For some reason the cover to the book and its title didn’t connect with me. The cover of Roll With It has a teenage girl in her wheel chair, balancing on her back wheels whilst holding a pie with finger like she’s spinning a basketball. The cover image and the title imply the vibe that the book puts forth perfectly. So much so that after reading it I realized I had brought my expectations to a book that I expected to be one that I couldn’t relate to and dour.
Village of Scoundrels by Margi Perus reads, at times, like a middle grade WWII book with subtle traces of Hogan’s Heroes. It doesn’t have the same slapstick comedy of that show. It does place its characters in real-life WWII situations while giving them a chilled out, laissez-fiare veneer. That’s due to the age of the people and characters in the story as we catch a glimpse of French teenagers who live in the mountains near Switzerland.
The
Force is with you, that’s what some people said about Star Wars: The Rise of
Skywalker. The
final installment of the Skywalker Star Wars saga is out on digital and will be
available on Blu-Ray March 31. This is the first Star Wars film that our 10
year-old really liked. That’s important to point out because no matter which
side of the fence you sat on for this The Rise of Skywalker it’s a film that
will be entertaining to those in upper elementary through high school.
It’s great when our 10 year-old discovers a new book that he enjoys. That was the case with Ben Braver and the Vortex of Doom. Even though this is the third book in the series it’s the first one that he read and hadn’t heard of the character before. However, Vortex of Doom has that vibe about it that’s just the sort of thing upper elementary school readers through middle school will eat up.
New comic book day still happens for this week. Some
publishers have announced when they’re new comic books will stop, slow down and
how they’ll handle orders. Stock up this week and monitor their individual
websites to see how they handle shipments. We’ll have more on that in a
podcast.
For this week there are some great all age comic books that
will entertain readers as young as seven and all the way through high school.
What’s more, many of the comic book stores offer online ordering and physical
pickup-with delivery to your car once you arrive at the store. If you plan this
trip when you’re doing the weekly grocery shopping it’s a win/win situation.
The Giant series from DC Comics is great for introducing
under the radar titles or characters. From Beyond The Unknown Giant is just
that for us, we don’t know it, it looks loaded with action and is sure to
entertain readers in middle school and up. Elementary school readers will want
to read Sonic The Hedgehog #27 and Marvel Action Avengers #1. That same age
group should check out Super Duck from Archie Comics.
Beast Face-To-Face With The Florida Bigfoot arrived on my desk without any advance knowledge on my part. Truth be told, my oldest son opened the package and said, “Dad, you’ve got a book about Bigfoot!” Mind you, it’s the Florida Bigfoot, a creature that I’ve never even heard of. I’m no Bigfoot aficionado; sure I’ve seen the Patterson-Gimlin film and saw Steven Austin get carried away by Andre the Giant in that tunnel in 1976. But a middle grade book on the Florida Bigfoot must sure be hokey, right?
Happy new comic book day-in this week where we could all use
a little fun in our lives. Where’s my closest comic book store? Just check out
the comic book store locator. From there it’ll be a case to see if they’re open
this week. If they aren’t then you can purchase digital copies directly from
the publisher or purchase physical copies from the links in this post. Those
physical copies will come from TFAW and might be delayed due to shipping and
their staffing. However you’re thinking about getting those comic books this
week be safe.
I hope that Power Rangers Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #4 gets the spotlight that it deserves. This team-up is fabulously entertaining. It combines action, great villains, lots of turtle puns and is one that ages 9 and up will enjoy. The mini-series also gives the Power Rangers a chance to shine. The first three issues in this series were awesome and the fourth one continues the story perfectly. Now here’s a look at all of the all age comic books this week.
On average we read one book a year that runs. This is the descriptor we use when the book can’t be put down. The story that the author has put forth literally runs off of the page and into your imagination as fuel for what could be a perfect movie. Having said that, the book is almost always better, so be ahead of the curve and read City Spies by James Ponti. From the first two pages the book’s story runs into your mind with a credible, fun plot that has early teenagers as the main characters.