Squirrel Meets World

December 15, 2016
A middle-grade origin story for Squirrel Girl, one of Marvel Comics' wackiest superheroes. Cheerful, silly, white, chubby-cheeked Doreen Green moves from sunny California to a surly New Jersey town besieged by mean girls, a minor crime wave, wild dogs, and horrific squirrel traps. Although her initial optimism is squashed in a typical fish-out-of-water new-kid story (which reaches a low point with the old new-kid-eating-lunch-in-the-bathroom cliche), it takes a lot to keep Doreen down. She's special--born with squirrel abilities proportional to her human size, including the ability to communicate with them, and a giant fluffy tail. Soon her heroics come out and draw the attention of an aspiring supervillain just waiting to make his name by sending his evil machines against a nemesis. The villain's cleverness makes him a good match for Squirrel Girl, who utilizes help from her friends (including squirrel Tippy-Toe and her deaf, Latina best friend, Ana Sofia) and exchanges comical text messages with famous Marvel characters in search of advice. The story is told in alternating chapters narrated in the first person for Tippy-Toe and third person for Doreen and Ana Sofia; the third-person account is interrupted, however, by first-person commentary from Doreen via footnotes. Early on, too many footnotes interrupt the narrative rhythm without serving enough purpose, but eventually her charm wins out. Despite a rough start, Doreen's story offers a heroine it's easy to go nuts over. (Science fiction. 8-12)

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February 1, 2017

Gr 4-7-Before becoming a full-fledged superhero with legions of squirrels at her side and defeating iconic Marvel villains such as Thanos and Galactus, Doreen Green was an ordinary teen who just happened to have a tail and the proportional strength of a squirrel. Though not quite an origin tale, this prequel to the popular graphic novel series provides the backstory for how Doreen became the Unbeatable Squirrel Girl. After moving with her parents from California to New Jersey, Doreen begins to realize that she can use her powers for good, and within a short period of time Doreen's alter ego becomes immensely popular to the point that she attracts her own arch nemesis. Doreen must find a way to cope with high school life, keep her superhero identity a secret, and defeat the diabolical son of Hydra agents. Squirrel Girl's signature humor, ability to think through situations before using her incredible strength, and desire to help others have been successfully incorporated. While the narrative is not told in the first person, there are one-line remarks from Squirrel Girl on the bottom of each page reminiscent of the format Ryan North uses to make comments throughout the graphic novels.

Copyright 2017 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

December 1, 2016
Grades 4-7 The popular but perhaps lesser-known Squirrel Girl comics leap into the realm of the novel thanks to the considerable talent of wife-and-husband team Shannon and Dean Hale. Doreen Green, a peppy 14-year-old with a gorgeous tail (tactfully concealed) and secret squirrel powers, is doing her best to make friendsboth human and squirrelin her new New Jersey town, but it isn't easy. She's been dismissed by the popular girls and local LARPers, but Doreen finds a BFF in hearing-impaired classmate Ana Sofia. When Doreen notices that someone is mistreating the town's wildlife, her tail comes out and she springs into action as Squirrel Girl, with Ana Sofia running logistics. Shifting narration opens the story to Doreen's, Ana Sofia's, and, most entertainingly, Tippy-Toe the squirrel's perspectives. Doreen's upbeat attitude and naivete make her seem several years younger than 14, but middle-school readers will latch on to her enthusiasm and heroic instincts. Fun, funny, and action-packed, this first Squirrel Girl adventure will win plenty of fans. HIGH-DEMAND BACKSTORY: Marvel anything draws a crowd. Add these best-selling authors and a book tour into the mix and they'll go nuts.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2016, American Library Association.)