Review by Booklist Review
Claris Hills, USA is the capital city of skate culture and also home to a young, aspiring skater named Sam (aka Noob). Sam is in the middle of a skate session tryout for her friends Glasses and Squee's crew when they are interrupted by Radical Tim and the Too Cool Crew. Tim is the highest ranked skater in the city, and because of this, he has the power to claim whatever skate territory he wants. The Too Cool Crew kicks Sam and her friends out of their skate spot, forcing them go in search of a new one. After having terrible luck finding a worthy spot, Sam decides it's time to level up and challenge Radical Tim and his crew to a skate off in order to reclaim their territory. On their leveling up journey, the crew encounters goths, skeletons, and the most feared being of all . . . Tony Hawke! The video game structure of the story and stylishly blocky, over-the-top cartoon artwork combine to make a ridiculously fun book that with enthrall kids who want fast-paced humor and lots of skating action.
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by School Library Journal Review
Gr 4--7--Claris Hills is the capital of skateboarding culture, where kids and teens hone their skills to climb the ranks and help their skate gang compete for territory. Sam can pull off some cool tricks, but she is still new to the skateboarding world. Her new friends lead her on a course of chaos to improve by skating through a local grocery store, a dangerous construction site, a haunted house managed by Goth skaters, and the Claris Hills Mall--all while being pursued by the local Porkily Workily security guard, who is not a fan of skating antics. While the story is consistently chaotic, it takes a particularly unexpected turn when Sam is kidnapped by forest animals that teach her how to embrace her inner skateboarding powers. With a cartoony feel to the artwork and story, this book is a perfect pick for fans of animated shows like The Loud House. The high jinks soar throughout, reaching a peak when the town is taken over by a giant supernatural bird named Tony Hawke, and all the battling skateboarders must learn to work together to save their city. VERDICT Packed with absurdity and nods to skateboarding culture, this graphic novel holds appeal for fans of cartoons and might just entice those kids who frequent library parking lots with their boards.--Annamarie Carlson
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Review by Kirkus Book Review
Absurd humor and over-the-top skateboarding go together like chips and soda. Claris Hills is "the absolute capital of skate culture," a place where survival means joining a good crew, minding other crews' territory, and raising one's skating level. The characters' skating levels are displayed like real-life video game stats. Sam, age 10, is determined to increase her skating level (which is a paltry 15) in order to defeat Radical Tim (who's at an impressive level 100). His Too Cool Crew is expanding their territory and excluding everyone else. But she runs afoul of The Law (age 47, level 0), an authoritarian grocery store guard who has a hang-up about skateboarders. Sam and friends embark on a different harrowing adventure with each chapter, including a sympathy-building sequence from The Law's point of view. Gambles enjoys building up the dramatic and supernatural threats, only to pop any tension with humorous absurdity: Look no further than the deliriously dystopian third act, which features a jailhouse fingerboard duel as well as a skateboarding trick so intense it rips a space-time hole that defies physics. The two most dependable elements of this chaotic tale are the wordgarf (a derogatory slang term) and Sam's explosive skateboarding powers, illustrated in blue. Sam and The Law read white; the cast members overall are diverse in skin tone. Skateboarding demands--and has found--a tale that shreds off the page and out the back of readers' skulls.(Graphic adventure. 9-12) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
