Middle School Misadventures
The illustrations were great but I just couldn’t get into the story. The colorful, brilliant illustrations really jumped off the pages and I really thought this graphic novel was going to be a hit. It was the story itself that just didn’t make any sense to me as I read it but I continued reading it, as I liked the illustrations.
Let’s begin with the story and then, end this review on a positive note, the illustrations. The story was about a middle-schooler Newell who is signed up for his school’s first talent show. Newell spends countless hours trying to come up with a talent that he can showcase and its really painful, as he can’t find anything.
Why doesn’t he just cross his name off the list? If he doesn’t perform, he’ll have to attend summer school. Yes, I found this weird. The principal is offering the students the opportunity to exchange the academics of summer school or the punishment of detention, if they perform in this show. Newell was scheduled for Summer School, so he’s excited to do something/anything for this show but he needs to find something worthy.
The book is funny and sometimes, I thought, just a bit on the weird side. I wanted Newell to just move on, perhaps experiment with something(s) and let’s see how he does instead of just talking/thinking about it.
The illustrations are action-packed and tell a great deal of the story. A variety of text fonts add a great deal to the action. The colors are vivid and the rich in detail and burst from the page.
I feel there’s a lot of talent here and I would like to see what else this author can provide to us readers in the future.
3
