Space Dumplins

Starred review from September 7, 2015
A third of the way into Thompson's first graphic novel for young readers, his heroine Violet mishears "eschatological" as "scatological." Oddly enough, both adjectives fit the story to a T. Poop is everywhere in Violet's itinerant, extraterrestrial existenceâneon green space whale poop, that is. Violet's father, a "lumberjack," harvests it for money (it's an important energy source), while her mother works in the fashion industry; the family's financial stresses are as keenly felt as the tension between blue-collar and creative-class work. When a toxic whale diarrhea spill threatens widespread disaster, and Violet's father goes missing, she is thrust into a position to save the day, joined by Elliot, a timid chicken plagued by portentous visions, and Zacchaeus, a rowdy alien who may be the last of his kind. Thompson (Habibi) has created a richly imagined and gorgeously illustrated universe, and his candy-colored palette belies the class divisions, environmental woes, and corporate/industrial dominance of Violet's future. It's a wild and funny escapade, undergirded by a tender portrait of a family just trying to get by. Ages 8â12. Agent: PJ Mark, Janklow & Nesbit.

June 15, 2015
In a galaxy far, far away, a young girl and her motley crew of friends fight to save her father and the solar system from a destructive fleet of space whales. After exhausting all other fuel sources, inhabitants of the universe now rely on the waste of planet-eating space whales, which is processed by "lumberjacks" like Violet's dad. Her impoverished family lives in a trailer park on a perilously stationary asteroid, unlike the upper-crust, who reside on perpetually moving, fuel-dependent space stations, where her mother is a day laborer. Lured by danger and money, her father agrees to an impossible mission and ends up missing. Violet and her newfound gang of friends-an erudite young rooster named Elliot who identifies himself as a chicken, an alien claiming to be the last of his kind, and a gang of her father's old cronies-embark on a quest to save her dad from a space whale and help stop a deluge of whale dysentery from drowning the solar system, but they learn that his disappearance is a part of something larger and more sinister. Thompson's art is wild and busy, with overcrowded, unconventional panel structures. The worldbuilding is a strikingly imaginative pastiche that seamlessly blends biblical references, poop jokes, and social satire. Fans of Ben Hatke's Zita the Spacegirl series should gravitate to this offering. A weird and wonderful intergalactic tale. (Graphic science fiction. 7-12)

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August 1, 2015

Gr 5 Up-Violet's family lives among the Roids, the boondocks of the galaxy, where her father collects the whale droppings that fuel society. It's a dangerous job, for these massive space mammals eat anything stationary. During a bout of whale diarrhea (the equivalent of an oil spill), Violet's father goes missing. However, this capable young lady isn't about to sit still. With teamwork, she and her diverse group of alien friends learn they can pass impassible obstacles, save baby whales, and survive the harsh realities of space. This volume is a cornucopia of wacky aliens, cool ships, and space junk. Every panel is crammed full of minutely detailed line art and colored to match the status of the place (the elitist space-station Shell-Tarr has bright hues, while "outer space" has all the rusty and grimy shades of a junkyard). For this whirlwind adventure, Thompson uses dynamic layouts, opens up smaller spaces with cross-sections, and even mimics the action with some panels. While the work scrutinizes the energy crisis that humanity has yet to avert, it mostly focuses on the themes of family, friendship, and cooperation. VERDICT With its fully realized artistic vision, oddball humor, and fantastic story, Space Dumplins will appeal to those who loved, but have outgrown, Zita the Space Girl (First Second, 2011) and Cleopatra in Space (Scholastic, 2014).-Rachel Forbes, Oakville Public Library, Ontario, Canada

Copyright 2015 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Starred review from August 1, 2015
Grades 5-8 *Starred Review* Violet's dad works for the sawmill, which refines space-whale poop into valuable fuel. It's a tough, thankless job, and along with her mom's work as a low-level fashion designer, they eke by. Soon, though, their income is the least of their problems. While her dad is away on a top-secret mission for the sawmill, a devastating wave of sticky whale diarrhea (eerily like an oil spill) sweeps through their sector, and she and her mother don't know whether her father is safe. Her mother can't afford the help they need to find her dad, so intrepid Violet launches her own mission, along with Elliot, the seizure-prone, hyperintelligent chicken, and Zaccheus, the loud-mouthed, runty Lumpkin. For all its scatological humor, Thompson's sci-fi adventure is packed with sensitive commentary on all-too-familiar issuesdependence on a destructive energy source, stark economic divides, and prejudice against the poor. His kinetic full-color illustrations are jammed with wacky aliens and Seussian space architecture, while the intensely detailed backgrounds signal economic differences: poorer sectors are dusty, brown, and full of cobbled-together spaceships and piles of rusty junk, while the tony space station is full of sleek, swooping lines; transparent walkways; and bright, shiny colors. With thrilling adventure, a stalwart and good-hearted hero, some well-timed laughs, and a meaningful message at its heart, this will surely be a star.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2015, American Library Association.)