Viminy Crowe's Comic Book

In this SF middle-grade novel, Wylder Wallace and Addy Crowe take turns as the perspective characters, exploring and upending the world of their favorite comic series. The (more or less) twelve year olds struggle against evil villains, scary inventions, unnatural disasters, and each other--first to escape the comic book they mysteriously fell into, and then to restore order to the steampunk story they messed up along the way.

Of course, I'm not the target audience for this sort of thing, and really I never was. When I was a middle-grade reader, I would've wanted nothing to do with this sort of "kiddie" book, but more's the pity for little budding literary snobs like myself. While nothing extraordinary in characterization or plot goes show more on, this little book is a really fun romp. Like the recent Newbery winning Flora and Ulysses--which, interestingly enough, also features an inadvertantly superpowered rodent--it'd also make a perfect entry for kids who prefer comic books and graphic novels when their parents and teachers want them to try something a little more traditionally formatted.

The illustrations and comic sections by Claudia Davila make me wish the comics actually exist, and the tag-teaming authors Marthe Jocelyn and Richard Scrimger both do an excellent job of telling a kid-friendly science fiction adventure story that fits the "genre-bending" and "experimental" labels without getting too weird to be easily followed. Things did get a touch confusing in the end, once more characters from the real world entered the fictional one, but I don't think it was strange enough to throw young readers, especially since by that point, they're probably eager to find out how everything works out in the end. All in all, this is a very good story for its audience and not a bad one for older readers in want of a little light reading. show less

Utterly delightful comic romp through an actual comic. Wylder Wallace wants somewhere to eat his onion rings, but when the only available seat places him at a table with Addy Crowe they end up in an adventure far more exciting than anything they've seen at the ComicFest they're attending. Steampunk robots, an evil villain, a train robbery and a giant, helpful rat force Addy and Wylder into an uneasy alliance as they struggle to escape the pages of Viminy Crowe's comic and save Addy's beloved uncle from ruin.

Lively comic panels throughout the book further the story and contribute to sense of being caught in a comic book. The story moves along at a good pace and alternates Addy's and Wylder's points of view, providing insight into both show more characters and their reluctant alliance that grows into friendship. My only disappointment was the failure to include the actual Flynn Goster comic at the end of the book.

Although this is intended as a middle grade novel, any fan of comics, steampunk adventure, and stories featuring helpful pet rats should enjoy this light read.

Note: this review is based on an ARC received from the publisher show less

Adventure! Robots! Trains! Thievery! Hot Air Balloons!

... and two out-of-place kids and a giant rat. You might roll your eyes to think about yet another kids book where the kids fall into some sort of imaginary world, but Viminy Crowe's Comic Book manages to charm with its combination of strong characters, crazy shenanigans, actual comic illustrations, and strange page-flipping comic book mechanic. It's a hard book to put down, and a rare treat even for an adult reader.

This was a fun, fast-paced story, ideal for the young and reluctant reader. A great cross between real and fantasy life. Wylder Wallace and Addy Crowe become unlikely companions, and heroes, when they find themselves mysteriously drawn into Addy's uncle's new comic book adventure while visiting a comic book convention. The right mix of humour, adventure, danger, and suspense. Highly recommended.

The blurb for this book is pretty much spot on, Viminy Crowe's Comic Book, is about a boy and a girl that meet at a comic-con and through some strange events are thrown into the world of one of the comics there. It was a fun book to read with lots of illustrations so that the reader could follow the comic book story as well as the actual one. There were a lot of funny moments that young readers will enjoy, overall I think this book is very much built for the young reader, which is great. I enjoyed reading it, it was a decent book, but I think the age group it is meant for will love this book.

I believe that Viminy Crowe's Comic Book will speak to both girl and boy readers alike as the main characters alternate in their points of view. show more You can tell that Addy is thinking about the situation more logically than Wylder, and while I think that is a bit of a stereotype, I think that in the book it works well.

As for the plot, it is fun, fast-paced, and interesting. There are a lot of really great parts and some lulls, but I think that it was a fun story. I love the idea of being dropped into a comic book, but at the same time, that sounds petrifying...

I would recommend for younger readers, with the pictures, maybe even struggling readers - I think they will help; also for comic book lovers. show less

I got a free copy of this from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

It's been a really long time since I've read a book for kids this age. I had a hard time with all the cheesy stuff, the stuff I know I would have liked if I was a kid. The book, overall, though, was a goofy, fantastic romp through time and comic exactly fit for a kid.

Addy and Wylder Wallace accidentally get thrown into Uncle Vim's comic and they have to figure a way out that won't ruin everything. They battle nature, crocodiles, and love scenes to end up learning a thing or two about love themselves.

I thought that "Viminy Crowe's Comic Book" was a fast paced, fun read. In the book, there are two characters who meet in the cafeteria at ComicFest, a girl named Addy, and a boy named Wylder. They don't really like each other, but have to work together to escape when they get stuck in the comic book that Addy's uncle wrote. I am a fan of comic books, steampunk, and novels, so when I saw a book with these three things combined, I jumped at the opportunity to receive an Early Reviewers copy. This book definitely didn't disappoint me, and I would recommend it to readers who are reluctant to read anything other than comics, or to any younger steampunk fans.