Golemchik

Gr 3–5—With his friends gone for the summer, Kevin starts to feel lonely and secludes himself in the woods. Suddenly, he discovers a magical Golem made of rock that is eager to play with him. Kevin and the Golem are great friends at first, building boats and forts, but the magical being does not respond well to commands and ends up doing more damage than actually helping. Frustrated, Kevin leaves the Golem, which creates even more problems when the monster goes into town unsupervised. Exley's tale is an interesting take on the Yiddish myth, as the Golem takes on the role of friend to a boy desperately in need of one. The pacing is clunky, however, as panels jump forward in time with no explanation or exposition, leaving readers lost as to what's happening and why. The lack of substantial dialogue also makes the story confusing, though it may make this appealing to early readers. Exley's orange and blue color palette is an interesting choice, and creates a folksy feel to the overall experience. The slim, chapter book-style also adds to the handcrafted appeal, but may not hold up to repeat check outs.