Sidekicks

Week 8 Graphic Novel
Sidekicks
Written By: Dan Sentat 
Published: 2011

My 7 year-old self would have LOVED this book. My 21 year-old self wished it was 50 pages shorter. The idea behind it is really cute and entertaining, but there were so many parts that could have been cut out to improve and expedite the story. Aside from that, I enjoyed the excitement and silliness that happened in this book. Just as the title suggests, this story follows the adventures of Captain Amazing's pets, who all have superpowers. Captain Amazing lost a former pet to crime fighting, so he is reluctant to work with another one of his animal pals. However, the animals just really want to help! So his dog, hamster, and chameleon jump into action to try and keep the streets of Metro City safe while Captain Amazing recovers from an allergic reaction to peanuts. The reader will hold their breath and laugh along with the sidekicks and their antics as they try to rid Metro City of Dr. Havoc and all other crime.

One of my favorite parts about this book was the boarders on each page. When the sidekicks were undercover and in costume, the boarders of the pages were black. This was because most of their crime fighting was done at night after Captain Amazing had gone to bed. When they were just hanging out during the day, the boarders were white. I also love the full page illustrations. These occur every few pages and when they do, they don't include many words. They don't need words because the illustrations are so detailed and the characters are incredibly expressive. 

I am a firm believer in the idea that those who don't like to read just haven't read the right book. This is without a doubt an "in book" or the book that hooks a reluctant reader. Sidekicks is hilariously funny and packed with plot twists and turns. Overall, there really aren't many words. This being so, it is a great book for readers of all ages and will be in my classroom library, without a doubt! I give Sidekicks 3.5 stars.