Race to Warp Speed

April 1, 2024
The continuing adventures of a would-be space conqueror and his down-to-earth prehistoric friends. Extraterrestrial invader-turned-friend Jeff searches for the missing warp drive to his spacecraft. Helping him in this endeavor are the returning party, consisting of Carl, Trevor, Hungry, Spike, and Dragon. While sharing family stories, the group learns that dinosaur Hungry has never met their parents: "I hatched out of an egg, and I was...alone." A side plot about Jeff's abandoned pet, Charles, sees the crustacean growing into a rampaging beast--and eventually colliding with the main storyline. The group also contends with King Quazzy, who wants the warp drive for his own villainous reasons. Communication is frequently the key to progress, such as when a falling coconut breaks Jeff's translator device, and he then speaks in (subtitled) German for roughly a third of the book. A priceless running punchline about profound parental advice is simultaneously elegant and absurd. Elsewhere, the cast members find solutions by asking for help and turning weaknesses into strengths. Visual humor is ever present and just as delightfully anachronistic as the verbal gags. Lepp uses King Quazzy's enormity in interesting ways to show differences in scale, as in a panel in which Jeff is held up to Quazzy's eyeball. New fans and returning series readers alike will enjoy this clever and humorous outing. Separate pursuits of family and a science-fiction MacGuffin both lead to hilarity. (recipe, drawing instructions, Jeff's alien alphabet) (Graphic fiction. 7-10)

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June 1, 2024

Gr 2-5-Jeff, a green alien sent from the future to conquer earth, and his dinosaur friends Hungry, Spike, Carl, and Trevor, are back for another adventure in this second series installment. The new mission involves finding Jeff's lost warp drive, a machine that allows his spaceship to travel at "supersonic speeds." Once recovered, the friends plan to use the machine to find Hungry's missing family. Comic obstacles ensue, including a power-hungry group of flying reptiles, a giant crustacean, and a malfunctioning translator that makes Jeff speak only in German! The friends must rely on one another to save the warp drive and find Hungry's family. This title is full of humor and visual gags. While not all of the jokes land, there are enough laugh-out-loud moments to keep readers entertained. In one scene, Jeff and Carl must fix a "bug" in the time warp, only to find a literal bug has been trapped inside. The illustrations pop and their exaggerated, cartoonish quality fits the story. For all of the outrageous plot lines, there is a surprising amount of heart in the narrative. The characters share lessons they've learned from their fathers, which ultimately help them solve each crisis as it comes. The cliff-hanger ending will keep readers invested in the series. VERDICT Full of humor and heart, this book will be enjoyed by fans of InvestiGators by John Patrick Green and the "Hilo" series by Judd Winick.-Amy Ribakove

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