Review by Booklist Review
In this follow-up to Ghost Hog (2019), readers rejoin Truff, the ghost of a young boar, and her fellow ghostly friends, Stanley and Claude. The trio of pals are just about to get into some new adventures when they meet Vern, the self-identified best cart racer on their mountain. Vern is readying himself for the biggest cart racing event of the year and invites his new friends to come along. Things look promising for Vern, but after the race comes to a surprising end and a spectator's health takes a turn for the worse, Vern learns that not everything is about winning and losing. In this fun and exciting story, readers will see what it means to be a true friend and how help can come in many forms. This is such a bright, vividly colored book and shows a great use of nontraditional paneling styles and lettering. An engaging and enthralling story that shows the best can happen when you are proud of who you are.
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by School Library Journal Review
Gr 2--5--Vern, a water dragon who was the runt of his family, was rescued by Elder Gust and brought to the human village to live safely away from his abusive brothers. Still insecure about his size, Vern becomes obsessed with cart racing and takes great pride in the beauty of his race car, Gale--though he isn't nearly as successful when it comes to speed. While on a practice run with Gale, he meets two forest spirits, Claude and Stanley. Vern invites them to the Hippogryph Grand Prix race, and they eagerly join him back at his temple. Predictably, Vern chokes under the pressure and loses the race rather than risk Gale getting scratched up. When Tulip, a human from the kingdom, falls ill, Vern and his new spirit friends are her only chance at survival. Weiser crafts a heartfelt story of materialism, perseverance, and friendship that will resonate with readers. The range of character experiences and personalities will hold interest, and Vern's growth emphasizes the importance of selflessness. The vocabulary may challenge younger readers at times, but the simple, straightforward, appealing art offers clues to the text. Though most of the characters are animals, the humans are diverse in skin tone. VERDICT A dynamic, action-packed graphic novel bound to appeal to fans of racing and high jinks, with a solid message, too.--Angie Jameson, Chagrin Falls Exempted Village Schools, Chagrin Falls, Ohio
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Review by Kirkus Book Review
Can a dragon who loves racing snag first prize and save the day? In this adorably styled graphic offering, readers meet Truff, a cheerful young ghostly warthog (who sometimes has legs and other times an incorporeal tail) residing with her still-living parents and hanging out with her forest-spirit friends Claude and Stanley. The trio meet Vern, a dragon with an ornately designed pedal-powered racing cart and a propensity toward exaggeration. Vern invites Truff and the gang to the Hippogryph Grand Prix to watch him compete, but they soon learn that perhaps Vern has not been completely honest with them. When a brown-skinned human girl named Tulip falls ill, the cure is located far down a perilous mountain pass, and Vern steps up (with Truff's assistance) to race down to retrieve her lifesaving medicine; can Vern overcome obstacles both physical and mental to help her? Weiser's merry tale is immediately eye-catching with its mix of animal, imaginary, and human characters (few but racially diverse). The plotting and character development, however, tend to overreach, leaving some aspects stretched too thin or others feeling half-baked with the zany busyness. The worldbuilding doesn't always cohere, but those who can suspend disbelief and roll with the highly enjoyable illustrations may not be bothered by this. Cute but uneven. (Graphic fantasy. 7-11) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.