FINISHED:
Skye, Obert. (2011). Wonkenstein: the creature from my closet. New York: Christy Ottaviano/Henry Holt.

[This one has gotten some decent reviews, but I found it to be quite lacking...

When Robert Burnside finally got his own room, its closet was without a door so his father installed one that he found at a garage sale. There might be something wrong with it, though: the door handle has a creepy face on it (did it just wink??), and, one evening, a small creature pops out of the closet looking like a hybrid of Frankenstein’s monster and… Willy Wonka (Robert once used the closet as a “laboratory”, and has since begun to throw books in there). Jumping on the Wimpy Kid (Amulet, 2007-2011) bandwagon, Skye’s protagonist shares more than a passing likeness to Greg Heffley: he’s a bumbling, twelve year-old outsider who continually stumbles into awkward situations, and even has a precocious little brother and a typical, aloof, teen older sibling. In addition, it is written in journal style and littered with drawings – and, though this one has drawings that look like a kid might have actually drawn them, they are much less appealing and humorous than those in the Wimpy Kid series. Adding in the fantasy/science fiction element of the creature attempts to set this title apart from Kinney’s series, but the “plot” often wanders away from Wonkenstein and just focuses on the goofy and embarrassing things that Robert does (collecting thumbtacks with faces, trying not to burp in class, accidentally signing up to recite a poem at a school assembly), mostly in front of the prettiest girl at school. Though young readers who just can’t get enough of the Wimpy Kid and/or Big Nate (HarperCollins 2010-2011) books will likely eat this up in similar fashion, it definitely feels like a pale copy. A sequel featuring a hybrid Harry Potter/Chewbacca (Star Wars) creature is teased/promised.]

STARTED:
Smith, Cynthia Leitich. (2011). Tantalize: Kieren's story. Somerville, MA: Candlewick.

[Reviewing this new graphic novel for ACL...]

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