(3) 4-6 Frankenstein Journals series. Illustrated by Timothy Banks. Fourteen-year-old orphan JD, son of Frankenstein's monster, continues to search for his "cousins"--including one whose father contributed JD's dad's large intestine (No Guts), and another, his butt (Pain). He needs to find them before the evil Fran Kenstein can use them to make her own monster. In diary format, the humorous stories are enhanced by annotations, doodles, and richly colored illustrations. Glos. Review covers the following Frankenstein Journals titles: No Guts, No Gloria and A Pain in the Butt.

Reviewer: Lana Barnes

(3) 4-6 Frankenstein Journals series. Illustrated by Timothy Banks. Fourteen-year-old orphan JD, son of Frankenstein's monster, continues to search for his "cousins"--including one whose father contributed JD's dad's large intestine (No Guts), and another, his butt (Pain). He needs to find them before the evil Fran Kenstein can use them to make her own monster. In diary format, the humorous stories are enhanced by annotations, doodles, and richly colored illustrations. Glos. Review covers the following Frankenstein Journals titles: No Guts, No Gloria and A Pain in the Butt.

Reviewer: Lana Barnes

(4) 4-6 Comic Chapter Books series. Illustrated by Luciano Vecchio. Superheroes battle well-known foes in good-versus-evil scenarios. The lure of the occasional comics-style illustrations may be enough carrot for comics fans, though the formulaic stories lack depth and character development. Excessive use of sound effects ("FWOOOSH!" "KABOOM! KABOOOM!") is true to the comic-book genre. Back matter includes sketches and context questions. Glos. Review covers these titles: Prisoner of the Penguin! and The Real Man of Steel.

Reviewer: David Elzey

(3) 4-6 Frankenstein Journals series. Illustrated by Timothy Banks. Fourteen-year-old J.D. is an orphan who discovers he is the son of Frankenstein's monster. This series chronicles J.D.'s search for his relatives: the living descendants of the people whose body parts were used to build his dad. These quick, reluctant-reader-friendly stories are humorous and suspenseful. Full-color art mixed with black-and-white doodles enhance the diary theme. Glos. Review covers these Frankenstein Journals titles: Feet First and I for an Eye.

Reviewer: Lana Barnes

(3) 4-6 Frankenstein Journals series. Illustrated by Timothy Banks. Fourteen-year-old J.D. is an orphan who discovers he is the son of Frankenstein's monster. This series chronicles J.D.'s search for his relatives: the living descendants of the people whose body parts were used to build his dad. These quick, reluctant-reader-friendly stories are humorous and suspenseful. Full-color art mixed with black-and-white doodles enhance the diary theme. Glos. Review covers these Frankenstein Journals titles: Feet First and I for an Eye.

Reviewer: Lana Barnes

(4) 1-3 DC Super Heroes series. Illustrated by Luciano Vecchio. These three books present various superhero stories in chapter-book format. Simple story lines--featuring characteristic comic book–style onomatopoeia within the text--combine with rapid pacing and not-so-witty playful banter for slight but entertaining reads. Snazzy colors and familiar characters will likely appeal to reluctant readers. Superhero and supervillain glossaries are appended. Review covers these DC Super Heroes titles: Batman vs. Catwoman, Superman vs. Bizarro, and Supergirl vs. Brainiac.

Reviewer: Shara Hardeson

(3) K-3 Comics Land series. Illustrated by Jess Bradley. These goofy books introduce graphic novels to new readers. Billy the Goat sets off to explore Paradise Island and vanquishes villains from Greek mythology; Cowboy Jake and his sidekick, Horse, wrangle their annoying herd of monkeys away from bandits. The silly narratives and frame progressions are easy to follow, and the bright art is busy but not overwhelming. Appended activities are engaging. Glos. Review covers these Comics Land titles: Goat on a Boat and The Good, the Bad, and the Monkeys.

Reviewer: Pam Yosca