Slime shop

Debut creator Garcia, Panetta (Archie & Katy Keene), and Smith (The Golden Hour) craft a loosely plotted, shenanigan-filled graphic novel about the secret lives of slime creations made by a trio of tweens. Sisters Bailey and Sophia and their friend Jayden--aspiring entrepreneurs--are preparing to enter a video contest sponsored by famous slime maker Aymee for a chance to sell their wares in her online store. When the group leaves the concoctions to rest over the weekend, the slimes come alive. A light green, churlish glob who calls himself Boris declares that they should destroy the tweens' slime shop ("The kids are sending slimes off to who knows where! How do we know we're not next?"). If the rest of the bouncy blobs hope to stop him, rose-colored Polly, banana-hued Karma, and their friends must find Mr. O, the enigmatic Original Slime. Smith employs a vibrant color palette and psychedelic tones to depict the slimes' harebrained adventures. Inspired by Garcia's popular YouTube channel, this goofy tale covers topics regarding creativity, entrepreneurial pursuits, and friendship. Slime recipes conclude. Bailey and Sophia are portrayed with brown skin; Jayden cues as Black. Ages 8--12. (Aug.)

A trio of intrepid slime molds must stop a bad guy blob from taking over their crew. This goofy graphic novel explores the imagined lives of homemade slime molds created by three kids--brown-skinned siblings Bailey and Sophia and their friend Jayden, who is Black--who run a small business concocting, marketing, and selling slime by mail. When they leave their labors, the slimes come to life. Realizing that any one of them could be the next one sold, disgruntled slime Boris takes drastic measures to gain control. His efforts turn tyrannical, and he terrorizes unsuspecting peers, biting some of the other slimes and turning them into zombies. In a melodramatic flourish, he attempts to create an army to destroy the shop. Sparkly pink, supersweet Polly catches on quickly. To counter his cruelty, Polly enlists a few friends to undertake a quest across the neighborhood in hopes of gaining the wisdom of the oldest "Original" slime before facing Boris head-on in a dramatic finale. The slime shop concept, as conceived by Youtube "Slime Queen" Garcia, may seem esoteric for those who don't follow the hobby, but a peppy, character-driven plot and jewel-toned illustrations of the slime squad's starring cast quickly mold the popular creative pursuit into a relatable adventure. The story of the young entrepreneurs trying to find their small-business foothold is a loosely conceived but satisfying framing device. A hilarious, action-packed romp with appeal far exceeding its amorphous appearance. (slime recipes, character sketches) (Graphic fiction. 8-12) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.