Graphic Novel Review – Giants Beware! (The Chronicles of Claudette, Book 1) By Jorge Aguirre and Rafael Rosado (4/5 stars)
Reading Level: Children’s
Genre: Fantasy/Graphic Novel
Length: 208 pages
Publisher: First Second
Release Date: April 10, 2012
ISBN-13: 978-1596435827
Stand Alone or Series: 1st book in the Chronicles of Claudette
Source: Bought
Rating: 4/5 stars
“Make way for Claudette the giant slayer in this delightful, fantastical adventure!
Claudette’s fondest wish is to slay a giant. But her village is so safe and quiet! What’s a future giant slayer to do?
With her best friend Marie (an aspiring princess), and her brother Gaston (a pastry-chef-to-be), Claudette embarks on a super-secret quest to find a giant—without parental permission. Can they find and defeat the giant before their parents find them and drag them back home?
Giants Beware! offers up a wondrous, self-contained world in the tradition of the very best of Pixar. Claudette and her friends will have you laughing out loud from page one.”
I have been wanting to read this for some time and saw it at my local Half Price Books and immediately bought it. This was a laugh-out-loud funny fantasy graphic novel aimed at the middle grade age group.
This is just a super cute and funny little graphic novel. The illustration is in bright full color and the style is very cartoony; it fits the tone of the story perfectly.
Claudette basically cons her best friend (who aspires to be a professional princess) and her little brother (who wants to be a professional pastry chef that designs swords on the side) into coming on a giant slaying quest with her. The quest is not without perils and what Claudette and her friends find at the end of it is not at all what they expect.
This story deals with issues of friendship, disabilities, and society’s expectations of how things should and shouldn’t be.
Overall this was a great book. It’s a very humorous story that is still cute and heartfelt. I think readers of all ages will enjoy it. I would especially recommend to readers who love humorous fantasy graphic novels.
This book goes towards the following reading challenges:
– Graphic Novel Reading Challenge
– You Read How Many Books? Reading Challenge
– Flights of Fantasy Reading Challenge
