A new original graphic novel from the team behind the New York Times bestselling Plants vs. Zombies comics, Paul Tobin and Ron Chan!

Benson, young teen boy with dreams of venturing into space and becoming a Galactic Ranger, is given the chance to make his hopes a reality when he’s selected to join an elite academy full of strange characters and unusual alien classmates.

But when a combination of culture shock, bullying, and administrative secrets shake his confidence, Benson must dig deep and fight to prove he belongs.

MY TAKE

I don’t feature too many graphic novels with the piles of traditional novels on my desk waiting to be read. I’ll remedy that imbalance today with a look at EARTH BOY.

Benson has a tougher time fitting in than any present day middle schooler. Going off to a far away space academy without any friends present challenges. There are light years of nothing to do. Thank goodness the journey gets interrupted by a few unsavory aliens. That’s when Benson can show everyone he’s an Earth Boy with talent and leadership. Great lessons for any Earth Boy or Girl.

The artwork is beautifully presented and the story is a good one, too. Sometimes it gets a bit wordy, but the wild cast of characters along with lessons on facing adversity should appeal to science fiction fans age 10 and up.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Paul Tobin is a New York Times-bestselling author. His writing includes Bandette; Colder; and many other comic books, graphic series and works of fiction. Bandette, drawn by Colleen Coover, was awarded the Eisner Award for Best Digital Series in 2013; again in 2016; and was a finalist for the Oregon Book Award for Graphic Literature in 2016. Paul’s graphic novel I Was the Cat, created with artist Benjamin Dewey, was nominated for an Eisner in 2015.

(For more visit Paul’s author web site)

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All you have to do is blog about a middle grade book on a Monday (contests, author interviews, or anything middle grade related also count). Email me the title of the book or feature and a link to your blog at gpcolo[at]gmail[dot]com

Make sure you put MMGM or Marvelous Middle Grade Monday in the subject line so it gets sorted accurately–and please don’t forget to say what book or author you’re featuring) You MUST email me your link by Sunday evening (11 PM Eastern Time) in order to be included in the list of links for the coming Monday.

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*Please note: these posts are not a reflection of my own opinions on the books featured. Each blogger is responsible for their own MMGM content and I do not pre-screen reviews ahead of time, nor do I control what books they choose. I simply assemble the list based on the links that are emailed to me.