Eric Orchard

reviewed from uncorrected egalley.
children's graphic novel (2nd-5th grades) bera, the small troll (whose only responsibility would normally be taking care of the pumpkin harvest) sets out in search of a hero to take her human foundling baby to safety, but after many escapes and adventures becomes a hero herself. The goblins and monsters are strange but not too scary, and many of them, along with the animal creatures of the wild, are endearing. A terrific story that will enchant kids and show more adults alike. show less

Bera lives a peaceful and quiet life on her tiny island, accompanied by her friend Winslowe the owl. There she grows pumpkins for the troll royal family and is content. But then one day she finds a strange creature...a human baby! Where did it come from? What will she do with it?

Bera isn't used to dealing with complicated problems like this and the small creature is rather gross, but she can't just hand him over to the evil witch so she does on a quest to find his family. One by one she show more meets her heroes, the great trolls and heroes of legend, and one by one discovers that there's both more and less to them than she read in her books.

Orchard's dark and quirky illustrations are the perfect accompaniment to this odd and often gruesome story. Goblins, trolls, rats, and wolves populate the earth-hued pages in oranges, browns, and swamp greens.

Verdict: Fans of Deb Lucke's Lunch Witch will like this quirky, dark story but it probably will not have the wide appeal of, say, Kibuishi's Amulet series. Buy if you're looking for more graphic novels.

ISBN: 9781626721067; Published 2016 by First Second; Borrowed from another library in my consortium show less

Maddy Kettle: The Adventure of the Thimblewitch by Eric Orchard is a graphic novel about a girl going to extraordinary lengths to save her parents from a curse. Maddy Kettle's parents were booksellers until the Thimblewitch turned them into mice. Now Maddy wants to find the witch and force her to turn them back.

As Maddy travels the land to find a solution to her problem she encounters all number of people. The people and sentient creatures she meets are reminiscent to the types of beings show more Dorothy encountered and later befriended (for the most part) on her various journeys through, and later, life in, Oz.

Having a strong, competent female as the lead in a fantasy comic is good. Having her be part of a story where there is no clear, villain, is even better. Maddy, by being observant, patient but tenacious, is able to save not only her parents, but many of the other characters she meets. show less

Maddy Kettle: The Adventure of the Thimblewitch is the first book in an exciting new graphic novel series by Eric Orchard.

When her parents are turned into kangaroo rats and kidnapped by evil spider goblins, Maddy goes in search of the Thimblewitch to rescue them. A one-of-a-kind floating spadefoot toad named Ralph is just one of the many unique creatures Maddy encounters on her quest. This fantasy adventure has just the right balance of exciting and creepy segments to maintain the attention show more of young readers without causing nightmares. Even the scariest characters turn out to simply be misunderstood.

The beautiful illustrations will be a hit with readers of all ages. Orchard’s use of vivid colors, interesting characters, and engaging, imaginary settings bring the story to life. The illustrations reflect the fast-paced plot and ongoing action.

This quirky new series is guaranteed to become a popular choice of young readers along with works by Roald Dahl and Neil Gaiman.

To learn more about Eric Orchard and his books, go to http://www.ericorchard.com/. show less