are, say, 9 or older, for whom the misspellings are part of the humor. But little kids like mine are still learning to spell. Although my daughter reads at a 4th-grade level her spelling is lagging, and this book isn't helping. I've already had to correct words she USED to spell correctly but not misspells them -- exactly the way she reads them in this book.

+ Lots and lots of bathroom/scatalogical humor and borderline naughty words like "butt" and "stupid" and "dumb". Not as prevalent as the misspelled words but I'm not a fan of my kid suddenly punctuating her speech with "butt" every three sentences.

So, I'm in for a lot of dad-daughter talks about how to spell words correctly and why talking about butts and barfing isn't a proper or polite way to speak. It's my own fault and had I known the book was like this, I'd have bought something else for my kid. Parents, just be careful and use the "Look Inside" feature here at Amazon to try before you buy.

Kids Love It, September 29, 2010
Got the book from [...] (they have an Amazon store but also good articles about good and not so good toys for kids. If you are looking for a novel at the level of "War and Peace" you are in the wrong place. This is no Tolstoy, but the kids run to bed 30 minutes early so they can have extra time reading. Who can complain about that?

Wonderful Addition to the Home Library, September 15, 2010
My kids LOVE this book. In the few weeks we've had it they must have read it 20 times -- especially my 8 year-old son.

"Ook and Gluk" contains all of the elements of the Captain Underpants books with some nice additions. It has Flip-o-rama, for example, and that thing that Pilkey does with the signs. You know, where they read perfectly normally before his characters get a hold of them. But are remarkably silly after they've been blasted.

The additions are bad spelling and more of a plot, with an actual moral or two. Honest, there's this whole environmental aspect to the tale. And a bit of clever plotting that involves time travel and 'relative perspective'.

The bad spelling, by the way, is there because this book is supposed to have been written by George and Harold (Beard and Hutchins) from the Captain Underpants series. And since they're not the sharpest students you get: oposites, surfise, philosofy and other travesties.

In addition there's also 'cave talk':

Lesson #1
I like Candy = me like candy

Lesson #3
My grandmother doesn't think this book belongs in the school library = Grandma no fun

And no doubt, there are real adults who don't admire the Pilkey books, but I love them. They are silly, with gross, juvenile humor. Which is precisely why libraries can't keep them on the shelves, and, in fact, keep having to reorder them. Because children --both boys and girls -- love the goofiness. They love not being serious and Dave Pilkey gives them what they want... in a variety of modes. There's his physical humor, his contextual humor, word humor, story humor. Whether for visual or written reasons, these books motivate children to love reading and so they get my 5-Star approval.

OTHER STUFF:::
Written at the 3.0 (or entering 3rd Grade Level)

I thought my son might have problems with the misspellings, but they didn't slow him down.

Enjoy.

Pam T~
mom/blogger
booksforkids-reviews

Amazing, October 29, 2010
I read this book in a day. This book makes kids want to read. It's funny, it has a good story, and lots of action. I'm looking forward to Ook and Gluk Jr coming out.

More fun than being eaten by a robosaur!, October 15, 2010
Ook and Gluk is a fun book that teaches many good lessons, such as the one in which Ook and Gluk won their...well...if you've read it, you'll understand. Since it's aimed at kids from 9-12, I'm a bit less apprehensive about the violence (cartoon level, mind you). As for the cavemonics? Me like Ook and Gluk book! ... Read more

Editorial Review

Reviews

This is a CHAPTER Book, August 21, 2008
Although I truly loathe the idea of reviewing my own book, I just want it to be perfectly clear to anyone before they purchase this book that "BAD KITTY GETS A BATH" is NOT a picture book like the original "Bad Kitty" or "Poor Puppy," but is a CHAPTER book.

For reasons unknown to me, the Amazon product description above does not clearly spell this out, so I thought I would do it myself. I really don't want anyone purchasing this book thinking that they'll be getting something that it is not.

Mind you, I think you can treat this book as if it were a long picture book. Even though the book is 128 pages of pure Kitty induced mayhem, I also loaded the book with over 120 illustrations to tell this story of how to give this cat a bath.

This was my reasoning for this book...

I worked for over 7 years in a children's bookstore in Manhattan called "Books of Wonder." During that time, I always found it bewildering when publishers would awkwardly adapt a popular children's book character into a board book format for babies and toddlers. It always made more sense to me to adapt a picture book character into the CHAPTER book format to give kids who are familiar with the character the chance to grow with her and challenge their reading level. To my knowledge, the only character to have done this to mixed success was Mary Hoffman's Grace.

And now I'm trying this with Bad Kitty.

My publisher Roaring Brook and I are treating "BAD KITTY GETS A BATH" as a bridge book for kids who are ready to move from the picture book format to the chapter book (and graphic novel) format.

That's why as a chapter book, I tried to keep the language relatively simple while still loading the book with moments of true non-fiction and lots of humor, keeping in mind that reluctant readers as old as 12 or 13 might pick this one up as well.

Kirkus Reviews got it. In its Starred review of this book, they set the age range at a nice, wide 5-12 years old.

I hope this helps.

"Bad Kitty" is so GOOD!!!, September 23, 2008
I can't say enough about how much our family loves this and all of Mr. Bruel's books. The illustrations are fantastic and convey such wonderful emotions and humor. As for the story, it is simply hilarious. It appeals to both children and adults; in fact, anyone who has ever tried to bathe a cat or simply owned a cat and/or dog will really get a kick out of it. With "Uncle Murray's Fun Facts" sprinkled throughout, children--and adults, for that matter--will also learn a few tidbits they may not have known.

"Bad Kitty" is certainly my favorite children's book character and "Bad Kitty Gets a Bath" definitely does not disappoint. Overall a great book and one I very, very highly recommend!!

My kid loved it!, September 3, 2008
My daughter has been reading chapter books for about a year now. She has her favorite characters but chose to buy "Bad Kitty Takes A Bath." She was totally unfamiliar with the character but after the completion of the book, a short read at 128 pages (i believe), declared the book as "the best evah!" I will use her words to describe the book:

"It was a good book because he told me facts about cats and how to deal with them. It was also good because cats don't like baths so the story gets really funny when they try to make kitty take a bath. When i read it i wanted to keep reading just to find out how was kitty going to take a bath. I finished it really fast and i read it again just because i liked it so much!"

It is a good read, with insightful facts, and some real laughs. It is also the kind of book you can read to your child and show them the illustrations and it will have the same impact as if they read it themselves. I think my daughter has found her new favorite character and i highly recommend it.

Totally hilarious!, September 4, 2008
The author Nick is right about the older age group targeted for this book. My son was a big fan of the Bad Kitty picture books and now at age 8 can read this chapter book to me. We both fell out of our chairs laughing. Great stuff!!

Hilarious!!!!, September 12, 2008
Bad Kitty Gets a Bath by Nick Bruel is the funniest book I have read probably since Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus by Mo Willems. I could not put the book down until I finished it and I then gave it to anyone and everyone I could. Bruel's humor is appropriate for children but there is also tongue in cheek humor for adults. The wonderful surprise is you also get illustrations! You know exactly what Kitty is feeling on every page. While I find it extremely difficult to select a favorite part of the book, I would have to say Chapter Four: Getting Kitty into the Water may be the funniest. "Now that you've regained consciousness, you probably remember what happened when... you took her to the vet. You made her brush her teeth. You made her take her medicine. You clipped her nails. You made her finish her vegetables." I especially love the illustrations and text that can't be viewed because the publisher is afraid of scaring the reader. While all this fun ensues, you actually learn about cats. What a concept, teach and lesson and have fun. Bad Kitty Gets a Bath has a permanent place on my desk and anytime I am having a bad day I pick it up, randomly open it, read it and without fail I am laughing. Pick up a copy of Bad Kitty Gets a Bath for everyone you know. They will thank you for it.

Amazing Books, October 21, 2010
These books are amazing. My son has had a difficult time in school because his reading skills weren't were they needed to be. I ordered the Bad Kitty books hoping to get him interesting (he absolutely loves cats) in reading. He comes home from school and reads out loud for 20 minutes every day. Before the Bad Kitty books, he would close the book as soon as the timer went off, even if he was in mid-sentence. Now, when the timer goes off, he keeps reading. He can't stop talking about the story when he's done reading. He started with Bad Kitty gets a bath. Listening to him giggle as he was reading was so wonderful. He finished his second Bad Kitty book today. He was so excited. I'm so excited. Because of these books, my son is reading at the level he should be, and he's not just reading the words, he's comprehending the story. He laughs in all the right places and can re-tell the story. My only complaint is that there aren't more books. Nick Bruel is amazing and I am so thrilled I found him.

Bad Kitty Great Book, December 16, 2008
Our 7-year old read this book cover to cover tonight (we also just bought it today). She thought it was a riot. She's hesitant about chapter books and still is more at ease with picture books, but this book was perfect for her. It has a great balance of both types of books. She can read chapter books easily, but sometimes all the words, everything that is happening on one page, is overwhelming and tiring. With this, she can read, then have some fun as she muses over the hilarious illustrations. I would read Bad Kitty Gets a Bath if she only would put it down.

Bad Kitty gets a bath is really funny !, October 30, 2008
I really enjoyed this book although I believe it's for an older crowd than his previous books about Bad Kitty....the humor is more mature...really funny !

What a fantastic chapter book!, October 28, 2008
Bad Kitty Gets a Bath is just what we have been waiting for! My eight year old has loved Bad Kitty for quite some time now so when we heard that a new book was out, we ordered it right away. We were not disappointed! From the pictures (my son was amazed that chapter books can have cool pictures) to the text, we were laughing and enjoying every minute of Bad Kitty!
I was surprised to see that Amazon has Bad Kitty Gets a Bath for younger readers because, although younger readers will enjoy the story, older readers will LOVE this book and will be thrilled to share this book with you!
We recently traveled to Grandma's house and due to space issues we told our son something had to be left behind. His solution was to unpack the Nintendo DS and leave Bad Kitty Gets a Bath right where it was, mixed with all his other 'treasures' to show Grandma. That is the best recommendation that a child can give! Two thumbs way up for Bad Kitty Gets a Bath!

A wonderful giftbook for cat owners of all ages!, October 11, 2008
Written by the author of the "Bad Kitty" children's books, Bad Kitty Gets a Bath is a storybook about the trials and tribulations of giving a dirty black kitty a bath! Expressive black-and-white illustrations on almost every page are sure to bring a smile to the faces of cat lovers young and old. Beyond the humorous insights into the near-futility of getting a cat to do anything it doesn't want to do, Bad Kitty Gets a Bath also offers gentle, practical advice for bathing a cat: "Try not to pour water directly onto Kitty's head. Instead, use a soft, moist towel and gently wipe her face and head." Though over one hundred and twenty pages in length, Bad Kitty Gets a Bath is more of a visual storybook than a text novel, and is well suited to young picturebook readers who are just about ready to start reading slightly more complex fare. Bad Kitty Gets a Bath is also a wonderful giftbook for cat owners of all ages!
... Read more

Editorial Review

Penned by Whedon and Brett Matthews, who wrote several episodes of Firefly as well as Dark Horse's final Angel comics series and the animated Chronicles of Riddick feature "Dark Fury," Serenity follows a ship full of mercenaries, fugitives and one law-abiding prostitute in their pursuit for fast cash and a little peace along the fringes of space. The ragtag crew of Serenity take on a scavanger mission with the hopes of earning enough dough to disappear for a while. Only too late do they realize the whole gig is orchestrated by an old enemy eager remake their aquanitance with the help of some covert-operatives known only as the Blue Gloves. Artist Will Conrad (Marvel's Elektra and Witches) and colorist Laura Martin (Astonishing X-Men and The Ultimates) paint a rough and wild world of adventure across a strange and dangerous universe, in this not-to-be-missed tale straight from the brain of pop-culture mastermind Joss Whedon! ... Read more

Reviews

Hard even for a Browncoat to enjoy, February 6, 2006
Well, I unfortunately have to add my negative review to the other disappointed FIREFLY/SERENITY/Whedon fans below. Like many of the others reviewing here, I am a huge fan of both the series FIREFLY and the film SERENITY, so I was eager to enjoy a new adventure of Mal and his crew. I ordered this with great excitement and finished it with considerable sadness. I had hoped that this might equal in quality some of Whedon's other projects on Dark Horse, but this was easily one of the weakest. The problem isn't the artwork. It is gorgeous to look at and the characters all look quite like the real life models (not that that is a necessary measure of quality). The problem was the utterly uninspiring story.

Here is my suspicion: I'm guessing that the novel partly arose from an unfilmed, partially scripted episode from the television series, and a not terribly good episode at that. Many of the scenes seem to merely mimic scenes to be found in the series and the film, while the scenes that are completely original simply aren't very inspired. The story is also very unbalanced. If you read writing guides on how to write a TV script or a film script or a short story one rule of thumb is that a script needs to have three to five acts (depending on the writing coach). This graphic story feels as if Act One takes up the first two thirds of the book, with too little space devoted to the climax, and an act or two missing. To be honest, it doesn't feel like a completed story at all.

So does the book have any redeeming values? As I stated above, it is a well-drawn story. The problem is entirely the story, not the art. Storywise, it does provide some filler between the end of the series and before the start of the action in the movie. That is not a small thing, but the problem is that there just isn't much of a story. In fact, the whole thing feels more like an outline of a story rather than a story.

Do I recommend this to fellow Browncoats? I guess I don't. Now, if someone had told me not to get it, I would probably have ignored him or her and gotten it anyway, so I won't blame any FIREFLY fan wanting this as well. But while the series and the movie are things I treasure, this is a story I may never look at again. So while I don't recommend it, any real fan of the show is going to want to own it. Then we can all be disappointed together while we await word as to whether the DVD sales of the movie will be sufficient to bring about a made for TV movie or mini-series.

A useful bridge, February 2, 2006
This graphic novel serves as a useful bridge between the final episode of "Firefly" and the film "Serenity." As a Browncoat, I've found it especially useful for showing new fans of the series because it answers the questions that they'd have from the last episode and the film (which starts everyone off on a different note than they were left in the show). For instance: "When and why did Book leave the ship?" This book isn't going to take the place of the television show for the fans that want to see our Big Damn Heroes played by the actors themselves, but it serves as the final episode that they were never able to make.

Perfect filler between TV series and movie, August 23, 2006
Quick admission: I'm a huge fan of the Firefly TV series and "Serenity". I think both were horribly underappreciated, and can't understand why they weren't more successful.

This graphic novel was penned by Joss Whedon, so the dialog, tone, and timing are dead on. In many ways, reading Serenity: Those Left Behind is like watching an unaired episode of the TV show. The story deals with the events that take place after the final episode of Firefly: Objects in Space, but before the movie. All of the Serenity crew are in fine form, and even several characters from past episodes show up.

The only reason I can't give this book a 5 is the art. I'm not a big fan of the artist. While I can definitely understand the difficulty of drawing a comic based on real people, I've seen better.

All in all, a great story, and a must-have for all Firefly/Serenity fans!

An OK primer for the movie, March 31, 2006
As you are probably getting from other reviews there is sort of a mixed bag here. I won't be saying much different myself. What it boils down to is if you are interested in knowing what happened between the television series Firefly and the movie Serenity you get your answer here. The downside is the plot of this little graphic novel is not Joss Whedon's best.

Essentially this book puts together all three comics from the Serenity comic book mini-series that came out a little bit before the movie. The artwork is great. The dialog flows exactly as if you were watching an episode of Firefly. You also get a couple questions a few fans have been answering like how/when did Sheppard Book leave and what happened to the men with the blue gloves?

What limits the book is the main story around this. It's rather cliche and kind of comes from way out into left field. It doesn't make too much sense if you think about it and it really doesn't further the Firefly story. Keep in mind I'm talking about the main story and conflict of this series. Not those questions this series answers for fans.

So... should you buy this graphic novel or not? I say if you're a fan of the Firefly series and have the money burning in your pocket then go for it. Granted the comic book series probably has more collectable value (especially the alternate covers), but this book puts it all in one convenient place.

If you never been exposed to Firefly, but saw the movie and liked it then you got a situation because this book will answer questions you never asked, so then you're stuck with a weak plotline. You're better off saving for the Firefly DVD set, which is well worth the expense. If you never seen either the movie or the series, but are a comic fan... well just pass this one up.

Great Material, February 4, 2006
Okay, I don't eat, sleep, and breathe Firefly like some of the reviewers do, but I loved the series and the Serenity movie. I think that this graphic novel fills in the gap between the series and movie quite well. Some of the artwork on the various characters is hit-and-miss. The artist(s) seemed to have an especially tough time with Inara. But, the story's good and the artwork is otherwise first-rate. I liked the full-page interstigial drawings of each of the characters, especially Wash, Kaylee, and Zoe. I hope that they're released as posters!

A prequel to the "Serenity" movie to explain the absent friends, April 27, 2006
"Firefly" was cancelled halfway through its first and only season. The final few episodes did not get aired, which seemed a fitting ending, because when the series began they skipped the pilot movie to air some other episodes first. When we finally got to see the episodes that did not air, we discovered that River Tam was something more than some sort of insane person with psychic tendencies. One of the things we know about Joss Whedon television shows from watching "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" and "Angel" is that there is a story arc for the first half of a season, which combines with a second half story arc to up the ante. Consequently, just as "Firefly" was getting interesting, FOX pulled the plug. Having already killed off "Dark Angel" to make room for "Firefly," it was adding insult to injury (or visa versa).

But "Firefly" fans were legion, they were vocal, and they bought enough copies of the DVD set of the abbreviated series and that gave Whedon the backing to do "Serenity," a theatrical movie that would bring some closer to the "Firefly" saga. However, the opening of the movie established that Inara and Shepherd Book were no longer aboard the good ship "Serenity." We would find out where they were in the course of the movie, but that still begged the question as to how it came to be that they left Captain Mal Reynolds and the rest of the crew behind. This would be the sort of things that fans would be able to speculate about for years, as did "Star Trek" fans filling in the gap between the original series and the first movie. However, Whedon has saved us from such fun.

"Serenity: Those Left Behind" is more a prequel to the "Serenity" movie than it is a an attempt to cover everything in between. More specifically, it is the story that explains why Inara and Shepherd Book parted company with Mal. Whedon came up with the story with Brett Matthews, who does the script, with art by Will Conrad. We bbegin with Mal, Zoe and Jayne in the middle of another sticky situation, which they manage to get out of with their lives, but not the money they were supposed to be paid. We then learn that the pair of blue gloved government agents who are after Simon and River Tam, hire an assassin with an artificial eye named Agent Dobson to find the pair. His incentive is that he will get to kill Mal Reynolds (who is, of course, responsible for the eye), so the confrontation between these two is inevitable and the meeting place is the wrecked spaceships of the Battle of Sturges.

Because of Whedon's involvement this story gets to be part of the "Firefly" canon and for that reason I round up on "Serenity: Those Left Behind." But I had to admit the story really seems like a standard "Firefly" episode, with a couple of specific things tacked on at the end to set up the situation for the film, and nothing like the film before the film. The main plot line really does not provide the impetus to justify Inara and Shepherd Book leaving "Serenity," and I would think a better job of doing that could have come from a pair of single issue stories. Still, fans will be inspired to check this out and hopefully their disappointments will be tempered accordingly. Yes, in case you were wondering, all of the variant covers of the "Serenity" crew for the three issues, half of which are really nice, are to be found within the pages of this trade paperback collection. Nathan Fillion provides an Introduction on the joys of finally becoming a comic book superhero that is a nice additon to the proceedings as well.

So, when and why and how did..., April 9, 2006
...some stuff happen between the end of Firefly and the beginning of Serenity?

It's like one of those gaps in your jaw, when a tooth has broken off or a major filling has fallen out. Your tongue keeps poking with progressively growing obsession and habit, and when the dentist (I have a very friendly sone, so no dentist-jokes here!) finally fills the gap it's a great relief. Something becomes complete. Of course, it's artificial and not the real thing, but it's better than that horrible feeling of a void, of incompleteness.

This book fufills that need. I'd rather have had a load of Firefly episodes, but we can't have those, right? So, here's a filler, and as fillers go it does the job admirably. Thanks to Joss for giving us that. You're even nicer than my dentist.

Till Noever, owlglass.com, Author: KEAEN, SELDIENNA, CONTINUITY SLIP

Disapointed Firefly fan, February 25, 2007
Look... I'm a HUGE Firefly fan. It's my favorite tv show of all time. Seriously! However the comic just didn't do anything for me. It's not that it was bad, it was just forgetful and short and uninteresting. I wanted to love it... I wanted to find something to fill the gap since Serenity, but this isn't it.

Fillin' in the blanks, February 9, 2006
I just got this yesterday and I found it an enjoyable read, though a little short. This graphic novel fills in the time between the last episode of Firefly and the Serenity motion picture. It nicely addresses some of the unanswered questions, especially why Shepherd Book left Serenity. I also enjoyed the exchange between Wash and Mal about Inara. That was definately a Joss Wheldon moment and it really had the feel of the original Firefly series. I won't say this is a must have but I liked it. I would recommend any Brown Coat at least give this a look.

It's not you, it's me, July 24, 2006
As a dyed in the wool browncoat Firefly Serenity fan, I just had to read this. What happened between the end of 'Firefly' and the start of 'Serenity'? I've got to know. I could only find this whilst travelling overseas, it hadn't been released in Australia, or at least, I couldn't find it.

But when I did, I was mildly disappointed. Not to say the artwork or the characterisations or the storyline is to blame. The artwork is good, but it's not Jack Kirby. I'm a fan of Jack Kirby marvel comic art and much of the modern stuff just leaves me cold. The characterisations were consistent with Firefly but not especially deep. I suppose Firefly is a hard act to follow.

Reading the graphic novel I was hoping for some kind of revelation and only got a bridging episode. To put it in 'Firefly', the TV series terms, had this novel's storyline been made into a TV episode, it would not have been as mind bogglingly good as the brilliant 'Objects in Space', not even as good as 'Our Miss Reynolds', although it's more important to the whole firefly mythology than a straight action episode like 'the Train Job'. To jump across media boundaries again, all told I found it better than the very disappointing movie novelisation of 'Serenity'.

"Serenity: Those Left Behind". A decent enough story but don't expect fireworks. But in the absence of more Firefly episodes or movies, let's hope a graphic novel series emerges. ... Read more

Editorial Review

When an evil dragon attacks Gotham City, Batman knows he can't stop it by himself. With Superman and Wonder Woman fighting by his side, there is nothing these three Super Heroes can't do!

Reviews

Good little super hero book, January 23, 2010
This is a level 2 reader so it is good for someone leaving the begining reading stage or in my case a prereader who loves super heros. The books is a nice lenght that still leaves room for one more bed time story. An evil dragon attacks Gotham City and Batman can not stop him by himself, so he calls upon two of his friends Superman and Wonder Woman to assist. I like the team work angle and it delivers a positive message to my preschooler. Together they defeat the dragon and Gotham City is once again at peace. The book does a nice job as well, as giving a brief overview of who each super hero is in real life. Not a complete history, just enough info for little kids.

Fast paced and fun, January 19, 2010
Reviewed by Cayden Aures (age 5) and Mom for Reader Views (01/10)

Bruce Wayne (a.k.a. Batman) was attending a party at the Gotham City Museum when suddenly one of the dragon statues came to life threatening the safety of the city of Gotham. Bruce Wayne quickly went back to his house and transformed into Batman to try and stop the dragon, but the dragon was too strong for him so he needed to enlist the help of some Super Hero friends.

Cayden: "I liked when the dragon came to life and when Batman went to get his Batmobile! We have a Batmobile toy like that! Superman and Wonder Woman came to help Batman. I liked that they were all in the same story. This was a good book. I can read a lot of the words in it too!"

Parent's comments:

"Batman- Meet the Super Heroes" is a Level 2 book in the "I Can Read!" series of books which is basically geared toward children who can read with a little help. My son was excited to recognize many familiar words and read parts of the story on his own. The plot was fast-paced and exciting. This book definitely makes reading fun for a little boy!

... Read more

Editorial Review

Serenity: Better Days follows everyone's favorite space cowboys in a thrilling, action-packed adventure, where Mal and his crew take on a heist that promises a big payoff. But when one of Serenity's crew is taken captive and tortured, the gang must put their enduring differences aside and work together to save one of their own, even if it means losing the cash prize of a lifetime! Joss Whedon returns to the world of his blockbuster film Serenity, reuniting with Brett Matthews and Will Conrad, his collaborators on the bestselling 2005 series Those Left Behind. ... Read more

Reviews

A huge improvement over the previous Serenity series, October 27, 2008
A few years ago fans of FIREFLY/SERENITY were given a rather lack luster series called THOSE WE LEFT BEHIND. There isn't a great deal of narrative squeeze space right now in the Serenity universe. The reason is that Joss Whedon and his stars still hope to make another movie. Whether it would be a direct to DVD (which is more likely) or a a theater release is an open question.

There there have been rumors from time to time that Universal, given the impressive and steady sales of both FIREFLY and SERENITY on DVD, was at least interested in considering a DVD film at some point, but so far nothing has materialized. But as long as there is a chance of a continuance of the story of Mal, Zoe, River, Simon, Jayne, and the rest of the crew of Serenity, Joss Whedon is not going to reveal the remaining major secrets about his characters. In commentaries on the film SERENITY, Whedon in particular mentioned Inara's story as the great unexplored mystery. The first film cleared up most of River's untold story, which leaves Inara's. And, of course, Shepherd Book, who will not be part of a future movie because of his death. His backstory will be covered in the next Serenity comic series, focusing exclusively on him and the story that he had been unwilling to tell in either the TV series of the film. It is at least tentatively titled A SHEPHERD'S TALE. But like THOSE LEFT BEHIND and BETTER DAYS, it will be another prequel, this one a prequel to FIREFLY as well. After that, I doubt if we wee much more in the way of Serenity comics, since Whedon clearly doesn't want to pick up at the end of the movie SERENITY. If Universal doesn't move forward with a film (they have exclusive rights to the franchise until the middle of the next decade and even then for films only -- TV rights revert to 20th Century Fox at that time), Joss Whedon might be tempted to tell the rest of the story, presumably is a comic closer in length to ANGEL: AFTER THE FALL, rather than the two short Serenity comics that we have seen so far.

As I stated above, this three-episode sequence is a considerable improvement over the earlier THOSE LEFT BEHIND. There are some adventures that truly are similar to those in the TV series or film. Though not as satisfying as another film or TV series, it adds to the canonical body of adventures our heroes have embarked on. Because of its odd placement in the period of time after the TV series but before the film, not much can really happen of great import. You know no one is going to die (Joss Whedon basically invented the body count as we currently recognize it on TV) because of the later film. And River, who emerged as the ultimate lethal weapon in the film, is still self-contained and only minimally interactive with the outside world (though we the most memorable graphic in the series is a full page portrait of River having all her fondest desires realized). But given that, Whedon's team did a great job of creating a fun and funny and interesting story.

In my review of THOSE LEFT BEHIND, I did not recommend that fans of the TV series and movie give it a read. I definitely recommend this. This succeeds in all the ways that the earlier book failed.

A nice sense of nostalgia, December 14, 2008
You know how it feels like when you break up with someone and a few months later you come across this person somewhere? Feels a little awkward? Well one can experience a similar feeling with this book. There was definately an "It's over" moment from fox when this show was abruptly ended and it's wonderful magic never caught on again as much as one would like. The movie couldn't bring what I loved about the show back and the same goes for this somic but for different reasons.
This book is not set after the movie, the setting would be before it, yet not a prelude like the other. This is like an episode which never aired in comic book form. So we know that whatever happens here won't have any repercussions on a grander story in the making. The good thing about this is that you get the good old feeling of the team from the TV series again. Wash is alive and kicking and Book is with them on the ship, so is Inara. It reminds you of how great the show was, but it only lasts 3 issues with nthing telling you that there is hope for more Firefly goodness later.
But, these three issues seen independently of anything else, are fantastic and if you liked the show, then you'll love these. They're written by Joss so every character sounds like they should. What I really love is how it reffers to previous episodes. For example, you'll see how far and wide the Hero of Campton's tale has been spread :) Art wise, it is the same artist as the previous comic and he makes most of the characters look very similar to the show, with the exception of Wash. Wash looks like a regular white guy. But Mal and the rest look perfect.

If you are a fan of nostalgia, then this is definately the book for you.

Enjoyable, not wow. Just think of it as a missing episode., November 22, 2009
In mourning for the just canceled Joss Whedon series, Dollhouse, I decided to pick up a copy of this graphic novel (well perhaps graphic novella as it isn't that long) extending Whedon's Firefly universe just a little more. This is an easy and fast read, and probably won't take you longer to consume than it would to watch one of the original TV episodes. (If you aren't familiar with Firefly or the movie Serenity, don't bother getting this; Better Days spends almost no time on "what has gone before." You don't need to read any of the other Firefly graphic novels, though.)

Is the story awesomely good? No. Is it enjoyable? Absolutely. If you're a Firefly fan, you'll enjoy the character's witty repartee, the plot twists (okay they aren't TOO twisty, since this happens somewhere in the timeline of Season 1), and the teeny insights into the characters' motivations. If it had been filmed as a TV episode, it probably wouldn't be your (or at least my) favorite episode. But I'm glad I spent the money on Better Days, particularly since it isn't that much money; it'd make a dandy stocking stuffer for any Firefly fan.

If you're looking for a seriously good Firefly wallow, however, I'd recommend you buy Firefly: The Official Companion first. It costs a little more, but reading the original scripts is a real hoot.

Solid, but Not Great Entertainment, July 11, 2009
This is the second comic based on Joss Whedon's wickedly good but short-lived TV series Firefly. The first bridged the gap between the series and the feature film that followed, while this one is more a stand-alone adventure -- kind of like an episode from the series that was never made. On the plus side, it's always nice to revisit beloved characters and spend some bonus time in their company. The gang is all present and correct, with all the banter you'd expect. However, there's nothing really "extra" here -- you're not going to get a new insight into any of the characters. The story is pretty choppy, and concerns the Firefly gang stealing a piece of advanced tech and the complications that ensue when they try and sell it on. The plot feels kind of recycled from other sources, and some of the transitions are downright confusing. At a few points, I was wondering if there had been some kind of production error that had flipped panels between spreads or something. The art and panelling is otherwise very solid, with faithful attention paid to keeping the Firefly crew looking exactly like the cast, with some really nice color work that's bold without calling attention to itself. It's a quick read (maybe 20-30 minutes depending on how much you want to savor it as you go), and if you're in need of a Firefly fix, it'll certainly do -- just keep your expectations in check.

Not Really "Better" Days . . ., July 5, 2009
I was a little disappointed by this book. The art is beautiful, but the story itself is nothing special. It's neat to see inside each of the characters' heads the way you do, but if this were an episode of the show, it'd be a forgettable one. And since this collects four issues of the comic, I was a little surprised that had this been an episode of the show, it would have only been a single episode. It's very short and not a lot happens in it.

Nice production values, weak story...., June 5, 2009
While this comic looks great I found the three part story very superficial and the ending disappointing nonsense. I kept looking for missing pages (the comic's pages are unnumbered) that would fill in the story, which, after all, is the main attraction of Serenity/Firefly.

I can't really explain my disappointment with the ending without giving it "away", but I really can't recommend you purchase this unless you are just completing your Serenity collection. Suffice it to say - weak story, negligible character development, and low continuity.

A Comic Book, February 8, 2010
Firefly was one of the best sleeper television shows ever. It was canned before it really had a chance, another example of network abuse of a very good television series. The follow-up movie, Serenity, lived up to all expectations and more. There is a reason SyFy lists it at a "four star" movie. It earned the kudos.

If you're looking for a comic book version of Firefly, this should suffice. Imo moderately tolerable drivel overall, but I tend to be rather demanding of my comic book fare. Most likely will appeal only to Firefly fans-- which I very much am-- but it still didn't impress me. Could be I wasn't in the mood for it, but this one simply isn't on my "favorite comics" list.

Weaker than the TV serial and the movie, but still a pleasure., February 17, 2009
All is in the title. The drawings are good and very close from the TV serial. But the story isn't breath taking. The first comic book (Those left behind) was far more interesting, but it was giving information about the main plot, which isn't the case here.

So overall, this story is a deception. But at the same time, it's a real pleasure to find back all the characters and this universe. So it's still a good way to wait for an hypothetic new movie/season.

Serenity, January 23, 2009
This book is wonderful. I miss Firefly so much since it went off the air. The book is a quick read. It shows some of the life while they lived on Firefly and the life before Firefly.

The pictures and writing are very clear and clean. I would reccommend this book to an older crowd due to the violence and adult content. Perhaps 14 years and older. And of course I would recommend it to any Firefly or Serenity fan 100%.

I hope you enjoy the book as much as I did.

Nice graphic novel, January 22, 2009
I thought that this was a book. It isn't, it is a graphic novel. It is still extremely cool (even cooler?). We're huge fans of the show and bought volumes 1 and 2 for my son for Christmas. He's happy. I'm happy. It just wasn't what I expected. ... Read more

Editorial Review

Reviews

A Beautifully Illustrated and Crafted Story - Keep Them Coming!, September 2, 2010

A satisfying continuation of the series, August 26, 2010

These Aren't the Elves You're Looking For, October 16, 2010

Editorial Review

Reviews

Don't buy this if you're looking for a book for your child who enjoys the Diary of a Wimpy Kid books!, January 3, 2010
This book is a graphic novel. I didn't think it would be quite so "graphic," however. The product description says it is for the 9 to 12-year-old reader. My son falls into that age group, but this is by no means the kind of book I was looking for for him. He loves the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series and I thought this sounded like a fun parody of those books. I certainly didn't expect a book with color illustrations of a vampire's severed spine and head lying in a pool of blood and I definitely don't consider those images to be something that I would want my child or, for that matter, any 9 to 12-year-old to view. This book is definitely not "kid-friendly" and I would advise you to look closely at a copy of it before you purchase it for a child within the suggested age range.

NOT like the Wimpy Kid books at all - for older kids only!, July 3, 2010
I searched high and low to get this book because it was always recommended for kids who liked Diary of a Wimpy Kid books. However, it is a parody like one would find in Mad Magazine in the 70's and 80's. My 7-year old son found the art to be disturbing and the story to be boring. We did not even read the other parodies to him that are in the book. My wife is a huge Twilight fan, but she did not like that parody because it was "like someone who had done some serious drugs was allowed to draw a cartoon book while they were seriously strung out." So she felt that the Twilight parody pictures were also disturbing. Both stories attempt to poke fun at the original texts, but they fall far short. We have no prior history with the third story so I cannot comment on how it relates. The art is consistent in that it is dark and graphic. Every picture throughout the book screams "PAIN!" at you as you go through it.

I think that this might be an interesting read to 20-somethings that really dislike the pop culture aspects of Twilight and who somehow read Diary of a Wimpy Kid and were equally turned off by that series. Unfortunately, I think that there are a lot of parents like myself who simply purchased it because their kid was really into Diary of a Wimpy Kid and their child is hungry to read another book. My advice: DON'T DO IT! You may scar your child and damage their interest in reading.

Graphic Novels: Art and Parody, November 10, 2009
TALES FROM THE CRYPT from Papercutz is a 'cut' above other collections of the growingly popular graphic novels. First of all the book is written and designed and illustrated as a parody, which does not at all mean that it strays from its title of horror stories: the stories contained are ghoulish and even frightening, but the difference here is that the strange warped stories are so well written in both words and images that when the reader adjusts to the parody aspect of the tales the level of sophistication in the humor is more apparent.

The book contains three stories: 'Diary of a Stinky Dead Kid' by Stefan Petrucha and Rick Parker - as honest a survey of the undead as is available anywhere! - in two parts, 'DieLite' by Stefan Petrucha, Maia Kinney-Petrucha and Miran Kim, a sicko love story about a vampire and maiden he desires, and 'Carrier' by John L. Lansdale, James Romberger and Marguerite Van Cook, a man builds a vault in his house in which he can transform into a werewolf etc. The art work is exceptional, with each story bearing its own trademark of imagery form drawings on lined paper (for 'Diary') to finessed realism in 'DieLite' to traditional comic book style for 'Carrier'. At the end of the book is a fine explanation of how Papercutz arrived at the concept of Parody based on the famous Tales from the Crypt series. There is considerable artistic energy in this little volume and a promise that this company will continue to produce successful art forms equal to this fine little volume (this being volume #8). Grady Harp, November 09

Awful, December 1, 2010
I usually read reviews of things I buy on Amazon. I must have been in a hurry when I placed this order because I completely agree with other reviewers, this book is violent and gory. It is inappropriate for children and, frankly, I find it a waste of trees as I don't think ANYONE should read a comic that shows severed body parts and people being ripped limb from limb. If I gave this to my 11 year old as planned he would have had nightmares for MONTHS. I am returning this, buyer BEWARE!

Not at all what we had expected, August 20, 2010
My son loves the Diary of a Stinky Kid series and enjoys watching Tales from the Crypt on TV, so he thought this would be a perfect fit for him. Instead the book was dull, no fun at all, the drawings kind of ugly and confusing - really not at all what my son had expected. He hated it and ended up throwing it away!!!

NOT for children, May 27, 2010
If you use the Search Inside feature, you will find a joke which points out that Anne Frank is not, in fact, the Dead Stinky Kid they are referring to. Tasteless and cruel. I cannot believe this book is recommended for ages 9-12.

Disappointment, February 10, 2010
I bought this book for my son who is a big fan of the 'Diary of a Wimpy Kid' books. It was not at all funny and a big disappointment.

Caution: You could die laughing, December 1, 2009
This graphic novel is a collection of four stories, "Diary of a Stinky Dead Kid" Parts 1 and 2, "Dielite" and "Carrier". Each story is introduced with sick commentary from Crypt cartoon characters.

"Diary of a Stinky Dead Kid" is a zany parody of "Diary of a Wimpy Kid". Follow the adventures of Glugg as he is accidentally killed by his brother Crowley then returns as a zombie to haunt those who tormented him in life. The story layout is unique and the artwork is comical.

"Dielite" is a hilarious send up of "Twilight". Dedward is a pathetic vampire with a hopeless crush Lou Anne Lugosi who wishes he would just drop dead. The artwork here is detailed and extraordinary.

"Carrier" is the wacky story about Dan Warren, a truck driving, reluctant werewolf and his murderous friends. The style is classic comic book and the artwork is action-packed.

Fans of "Mad Magazine" will love this book. Once they read it, middle school age boys will be hooked on the Tales from the Crypt series. Caution: You could die laughing.

I'm dead, too!, September 28, 2010
Hi,
I was killed by my brother years ago and I really, really love this series of books.
They really nail what it's like to be dead and to be resurrected as a stinking zombie!
Some folks have complained that the books aren't for kids. That their kids like the Wimpy Kid books.
So buy them the Wimpy Kids books! What are you blind or something? Listen, being dead can be a drag and these books are a fun respite from the daily drudgery of eating the brains and entrails of my old tormentors in life.
For all you moms who think your kids can't handle the truth, I'd say get a life, but you obviously have one (albeit uptight and boring).
I'd say drop dead, but this place is already overflowing down here. So let me just say shut the hell up and stop being such tight-asses and either buy the correct lame-ass books for your lame-ass kids or get with the program and let your kids have some fun.

Dead Boy ... Read more

Editorial Review

As all Tintin fans know, once you've read one of his terrific adventures, you've got to read another and then another. Each of these collections contains three classic and fully complete Tintin adventures. Packed with all the color, wit, and derring-do that has made Tintin one of the world's most beloved comic characters, these books are easy to carry and fun to read. each. ... Read more

Reviews

The first three standard adventures of Tintin in Herg�'s canon, September 5, 2005
This is Volume 1 of the seven hardcover collections each other a trio of the Adventures of Tintin written and drawn by Herg. The first is rather quaint by the overall standard of the series, but it does serve as a clear indication of how much Herge's creation grew over time. There are a pair of even earlier adventures, "Tintin in the Soviet Union" and "Tintin in the Congo," but they are more political and cultural oddities today and not really part of the main Tintin canon (because of the political sympathies of the former and the inherent racism of the latter). Just be aware that once you start here you are going to have to complete your Tintin collection, because this is one of the landmark comic books in history:

"Tintin in America" has our hero coming to America, which is a land of Chicago gangsters and Native Americas. The art here is a bit more cartoonish than what comes later, but the most important difference is that this is basically Tintin and Snowy on their own with the wonderful cast of colorful supporting characters that end up populating the Tintin universe nowhere to be seen at this point. That may explain why Snowy "talks" a lot more in this early Tintin adventure than is his habit in later volumes. This is not a great Tintin adventure, but it is certainly an interesting one because of the way Herge presents America to his readers. Tintin arrives in Chicago to clean up the city ruled by gangster bosses and Al Capone is not happy to see the world famous reporter. Tintin survives so many attempted gangland hits that you lose count of them, and it is a toss up whether there are more last second escapes or scenes where Tintin pulls a gun on a gangster. The perils of Tintin continue even when our hero and his faithful terrier companion make their way out West and become involved with some of the quaint customs of the local natives.

As for "Cigars of the Pharaoh," if your understanding of human history leads you to believe that the Pharaohs did not smoke cigars, then you already have a leg up on the fact that this adventure of Tintin is not what it seems. Our hero is sailing the Mediterranean with Snowy when he encounters a strange academic type named Sophocles Sarcophagus whom he dismisses as a clumsy nitwit. Tintin also has a runin with Rastapopoulos, the film tycoon who owns Cosmos Pictures. The next thing we know we have the first appearance of the Thom(p)soms, who arrest Tintin for having heroin in his cabin. Obviously, our hero is getting to close to something, but what could it be? From an Egyptian tomb filled with cigars, to floating in an coffin on the Mediterranean, to wandering the Arabian desert, to being lost in the jungles of India, Tintin does some major traveling to solve this particular mystery. Herge certainly shows more of an understanding for various cultures than he did in the previous Tintin adventure, but the overall improvement of "Cigars of the Pharaoh" over "Tintin in America" is pretty noticeable and quite impressive when you think of the state of comic books stories in the early 1930s.

"The Blue Lotus" begins where "Cigars of the Pharaoh" left off, with Tintin and Snowy in India as the guests of the Maharaja of Gaipajama. The evil gang of international drug smugglers had been smashed and all of them are now behind bars except for the mysterious leader, who disappeared over a cliff. A visitor from Shanghai is hit with a dart dipped in Rajaijah juice, the poison of madness, which is enough to send our intrepid hero to the Chinese city where his rickshaw runs into Gibbon, an occidental who is not looking where he is going and starts beating the rickshaw driver for daring to barge into a white man. Tintin intervenes, calling the man's conduct disgraceful and Gibbon vows revenge. The next thing we know Tintin is being shot at every time he turns around. Things become even more mysterious when another bystander is hit with a Rajaijah dart and Tintin embarks on a ship for Bombay only to wake up in the home of Wang Chen-yee, who begins to unravel the mystery for our hero.

This Tintin adventure was first published in Belgium in 1934-35, but the story is actually set in 1931, which was when Japanese troops were first occupying parts of China. Herge incorporates several actual events in this narrative, including the blowing-up of the South Manchurian railway, which served as an excuse for further Japanese incursions into China, and led to Japan walking out on the League of Nations. Of course, it is the Japanese invaders who are after Tintin, who is pretty much on his own for most of this adventure until the Thom(p)sons show up with orders to arrest. The title of the story comes form an opium den that figures prominently in the resolution of the tale. "The Blue Lotus" finds Herg fully committed to providing accurate cultural details in is stories, although this story has the added virtue of being the most "realistic" in terms of portraying current events in a world poised on the brink of war. His drawings of Asian figures can certainly be considered caricatures, but then this is pretty much true of the way he draws everybody in these stories, with the simplistic look of Tintin being the exception that proves the rule.

"The Blue Lotus" is also the adventure in which Tintin meets Chang Choug-chen, a young orphaned Chinese boy our hero saves from drowning. Chang is surprised a white devil would bother to save his life and Tintin haas to explain how not all white men are wicked. The character of Chang is based on Chang Chong-Chen,a young Chinese student who became Herg's friend in 1934, as is the case with Chang and Tintin, and who would inspired the classic adventure "Tintin in Tibet" in 1960. "The Blue Lotus" is a first rate Tintin adventure, made all the more special because once World War II began Herg made a concerted effort to distance his stories from the horrors of the real world. After the war Herg would deal with East-West tensions on a completely fictional level, making this early adventure of more than passing interest in Herge's career. So by the time you get to the final story in this first trio, it should be clear to you that you are reading something special.

Great value for great books, September 20, 2005
I bought these for my seven year old son who was introduced to Tintin through a regular sized version at a friend's place. These 3-in-1 volumes are great for these reasons:

- You get 3 stories for almost the same price as 1.
- The books are more portable and easier to handle for kids
- The hardcover also makes them more durable than the regular softcover ones.

The only negative is the smaller font and picture size, but if you can deal with that, these are great!

Fascinating Stories!, December 19, 2000
The Tintin books are fascinating in their simple and easy to understand details and plot. I'm thirteen years old, and I must say that these books are some of my favorites to read when I'm tired. They are mysteries, but fun to read over and over. My favorite so far is probably "Tintin and the Broken Ear," "The Black Island," or "Explorers on the Moon." These are books for all ages of people, and I disagree with a review stating that the print was hard to read, I started reading these books when I was eight or nine, and I never found the print difficult, though that is my own personal experience. These books are a treasure!

Tintin travels the world, November 23, 2004
Tintin is the best comic ever and here you have three of his adventures together:

Tintin in America - My favorite Tintin book. Tintin and Snowy are kidnapped by Al Capone immediately after arriving in the United States. Of course they escape - and spend the rest of the book rounding up gangsters. They chase Mr Smiles from the big city to an Indian reservation and through the wild west, so you get a good variety of American adventure landscapes. Finally they return triumphant to the city and Snowy gets kidnapped. There is a sequel so you know things end happily.

The Cigars of the Paroah - Part 1 of The Blue Lotus mystery - On a journey to Egypt Tintin meets absentminded Egyptologist Professor Siclone. The professor is in search of mystery. The only clue is a symbol drawn on a piece of parchment. Once in Egypt Tintin and Snowy follow the professor into an underground passageway marked by the symbol and find empty sarcophaguses marked with their names. They escape and find themselves pursued by mysterious criminals. All the while the mysterious symbol keeps turning up on stone walls, painted on trees, and on cigar labels...

The Blue Lotus - Part 2 (final part) of the Blue Lotus Mystery - While staying with the rajah in India Tintin receives a mysterious visitor from Singapore. The visitor has come to warn him of danger, but before he can deliver the message he is shot by a blow dart dipped in poison that makes the recipient absent minded. As the poison takes effect he gasps out one name... "Mitsuhirato" Tintin sets off to Singapore to find the mysterious Mitsuhirato and trouble...

These are all good stories and have jokes for adults as well as children. They are printed on smaller size paper than the separately bound stories, which is more economical but makes them harder to read and doesn't do the graphics justice. This is an economic edition for families, but libraries should invest in the larger separately bound stories.

Magnificent!, February 16, 2001
This is a wonderful book that is perfect for any age. I've been reading Tintin since I was about 4 and right now, I'm 12. You may think of Tintin as just a regular kid's book, but trust me, these books are perfect for even adults (like my father, who is 48). It's full of mystery, comedy, and just regular old fun! All of his books have something interesting to talk about. The pictures are very clear and accurate, especially when it comes to portraying actual places.If you are looking at this book, BUY IT NOW!("Cigars of the Pharaoh" is a great book).

Small is not better!, June 20, 2010
I bought this volume to introduce my sons to the adventures of Tintin. I wish somewhere in the description it had said the book was a "pocket size" or "travel size" version. Something is lost in the minature version. I was not happy.

Want to keep your boys quiet? Give them the book!, May 19, 2004
I gave this book along with vol. 2 to my nephews at 5th grade and 1st grade and they can't put them down after the 1st page. So I decide to buy the whole collection for them.

(...);-P

Great gifts for kids at the age to open their mind and explore the world!

The Adventure Begins..., November 20, 2009
Volume One of the Adventures of Tintin contains three very early stories by Belgian artist and storyteller Herge about his cartoon hero, the young journalist Tintin. Herge produced Tintin adventures in the form of early graphic novels from the late 1920's until the mid-1970's. He went back later to update the artwork and clean up some anchronisms, but the stories have held up well over time and retain a huge fan base to this day.

In "Tintin in America", the crusading reporter Tintin travels to Chicago to take on the Mob. The ensuing series of hair-raising adventures would be quite frightening if we didn't know that Tintin and his faithful dog Snowy always find a way to survive. In pursuit of a fleeing criminal, Tintin ends up out West and is introducted to the ways of the Cowboys and the Indians. Herge was still perfecting his storytelling style in this adventure, which deals heavily in the stereotypes some Europeans used to see when they looked at Depression-era America.

In "Cigars of the Pharoah", Tintin and Snowy run afoul of a drug-smuggling gang while visiting Egypt on an ocean cruise. The chase takes Tintin to the Saudi Arabian desert, the Red Sea, and ultimately to the jungles of India for a showdown with the gangmembers. This adventure is especially notable for introducing the bumbling detectives Thompson and Thomson, and the recurring villain Rastopopoulus.

"The Blue Lotus" begins with Tintin and Snowy still in India. A mysterous message related to the drug-smuggling ring of the previous story draws Tintin to war-torn China, under invasion by the Japanese Army. Tintin takes refuge in the international settlement at Shanghai and befriends a young Chinese lad named Chang. His pursuit of the drug ring will take Tintin and Snowy across the battlefield and into exceptional danger.

Herge's simple yet wonderfully detailed artwork and carefully plotted storylines come together in these three early adventures. Herge did extensive research to try to add authenticity to the stories, all of which pre-date the Second World War. Volume One is very highly recommended to Tintin fans of all ages.

Tin Tin- comic extrodinaire', April 19, 2003
Tin-Tin is comicbook creation the way it should be!
Tin-Tin is NOT political correctness, it depicks human beings, events as they are, whether evil or good.
You'll be surprised comparing of todays wishy-washy P.C. comics to Tin-Tin..
It has morals, values, perhaps a bit over the top sometimes since black & white issues were more defined years ago..
The artwork is extremely good, even when some panels only have 1 sentance. Tin-Tin will take you to another time & place.
Before there was Indiana Jones, there was Tin-Tin!

One of the older, more comical books. Quite good., July 1, 1997
When tintin arrives in chicago in the beginning of Tintin in america, we start out on one of the best tintin books ever. Allthough more unbelievable than some of the later, more down to earth of Herge's books, the book is quite entertaining and fun. The story changes quite rapidly when the indian scene comes up, and when the indian grounds change into a metropolotin city over night, but this book, is still one of the best. Bye Lars N ... Read more

Editorial Review

Reviews

Colorful New Rendition of an Old Classic, October 12, 2010
The Little Prince as a graphic novel is a great way to experience this story again. The graphic novel is completely faithful to the original story, and it vividly and colorfully illustrates it. I did miss the scarce and simplistic whimsy of the original illustrations, but once I got accustomed to the new style, I preferred reading this story as a graphic novel. Joann Sfar has honored the original spirit with her new illustrations.

I hope this new rendition brings many new readers to this wonderful classic! This little story has stayed with me all my life. It sweetly reminds us that what's important is invisible, and that when we are "tamed" into friendship, tears may happen, but what's special about each other will give us joy forever.

Another Visit From The Little Prince, November 7, 2010
Antoine de Saint-Exup�ry's 'Le Petit Prince' was written in 1943 and has become a staple in the libraries of children (and adults who has preserved their child-like reverence for the philosophy that The Little Prince expounds) throughout the world: latest statistics show that the book has been translated into 190 languages and has sold in excess of 80 million copies! This last figure is sure to change with the introduction of this new version - the same story but made in to the graphic novel format by Johann Sfar, an illustrator par excellence.

There will doubtless be purists who prefer the original (very exquisite) illustrations for the book and feel that the presentation of the story in graphic novel format (read `comic book format') diminishes the concept of Saint-Exup�ry. But the joy here is that the illustrations are so excellent and so very much in keeping with the original story, that given the chance the book will take hold of any reader and become user friendly.

The story is so well known that it needn't be reiterated here: suffice it to summarize as `an aviator whose plane is forced down in the Sahara Desert encounters a little prince from a small planet who relates his adventures in seeking the secret of what is important in life'. It is a fable so fine that it has been transformed into a film by Stanley Donen, stage play by several writers including Rick Cummins and John Scoullar, an opera by Rachel Portman, and now another art form - the graphic novel. For this reader it is successful on every level, and if anything this new edition will introduce this charming fable to millions more readers, young in years or in spirit. Grady Harp, November 10

a children's book really meant for adults re-imagined into a graphic novel, November 16, 2010
I was never a fan of Antoine de Saint-Exupery's The Little Prince, probably because I read it as a child, but it is really a book for adults. The philosophical meanderings just struck me as dumb and the character of the little prince as overly precious.

Now I have corrected my fault by growing up, and Joann Sfar has corrected Saint-Exupery's by turning the book into a graphic novel, which actually is the perfect medium for this story. The key to the transformation is that he brings the narrator, Saint-Exupery himself, into the story as a visual presence. This makes the relationship between him and the little prince more concrete and believable than the arms-length relationship in the novel. The reader now sees it rather than experiencing it secondhand.

Sfar hasn't added to the text of the story, but he takes some little liberties with it. In the opening sequence, we find Saint-Exupery musing about grownups and boa constrictors while trying to repair his downed airplane (in real life, he based the story on his experiences while stranded in the Sahara desert after his plane crashed there). The aviator really comes to life in these scenes, hammering away at his plane and then getting bored and trying to balance his tools on his nose, only to have them come crashing down, as he thinks about how boring grownups are. Sfar has kept Saint-Exupery's text but accompanied it with a classic comic-book sequence.

The most jarring thing about this book, and it may be a turn-off for some readers, is the appearance of the little prince himself. Sfar has abandoned Saint-Exupery's delicate, curly haired prince and replaced him with a rougher, more animated, and yet still ethereal little boy. He's not as pretty as the original, but he is less distant. When he says, "Draw me a sheep," there is an urgency to it. That comes partly from one simple substitution: Saint-Exupery's prince has blank circles for eyes, while Sfar's has huge, very expressive manga eyes. My initial reaction was that his eyes were too big and made him look like a space alien--but then, I realized, that's what he is.

Although the book is ostensibly a children's book, children may find the philosophical meanderings on the ways of grownups and the circularity of existence rather tiresome. Teens and young adults are more likely to find food for thought here, or at least, fodder for undergrad bull sessions.

In the book, the prince has an encounter with a coquettish flower and visits six planets, each inhabited by a single absurd occupant. Sfar turns these little pseudo-fables into rich, dreamlike sequences, using the originals as starting points but adding more detail and distortion. His flower is an Aubrey Bearsdley confection, and his night skies are alive with planets, shooting stars, and all kinds of activity, which is very appropriate given the theme of the book.

It should be said, for those who aren't familiar with the story, that the Little Prince allows himself to be bitten by a poisonous snake at the end, in order to return to his planet. It struck me as a rather romanticized version of suicide, although it is presented simply as the way for the prince to return home, in a literal, not a metaphorical sense. The book ends with the author's certainty that the prince is back on his home planet, and the hope that he will someday return to earth.

Sfar's adaptation may be jarring to fans of the original novel, but it also makes the book more accessible, and interesting, to those of us who were left cold by the prose version.

-- Brigid Alverson ... Read more

Editorial Review

Fone Bone confronts a host of dangers in Book 4 of the BONE saga, The Dragonslayer. He and Gran'ma Ben and Thorn have a terrifying encounter with Kingdok, ruler of the rat creatures. The Hooded One is inciting his army to full-scale war. Someone is continuing to haunt Thorn in her dreams. And then wise Gran'ma Ben disappears.

To make matters worse, Phoney Bone has hoodwinked the townspeople into believing that he is a mighty dragonslayer. When he actually does catch the Red Dragon -- much to his surprise -- he must face up to his promise: to slay the dragon at sunrise.

... Read more

Reviews

Vol. 4 takes "Bone" into overdrive, May 10, 2004
Timeless is every way, "Bone" is an expansive story about three "bone creatures" (you'd have to see them to understand) that find themselves in a valley peopled with an assortment of crazy and interesting characters. Looming over it all is the menace of a great evil, first glimpsed by the ferocious (and funny) rat creatures, but later revealed to be something much more disturbing.

"The Dragonslayer," the fourth in the nine-volume "Bone" series, ramps up the tension and dramatically increases the scope and scale of the story, while retaining touches of its all ages humor.

This volume picks up where the third left off, as revelations about the main characters and the evil looming over the peaceful valley central to the tale draw the reader more fully into Jeff Smith's wonderfully-woven plot. Though still geared towards an all-ages audience, the deeper issues that make this compelling reading for adults really begin to show here, taking prominence over the humor through a good portion of the book.

Smith combines the kind of classic storytelling perfected by the likes of the legendary Carl Barks (Donald Duck, Uncle Scrooge) and Bill Watterson (Calvin & Hobbes) - gleefully funny cartooning with outrageously expressive faces and gestures - with the epic and engaging plotting of a sweeping fairy tale. "Bone" walks a tightrope and walks it well, managing to be something fans of both Donald Duck and Bilbo Baggins can enjoy.

Jeff Smith's "Bone" series is a critically acclaimed but criminally overlooked epic. Critics recognize Smith's masterful storytelling abilities and are drawn to his mix of all-ages humor and more mature darkness, but the black and white art and lack of superheroes turn off many comic book readers, making it a hit only in the "underground" sense.

And that's too bad, because this deserves to be read. Readers able to look past the lack of men in tights and color artwork will delight in this series. Little doubt people will still be reading "Bone" 50 years from now. Broad in scope yet personal and quaint, this is a charming story in every way that will surely outlast 90 percent of other comic works on the shelf.

The Story Really Hits Its Stride, June 9, 2005
"The Dragonslayer" is the fourth volume in the Bone series. The story really moves quickly in this book. Even the humorous sections are focused on the storyline, which wasn't always the case in the previous books. This is another outstanding volume in the series.

We learn a lot about Thorn in this book; her relationship with Rose, and with the Dragons. She questions her abilities, and her resolve, but ultimately she rises to the occasion. Fone sticks by her loyally throughout, but the most interesting relationship has to be between Rose and Thorn. Thorn is very critical of the way Grandma Rose has kept information from her, and she does not hold back her opinion. Rose is dejected, and disappears fairly early on in the book. Phoney Bone continues his plotting to scam the villagers and return to Boneville after taking their stuff. Lucius is trying to locate Rose after she disappears, and Smiley Bone continues to provide some lightness to the story. A continuing mystery is the cloaked men, who show up periodically, but arrive just in time at the end of this book.

This book is great, May 18, 1999
Jeff Smith has again astounded me with the hardback publishing of the Dragonslayer series. A great plot, witty dialogue, and precise drawings make this one a must for any hardback collector.

Fills a dreadful vacuum in literature for girls - but with some reservations..., October 5, 2006
I got the first volume - Out of Boneville - to read to my 7 yr old granddaughter. She loved it, so I got the whole set bound in a single volume. In this form the entire volume is in black and white except for chapter title pages, which is not as attractive.

The good news first: The artwork is brilliant, the storyline is captivating, and the characters are simply irresistible; witty, hip, contemporary, etc. Better yet, the primary protagonists are two females... a grandmother and her teenage granddaughter. Both are attractive and feminine, but wonderfully powerful, decisive and effective - never masculine or "comic-booky". Moreover, their characters (and many others) are extensively developed - which is why this truly is a graphic NOVEL. Aside from this series (and Harry Potter, for older kids) I've looked without success for literature that includes girls as intelligent and competent protagonists. This series helps to fill a dreadful vacuum in literature for girls - although it will surely be of equal interest to boys.

And then the bad news: Some aspects of the storyline are not terribly appropriate for younger (or maybe, any) children. 1) Much of the storyline occurs in or revolves around a tavern. 2) Gambling is a central issue to the storyline and, although not especially glorified, neither is it condemned. 3) One scene, although innocent and handled delicately, involves mixed nude bathing (which I personally found inoffensive). But for the first two problems I'm certain that the "Bone" series would have shaken the world of young people's literature as Harry Potter did.

Despite my reservations, my granddaughter wants to hear nothing else at bedtime, and we're on our 3rd time through!

A realistic fantasy on human nature, April 24, 2000
This comic has it all:the zany poetry of Peanuts,the wry criticism on human fallacies of Doonesbury,and the philosophy of Calvin and Hobbes,plus a scent of the best Pogo.Phoney Bone is the real negative hero of this book:his manipulation of the brainless masses superb,his total lack of scruples joined whit a nietzcheian rationalization ("People like to be victims! There's a sort of moral superiority attached to it...)unparalleled.If he fails,it is only for the spirit of sacrifice of the Dragon,a real Christian image,I dare say.Phoney Bone is a veritable Stavrogin of comics.

Wonderful Reading, July 14, 1998
If you are looking at this book, you probably don't need me to tell you how good the Bone series is - it continues to delight.

Bone Never Disappoints, November 30, 2007
With each new Bone book I get, I never get disappointed. Each book is more and more engrossing. While the black and white issues are the originals, the colors add more to the overall story than I would have guessed. The art is great, the epic story is amazing and the colors just help bring everything together even more.

Dragonslayer, November 3, 2006
Action, suspense, mystery, with a winning plot and great characters, this beautifully mastered chapter in the bone series is top notch! I can't wait for the next book in the (assumed nine-part) series to come out!

The Epic Reaches Full Stride, October 28, 2006
The developing relationship between Thorn and Fone Bone hits the rocks as the Valley's political stew finally boils over. The funny adventures of the first two books are things of the past; The Dragonslayer deals with serious issues such as fear, racism, and exploitation. Phoney Bone has once again hoodwinked the gullible humans, becoming their de facto leader. But his bid to steal away with their material wealth gets out of control, and by the volume's potent cliffhanger ending, Phoney will find that he's been playing games with people's lives. Meanwhile, Thorn, Gran'ma, and Fone Bone get separated as the invader in Thorn's dreams pulls her deeper into an exhausted delirium. This book marks a major turning point for her character.

This was likely the most challenging Bone story for Smith to write. The worry-free fun is over, but the story has not yet reached the breakneck pace of the coming volumes, which carry the events of this book to their conclusion. Smith's writing shines here; he manages to keep the political intrigue interesting, even funny, and there's still time for a little action and violence.

Smith has said that this is the best coloring that Hamaker has done in the series, and he's not kidding. A few scenes lit by lamplight are particularly remarkable, yet Hamaker never allows his coloration to interfere with Smith's original art.

If the book suffers at any point, it's in that most of it happens at night, so with the new color, page after page is unrelievedly dark. But it's a dark tale, and Hamaker avoids shadowing anything to the point that it's difficult to see.

BONE ROCKS!, February 24, 1999
Bone Vol 4: The Dragon Slayer is a great addition to the series. BONE is one of the best humor/fantascies I've read. This one of the better in the series. The story takes yet another bizarre Twist as a war unfolds. ... Read more

Editorial Review

Over 500 pages of Pok�mon! Each book in this two-volume set features one Pok�mon per page with descriptions and stats, including Abilities, Moves and Evolution. Plus there's a bonus poster featuring Shaymin on one side and Arceus on the other!

Includes:

The Complete Pok�mon Pocket Guide, vol. 1

The Complete Pok�mon Pocket Guide, vol. 2

Poster ... Read more

Editorial Review

Reviews

Great Tales!, August 7, 2010
Bone: Tall Tales by Jeff Smith with Tom Sniegoski, a companion to the epic Bone saga, was previously published in black-and-white as Stupid-Stupid Rat-tails. This brand-new edition, published by Scholastic Graphix in both hardcover and paperback, features new stories and full-colour art.

Bone: Tall Tales serves as a perfect introduction to the series for new readers, and it's a must-have for long-time Bone fans as well. This fun collection of stories of Casper-looking underdogs is perfectly titled, because each and every funny tale Smiley shares 'round the campfire is a tall one. The glossy full-colour illustrations will reel kids in, and the high-falutin' stories will keep them intrigued. The tale of Bone's birth is especially off-the-wall. My favorite tale is the final story, in which Bone gathers a hodgepodge group of woodland creatures, including an adorable fox, a shy turtle, a very put-upon monkey, and a guardian dragon named Stillman who quickly stole a little piece of my heart, to help him in a fight against the evil rat creatures.

Two thumbs up for Tall Tales, Smith, and Sniegoski!

First Time Bone Reader Loves It!, October 23, 2010
Reason for Reading: This is a Cybils '10 nominee and required reading for me as a panelist.

I have never read a Bone book in my life before this. I actually have reading the series as one of my goals for next year. Fortunately, Tall Tales is a collection of short stories that happen before the events of the Bone series making them entirely readable for someone who hasn't a clue about the series itself.

The book, which calls itself a "Companion" to the series is set in the here and now as Smiley and Bartleby take the Bone Scouts camping. As they sit around the campfire, Smiley tells some rather Tall Tales about the early days. One involves Fone Bone and Phoney Bone in the days before Thorn was Queen and the rest are about Big Johnson Bone's early adventures. There are a total of four stories with a segue back at camp connecting them. The first three are indeed short stories, while the fourth one takes up almost the entire book with the main tale of Johnson Bone's adventure of how he subdued the terror of the rat creatures.

I absolutely loved this and cannot wait to read the other books now that I've had this sampling. Not having read Bone previously did not hamper my enjoyment of Tall Tales one iota and in fact I can recommend it as a way to check and see if you'll enjoy the humour of Bone, which is hilarious. I was snorting out loud as I read which is not something I do often, believe me! Completely entertaining, hilariously funny and a sure-fire winner for any comic reader.

Beautiful Stories and Art, November 16, 2010
I am an avid fan of the comic medium and a comic creator myself. I knew very little about Bone, however, until I bought the collected edition. I thought it was wonderful: the crisp,clear art, the humor and the way the story unfolded where top notch. This prequel is an excellent addition giving the reader a further view into the lives and myths of the Bones. Something that is not a big part of the Bone saga. Another plus is that the art is in color. This is not always a good thing as in many comics the color overwhelms the art. Not in this case. Everthing fits together perfectly.

These stories are short, fun and can be enjoyed by people of all ages. For what its worth, I recommend it.

The BONE series is FANTASTIC, October 9, 2010
My 8 year old son has every Bone book. I wondered whether the Bone series would be a passing phase. Not for my son. He has consistently returned to the books over and over again. He seems captivated by the story and the animation. 6 stars from me if I could.

An uninspired addition to the Bone franchise, December 13, 2010
The original Bone series was interesting as a hybrid of a serious, dark, Tolkien-esque fantasy story with the cartoonishness of the Bone creatures, who seem to have walked straight out of the funnies section. Unfortunately, none of the spinoffs have managed to hold onto that delicate spark that made Bone a hit with kids and adults alike.

Tall Tales is essentially a Paul Bunyan-style story set among the Bones, telling the story of the founding of Boneville and how the rat creatures really lost their tails. No humans appear, and that's probably for the best--the human-centric Bone spinoff Rose takes itself way too seriously. Tall Tales, by contrast, has a very light tone. But there's nothing under the amusing surface; gone are the memorable characters and subtle touches that made the original series such a treasure. It's not terrible, but it's nothing special, either.

The one high point of Tall Tales is its art, which successfully merges the style of the original series with vibrant, shimmering color. I only wish that the writing showed as much effort. Sadly, Tall Tales is nothing more than a competent children's comic.

A series of fun, tall tales, October 21, 2010
TALL TALES is written with Tom Sniegoski and tells of Big Johnson Bone, frontier hero and founder of Boneville. His adventures before he started his trading post are recounted in a series of fun, tall tales.

Tall Tales Bone Prequel, September 25, 2010
Great book for children who love graphic nobles. The graphics are great which encourage children to be indulge in the reading. ... Read more

Editorial Review

"A shockingly imaginative graphic novel that captures the sense of adventure and wonder that surrounds a new arrival on the shores of a shining new city. Wordless, but with perfect narrative flow, Tan gives us a story filled with cityscapes worthy of Winsor McCay." -- Jeff Smith, author of Bone

"A magical river of strangers and their stories!" -- Craig Thompson, author of Blankets

"Magnificent." -- David Small, Caldecott Medalist

In a heartbreaking parting, a man gives his wife and daughter a last kiss and boards a steamship to cross the ocean. He's embarking on the most painful yet important journey of his life - he's leaving home to build a better future for his family. Shaun Tan evokes universal aspects of an immigrant's experience through a singular work of the imagination. He does so using brilliantly clear and mesmerizing images. Because the main character can't communicate in words, the book forgoes them too. But while the reader experiences the main character's isolation, he also shares his ultimate joy. ... Read more

Reviews

Beautiful doesn't even cover it, September 30, 2007
There are some books that come across my plate that strike me as mildly amusing. There are some books I develop a passion for over time. But once in a very great while, one per year if I'm lucky, I will find a book that gives me a powerful shock. An almost electric, instantaneous passion. "The Arrival" by Shaun Tan is the most amazing thing I've had the pleasure to read in years. A silent story of sequenced panels, "The Arrival" tells the story of a man's immigration to a strange new land, and the people and places he discovers in the course of finding a place to call home. I have never read any book that puts the reader so perfectly into the shoes of someone who finds themselves somewhere that is completely and utterly bewildering to the senses.

A man prepares to leave his family for a new world. Tearfully they let him go as he boards a ship for another land. Once he arrives, he finds himself at a loss. Everything from the language to the buildings to the birds is strange here. The reader of this book sympathizes easily with the man since author/illustrator Shaun Tan has created a world that is just as odd to us as it is to our protagonist. Appliances consist of confusing pulls and toggles. People live and work in plate and cone-shaped structures, traveling via dirigibles and strange ship-shaped machinations of flight. As the man proceeds to discover how to find lodging, food, and work, he meets other immigrants who tell their own stories of hardship and escape. Through all this, our man grows richer for his experiences and even grows to love the odd little white-legged cat-sized tadpole creature that follows him everywhere. By the end, his family has arrived as well and the last image in the book is of his daughter as she helps another immigrant get directions in this dazzling and magnificent city.

Sometimes you fall in love with a book when you remember all the tiny details and little moments in it. At one point our hero looks in a pot and sees a spiked tail of a boy's pet. The man is shocked and frightened and has to explain that he comes from a land where spiked tails have a horrific significance. Another time you get quick easy-to-miss little glimpses of everyday street scenes. A couple loading gigantic eggs into a cart on a street. A man getting a shave as a family of dog-sized hermit crabs scuttle underfoot. Street musicians surrounded by foxlike birds playing instruments you've never seen before. The book can feel like it's excerpting scenes from The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari one moment and then In America the next. And I've rarely seen an illustrator capture images of laughter, real honest-to-goodness laughter, any better Tan has here. On his website, the artist credits much of his research to a variety of books about the immigrant experience, to say nothing of his father's memories of coming to Australia from Malaysia, interviews Tan conducted himself, and photographs that have found their way into this title as well.

In another part of his website, Tan explains that in this book, "the absence of any written description also plants the reader more firmly in the shoes of an immigrant character." Tan is undoubtedly at his best when he allows the reader the chance to feel the sense of wonder and confusion that comes from immersing yourself in a culture you're unfamiliar with. At one point our hero has dinner with a charming family. They eat odd spiky dishes that are prepared with unfamiliar torches. They play instruments you've never seen before and speak of escaping unimaginable, almost metaphorical, horrors. You are the main character in this book. His confusion is your confusion, and quite frankly he seems to adapt to his surroundings far better than I think most of us could. The language you encounter at all times is indecipherable. Even the clocks and the forms of transportation are magnificent and frightening. Yet at the same time, many of the people the man encounters are kind and try to help him navigate about. Tan knows too that if he makes the familiar just a little bit unfamiliar, that alone can confuse someone. So when the immigrants pull into a harbor, they see two large statues shaking hands in lieu of The Statue of Liberty.

I loved the animal companions that latch on to the humans in this book. They reminded me of Philip Pullman's, His Dark Materials daemons, though if they have any kind of spiritual significance it's left to the reader to determine what that might be. As Tan says on his site, "I am often searching in each image for things that are odd enough to invite a high degree of personal interpretation, and still maintain a ring of truth." He is not interested in the kind of symbolism where one object will stand for only one thing. He prefers to let people interpret his pictures in whatsoever way they prefer. If you feel these strange little animal companions are meant to symbolize how a person adapts to their new location, so be it. Tan isn't going to tell you what to think. He's just going to give you a helluva story and then let you do the rest yourself.

The art itself is phenomenal. Every language you see in this book is obviously made up, but no two languages you see here look the same. I repeat: You can tell the differences between separate imaginary languages. The realism of the style makes each picture look like a grainy sepia photograph taped inside a photo album. In fact, Tan has said that, "I was also struck with the idea of borrowing the `language' of old pictorial archives and family photo albums I'd been looking at, which have both a documentary clarity and an enigmatic, sepia-toned silence. It occurred to me that photoalbums are really just another kind of picture book that everybody makes and reads, a series of chronological images illustrating the story of someone's life." So many of the memories in this book have a buckled quality to their corners. They look bent or pasted into the book in some way. There are wrinkles and tears and pieces that have flaked off over time. The quality of the sepia changes too. Sometimes the story is black and white, sometimes a golden honeyed-brown. In one sequence an old man remembers marching off to war. When going through a town the pictures appear in warm tones. Then we watch just the man's feet as they step over rocks and streams and the dead, and the palette grows darker and starker until we've just the blurred image of feet running. There's a quick view of the men attacking and then a single full page spread of black and white bones in a field.

I didn't realize it at first, but I've been a fan of Shaun Tan's work for years. In 2003 I was living in Minneapolis, Minnesota during a time when their main library branch was undergoing renovations. On a whim I visited their off-site location and wandered through their children's room, looking for anything good. And there, standing all by its lonesome in the center of the space, was a striking picture book entitled, The Rabbits by John Marsden, illustrated by Shaun Tan. It was like nothing I'd ever read before. Published by the always magnificent Simply Read Books, the story was a crushing description of a native group of aboriginal animals destroyed utterly and totally by an invading society of rabbits. The words were heartbreaking in and of themselves, but the illustrations were the real draw. They contained magnificent intricate details hidden within page after page of text. Shaun Tan is like an industrialized and roughened William Joyce. His societies are full of dirt and muck and unspoken unstated horrors. They can reek of displacement more effectively than fifty pages of text could ever convey. So while "The Arrival" felt familiar to me, I didn't immediately associate it with its creator's former works. The feel of vast unfamiliar cityscapes is still present, but Tan leavens this latest offering with his human figures.

It seems almost unfair to the other publishers that Scholastic would have the wherewithal to publish not only this book but also Brian Selznick's, The Invention of Hugo Cabret in the same year. Scholastic has been especially good lately at locating books with strong visual narratives and adding them to their catalog. From the re-released colorized versions of Jeff Smith's Bone series to Raina Telegemeier's graphic novel adaptation of The Baby-Sitters Club, Scholastic is pushing the envelope time and again. My deepest hope is that "The Arrival" finds its audience. Because I could write paragraphs and paragraphs more about the meticulous details and searing personal portraits found in this story, I'll just cut myself off now. Be sure to corner me at a party sometime, though, and I'll wax eloquent for days on end if you let me.

It takes a deft hand to draw a book that can tell an emotionally resonant story without a single word and that works entirely in the medium of pictures. Shawn Tan says that "Even the most imaginary phenomena in the book are intended to carry some metaphorical weight..." I cannot praise this book highly enough then. Every story, every face, and every person in this book feels as if they carry the with them a thousand memories. You read this book in no doubt that Tan's research and personal history has given "The Arrival" the hardest thing any novel can have; a soul. The best book published in America in 2007.

Extraordinary! Nothing Else Like It!, October 3, 2007
Shaun Tan's The Arrival may be the most beautiful book I've ever seen. The Arrival is a 128 page picture book that tells the story of an immigrant. It could be the story of any immigrant going to any new land, but it happens to be the story of a man heading off to a bizarre yet beautiful world that is so unfamiliar to anything that we know of today to set up a home for his wife and child. The food, the creatures, the jobs, the way of life, the way of travel...it's all new and bizarre and told beautifully through Tan's haunting, sepia toned artwork. Each villager that he meets has their own story of how they came to the land and what they left behind. What Tan presents is an homage to every migrant that's ever traveled to a new world and set up a new life for themselves. The story is told through pictures only - no words, and no words are needed. This is a beautiful book and I can't help but feel that every family should have a copy on their bookshelf.

Exquisite, October 6, 2007
Shaun Tan's book is a feast for the eyes and a gentle reminder of the difficulties that everyone faces adapting to a new environment. My son just started middle school at a new school and this book was a lovely way of reminding him that change is hard for everyone, not just children. This book could just as easily be for adults however, as it's political overtones are clear: the drive to escape oppression, lack of freedom, and poverty.

Stunning, extraordinary, unique..., September 17, 2007
As a librarian, I am familiar with the pros and cons of what is termed the 'graphic novel,' but to be honest have never seen such an argument for them. This book tells its tale entirely in pictures, no little 'bubbles' of thought to distract from its honest and beautiful theme...not that you need them. Its sepia-toned and varied artwork 'reads' almost like an old-fashioned film strip, the eye drawn from one to the next in a continuous story. I 'read' the story through in a few minutes, but there is so much gorgeous detail that I could spend a few minutes on each page. Each section feels like a separate work of art. Not to mention the extraordinary themes of sacrifices for love, overcoming the past, hope for the future, empathy with others, beauty in simplicity, and many many others. The perceptive reader will catch the references to the very real past of immigration and war among the fantastical, but even a younger reader may enjoy the story of the young man in a strange place, working to bring his family where there is still peace and beauty. This book shines like a jewel in a dark world. In my opinion, if there is any sense in the book-award-winning world, this will gain the shining accolades it well deserves. Buy it, read it, absorb it, read it again, and put its message into practice. The world will be a better place for the kindess of strangers.

Beautiful and silent, September 22, 2007
I saw this book amongst a few Dr.Seus books on the shelf today. It hit me pretty hard when I started going through it. Me and my girlfriend are from vastly different countries with a language barrier, and this book hit on those feelings of displacement. We have both spent time feeling like an outsider in an alien land and without words this book conveys every little detail of the pain and hope of arrival. When we get back to my country I will buy this book immediately!

Wondrous., November 25, 2007
More often than not, wordless comics somehow inspire the reader to move faster rather than slow down and enjoy the view. Shaun Tan's sumptuously detailed drawings in THE ARRIVAL work to the opposite. I found myself holding the book out from my body so I could enjoy the images in full, lingering on a page or a sequence of panels and letting the enormity of the small moments the artist captures sink in and take effect.

This incredible book recasts the Ellis Island experience as a journey to a phantasmagorical land of strange languages, machines, and creatures, creating a delightful visual metaphor for the alien wonders of a new world, even when that world is part of our own, separated from us only by an ocean.

THE ARRIVAL is a stirring picture book of the best kind.

Captivating, October 15, 2007
While it doesn't take long to "read", its artwork is just so captivating. The reason I put read in quotes is that there aren't any words, just pictures. But the artwork that is there, is just outstanding. You could take forever just engrossed in the beautiful artwork that is inside of this book. The story that is told through this artwork is really great. Its basically the story of a man who travels to a new place and is dependent on the kindness of strangers. All in all, a great story that everyone should take a look at.

Simply Magical!, November 9, 2007
A book without words? Yes. "Arrival" communicates in a universal language that reveals itself more fully with each reading. If you've ever for a moment felt like a stranger in a foreign land, you'll emotionally connect with this story.

A Wordless Narrative Masterpiece., October 18, 2007
This picture book that you would find in the childrens section of the bookstore is amazing, to be honest the narrative (which is old via knock-me-over illustrations) has a lot more to say than a few recent adult books I've read..

This is one of those special present books. It's beautiful.

If you are one of those adults who enjoy collecting childrens books, you'll love this. Promise.

Simply a Stunning Achievement, January 27, 2009
I'm a 52-year-old writer, photographer, graphic designer, and lover of books. While I am fully capable of waxing eloquent when the need arises, I cannot hope to adequately communicate the degree to which Shaun Tan's work impressed me. It will be a treasured addition to my library, and perhaps no book will be more frequently shown to guests. ... Read more

Editorial Review

The three Bone cousins--Fone Bone, Phoney Bone, and Smiley Bone--are lost in a vast, uncharted desert. They soon find their way into a deep, forested valley filled with wonderful and terrifying creatures, and come across a farmstead run by tough Gran'ma Ben and her spirited granddaughter Thorn. But little do the Bones know, there are dark forces conspiring against them and their adventures are only just beginning!

For the first time, the first three books of Jeff Smith's thrilling comic book saga are available in this boxed set!

An instant classic when it first appeared as an underground comic book in 1991, BONE has since garnered 38 international awards and sold over a million copies in 15 languages. Now, Scholastic's Graphix imprint is publishing full-color graphic novel editions of the nine-book BONE series. ... Read more

Reviews

Greate story, May 22, 2009
My kids, 10 and 12 years old, are not avid book or comic book readers, but the devaoured the 9 volumes in a couple of weekends.

The quality of the book was flawless.

Even I enjoyed it.

Boxed set books 1-3 (Bone), May 20, 2009
My son hates to read but loves these books. I love them because they are getting him to read more.

Books of Bone, November 1, 2009
I have finished reading all 10 books of Bone. This is a delightful adventure for children to read as well as adults. Jeff Smith keeps you glued to the book just as Lord of the Rings did. The illustrations are a delight and they capture the expressions of the characters down to a "T". Each book is just long enough to keep your interest and make you want to reach for the next.

teach3children, April 25, 2009
My son read all three of these books in a day. He loves the style of the books ... Read more