February 15, 2023
In this quirky graphic offering, two extinct creatures team up with a human reporter. One morning, Trilobite (who goes by Bite) and BFF Amber (short for Ambulocetus, a prehistoric walking whale) find their cupboards and stomachs empty. After meeting Tiffany Timber, a paleo-newscaster, they decide they will become influencers like her in hopes of hitting it rich. However, when they are duped by the tricky Opabinia and his goons (a cactus named Cactus Annie and a crinoid named Ted), they find themselves unexpectedly paired with Tiffany in a wild video competition to save her reputation. As the rounds progress, it seems like the trio cannot catch a break, incurring mounting penalties from the bad-tempered anthropomorphized house. Will they be able to defeat Opabinia and win the video battle? Hale's tale, executed in blue and white with strong black linework, is unapologetically zany, replete with poop jokes, an adorable talking kitten head, a giant hair dryer, and a gorilla deity sporting a halo that is also a portal, making this a perfect choice for those who find joy in madcap comics in the vein of James Kolchalka. Backmatter includes facts about the creatures mentioned and Hale's inspiration behind such a kooky charmer. Tiffany reads White. An exuberantly goofy romp. (minicomics) (Graphic fantasy. 7-11)
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April 1, 2023
Gr 3 Up-Trilobite and Amber are friends who should be extinct, but they're not. They'd like to be famous, but it's a while before they learn that they could become famous just by telling the world that they exist! When they discover how to become famous through internet videos, it seems like the answer to their problem. But the quest to create viral videos is just the beginning of a weird, hilarious, and surreal story. Trilobite and Amber become involved in a video-making competition for internet fame that becomes funnier and stranger the longer it goes on. The cast of characters is one of the most unique ever, including a trilobite who dreams of being rich and famous, an ambulocetus (or walking whale), a paleo-newscaster, an ape god, and many, many more. Hale uses only black, white, and pale blue colors, but each panel is packed with details. Plenty of squiggles and shading make the artwork look like it's vibrating off of the page. VERDICT For kids who enjoy zany, funny, and smart stories.-Andrea Lipinski
Copyright 2023 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.
Starred review from April 15, 2023
Grades 3-6 *Starred Review* Welcome to the Island of Losta Founda, where supposedly extinct creatures live on. Trilobite (a marine arthropod from the Cambrian era) sets out to be rich and famous but isn't sure how, until he meets Tiffany Timber, a paleo newscaster/vlogger with a ton of followers, who suggests they partner up. Since Trilobite and his pet Amber (an ambulocetus from the Eocene period) are a paleontology treasure, they're certain their video content will be so newsworthy it will break the internet. On their quest to create groundbreaking content, they come across a tiny spinosaurus, an ape god that is part of a violent pantheon, a crinoid, a wooly rhino, and the wise but tricky Opabinia, who becomes their archnemesis as they enter into a six-round video battle royale. Hale is mostly known for impressive and well-researched historical-nonfiction graphic novels, so this frantically paced fever-dream project of pure escapism is quite the stray, but not at all unwelcome. The hand-drawn pen-and-ink illustrations are deliciously detailed and painstakingly and lovingly stippled and crosshatched. The story is silly but moves along briskly with wonderful humor, and the cast of predominantly extinct characters is wholly original. The panels are wonderfully paced, with each shot as beautifully framed and expertly lit as the video battles described within, and the project overall is a mighty undertaking.
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