by Joe Iconic, Reporter

D.J. and his friend Gina are totally normal kids.  But that was before a mysterious boy came crashing down from the sky. Hilo doesn’t know where he came from, or what he’s doing on Earth. (Or why going to school in only your underwear is a bad idea!) …But what if Hilo wasn’t the only thing to fall to our planet?  And are D.J. and Gina ready to save the world?

Hilo: The Boy Who Crashed to Earth is funny, endearing, and the perfect choice for young readers.   This new graphic novel from Judd Winick for targeted for ages 8-12, but is enjoyable for all ages, especially for fans of Bone, Calvin and Hobbes, and Phoebe and Her Unicorn.  The full color pages have the feel and energy of a comic strip.  The fast pace, and relatable characters will quickly win the hearts of young and young-at-heart readers.

D.J. is instantly relatable in his struggles for identity in a large, overachieving family in a small town.   Many children wonder what it would be like if only something interesting would happen.  Hilo: The Boy Who Crashed to Earth has good friends, robot insects from another dimension, secret hideaways that smell like squirrel pool. This book also showcases Judd Winick’s mastery of storytelling, and is an audience pleaser.

Hilo: The Boy Who Crashed to Earth has a special place in my heart.  My copy of Hilo: The Boy Who Crashed to Earth came to me after a challenging summer.  My summer struggle was to get my soon-to-be third grader to improve her reading.  I included the local library reading program, Peanuts and Garfield comic strips, and anything I could find to desperately try to spark that life-long love of reading which still burns brightly from my own youth.  Our reading program ended with mixed results at best.  She earned a Reading Award, but she was reluctant to go the bookstore.   The time spent reading had most often seemed like a chore to her, an obstacle to plugging into her games and movies.  She had made it to her goal, and happily settled into two weeks of no reading requirements until school started.   Then Hilo: The Boy Who Crashed to Earth arrived.   She grabbed the book before I could flip through the pages, and escaped to her room.  She soaked in the vibrant, easy-to-read pages. Without a timer or reading incentive, she devoured the book, chapter by chapter, nearly 200 pages on her own.   I got to see brief glimpses when she shared with the burp jokes and art and high points in the story.  So, thanks to you, Mr. Winick, I had one of those awesome proud parent moments, worth a library’s weight in gold.

In other words, Hilo: The Boy Who Crashed to Earth cannot get higher praise from me.  If you have a young reader that needs to improve on their skills, get this book.  If you don’t have a young reader around, buy an extra copy or two and donate it to the local elementary school.  Insist your library carry it in stock.  If I was not already a fan of Judd Winick from his time on Green Lantern, Hilo: The Boy Who Crashed to Earth would have won me over.  For the record, that was before we found out his cats are named Chaka and Sleestak.

Rating:

ComicsOnline gives Hilo: The Boy Who Crashed to Earth 5 burping slayers of robot insects out of 5 burping slayers of robot insects.

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