FICTION

Escape from Camp Cooties

by Dan THOMPSON
illus. by Dan Thompson. 208p. (Li'l Rip Haywire Adventures). Andrews McMeel. Mar. 2016. Tr $13.99. ISBN 9781449470517.
COPY ISBN
Gr 2–5—A hybrid graphic novel starring a young adventurer. Meet Li'l Rip Haywire, a self-proclaimed "solider of fortune." Li'l Rip has big shoes to fill as his father, Rip Haywire, another solider of fortune, is a world-class adventurer. Li'l Rip gets to accompany his father on his international missions—that is, until his father sends Li'l Rip away to camp, and not just any camp, Pink Powderpuff Summer Camp for Girls. What else is an adventurer and solider of fortune left to do except plot his escape? Surely he wouldn't stay and get to know the girls, would he? Thompson mixes comic panels throughout the regular prose. This format makes the work perfect for reluctant readers or elementary-aged kids looking to branch into different genres. Mazes and puzzles appear throughout the book for readers to complete—possibly limiting its longtime library circulation life. Thompson's black-and-white illustrations harken back to the art found in comics from the 1930s and 1940s.
VERDICT An additional purchase for those looking for chapter book-graphic novel hybrids.
Reviewed by Kevin McGuire, Woodland Hills School District, PA
Ten-year-old Rip, who loves traveling with his "soldier of fortune" father, is sent to Pink Powderpuff Summer Camp for Girls. After throwing a tantrum and trying to escape, Rip eventually has his first solo adventure and grows to love the camp. Rip isn't very likable, and with its old-fashioned sensibilities and integrated comics reminiscent of early Hanna-Barbera cartoons, the adventure feels dated.
 , Mar 01, 2016

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