More Scrawny Than Brawny

Gr 3–6—A new graphic novel series from the author of the Caldecott Honor picture book Creepy Carrots. At age 12, all the young cave people must use the skills they've been taught in school to hunt a prehistoric beast that will then feed the whole village. Dave comes from a long line of inventors, and though his inventions tend to fall into the category of making life more comfortable as opposed to the groundbreaking work of family members who discovered fire or invented the wheel, he still believes that his endeavors will save him from having to participate in the ritual. When Dave's invention of underwear fails to draw praise, he heads into the eerie mushroom forests with his classmates. Even the bravest students realize that they are ill prepared, but Dave's quick thinking saves the day many times over. Fans of Dav Pilkey's "Captain Underpants" series will find much to love here. Panels are big and usually formatted four to a page, with two to three speech bubbles per panel. The story is well paced and balances backstory with action and problem-solving. Put this on the shelf between Jorge Aguirre's "Chronicles of Claudette" series and Ben Hatke's "Zita the Spacegirl" books.