Graphic Novel Mash-Up Review #3

Time for another graphic novel mash-up review! These three don't have much in common and all attracted me for different reasons. 

Cover Art Courtesy of Goodreads

Hex Vet by Sam Davies: This was a little graphic novel I was given at ALA. You can tell right away that this is meant for children, but it was so adorable and right up my alley. Witches and animals? Count me in! This story is about two witch vet interns, Clarion and Annette, who have to save the clinic when trouble breaks out and the adults are out of the office. The art style is adorable and it's all done in fun pinks and purples and blues.  It was a very simple story but again, it's for children, and I still really enjoyed it!
4 out of 5 Stars

Cover Art Courtesy of Goodreads

Robot Dreams by Sara Varon: This one has been out for a while, but I just now got around to picking it up. I honestly don't understand the hype here. This story was about a dog who befriends a robot, then leaves him on the beach to rust, spending the following year trying to replace him. It was sad and melancholy. This story also had no text, just images. There might be a deeper meaning here somewhere, but I just didn't get it and the story left me feeling depressed. The art was good though. 
2 out of 5 Stars

Cover Art Courtesy of Goodreads

Pandora's Legacy by Kara Leopard and Kelly and Nichole Matthews: This was another ALA acquisition! In this story, siblings accidentally open Pandora's Box, releasing a bunch of creatures into the world. Discovering that their family is actually tasked with guarding the box, they team up with Prometheus, who has inhabited their pet cat for the time being, to put the creatures back. I liked the Greek references here, and how it was educational in addition to fun. It did feel very rushed at times. The art style was not what I am normally used to, but I did like it, and would continue this series if there were more. 
3 out of 5 Stars

Graphic Novel Mash-Up Review #2

Halloween is quickly approaching, so I have been all about the spooky reads! I just can't get enough of these, so today's mash-up review is for 3 middle-grade spooky graphic novels. Even though I didn't love them all, they will definitely set the mood for the Halloween season!

Cover Art Courtesy of Goodreadds

Suee and the Shadow by Ginger Ly and Molly Park: In this story, Suee finds her shadow come to life right around the time that kids in her school are turning into zombies. Could her shadow be behind this, and if so, how does Suee stop it and get her friends back? This one really seemed like a knock-off of Anya's ghost to me, but not nearly as good. I liked the art, but the story left much to be desired.
2 out of 5 Stars

Cover Art Courtesy of Goodreads

Ghostopolis by Doug TenNapel: When a ghost hunter comes into the human world, Garth is accidentally taken back to the spirit world with him. He has to figure out a way back before the evil mayor of Ghostopolis gets him, and he even gets to meet the ghost of his grandfather along the way. I loved this story! I really enjoyed this art style, and there were some super cool skeleton animals in this one!
4 out of 5 Stars

Cover Art Courtesy of Goodreads

Graveyard Shakes by Laura Terry: In this graphic novel, sisters Victoria and Katia go off to boarding school. When they get in a fight and Katia runs away, she finds herself in the underworld of a graveyard. Victoria has to find and help her before Katia falls victim to madman Nikola. Unfortunately this one was way too all over the place for me. It had some good lessons in it, but the story was extremely hard to follow and disconnected.

2 out of 5 Stars

Hocus Pocus and Edison Beaker, Creature Seeker Mashup

So this is definitely not my normal type of post, but I hope you'll find it to be a lot of fun! I was fortunate enough to partner with Penguin Young Readers for their Wicked Reads Middle Grade campaign, where I got to pick a Halloween candy and be sent a corresponding mystery read! I was so happy when I opened my package and found not only some candy and other goodies, but a copy of Edison Beaker, Creature Seeker: The Night Door! I've been living for graphic novels lately, so this was the perfect cutesy/creepy middle grade read to wrap up the Halloween reading season.

Synopsis from Penguin Young Readers: Edison Beaker and his young sister Tesla are staying with their uncle Earl, manager of the family pest control company, when an alarm sounds and he has no choice but to drag them along on a service call.

Cover Art Courtesy of Penguin Young Readers

They should have listened when he warned them, "stay in the van."

Monster-sized mayhem ensues when the kids chase their escaped hamster into a mysterious warehouse--and suddenly they are the ones being chased as all sorts of creepy creatures scurry, slink, and stomp through a secret Night Door.

The Fun Part: I wanted to take some of my favorite Halloween characters, the Sanderson Sisters from Hocus Pocus, and put them in the world of Edison Beaker, just to see how they would handle the story (without giving away too much of the plot, of course)! Here are my predictions:

Winifred: True to form, Winnie would be the leader, so she would replace Edison. When the gang gets lost in the Underwhere, I think Winnie would use her powers to force the monsters to bend to her whim, ultimately turning on their leader, similar to the way she tried to control Billy in Hocus Pocus. This would come back to bite her as soon as the monsters realized that she didn't care about them and their loyalty switched back.

Image Courtesy of IMDB

Sarah: Hyperactive Sara is always getting herself into trouble, so to me she would replace the hamster, Scuttlebutt. Scuttlebutt keeps rolling away, causing the gang to search for him, ultimately leading to chaos. I can definitely see Sarah wandering off and getting herself lost in the Underwhere, and also creating some pretty good diversions by using her...*ahem* assets, to distract everyone.

Mary: Mary is very whiny, so I definitely identified her as Tesla, Edison's little sister. She comes up with ideas that aren't the best and is pretty annoying, and is definitely a big tag along. As incompetent as she may seem, she is always willing to step up for her sisters when needed and she would definitely be a resource for the team during the final battle.

Overall, the sisters would succeed but chaos and hilarity would ensue throughout. Ultimately these three are a team, just as Edison, Tesla, and Scuttlebutt are a team. With a shared goal and trust in each other, there's nothing that can stand in their way!

A huge thanks to Penguin Young Readers for inviting me to be a part of this campaign, and for sending over a copy of Edison Beaker, Creature Seeker: The Night Door by Frank Cammuso! Be sure to pick up this adorable read for that young ghost or ghoul in your life, or even for yourself!