Review: Sidekicks by Dan Santat

Sidekicks
By Dan Santat
Arthur A. Levine Books
ISBN: 9780439298117
$24.99 hardcover; $12.99 paperback
Grades 3-6
In Stores July 1, 2011

Let us be honest, folks – at this point, you could slap a cape on a coat rack, toss in a few one-liners and our current superhero-crazed culture would eat it up. Give Dan Santat credit then for creating something far from mindless – a superhero story that is skillfully plotted and artfully executed at every turn. Sidekicks is a graphic novel that plays on classic comic storylines, yet manages to make them completely modern. A dangerously entertaining mix.

Captain Amazing is getting on in years. When some derring-do puts him out of commission, the hero and puts out a call for a new sidekick. The Captain’s pets – hamster Fluffy, dog Roscoe, and Shifty the chameleon – do their best to fill the role. And fill it they do – coming through in the clutch to save Metro City from a villain making an unwelcome return.

Santat’s vivid artwork will turn heads. Dramatic full-color illustrations splash across each page, the energy palpable. Wide-angle panels give off a cinematic vibe that kids will eat up.

With the help of humor and a good dose of action, Sidekicks is bound to circulate until the cover falls off.

Review copy from publisher

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Also reviewed by A Fuse #8 Production.

Find this book at your local library with WorldCat.

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