Two great graphic adventures!
Stone Rabbit series
by Erik Craddock
Random House
Audience: grades 2-4
For kids who love adventures that take them into a whole different world (think Magic Tree House or Knights of the Kitchen Table series), this fun and light series of graphic novels amps it up a notch with some wild scenarios, comic-style action, and a fast enough read to keep even the most reluctant readers engaged for the short ride.
Stone Rabbit and his wolf friend consistently get themselves into the sort of crazy situations that movies and kid fantasy are made of – think prehistory, pirate ships, ninjas, and superhero showdowns. This, the easy read, and the familiar style make it a pretty sure winner for readers of early chapters who like a little adventure in their reading.
Secret Science Alliance and the Copycat Crook
by Eleanor Davis
Bloomsbury
ISBN: 978-1-59990-142-8
Audience: grades 4-8
The brilliantly named main character, Julian Calendar, is sick of being bullied, and sees the family’s move to a new school as a perfect chance to start over, this time as a “normal” kid rather than the uber-geek he has been known as up till now. Despite his attempts to blend, he draws the notice of two other students who have a secret inventors clubhouse, and things take a turn for the better. Julian has instant friends in Ben (jock with self-doubts about his genius) and Greta (superbright, but full of attitude), which lets him be himself in school and gives him something to look forward to each day.
The clubhouse is cool, and the inventions the three concoct are part their own and partly modeled on those of their historical hero – all great, but not the stuff of real adventure until they realize that the scientist and “inventor” behind a local business has not only stolen their inventions, but is about to break into the museum. The trio springs into action, certain they are the only ones who can save the day, and confound the villain, to his disgust and outrage.
This great graphic novel is full of enough little extra jokes to appeal to even grown-up readers and to stand up to repeat readings, and the greater level of detail is perfect for that slightly older reader. The secret clubhouse, action, and gadgets are enough to appeal to any spy fiction fan, while the underdog story and some serious geek cred give it an instant in with any junior science nerd.
I’m just hoping Davis does another title in this series!