Mal and Chad: The Biggest, Bestest Time Ever!

Mal and Chad #1

by Stephen McCranie

In the tradition of Calvin and Hobbes, MAL AND CHAD is a funny comic-strip graphic novel that makes a perfect first chapter book!

Mal is a super kid genius and Chad is a talking dog, but no one knows it. What's it like to be so extraordinary and yet so invisible? Not even Megan, Mal's secret crush, has any idea that Mal is anything more than a dork. Fortunately, Mal and Chad are best friends with a penchant for adventure . . . even if the time-traveling does get them grounded by Mal's mom.

Introducing the first in a series of illustrated chapter books by talented newcomer Stephen McCranie that are laugh-inducing, clever, and full of heart. Give this to any kid who's a reluctant reader or is just leaving picture books and be prepared to answer the "When can I read the next one?"

Genres: Graphic Novels, Childrens, Humor, Adventure, Middle Grade, Comics, Time Travel

224 pages, Paperback

First published May 12, 2011

About the author

Stephen McCranie has been drawing comics since before he could read or write. He graduated from the University of New Mexico with a degree in Fine Arts and currently lives and works out of a small apartment in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

Reviews

[Dov Zeller · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mal and his talking dog Chad have a lot of zany adventures because Mal is a genius and can construct and fix crazy contraptions (rockets, time machines, people and dog shrinkers) in the blink of an eye (or, at least, off-screen in a way that makes it seem like he snaps his fingers and time machines just assemble themselves out of thin air because of his genius.)

Basically, McCranie doesn't even try to make the premise believable or realistic, even within the world of the story. We have a boy and a dog (who genius boy taught to talk) who go on shrink and cannonball into the sink scuba diving adventures and travel through time to visit dinosaur adventures all without ever raising suspicions of those around them. they hide their secret stash of gadgets and pretend they're just doing regular kid and dog stuff, as it is better to be a secret genius than to deal with the attention and responsibilities that would go along with being known for being Einstein meets professor gadget meets the ms frizzle?

this book is fun and funny. Silly. Cute. Regular school age stuff--crushes and bullies and homework and chores and school projects-- mingled with the fantasy and adventure. But I found myself losing a bit of patience with the premise at times, and how easy everything is to build and to fix.

[Reading is my Escape · Rating 3 out of 5]

A genius boy and his talking dog  
 
Mal is a child genius and Chad is a talking dog. Mal pretends to be just a normal kid so he can stay in grade school, either because he doesn’t want to grow up too fast or because he has a crush on Megan (a girl in his class). Mal and Chad do everything together from scuba diving in the kitchen sink to traveling back in time to the age of the dinosaurs. The story is fun and filled with mayhem and adventure. The drawings are simple and in black and white. They show the character’s emotions and portray a sense of excitement when the story calls for it. McCranie originally created Mal and Chad as a comic strip for a college newspaper. There are three books in the Mal and Chad series.
 
This one was very cute and funny. I actually laughed out loud at times. Another good addition for our elementary school library (at least I hope so).

[LG (A Library Girl's Familiar Diversions) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mal is an elementary school student who doesn't want anyone to find out that he's secretly a genius, because then he might be forced to go to college. He wouldn't have time to be a kid anymore, and he definitely wouldn't get to see Megan, the girl he likes.

So he lets his mom think he's just off playing when in reality he's trying out his various inventions with Chad, his best friend and pet dog, who he taught how to talk. You'd think a secret genius might have an easy time, but unfortunately he has to deal with Zachary, who makes fun of him and thinks he's smarter than everybody, the possibility that Megan thinks he's a dork, and an essay assignment about what he wants to be when he grows up.

This is another one of my very old ARCs, picked up at a conference I attended years ago. I had to double check that it was the first volume in the series, because it felt like at least the second. It wasn't immediately apparent that Mal and Chad didn't have some kind of Calvin and Hobbes situation going on. The fact that Chad could talk wasn't explained until the end of the volume, and Mal being a secret genius wasn't mentioned until after he created a jet pack that accidentally launched his favorite stuffed animal into the sky, which I initially assumed was all just make-believe on Mal's part.

Mal's inventions were fun but, from an adult perspective, enormously risky, and I kept bracing myself for something bad to happen to him or his dog, even knowing that this was a Middle Grade graphic novel. He had a machine that could shrink him and Chad, but it was only through luck that he was able to reach it again so that he and his dog could change back to normal. Same with the time travel - he'd clearly done a little planning, because he had an additional few helpful inventions on hand, but it could have gone really badly. Maybe I wouldn't have been so braced for something to go wrong if it hadn't been for the jet pack incident and Chad's nervousness about Mal using it without testing it out in some way first.

I wasn't really a fan of the storyline involving Mal's crush on Megan, especially after Megan joined in (due to peer pressure, but still) on teasing Mal. Instead of having to apologize to Mal at some point, Mal just thought for a bit and realized that Megan hadn't actually wanted to tease him. Poof, all was forgiven and Mal's crush continued on.

So, the inventions are fun and Chad is a good dog and nice sidekick for Mal. I wish the "Mal has a crush on Megan" aspect had been cut or written differently, though, and I wasn't really a fan of the art style. All in all, this was okay, but I don't plan on reading more of this series.

(Original review posted on A Library Girl's Familiar Diversions.)

[Matti Karjalainen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Stephen McCranien "Mal and Chad: The Biggest, Bestest Time Ever" (Philomel, 2011) on varsin mukava tuttavuus lasten- ja nuortensarjakuvan kääntämättömiltä korpimailta. Sarjakuva kertoo huippuälykkäästä Mal-pojasta, joka voisi olla vähän niin kuin Phineasin ja Ferbin serkku tai Lassi, jonka mielikuvitusleikit ovatkin totisinta totta, sekä hänen puhuvasta koirastaan.

Nokkeluuttaan muulta maailmalta salaava Mal pystyy keksimään vähän kaikenlaista, avaruusraketista aikakoneeseen asti. Niinpä kaksikko pistäytyy seikkailemassa liitukaudella dinosaurusten seassa ja kutistaa itsensä minikokoisiksi voidakseen harrastaa syvänmerensukellusta tiskialtaassa (huonompi juttu, että äiti sattuu tulemaan sinä päivänä aikaisin kotiin). Aika velikultia!

Sarjakuvan lopusta löytyy ihan kiva opetus, ja samalla portti jätetään auki uusille seikkailuille, joita on tainnutkin ilmestyä toisen albumillisen verran. Visuaalisesti sarjakuva on myös ihan kohtalaisen mukavaa luettavaa, tosin värit olisivat voineet tehdä hyvää kokonaisuuden kannalta.

[Don Woodman · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a cartoon book about the trials and tribualtions experienced by a boy and his dog. Think Charlie Brown meets Calvin and Hobbes with some Dexter's laboratory thrown in for good measure. It is cute and fun, took about 20 minutes to read. The art is good (to my untrained eye). I'm not hip enough to read "Manga". In my early forties I may be a tad older than the target audience for this book, so I will give it to my sons and get their "read" on it. From my perspective it was competent but derivative, and the humor not quite as incisive as say Calvin and Hobbes, or Bloom County, or the European Asterix books. That seems a harsh assesment of a book that was looking to be sweet and cute, which it definitely was.[return]OK, I had my boys read the book and the verdict .... My 11 year old loved it, and said he would happily read more Mal and Chad books. He noted it was similar to Calvin and Hobbes. My 9 year old said he would give it 4 out of 5 stars. He said he didn't like the names Mal and Chad, and thought the storyline could be slightly better, but otherwise was happy with it.

[Sarri · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tämä ihastuttava lasten sarjakuvaromaani on Malin ja Chadin seikkailuiden ensimmäinen. Mal on lapsinero, joka keksii kaikenlaisia laitteita, kuten esimerkiksi hissiin tehdyn aikakoneen. Chad on älykäs koira, joka osaa kaikenlaista, mm. puhua. Malin suurin heikkous on eräs ihana tyttö koulussa. Sen takia Mal ei voi kertoa kenellekään, että on niin älykäs, jotta saisi olla samassa koulussa ihastuksensa kanssa. Muutenhan Mal joutuisi yliopistoon.

Kun lehdessä on juttu naisesta, joka löysi kokonaisen dinosauruksen luurangon, Mal päättää käyttää aikakonettaan ja lähteä paikan päälle katsomaan hirmuliskoja. Hienosti alkanut retki päättyy äärest jännittävään takaa-ajoon, josta kumppanukset selviävät vain nipin napin. Paluumatka aiheuttaa puolestaan hieman hämminkiä ja väärinkäsityksiä, mikä onkin oletettavaa, kun kyseessä on Malin keksinnöt. Sillä vaikka Mal onkin superälykäs ja kekseliäs, niin hyvä tuuri ei useinkaan ole keksintöjen kanssa matkassa.

Hauska, sympaattinen ja todella jännittäväkin sarjakuva sopii kenen tahansa luettavaksi. Todella mukava löytö, nämä kaverukset, Mal ja Chad.

[Eryn · Rating 3 out of 5]

A very fun and interesting graphic. I was intrigued by the fact that The boy genius doesn't want anyone to know of his immense brain power because he'd rather not deal with the adult world of responsibilities and boredom just yet. That's a refreshing idea to give kids - have fun and don't be so quick to grow up. I have a group of struggling middle school readers who will love to read these adventures with out feeling like they are being subjected to "baby books".

[Dani Shuping · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cross posted from LibraryThing

Imagine "Dexter's Laboratory," "Jimmy Neutron," and a dash of "Calvin & Hobbes" and you've got a pretty good idea of what "Mal and Chad" is like. And please don't take that as me saying that Stephen has co-opted these other guys for his own, no no...Mal and Chad is unique in it's own way. Mal and Chad started off as a webcomic and sadly Stephen is no longer continuing it. The good news though? You can still read the archives and he's working on the next book in the series. And that is an excellent thing.

Mal is a supergenius, pure and simple. But he doesn't want to let the rest of the world know what he can do, because he doesn't want to have to be an adult just yet. So he hides his genius, even from the bully/"braniac" of the class who routinely implies Mal isn't smart and Mal hides his intelligence from him Mom and the girl he likes, Megan, as well. The only one that knows of Mal's genius is his best pal Chad...a dog gifted with intelligence and a voice thanks to Mal's genius. This book follows Mal and Chad on their first adventure together, as Mal explores what he wants to be when he grows up. And along the way they explore deep sea diving, aliens, dinosaurs, and just maybe Mal and Megan get to know each other a little bit better as well. And at the end Mal does learns something even more important about himself.

This is a fantastic read, regardless of age. Even though Mal is a supergenius, he's one that we can all relate to. When he invents something he isn't using out of the world materials, but common everyday objects, such as old vacuum cleaner and a broken down elevator. And who among us can't relate? Stephen's tapped into memories and dreams of childhood and put them on the page for everyone to explore together in the form of best friends, Mal and Chad. Stephen's writing is simple and easy to read and his drawing style evocatively catches the everyday world and gives new life to it. I highly recommend this book to children young and old.

[Chris · Rating 3 out of 5]

We all dream of power that we don’t have, power to affect our circumstances and interactions, particularly the least powerful of us all: the young, whose every circumstance tends to be dictated to them by adults. Sometimes these fantasies are of being a physically imposing fighter, having a laser gun, wielding magic, or any number of other things. Through Mal, we dream of power as a young genius who can invent anything. Unfortunately, Mal knows his intellect and inventions are so incredible that he has to keep them to himself. Which means he has to put up with bullying from his school’s resident smarty and can’t find a way to impress Megan, the girl of his dreams, or stay out of trouble with his mom. The only one who knows Mal shrinks himself to miniature size so he can practice scuba diving in the kitchen sink, travels to the Jurassic period in his time machine, and plans to explore space in a rocket is Chad, his best friend and dog whom he taught to talk years ago, and they have many fun adventures together. The black-and-white illustrations in this graphic novel are effective, the characters relatable, and the storytelling enjoyable.

[Cameron B · Rating 4 out of 5]

I just finished the graphic novel Mal and Chad: The Biggest, Bestest Time Ever it had some action and alot of drama. Chad is a talking dog and Mal is a math genious kid that invents stuff. This book is full of description, in one part it described about what Mal and Chad's life was about and what they liked to do. Mal and Chad liked to make all types of inventions. One part Mal and Chad made a rocket ship to go up to outer space. But they did not have a cone for the top. They liked to go into the woods and have all types of adventures. I liked the part when they made the time machine and went back to the dinosaur age and explore the dinosaur age. I also like the part when Chad finds the dinosaur egg and tries to make it into an omelot and Mal says no because it's a real dinosaur egg. The egg hatched and they both screamed and they both ran away. I think this book would be a good graphic novel for you if you like action and drama in a graphic novel. I give this book a four star.

[Marissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Having a boy genius for a main character is a popular topic in children's and YA books and media. Mal and Chad is hilarious addition to the canon of this sci-fi subgenre. It reminded me a lot of Johnny Quest, except instead of Johnny's twin genius sister's, the main character is the genius--there's also a talking dog. This graphic novel is one that will have readers laughing out loud. There's also plenty of action and acventure. This series will be especially good to recommend for middle grade boys, but people of all ages (especially comic lovers) will get great enjoyment from reading this story. Apparently the author/artist originally created the characters for his college's newspaper.

[Jeremy Manuel · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is pure fun. I had found the Mal and Chad comic when it was in its webcomic form a couple years ago. I enjoyed the funny and whimsical adventures of the boy genius Mal and his dog, Chad, who Mal taught to be able to talk human language. No doubt anyone who reads it will get a bit of a parallel to Calvin and Hobbes, but there is more than enough different to make this worth a reading.

It may be too kiddy for some, too short for others, but it is a fun little book that has some thoughtful little insights here and there too. I'd recommend it for anyone who has kids or is still in touch with the kid inside them. I've enjoyed Mal and Chad for a bit now and I will look forward to seeing the other books of Mal and Chad in the future.

[Raina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Totally cute. Boy and his dog go on time-travel, shrinking, and jet pack adventures. In between, boy has crushes, gets in trouble, and deals with bullies. Whether his adventures are totally in his imagination or not is more-or-less left up to the reader. And really, it doesn't matter.

I think there's only one thing I'd change about this - I want it in color.

Definitely reminiscent of Calvin and Hobbes, but less philosophical.

[Jason · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wasn't into it at first, felt like mccranie expected constant suspension of disbelief. But the characters are likeable and they win you over. The action of the second half of the book was entertaining and the ending had an emotional center that was FABulous.

[Maria · Rating 5 out of 5]

An adorable talking dog, crazy inventions, and a jaunt back into the past to see some dinosaurs. What's not to love?

[Carrie · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 *'s

Time machine! Rocket ship!

I kept expecting the statue of Einstein to talk...

[Ashton Miller · Rating 5 out of 5]

Title: Mal and Chad- The Biggest, Bestest Time Ever!

Author: Stephen McCranie

Illustrator: Stephen McCranie

Genre: Graphic novel

Theme: Science, friendship

Opening Line/Sentence: What are you making?

Brief Book Summary: Mal and his dog Chad go on adventures together. Mal shrunk himself and his dog so they could go deep sea exploring in their kitchen sink and built a time machine which transported them to the time of the dinosaurs. All the while, Mal is trying to get a girl at school to like him and figure out what he wants to be when he grows up for a homework assignment. The bond between a boy and his dog is unlike any other.

Professional Recommendation/Review #1:
http://www.clcd.com.ezaccess.librarie...
Jesse Karp (Booklist, May 15, 2011 (Vol. 107, No. 18))
Starred Review* It is possible that the world will someday tire of stories featuring an intrepid boy and his companionable dog going on adventures that skim breezily through fantasy standards even as they plumb the depths of childhood hopes and fears. However, it will not be with this top-notch graphic novel. Mal is not your run-of-the-mill child adventurer but a scientific genius who can shrink himself and his talking dog to explore the bottom of a filled-up sink or send them back to prehistory in a time-traveling elevator. McCranie captures both the big-eyed, round-headed cartoon adorableness of his characters and the realistic (though age-appropriate) menace of the dinosaurs with equal aplomb. What sets this apart from, say, the similar Franklin Richards: Son of a Genius comics is that its rollicking sense of fun is set against childhood’s deep sense of longing: to be recognized, but not to stand out too much; to be respected, but to stay a child; to have the girl you like give you the time of day. As he frames Mal’s quest to write an essay about what he wants to be when he grows up, McCranie balances these disparate elements for an unusually satisfying read.

Professional Recommendation/Review #2:
http://www.clcd.com.ezaccess.librarie...
Kirkus (Kirkus Reviews, April 1, 2011 (Vol. 79, No. 7))
Shy, geeky preteen Malcolm's efforts to hide his super-intelligence repeatedly fall afoul of mishaps involving a series of spectacular inventions in this web comic crossover. With one such device Mal teaches his dog Chad to talk, and his "Yum Sauce" makes even dog food delicious. Unfortunately, those are about the only times anything goes right, as his jet-powered backpack blasts a hole in the roof, his (single) mom comes home unexpectedly while he and Chad have shrunk themselves to the size of ants with a "Mini-Mega-Morpher" and a time machine made from a junked elevator nearly strands both the adventurous pair and crushworthy classmate Megan back in dinosaur times. Meanwhile, he's demolished in gym class by Megan's famous "Flaming Dodge Bomb." In mulling over a "What do you want to be when you grow up?" assignment, he ultimately concludes that what he wants to "be" is different from what he'll want to "do," and it's too soon to tell about either. Like the art in the original pen-and-ink editions of Jeff Smith's Bone comics (1995-2004), McCranie's heavy lined cartoon panels feature expressively drawn figures and easy-to-follow sequencing but look unfinished sans coloring. Still, boy and equally irrepressible dog make an engaging pair, and, along with witty writing, there's plenty of action both physical and emotional. Sequels will not be amiss.

Response to Two Professional Reviews: I agree with both reviews because this graphic novel was humorous and entertaining. The drawings are spectacular and they give the story extra extravagance. Mal is also a relatable character and children will get a kick out of his inventions and relationship he has with his dog. The action in this story is never-ending and it was a super quick read.

Evaluation of Literary Elements: The dinosaurs in the story are drawn big and intimidating, since they’re in the center of the pages and much bigger than Mal and Chad. When Mal and Chad are running away from the dinosaurs, their legs and feet are diagonal, which shows they’re making a mad dash for safety. When the setting gets scary and eerie, the drawings are blacker, which makes the reader feel uneasy and unsafe. When the setting is whiter, the mood is cheerful and humorous.

Consideration of Instructional Application: For a minilesson, I would introduce onomatopoeias and have my students brainstorm a list of examples of onomatopoeias. After the read aloud, I would have my students think about what they want to be when they grow up and write about it, since Mal was thinking about this very same question throughout the story. I could connect this book to a lesson on dinosaurs, since Mal and Chad go back in time and meet dinosaurs. I would introduce different types of dinosaurs, what they ate, and how they lived.

[Stacey Adams · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mal is an inventor, very smart but he's only in elementary school so he hides it....he doesn't want to be sent to college he wants to be a kid. Mal has a homework assignment that is nagging at him. He has to write about what he wants to be when he grows up. In trying to find out what to write about he goes on adventures with Chad, his talking (due to an invention) dog. They scuba dive in the kitchen sink, go back to the time of the dinosaurs in a time machine to see if archeology might be his thing. In the meantime, Mal has a crush on Megan who has partnered with Zachary for the science fair. Zachary thinks he's found evidence of aliens and causes a rip in time hurting himself and bringing Megan into danger. Can Mal save Megan? Will Zachary realize what he truly saw? This book is engaging, funny, interesting and informative. Love the large scale, black and white drawings.

[Ashra · Rating 4 out of 5]

awww! what a romp!

I am a huge fan of Stephen McCranie. His series "Space Boy" is one of my favorite graphic novels of all time. So I knew I had to check out his other published works.

It was so interesting reading this one and seeing how he's developed his style over time, noticing similarities between Mal and Chad and Space Boy. This one definitely feels not yet as realized, without the same refined quality as Space Boy, but it is still very lively and fun!

The black-and-white color scheme works well for the art. The shading and creative stylization feels very fitting and unique to this goofy, off-the-walls world. Not everything fit together super seamlessly, but it was silly and cute and inventive! And it had DINOSAURS! Obviously it was good, there were dinosaurs and there was even a little baby dinosaur named Charlie and it was so lovely.

A lot of fun!

[C.O. Bonham · Rating 5 out of 5]

Short Graphic novel perfect for younger readers.

The story is your typical boy genius with impossible inventions that have no scientific backing what-so-ever. But the story and art are so compelling that you easily get sucked into the world.

The creator of this comic novel is the same creator as the Spaceboy webtoon and I found this book through my complete obsession with Spaceboy.

Mal and Chad shares the same wholesome tone as Spaceboy while clearly being written for a younger audience. Mal is a boy genius who suffers through elementary school simply because he is not ready to grow up. But the themes self discovery and growing up are still present.

If you are a fan of Spaceboy or just a fan of the boy genius trope then I'm sure you will find Mal and Chad a delightful use of an hour or two.

[Katie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thought this was a great book! The pictures were very detailed, and the story made the reader get pulled into the book. It was so good, that I read it in one night! I didn't want to stop reading because the story was very interesting. Its cool how the author wrote the story like this because it is the exact thoughts kids would think when they are in the position the character is in. This book made me feel very exited, and adventurous. Pictures and a dog that can talk? Top it all off with a kid that's smart enough to pass college is probably one of the best books ever!

[Maria · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars. Think Calvin & Hobbes meets Dexter's Laboratory. Mal (short for Malcom) is a brainiac who can build rocket-packs from his backpack and turn old elevators into time machines, but no one knows he's a child genius except for his best bud, Chad. In The Biggest, Bestest Time Ever!, Mal and Chad get up to some shenanigans that send them back in time to the age of dinosaurs. There's a school bully Mal has to contend with, and a childhood crush, and loving if somewhat strict mother who keeps a sharp eye on things. This was a sweet and quick graphic novel that would appeal to reluctant readers in grades 3-5. Reminded me a LOT of Calvin and Hobbes, so it loses some marks on originality, but otherwise I really liked it.

[TheMistressofBooks · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's been a while since I've read this but I remember loving the adventure and friendship between Mal and Chad. Who doesn't love a boy and his dog? Now, it is a little cringy seeing how awkward Mal is and how the other kids kind of shun him (if I remember right), but I think that's very relatable to elementary students.

Anyway, this is a book I would definitely recommend. =)

[Anthony · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mal, boy genius, and his talking dog Chad, are made for each other, and excitement as they travel through time, and discover non stop adventures in this fun to read graphic novel. Challenged by his teacher to write a paper on what he wants to be when he grows up, Chad finds a much larger answer to the question.

[Catherine Mustread · Rating 5 out of 5]

As in the second book of the series my young reading partner ranked this high, but didn’t want to give me any reasons. But we will go with his judgment. I liked it ok, but especially appreciated the summarization of the understated moral: "Then I realized that finding a job wouldn’t answer the question of what I want to be . . . It would only answer the question of what I want to do. In the end, I found out that being the person you want to be is more important than getting the job you want to get.”

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

These books are excellent, but they desperately need updated covers and colorized illustrations and they would be perfect for modern middle grade readers. Fingers crossed that we get an updated version sometime soon. (My kids won’t read them because they’re in black and white, so I know other kids are missing out on these as well. 😭)

[Beelzefuzz · Rating 3 out of 5]

If Calvin and Hobbes actually lived all of their adventures instead of imagined them, you would have this book, but you have to tone down wonder and imagination as a result and lose some of the magic.

[Melissa Newton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Title: Mal and Chad: The Biggest, Bestest Time Ever!

Author/Illustrator: Stephen McCranie

Genre: Graphic Novel

Theme(s): Friendship, Bravery, Adventure

Opening line/sentence:
What are you making?
I’m putting the final adjustments on my jet pack backpack.
Why do you need a jet pack?

Brief Book Summary:
Mal is a kid genius accompanied by his talking dog, Chad. The task of writing an essay about what Mal wants to be when he grows up prompts the entertaining pair to travel back in time to the dinosaur ages in Mal’s makeshift time machine. Outside of all of the madness they encounter there, Mal has to deal with the obstacles of elementary school, too—including trying to interact with the cute girl he’s crushing on in his class!

Professional Recommendation/Review #1:
Jesse Karp (Booklist, May 15, 2011 (Vol. 107, No. 18))
It is possible that the world will someday tire of stories featuring an intrepid boy and his companionable dog going on adventures that skim breezily through fantasy standards even as they plumb the depths of childhood hopes and fears. However, it will not be with this top-notch graphic novel. Mal is not your run-of-the-mill child adventurer but a scientific genius who can shrink himself and his talking dog to explore the bottom of a filled-up sink or send them back to prehistory in a time-traveling elevator. McCranie captures both the big-eyed, round-headed cartoon adorableness of his characters and the realistic (though age-appropriate) menace of the dinosaurs with equal aplomb. What sets this apart from, say, the similar Franklin Richards: Son of a Genius comics is that its rollicking sense of fun is set against childhood’s deep sense of longing: to be recognized, but not to stand out too much; to be respected, but to stay a child; to have the girl you like give you the time of day. As he frames Mal’s quest to write an essay about what he wants to be when he grows up, McCranie balances these disparate elements for an unusually satisfying read.

Professional Recommendation/Review #2:
Michael Jung, PhD (Children's Literature)
When you re smart enough to turn your mom s old vacuum cleaner into a shrinking machine, create lollipops that let you breathe underwater, or install a homemade jetpack in your backpack, every day is an adventure--as boy genius Mal and his talking dog Chad discover in this first volume of a forthcoming Mal and Chad graphic novel series. When his teacher asks him to write a report on what he wants to be when he grows up, Mal feels confused. With a brain like his, he could excel in practically any occupation, but which one should he choose? To decide, Mal and Chad shrink themselves down and go swimming in the kitchen sink (to see if he’d like to be a deep-sea explorer) and travel to the age of dinosaurs in Mal s elevator/time machine (to get a taste of paleontology). But when Mal s school rival Zachary gets his hands on the time machine and accidentally rips a hole in the fabric of time, Mal must use his super-smart brain to save his classmates and make sure they survive long enough to grow up at all! McCranie offers a fine blend of elementary school angst and whimsical adventure in his first graphic novel, which contains echoes of popular children’s comics like Kazu Kibuishi s Copper and even Japan’s classic manga series Doraemon with its dorky but likeable boy hero, wisecracking animal friend, and plethora of magical inventions. Fun whimsical humor will leave readers eagerly awaiting the next installment.

Response to Two Professional Reviews:
Graphic novels are not my genre of choice, but I wholeheartedly agree with both reviews—Mal and Chad are a delight to adventure with! Mal essentially reminds me of a printed, more enjoyable version of Jimmy Neutron. Mal and Chad are a quirky pair that a reader can’t help but smile at as they take on every day life AND time travel. The balance of “elementary school angst and whimsical adventure” is, indeed, admirable.

Evaluation of Literary Elements:
As this is a graphic novel, the literary element being emphasized throughout the entirety of the book is the illustrations. Numerous, solely black and white illustrations cover each page, and the minimal text is framed by thought bubbles throughout the entirety of the book. Onomatopoeia dominates many of McCranie’s pages, as well, making the protagonists’ actions come through the page at the reader.

Consideration of Instructional Application:
This text is ideal for third graders and above due to the book’s slightly more mature content. This is a great book to use to lay the foundation for graphic novels in the classroom as it’s a fun, exciting read and Mal and Chad are such a lovable pair. With that being said, I would not necessarily read the entirety of the book aloud to my class, but I may use it as an example of a successful graphic novel and then encourage them to look at and read it more thoroughly in their own time. After evaluating The Biggest, Bestest Time Ever!, students could be asked to develop their own comics using their knowledge of the genre gained from the evaluation of this book and others.

[Caroline · Rating 3 out of 5]

This graphic novel focuses on Mal, a secretly smart inventor, and his best friend Chad, his talking dog. Enjoy time travel, hi-jinks, and some pretty cool inventions.

[James Pugh · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun read that has a Calvin and Hobbes feel to it but with SCIENCE!