Graphic Novel Review – Gina – the Girl Who Broke the World (HiLo, Book 7) by Judd Winick (4/5 stars)
Reading Level: Middle Grade
Genre: Graphic Novel/Science Fiction
Length: 224 pages
Publisher: Random House Books for Young Readers
Release Date: February 2, 2021
ISBN-13 : 978-0525644095
Stand Alone or Series: 7th book in the HiLo series
Source: Bought
Rating: 4/5 stars
“Hundreds of years ago, MAGIC disappeared from Earth. At least…UNTIL NOW. Because suddenly, giant magical beings are appearing and only GINA can see them. Not to mention, Gina can somehow do magic herself. Magic is powerful. But it can also be DANGEROUS. With DJ and HILO’s help, can Gina figure out how to protect the magical beings from the creatures who are after them? AND how to use her magic to become who she was always meant to be? And can she do it WITHOUT putting the entire PLANET in JEOPARDY?!”
Series Info/Source: This is the seventh book in the HiLo series and the first one featuring Gina as the main character. I bought this book.
Story (4/5): With HiLo turned human, Gina is the only one of the original gang who can still do amazing and magical things. Now Gina is seeing things that only she can see and only she can stop. She is wondering just exactly what really happened when she brought magic back to Earth for the first time in hundreds of years.
Characters (4/5): I continue to find this cast of characters highly entertaining. It was fun to read about things from Gina’s perspective. I also really enjoyed watching HiLo’s excitement and fascination with everything about being human (from pooping to awful ice cream flavors).
Setting (4/5): This wasn’t the most exciting setting. It takes place mostly at Gina’s house on Earth. However, it was in keeping with a lot of the other volumes in the series and well done.
Writing/Drawing Style (4/5): The drawing is done in keeping with the rest of the series; very bright and cartoony…it fits the tone of the story perfectly. Both the drawing and writing are fun and easy to follow. I continue to enjoy Winick’s graphic novels a lot.
My Summary (4/5): Overall this was an entertaining continuation to the HiLo series and I enjoyed it. This is aimed at a middle grade audience and I have noticed my 14 yr old son doesn’t seem to find these as entertaining as he used to. I, however, still get a good laugh out of them. They are fun and well done. I love the interactions between friends and family and the crazy monsters/aliens that pop in and out of these books.
