The popular series is back with an 8th installment. More than 7 adventurous years featuring 4 main characters. How many have your read?

THE LAST KIDS ON EARTH       
THE LAST KIDS ON EARTH AND THE ZOMBIE PARADE 
THE LAST KIDS ON EARTH AND THE NIGHTMARE KING 
THE LAST KIDS ON EARTH AND THE COSMIC BEYOND       
THE LAST KIDS ON EARTH AND THE MIDNIGHT BLADE
THE LAST KIDS ON EARTH AND THE SKELETON ROAD 
THE LAST KIDS ON EARTH AND THE DOOMSDAY RACE 

I’ve only read the first and of course the most recent for today’s review, but it was fun to revisit the series. More so for the intended audience. The adoration of middle grade readers are evident in this press release:

The Last Kids on Earth series now has over  10 million copies in print , a toy line, and a video game released in June 2021 from Outright Games.

The star-studded Netflix animated series was a warded a Daytime Emmy for Outstanding Special Class Animated Program. Developed by Atomic Cartoons, the series features the voice talents of Mark Hamill, Rosario Dawson, Catherine O”Hara, and may others.

The newest, THE LAST KIDS ON EARTH AND THE FORBIDDEN FORTRESS, continues the out of this world story. Okay, actually in this world, but a crazy one after a monster apocalypse started it all. Jack, pictured lower left, narrates each adventure. In book one he created his team and they continue to fight the monsters. There’s Quint, his best friend; reformed middle school bully, Dirk; Jack’s loyal pet monster, Rover; and the fiercest girl Jack knows, June.

Here’s what to expect:

Picking up after  Quint and Dirk’s Hero Quest, the Last Kids are happily reunited—but quickly faced with a monstrous new mission. Inside an other-dimensional fortress, the evil Thrull, alongside a vile new villain, is carrying out a sinister plan. Jack, Quint, June and Dirk must make their own plans to infiltrate the stronghold before Thrull gets any closer to completing the mysterious Tower, a structure that could ultimately spell doom for this dimension.

Blending the traditional and graphic novel approach works well, satisfying those who like plenty of cartoon like illustrations and those who prefer the text based story telling method. The books have also motivated a lot of kids to read, especially those who otherwise avoid books whenever possible.

THE LAST KIDS ON EARTH and the FORBIDDEN FORTRESS ends on a cliffhanger so fans can expect more in the Fall of 2023.

FIVE MORE THINGS TO LIKE ABOUT: THE LAST KIDS ON EARTH AND THE FORBIDDEN FORTRESS

1. Jack is an often amusing narrator, coming up with the perfect line to ease the tension: Another George Washington quote jumps into my head. Or maybe it was Ryan Seacrest. Yeah, probably Seacrest—
2. Fast paced with scares that aren’t too scary for the middle grade set.
3. June is a strong female character always ready to take on the next challenge. She makes a great companion to Jack.
4. The black and white illustrations flow well with the text. They add to the story without getting you sidetracked in the plot.
5. Always an over the top introduction to science fiction, but so much fun.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR and ILLUSTRATOR

Max Brallier    (maxbrallier.com) is the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and USA Today bestselling author of more than thirty books for children and adults. His books and series include the Last Kids on Earth, Eerie Elementary, Mister Shivers, Galactic Hot Dogs, and Can YOU Survive the Zombie Apocalypse? Max lives in New York City with his wife and daughter.     
Douglas Holgate  has been a freelance comic book artist and illustrator based in Melbourne, Australia, for more than ten years. He’s illustrated books for publishers including HarperCollins, Penguin Random House, Hachette, and Simon & Schuster, and comics for Image, Dynamite, Abrams, and Penguin Random House. 

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