Eek and Ack vs the Wolfman

September 1, 2009
Gr 1-3-Aliens Eek and Ack want to find out why Earth is so hard to conquer. They dress up in traditional Earthling costumes and arrive on the planet during a meteor shower, a perfect disguise for their landing. They do not realize that it is Halloween or that the Wolfman is on the loose. Harpsters characters are wonderfully drawn in dark colors, and readers see the full emotion behind these charming aliens. Reluctant readers new to graphic novels will love this book. In the second title, Zack Allen is bullied at school. When a tornado hits his town, he turns into Zinc Alloy, superhero. Things go haywire when his suit backfires and sends him through the toilet. He destroys the town by accident, and an angry mob decides that he is a mutant. He runs for cover in the forest, where he meets Frankenstein, who turns out to be a girl. They fight, but become friends as soon as Frankenstein hears that Zinc Alloy likes the comic book "Robo Hero". They join forces and wash the town clean but leave it without drinking water. Holgates illustrations are explosive and exaggerated and will appeal to children. Both books include a list of characters, a glossary, discussion questions, writing prompts, and Internet sites."Lisa Gieskes, CA Johnson Preparatory Academy, Columbia, SC"

Copyright 2009 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

March 1, 2009
Grades 1-3 Eek and Ack are alien invaders determined to conquer earth, but instead they often find themselves in troublesome situations. In the latest volume in the Graphic Sparksseries, aimed at younger readers, the inept aliens land their laundry-dryer-shaped spaceship on the spookiest day of the year, Halloween. The good news is that even though they wear weak disguises, no one suspects they are really creatures from another planet. The bad news is that a werewolf decides to attack the town. Thecute storywill definitely appeal to younger fans of graphic novels, and children learning to read and those being introduced to sequential art will enjoy the cartoon-style illustrations. In the back of the book, readers will discover a glossary, more facts about werewolves, discussion questions, writing prompts, and Internet sites, all of which make this graphic novel very appealing to educators and parents. With out-of-this-world silliness mixed with a touch of gross humor anda gob of goofy monsters, this will be a popular choice.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2009, American Library Association.)