THE LAST KIDS ON EARTH: THE GRAPHIC NOVEL (The Last Kids on Earth Graphic Novels), by Max Brallier and Brian Churilla, Viking Books for Young Readers; 1st edition, Nov. 5, 2024, Hardcover, $23.99, Paperback $13.99 (aages 8-12)
The original New York Times bestselling The Last Kids on Earth, by Max Brallier, is now a full-color graphic novel with illustrations by Brian Churilla.
Ever since the monster apocalypse hit town, average 13-year-old Jack Sullivan has been living in his tree house, which he’s armed to the teeth with catapults and a moat, not to mention video games and an endless supply of Oreos and Mountain Dew scavenged from abandoned stores. But Jack alone is no match for the hordes of Zombies and Winged Wretches and Vine Thingies, and especially not for the eerily intelligent monster known only as Blarg.
So, Jack builds a team: his dorky best friend, Quint; reformed middle school bully, Dirk; Jack’s loyal pet monster, Rover; and the fiercest girl Jack knows, June. With their help, Jack is going to slay Blarg, achieve the ultimate Feat of Apocalyptic Success, and be average no longer! Can he do it? —Synopsis provided by Viking Books for Young Readers
My 10-year-old loves graphic novels. But what she likes even more are graphic novels that are based on novel, because that means she can read both and get different things out of them.
There are 11 books in the original Last Kids on Earth series, although some of those are two-parters i.e., book 7 and 7.5. And kids love them.
Kids — both current and new fans — will love the graphic novel.
My kid has read it 10 times in the past three days. She told me she would help me review the book, if I let her keep it. “I just really like it,” she told me. “I’ve never read a book where zombies take over.”
“It’s got a lot of monsters in it, including the Blarg, which is Jack’s nemesis. Jack’s got a best friend named Quint. He’s also friends with the reformed school bully Dirk and his crush June. He has a pet monster named Rover — that looks like it’s ¼ dog, ¼ cat, ¼ monster, and ¼ unknown.”
Churilla’s illustrations and use of different panels is a big draw for her. “I like the layout — it’s interesting with the different rectangles.” Her favorite part is where the zombies all end up in a ball.
“I love the adventure,” she said, “and if you like Zombies, you’ll love this book.”
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