The ocean disaster

Matthew McElligott

Book - 2019

"Fans of Ada Twist, Scientist will want to join Dr. Cosmic's class of clever monsters as they explore the dark depths of the ocean in the fourth book of the Mad Scientist Academy series. The students in Dr. Cosmic's class take their lessons underwater when they're introduced to his latest invention, the SKWID--a special submarine that explores the ocean and looks like a real giant squid! With the guidance of oceanographer Professor Fathom, the class embarks on an exploration of the deep sea. Their next assignment? Identify the smallest producers and consumers of the ocean. But when a giant whale approaches the SKWID, mistaking it for an actual squid, the students must use their trusted scientific handbooks to find a way ...to escape the submarine and return to the undersea lab--before they become the whale's lunch! Don't miss more from the Mad Scientist Academy series!--The Dinosaur Disaster, The Weather Disaster, and The Space Disaster. "Dr. Cosmic is plainly a colleague of Ms. Frizzle [of The Magic School Bus], and the mix of pithy banter, tumultuous field-trip mishaps, and science fact is as familiar as it is winning. Fans of the Frizz will be dino-delighted. Mad fun."--Kirkus Reviews, starred review of Mad Scientist Academy: The Dinosaur Disaster"--

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Location Call Number   Status
Children's Room jGRAPHIC NOVEL/McElligott Checked In
Children's Room jGRAPHIC NOVEL/McElligott Checked In
Subjects
Genres
Graphic novels
Published
New York : Crown Books for Young Readers [2019]
Language
English
Main Author
Matthew McElligott (author)
Edition
First edition
Physical Description
1 volume (unpaged) : color illustrations ; 29 cm
Audience
Age 5-8.
K to Grade 3.
ISBN
9781524767198
9781524767204
Contents unavailable.
Review by School Library Journal Review

Gr 1--3--The monsters of the Mad Scientist Academy are out on an adventure again, this time on the ocean. Dr. Cosmic is ready to show his students his latest invention, a squid-like submarine. With the assistance of an oceanographer, Professor Fathom, the monster students embark on a quest that will be educational and fun. With a focus on green energy and curiosity about ocean life, readers will learn about seaweed as a source of alternative fuel, as well as echolocation and the role of producers and consumers in the food web of the ocean ecosystem. Well-known children's author and illustrator McElligott's fourth installment follows the graphic novel design of it predecessors. The first-person narrative, set in cylindrical bubbles, flows naturally with the plot structure and stops occasionally to define terms. Each one of the characters is non-threatening and good natured, regardless of their unique monster feature. Although this picture book appears more suitable for second and third graders, it could find appeal with older readers and makes a great choice for a classroom unit on oceans. The muted illustrations rely on green variations and layers of blue to set off the art, which provides a sense of cohesion and offers details that are not present in the narrative. The back matter contains brief information on ocean animals. VERDICT An amusing, informational graphic novel--esque picture book that is easy to follow and will charm readers while teaching them about the ocean. Ideal for public and elementary school libraries.--Kathia Ibacache, Simi Valley Public Library, CA

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Review by Kirkus Book Review

Dr. Cosmic takes his students on an underwater adventure using a specially designed underwater vehicle he calls a SKWID.McElligott explores the ocean depths in this fourth title in the Mad Scientist Academy series, STEM-friendly science fantasies reminiscent of Ms. Frizzle's Magic School Bus trips but with less text and a more modern approach. Sequential panels and occasional full-page illustrations, done with ink, pencil, and digital techniques, show red-haired, green-skinned Dr. Cosmic and his species-diverse students: a robot with pageboy hair, a bat-winged vampire, a zombie, a wolflike creature, something reptilian, and something faintly insectoid, characters first introduced in The Dinosaur Disaster (2015). His new assistant, Professor Fathom, is a dark-skinned mermaid with long black hair. Using student questions and an intriguing gadget they call a handbook that unfolds to offer encyclopedialike fast facts and interesting details, the author smoothly weaves solid information into his narrative. He describes sonar and echolocation; how animals get oxygen; food energy, producers and consumers, and the food web; phyto- and zooplankton; toothed and baleen whales; sperm whales and squid. There's even a reminder of the need for a clean-energy source for their vehicle: Its biofuel is made from seaweed. All these concepts become part of the story, making this tale a surprisingly well-constructed teaching vehicle. Endpaper sketches detail Dr. Cosmic's latest inventions.Information and entertainment in an appealing comic format. (more ocean organisms) (Graphic science fantasy. 6-9) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.