Mystery of the Map

Poptropica #1

by Jack Chabert, Kory Merritt (Illustrator), Jeff Kinney (Creator)

Based on a concept by Wimpy Kid author Jeff Kinney comes Poptropica, a brand-new graphic novel adventure series by Jack Chabert and Kory Merritt. In "Mystery of the Map," Oliver, Mya, and Jorge take a ride in a hot-air balloon, only to crash-land on an unknown island filled with extinct animals and a horde of angry Vikings. Welcome to Poptropica, an uncharted group of islands whose existence is hidden from the rest of the world. As the three friends embark on a perilous search for a way home, they quickly discover the shocking reason they were brought there something that threatens the very existence of Poptropica and their ability to ever make it off the island!"

Genres: Graphic Novels, Middle Grade, Fantasy, Adventure, Childrens, Comics, Humor

112 pages, Hardcover

First published March 1, 2016

Reviews

[Dana-Adriana B. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Super simpatica povestea si grafica e draguta. M-am distrat cu copii citind-o. De abia astept sa continuam aventura!

A fun read with my children with nice illustrations and characters.

[La Coccinelle · Rating 2 out of 5]

I've tried a few middle-grade graphic novel series now, and this is probably one of the weaker ones. It relies too heavily on attempts at humour (I say attempts because I don't find booger-eating Vikings or stupid quips about Pizza Hut particularly funny), and there's very little plot. I'm also not a fan of the drawing style; the noseless characters remind me of Fraggles more than anything (only they're not as fun).

As with many graphic novels, the installment ends just as the plot is getting going. But I really have no desire to read on in this case. The idea of historically inaccurate Vikings in a magical land of extinct creatures described by a sentient map is all just too silly for my taste. And I couldn't connect to any of the characters.

There's a decent premise here underneath all the fluff, but it's too silly, juvenile, and underdeveloped to be enjoyable for most readers over the age of about ten.

[S G · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had never heard of the game before picking up this book. I thought it was a fun middle grade read. Three friends wind up in a mysterious land with Vikings.

[Reading is my Escape · Rating 2 out of 5]

Book based on an on-line game  
 
The Poptropica series is based on an on-line role-playing adventure game imagined by Jeff Kinney. In this book Oliver, Mya, and Jorge are on a hot air balloon ride that crashes on an unknown island. They soon realize the island is filled with Vikings and the balloon’s pilot has a sinister reason for bringing them there.
 
The graphics are bright and the story is fast-paced and exciting. There are four books in the series. Reading the books may encourage kids to check out the game or vice versa, but, it isn’t necessary to play the game to enjoy the book. 
 
The book was fun, but will appeal more to kids than adults.

[Michael J. · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great, fun read for younger minds that provides adventure and humor in a fantasy setting. First of a series that is based on a children's video game. No familiarity with the game is required to enjoy this. Glad I found this one. Think my grandson will like it.

[Nina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Liker veldig godt illustrasjonene, historien og ikke minst samholdet til gruppen.

[Elis Mina · Rating 5 out of 5]

Het was geweldig en Jordy was grappig

[Carla · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the first book in a new series called Poptropica. In this graphic novel, Mystery Of The Map, three children, Mya, Oliver and Jorge, are dropped off on a mysterious island that seems to be years in the past. They find dodo birds, sabre-toothed tigers and a viking ship. While running from the sabre-tooth, they find a type of fort inhabited by vikings. Meanwhile, the balloon operator is sneaking around looking for a map. How are they going to get off this island? Can they get back to the present? The kids end up being captured by the vikings until they get a chance to escape. The novel ends with the three of them escaping on the viking ship with the map. What is next in this series?

I have always loved graphic novels, especially if they get kids to read. This one is perfect for young readers who love a sense of adventure. I especially love the idea of history being introduced in this way. Hopefully this will tweak the interest in specific topics that children will search out other books and sources to read. This is a book that should be in school and public libraries. Teachers would love to have these books in their class libraries as well. I recommend this book to middle grade students.

I received a copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

[Annie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reseña completa--> http://bit.ly/2dW6j4a
Cuando yo era más pequeña (#recuerdosdeinfancialectora) mis mejores recuerdos, en cuanto a libros me refiero, son de cuando mi mamá leía conmigo novelas o tenía la oportunidad de leerlas por mi cuenta (la sensación de “ya soy grande”) ¿Por qué les cuento esto? Para recordarles que es importante fomentar en los más pequeños el hábito de la lectura ya que este dura para toda la vida y en el futuro serán posibles lectores ávidos. Este tipo de libros son ideales para que los más pequeños puedan irse adentrando en historias un poco más complejas, las ilustraciones son súper coloridas y divertidas y la historia es sencilla de seguir, pero aún así mantiene cierto suspenso y misterio, creo que lo que más disfrute de la historia (además de revivir a mi pequeño lector interno) es el humor tan sencillo, divertido e inocente de la historia que logrará que los más pequeños se carcajeen y arrancará una sonrisa a los más grandes.

[Jen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Welcome to Poptropica, where the heroes (Oliver, Mya, and Jorge) explore an island filled with Vikings and dodo birds as they alternately hunt and dodge the villainous Octavian! This graphic novel is a great introduction to the worlds of Poptropica, the popular gaming website for the 6-15 crowd. It's brief, but with enough intrigue to hook kids (and enough history to interest parents in future volumes).

[Ricardo Berumen · Rating 3 out of 5]

No le pondré calificación por la evidente razón de que mi mentalidad no es la adecuada para este tipo de literatura, solo diré que estoy seguro de que es una excelente propuesta literaria para los niños.
Tiene unas ilustraciones increíbles, bastante bien cuidadas. La historia es interesante y llena de aventuras y los personajes tienen un muy buen sentido del humor.

Sin duda lo recomiendo para esos lectores pequeños.

[Nalle · Rating 4 out of 5]

De nuevo una agradable sorpresa, esta pequeña novela gráfica resulta muy divertida y sumamente fácil de leer por lo que sin duda es altamente recomendable para los niños.
Las ilustraciones son muy buenas y los personajes se dan a conocer en este primer libro.
Una lectura ligera si buscas un descanso entre lecturas un poco pesadas.

[Jessica · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this to my kids and while I know I'm not the targeted audience I thought this was rather boring. My oldest got distracted during this and she is usually pretty attentive. Maybe the next installment will be better, we will give the second book a try.

[Miri · Rating 4 out of 5]

Es un libro súper chistoso, te alegra el día :D & que puedo decir de las ilustraciones están preciosas fue lo que más me gustó.

[Kyle Roberts · Rating 5 out of 5]

So funny and so cool.

[Marie the Librarian · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun, fast and actiony comic for middle grade kids!

[Pop Bop · Rating 3 out of 5]

A Cheerfully Manic Action Adventure

This is a graphic novel, really more of a high end comic book, for new readers. It's a tie-in to an on-line game, but the reader doesn't need to be familiar at all with the game to get into the book. While the blurbs reference this being based on a "concept" by Wimpy Kid author Jeff Kinney I don't see any particular similarity or connection between this series and the Wimpy Kid series. The book's author, Jack Chabert, does the "Eerie Elementary" books, which I admire, so I'm not impressed by the need for a Jeff Kinney shout-out.

This is the first book in the Poptropica series. It looks like our three heroes will travel from adventure to adventure, in the company of a magical map, trying to get home. This book sets up the three kids, the villain who will frustrate them from book to book, and the magic map. This adventure is set on an island populated by Vikings, which gives you an idea of how the plots will just rattle around.

The kids are cheerful and bright, much like the artwork and the coloring. There is a bit more snappy patter than I expected, a few good laugh lines, and some clever drawings that made this a bit more rewarding than I expected. Unusual for a book like this, the action scenes, (say, the kids being chased by Vikings as they floated down a river toward a waterfall), were fairly detailed and expressive. Lots of graphic works for young kids have computer generated drawings that look like they were cut and pasted from cereal boxes, but these drawings seemed a lot more thoughtfully made than that. It's also nice that the books aren't just spinoffs from superhero or cartoon franchises.

All of that said, while there isn't anything here that seemed wildly original or stunning, this struck me as a good, genial, fast paced, and inviting book for a new reader. It had a consistently upbeat tone, and no weird or odd plot or character developments. Just general good fun as a quick read.

(Please note that I found this book while browsing the local library's Kindle books, and downloaded it for free. I have no connection at all to either the author or the publisher of this book.)

[Jesse Baggs · Rating 3 out of 5]

Can a children’s graphic novel be trashy? “Poptropica” says yes!

Three kids get sucked into an alternate reality where they have to survive the mysterious bad guy who brought them there and some hostile locals—in this case, Vikings and saber-toothed tigers. The art was a little too slick for my taste—and why didn’t anyone have noses!—but it was still very readable, even compelling. While most kids-lit these days has some sort of positive theme or underlying message, the kids in “Poptropica” felt almost amoral, happy to mix it up violently with the Vikings or do whatever else they might need to do to get by without a second’s hesitation. Plus they roast each other with fat jokes!

[Stacey Adams · Rating 4 out of 5]

Oliver, Mya and Jorge go for a ride on a hot air balloon that ends badly. Their pilot sabotages the flight and the trio could be stranded on an island forever. The three try to find a way home while evading the dodo birds and vikings that inhabit the islands of Poptropia.....which seem to be in a different time than the rest of the universe. Well written and drawn beautifully this story if filled with adventure and fun.

[Ryan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Three kids are on a hot air balloon trip with the parent. But after a snafu with an unreliable balloon operator, the kids end up on a mysterious island. They do not know where, or maybe even when they are located. But with the help of a peculiar map, maybe they will find their way home. A great all ages graphic novel. Short, and no real end, so have book 2 and 3 handy.

[Tomșa Roberta · Rating 4 out of 5]

4/5⭐️
✨După o grămadă de romane grele, mi-a prins bine o bandă desenată!😂
✨E o lectură perfectă pentru copii, de ce nu chiar și pentru adulții care au nevoie de o pauză.Acțiunea și suspansul mi-au făcut cu ochiul, nici grafica nu a lăsat de dorit.
✨Chiar mi-a placut!Sunt sigură că și celelalte volume sunt la fel de interesante și ușoare de citit.👍🏻

[Sarah Hay · Rating 3 out of 5]

Three children are kidnapped while on a balloon ride and dropped on a strange island filled with Vikings. They must first escape the Vikings and then figure out how to get back home. This is the first of a series.
Good for ages 8 and up.

[Rachel Watson · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is a cute little graphic novel for kids. It's easy to read with younger child humor. I read it in about 15 minutes. It is part of a series but I won't be reading the others because although the pictures were great, it wasn't very catching to me. I would however recommend this book to younger readers who like adventure and humor.

[Veronica · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a fun adventure book that middle-school level readers will love. Any fan of the Poptropica website will love the action packed adventure and the fun cast of main characters. It's an easy read, and will easily entertain kids on a rainy afternoon.

[Gabby · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read during my trip to the library while I had some time to waste. Was fun and nostalgic reading about a video game I loved so much as a kid!
Not sure if I’ll continue on with the series but this was fun.

[Danielle · Rating 2 out of 5]

This first book doesn't have a lot to do with Poptropica other than the character design, but it seems like future books might explore the different islands. As a fan of the game, I was disappointed and right now I'm not sure if I'll continue with this series.

[Daria Maria · Rating 3 out of 5]

Drăguță, dar nu exagerat. Fiu-mio a citit-o într-o seara înainte sa adoarmă. Deci lectura e lejera. A doua zi, voia volumul doi. L-am luat și asta a fost..... Mai departe nu a mai mers...
Deci as mai adaugă captivanta, dar nu exagerat de captivanta, sau nu suficient....

[Kristy McRae · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read this one with my son. We loved it!

[Owen · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was an exciting book. I was having fun reading the book. Then I played the poptropica island tied in to it and it followed the story nicely.

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

If your child enjoys Dav Pilkey’s (Dog Man, captain Underpants) or Jeff Kinney’s work (diary of Wimpy Kid), he or she will probably like this series.