Mungo and the Spiders from Spaceby Timothy Knapman
Syndetic Solutions - [Book Review for 9780803732773] Book Review : School Library Journal
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K-Gr 2—Mungo's interest in space is obvious from the opening scene of his bedroom and its decor. At bedtime, he is given a tattered comic book called Galacticus and Gizmo Save the Universe! As the child and his mother read it together, they find that the last page has been ripped out. When he asks his mom, "What happens next?" her reply of "Why don't you make up an ending?" has the young hero becoming part of the space adventure. He rescues Captain Galacticus and recovers the story's last page through a series of encounters with alien monsters. The brightly colored comic-style illustrations will appeal to young fans looking for action and adventure. The over-the-top descriptions of the battle are filled with made-up words sure to tickle listeners' funny bones, as when evil Dr. Frankenstinker is "poinked" in the bottom. This action-packed book will find a following among fans of Mini Grey's "Traction Man" series (Knopf).—Maura Bresnahan, High Plain Elementary School, Andover, MA Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
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Syndetic Solutions - [Book Review for 0803732775] Book Review : BookList
: From BookList, February 1, 2009, Copyright © American Library Association. Used with permission. : This dizzying mix of space-adventure superheroics and bedtime fantasy fulfillment plays a bit with picture-book conventions. Little Mungo is given a picture book starring Captain Galacticus (a dashingly coiffed 1950s-style space hero). The story then follows the adventure contained therein, as Galacticus and his sidekick, Gizmo, run afoul of the mad (to say the least) scientist Dr. Frankenstinker and his army of enormous robot spiders. Just when things come to the thrilling climax, Mungo discovers that the last page has been ripped out. His mother suggests that he make up the rest, and sure enough, Mungo imagines himself transported into the story to help save the day. The boffo illustrations are a fun-filled splash of colorful explosions, busy mechanisms, and caterwauling cartoons, but they might be a bit too aggressive for some children's tastes. Others, especially fans of Mini Grey's Traction Man Is Here! (2005) and Traction Man Meets Turbodog (2008), will revel in the zany twists, mild gross-out humor, and retro-space-age histrionics bursting forth from this flight of fancy. Chipman, Ian. : | distributed by Syndetic Solutions, LLC.: |
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