Review by New York Times Review
A science project in 'Babymouse' takes on a life of its own. REMEMBER the episode of "The Cosby Show" in which the Huxtables visit their daughter Denise at Hillman College? And the next season, "A Different World" was born? In television, that's known as a "backdoor pilot": an episode of an established hit that's meant to introduce a lucrative spinoff. It's a phenomenon not limited to television. That's why fans of the "Babymouse" graphic novel series by the sister-ancl-brolher team of Jennifer and Matthew Holm will notice that halfway through the 14th volume, "Mad Scientist," the book's familiar pink monochrome palette turns a sort of ghastly green. And that's why, suddenly, an amoeba wearing a baseball cap takes center stage. His name is Squish. He's the hero of the Holms' new series, which begins with "Super Amoeba," a comic that delivers energy of a sort missing from this most recent "Babymouse" volume - but which still demonstrates the pitfalls of trying to create a successful series, so to speak, in a lab. "Babymouse: Mad Scientist" follows the familiar template of her previous adventures. Once again, likable Babymouse gets excited about some new pastime; here, instead of auto racing or musicals, it's the science fair. And once again, Babymouse's penchant for daydreams leads to a handful of pop-culture parodies - of ''Star Trek," among others - that are cute but fall somewhat below Mad Magazine's level of incisiveness. Unsurprisingly, the series is showing its age. Jennifer Holm's dialogue lacks the pep of earlier installments. And while Matthew Holm's art has always been simple - at best, his animals have the loose lines and good cheer of the prolific French cartoonist Lewis Trondheim's -his casual figures have become sloppy. More frustrating, "Mad Scientist" isn't all that concerned with science. Granted, it's a children's comic book - it's not as though "Babymouse: Rock Star" offered a nuanced portrait of the songwriting process - but I can't be the only parent of young girls who would enjoy seeing a heroine view science as something to be enjoyed rather than endured. (Of course, with "A Very Babymouse Christmas," due this fall, all matters scientific will have been long forgotten.) But never mind! Babymouse's science-fair project, Squish, an amoeba collected from a nearby pond, lives on. Within Squish's brackish neighborhood, readers will find a familiar elementary school ecosystem, with the requisite nerdy best friend, unforgiving teachers and terrifying bully. Though Squish may seem like a single-cell Wimpy Kid, the Holms don't share Jeff Kinney's gimlet eye for the complex social dynamics of elementary school. And unlike Babymouse, Squish lacks ambition. He's even more unformed than you might expect a protoplasmic protagonist to be. Meanwhile, the bully, Lynwood. may be big but he's also fairly simple; he just wants to cheat off Squish's test - a twist duplicated from the first "Babymouse" book. (The text explains that ''amoebas come in all shapes and sizes, just like snowflakes," and adds, sounding a particularly unscientific note, "some are pure evil.") The only girl, an airheaded paramecium named Peggy ("super clueless!"), is a real disappointment. Given that Lynwood is foiled not by Squish suddenly developing some courage but by dumb luck, the conclusion is awfully unsatisfying. What kind of lesson does a book offer when its invertebrate hero can't even grow a spine? But maybe I'm missing the point. Babymouse's appeal has always rested in her imperfection and flightiness. And even the mildest young boy will see something of himself in Squish. "Super Amoeba" is an energetic, good-hearted escapade, one that young readers will enjoy. But it lacks, thus far, the rich characters and personal worldview that suggest further stories waiting to be told - ones that create a world, no matter how microscopic, to which children wili eagerly return. Dan Kois is a cultural critic and the author of "Facing Future," about the Hawaiian musician Israel Kamakawiwo'ole.
Copyright (c) The New York Times Company [May 15, 2011]
Review by Booklist Review
The Holm siblings (of Babymouse fame) start a new series of humorous school stories, this time featuring amoebas and other single-celled creatures. Squish prefers to spend his time reading comic books starring Super Amoeba but has to attend elementary school with his friends Pod, who's a bit of a mooch, and Peggy, who's always happy and a bit naive. There they face a bit more danger from bullies than most: Lynwood has a bad habit of eating paramecia, such as Peggy. Young readers will relate to the everyday misadventures of getting detention for being tardy, trading school lunches, dealing with bullies, and taking tests. They'll also enjoy the way the amoebas chow down on tacos, read comic books, and generally act like kids. The black, white, and green art makes amoebas look, for the most part, cute, while the narrative and comments directed to the reader appear in green-tinted, arrowed boxes. Squish may appeal more to boys than girls, but any fans of the Holms' superpopular other series are likely to enjoy this new offering.--Kan, Kat Copyright 2010 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
For a single-celled organism, Squish the amoeba leads an awfully complicated existence. His two best friends-Pod, a bowtie-wearing amoeba nerd, and Peggy, a pathologically cheerful paramecium-are a constant thorn in his side; he just can't seem to make it to school in time; and Lynwood the school bully wants to swallow him whole. When yet another bout of tardiness lands the whole group in detention, Squish is faced with a full-blown moral dilemma: in order to save Peggy from becoming Lynwood's next between-meal snack, he has to let the big bully copy his next science test. Can even our precocious protozoan hero get himself out of this one? The Holms strike a breezy, goofy tone right out of the gate, and Squish is a likably put-upon lead character, but beyond him the book doesn't offer much; his pals are annoying and the villain has as many dimensions as he has cells (that is, one). Add to that a disappointing two-color palette, and the whole undertaking seems flatter than a microscope slide. Squish may be an amorphous blob, but he needs to whip his supporting cast into shape for issue two. Ages 7-10. (May) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by School Library Journal Review
Gr 2-4-The creators of "Babymouse" (Random) return with the more boy-centric Squish. He lives in a world that is a microscopic facsimile of our own. The only difference is that everyone is an amoeba, including his best friends, nerdy Pod and relentlessly chipper Peggy. Squish faces a dilemma when the school bully wants to copy off his science test. The menacing amoeba even threatens to eat Peggy if he doesn't get his way. Squish fantasizes about dealing with the problem like Super Amoeba, the hero of his favorite comic book, who always has the "courage to do what's right." While the conclusion is a bit abrupt, it will likely generate laughs and leave readers ready for the next installment. Characters are mostly types, with a clear focus on laughs and moving the plot along. The loose, inky cartoon illustrations are bathed in shades of lime green. Panel layouts are simple and clear, ensuring first-time graphic-novel readers a smooth ride. Likable and entertaining, Super Amoeba will be super popular.-Travis Jonker, Dorr Elementary School, MI (c) Copyright 2011. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Horn Book Review
The brother-sister team behind Babymouse presents a brand-new graphic novel series starring Squish, a young amoeba. In his first outing, Squish channels his comic-book hero, Super Amoeba, to confront a bully. The Holms' characteristic humor--offbeat and snarky--comes through in both the text and lime-green-tinged illustrations. And yes, setting real-kid issues in a microscopic world works remarkably well. (c) Copyright 2011. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
The hilarious misadventures of a hapless young everylad who happens to be an amoeba. Countering the (perceived, at least) girliness of their Babymouse series, the talented Holms turn to the microbial world for new graphic material. Like his revered comics hero, Super Amoeba, blobby Squish is determined to "do what's right." This turns out to be relatively easy when it's his mooching buddy Pod suckering him into switching lunches or his relentlessly cheery classmate Peggy the paramecium (her every utterance trailed by a line of exclamation points!!!!!) begging him to come over after school to meet her new slime mold Fluffy. It's a lot harder when brutish bully Lynwood callously envelops and begins to digest the seemingly doomed Peggy for a snack. The siblings draw it Babymouse-style in thick lined cartoon panels with garish green highlights and dialogue balloons. Plenty of helpful arrows point out significant anatomical details ("Pseudopods") or offer snarky side comments. The episode zips along to a climactic ugly (but just) surprise for Lynwood, then closes with an easily doable prank/science project involving a moistened slice of bread. If ever a new series deserved to go viral, this one does.(Graphic novel. 7-9)]] Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
