SPF 40

April 22, 2013
The graphic novel Zebrafish (2010) introduced a group of teens that organized a band to support cancer charity work. This sequel about the group’s post-band summer (which was also produced by author/illustrator Peter H. Reynolds and his FableVision children’s media company) comes sharply into focus at the moment that band member Tanya, now a camp-counselor-in-training, discovers that a diabetic camper, Scott, has fallen ill—and it’s her fault. Tanya was holding on to the pack with the remote control to his insulin pump, but she handed it off casually to someone else. “Scott said you had his—” starts her friend Plinko, and she’s instantly stricken. “His pack! I do! I did!” It’s a vivid depiction of the kind of absentminded mistake that’s easy to make, but the rest of the story never achieves that immediacy. The dialogue and full-color cartoons are lively, and the kids are involved in worthwhile summer projects, yet the more sobering elements of the story—Tanya’s leukemia (now in remission), Scott’s diabetes, Vita’s older brother’s cancer research—seem at odds with the overall narrative arc, which is determinedly cheerful. Ages 10–14. (June)■

May 1, 2013
Zebrafish, the plucky band of do-gooder musical misfits, returns in a sophomore offering ready for a summer of camp, video games, first jobs and art. Picking up where Zebrafish (2010) left off, Vita, Tanya, Plinko, Jay and Walt are just beginning a very different summer together. Plinko and Tanya are off to work as counselors-in-training at an arts camp, while Jay and Walt will be working on a library's bookmobile--leaving Vita to wallow about trying to figure out what to do. With no gigs for Zebrafish on the horizon, some members of the group decide to enter a "Strings of Fury" (a fictional cousin of "Rock Band") video game contest. Unlike its predecessor, which concentrated mainly on Vita's experience, this plot focuses on Tanya's and Plinko's time at the camp. In remission from her leukemia, Tanya befriends Scott, a diabetic fellow camper, who will not only become a good friend, but may just be their necessary secret weapon in the "Strings of Fury" contest. A diverse cast of characters pulls the narrative in different directions, but then it just flops about. The one-dimensionality of the art and the story makes it feel relentlessly vanilla. There is little excitement here, a sad fate for a promising summer-camp yarn. Cardboard. (Graphic fiction. 9-12)

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July 1, 2013

Gr 6-10-After a successful year, a band's members go their separate ways for the summer: Walt and Jay run a bookmobile, Vita tries to avoid responsibility and Plinko and Tanya are counselors-in-training at a camp where they meet enthusiastic Coley and cautious, restrained Scott. The artist's work in this follow-up to Zebrafish (S & S, 2010) seems somewhat more confident and smoother. However, readers unfamiliar with the characters may feel a bit at sea. There is little exposition about prior circumstances or relationships, and the fact that the characters have split into three camps (one literal) makes the story jagged and jumpy-it's less a sequential narrative than a series of character moments over time. Word balloons are occasionally placed in an order or position that confuses, and there are frequent blocks of dialogue that come across as staid because they are paired with a single, immobile image that can't successfully convey the evolving action. The tone is consistently positive, even when the story pauses to underscore the emotional seriousness of some of the situations. There is a foundation of optimism to every encounter, a belief that obstacles can be overcome and answers can be found. The book is chock-full of charm and aspiration, but perhaps so much so that it spills over in a jumble of enthusiastic disconnect.-Benjamin Russell, Belmont High School, NH

Copyright 2013 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

March 1, 2013
Grades 5-8 This middle-grade Zebrafish series featuring a diverse cast of teen and preteen characters takes a feel-good approach to big issues without belittling the impact on the emotional lives of the characters or their reading audience. In this episode, the group decides to enter a contest requiring both musical and video-game skills. In the run-up to the event, the younger kids go to summer camp while the older ones discover and work at interesting library jobs, ranging from painting the bookmobile to training a therapy dog. Diversity here is not limited to ethnicity, age, and gender but includes health matters as well, as the campers include one in remission from leukemia and another whose diabetes has made him shy about fully participating in camp activities. Page and panel layouts are easy to follow, and the cartoony images are full of energy. A good recommendation for readers of Mark Crilley's Akiko series.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2013, American Library Association.)