Scan barcode
geekwayne's review
4.0
'Spiral-Bound: Top Secret Summer' by Aaron Renier follows around an adorable cast of animal characters as they follow different pursuits.
In a town full of all kinds of animals (including whales that roll around in giant aquariums), we meet a series of younger animals that are looking for things to do for the summer. Little elephant Turnip wants to go to art school to create a sculpture based on Viola, the girl he's got a crush on. His friend Stucky, a dog, wants to finish up a submarine he's making. A little bunny named Carrot Flower may have a chance to join and underground newspaper. There are also concerts and town conspiracies.
The story was a bit confusing at times, but the black and white drawings are what kept me turning the pages. Every frame is filled with details, and the animals that inhabit the pages are cute beyond measure. It's a perfectly appropriate graphic novel for kids, and I enjoyed it.
I received a review copy of this graphic novel from Diamond Book Distributors, Top Shelf Productions, and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this graphic novel.
In a town full of all kinds of animals (including whales that roll around in giant aquariums), we meet a series of younger animals that are looking for things to do for the summer. Little elephant Turnip wants to go to art school to create a sculpture based on Viola, the girl he's got a crush on. His friend Stucky, a dog, wants to finish up a submarine he's making. A little bunny named Carrot Flower may have a chance to join and underground newspaper. There are also concerts and town conspiracies.
The story was a bit confusing at times, but the black and white drawings are what kept me turning the pages. Every frame is filled with details, and the animals that inhabit the pages are cute beyond measure. It's a perfectly appropriate graphic novel for kids, and I enjoyed it.
I received a review copy of this graphic novel from Diamond Book Distributors, Top Shelf Productions, and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this graphic novel.
saidtheraina's review
4.0
I really liked the holistic approach of this graphic novel. The cover, the end papers, the author's note. Very cool presentation. An extremely anthropomorphized (and rather sci-fi) town of animals ride out a mystery involving a mysterious monster, a summer art class for kids (which seems to be free), and a truly underground newspaper. The illustration style is a little overly cute for my taste, but it's fun to see Renier's ideas of humanized animals (the goth giraffe is a highlight for me). An interesting mix of realism and imagination. One I'm marking down for that Jr. Pageturners Graphic Novel kit I'm eventually... planning on putting together.
cathrynlmiller's review
funny
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
I read this book every summer. I choose a rainy day, make a cup of coffee, and immerse myself in Aaron Renier's wonderfully weird world. I can only hope he continues Turnip's story one day.
fernandie's review
Note: I received a digital sample of this book from the publisher through NetGalley.
chibitecho's review
5.0
This book is great! It is really cute and the drawings are incredible. I think everyone should buy a copy!
crowyhead's review
3.0
This is a fun graphic novel, but I found it lacking in some respects. Parts of it really shine -- moments of awkwardness between the teenage animals in the book (an elephant named Turnip, a rabbit named Ana, an ambitious and popular dog named Stucky), occasional wild flights of imagination -- but overall I found that the plot was needlessly confused, and I often felt that there was too much information and too much action packed into very small panels. So I didn't feel it was a wholly successful effort, but it's definitely worth a read.
jainabee's review
3.0
It's a sweet, funny story, with lots of call to adventure, but my favorite part is the natural sound of the dialogue. The characters's voices are really unique and perfectly tuned.
library_lurker's review
5.0
this book is so fucking cute. SO. FUCKING. CUTE. it's good to read when you're depressed & need some reminder that life isn't always horrible all the fucking time.