Super Amoeba

April 4, 2011
For a single-celled organism, Squish the amoeba leads an awfully complicated existence. His two best friendsâPod, a bowtie-wearing amoeba nerd, and Peggy, a pathologically cheerful parameciumâare a constant thorn in his side; he just can't seem to make it to school in time; and Lynwood the school bully wants to swallow him whole. When yet another bout of tardiness lands the whole group in detention, Squish is faced with a full-blown moral dilemma: in order to save Peggy from becoming Lynwood's next between-meal snack, he has to let the big bully copy his next science test. Can even our precocious protozoan hero get himself out of this one? The Holms strike a breezy, goofy tone right out of the gate, and Squish is a likably put-upon lead character, but beyond him the book doesn't offer much; his pals are annoying and the villain has as many dimensions as he has cells (that is, one). Add to that a disappointing two-color palette, and the whole undertaking seems flatter than a microscope slide. Squish may be an amorphous blob, but he needs to whip his supporting cast into shape for issue two. Ages 7â10.

July 1, 2011

Gr 2-4-The creators of "Babymouse" (Random) return with the more boy-centric Squish. He lives in a world that is a microscopic facsimile of our own. The only difference is that everyone is an amoeba, including his best friends, nerdy Pod and relentlessly chipper Peggy. Squish faces a dilemma when the school bully wants to copy off his science test. The menacing amoeba even threatens to eat Peggy if he doesn't get his way. Squish fantasizes about dealing with the problem like Super Amoeba, the hero of his favorite comic book, who always has the "courage to do what's right." While the conclusion is a bit abrupt, it will likely generate laughs and leave readers ready for the next installment. Characters are mostly types, with a clear focus on laughs and moving the plot along. The loose, inky cartoon illustrations are bathed in shades of lime green. Panel layouts are simple and clear, ensuring first-time graphic-novel readers a smooth ride. Likable and entertaining, Super Amoeba will be super popular.-Travis Jonker, Dorr Elementary School, MI

Copyright 2011 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Starred review from April 1, 2011

The hilarious misadventures of a hapless young everylad who happens to be an amoeba. Countering the (perceived, at least) girliness of their Babymouse series, the talented Holms turn to the microbial world for new graphic material. Like his revered comics hero, Super Amoeba, blobby Squish is determined to "do what's right." This turns out to be relatively easy when it's his mooching buddy Pod suckering him into switching lunches or his relentlessly cheery classmate Peggy the paramecium (her every utterance trailed by a line of exclamation points!!!!!) begging him to come over after school to meet her new slime mold Fluffy. It's a lot harder when brutish bully Lynwood callously envelops and begins to digest the seemingly doomed Peggy for a snack. The siblings draw it Babymouse-style in thick lined cartoon panels with garish green highlights and dialogue balloons. Plenty of helpful arrows point out significant anatomical details ("Pseudopods") or offer snarky side comments. The episode zips along to a climactic ugly (but just) surprise for Lynwood, then closes with an easily doable prank/science project involving a moistened slice of bread. If ever a new series deserved to go viral, this one does. (Graphic novel. 7-9)

(COPYRIGHT (2011) KIRKUS REVIEWS/NIELSEN BUSINESS MEDIA, INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.)

March 15, 2011
Grades 3-5 The Holm siblings (of Babymouse fame) start a new series of humorous school stories, this time featuring amoebas and other single-celled creatures. Squish prefers to spend his time reading comic books starring Super Amoeba but has to attend elementary school with his friends Pod, whos a bit of a mooch, and Peggy, whos always happy and a bit naive. There they face a bit more danger from bullies than most: Lynwood has a bad habit of eating paramecia, such as Peggy. Young readers will relate to the everyday misadventures of getting detention for being tardy, trading school lunches, dealing with bullies, and taking tests. Theyll also enjoy the way the amoebas chow down on tacos, read comic books, and generally act like kids. The black, white, and green art makes amoebas look, for the most part, cute, while the narrative and comments directed to the reader appear in green-tinted, arrowed boxes. Squish may appeal more to boys than girls, but any fans of the Holms superpopular other series are likely to enjoy this new offering.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2011, American Library Association.)