Comics Squad #3: Detention!

Comics Squad #3

by Jennifer L. Holm, Matthew Holm, Jarrett J. Krosoczka

A comics collection from some of the biggest stars in graphic novels, including Jennifer L. Holm and Matthew Holm, Jarrett J. Krosoczka, and Victoria Jamieson!
 
Calling all kidz! Do you like comics? Do you like laughing till you get sent to the principal?!
 
Don’t punish yourself! Read the next Comics Squad! Leave your troubles behind with this collection of quick and funny stories about many kids’ biggest fear—detention! Sure, detention can be scary or frustrating or just plain boring, but who knew it could also be an adventure? With a disrespectful Greek god, antimatter ooze, bioengineered rats, and a school full of stampeding bulls, it is definitely full of fun!
 
It’s a bust-your-gut-laughing comics anthology with original contributions from the most beloved and bestselling names in graphic novels!

Genres: Graphic Novels, Comics, Humor, Middle Grade, Short Stories, Fiction, Juvenile

160 pages, Kindle Edition

First published July 4, 2017

About the author

Jennifer L. Holm is a USA TODAY and NEW YORK TIMES-bestselling children's author with nearly 10 million books in print. She is the recipient of three Newbery Honors for her novels OUR ONLY MAY AMELIA, PENNY FROM HEAVEN, and TURTLE IN PARADISE and a Scott O'Dell Award for her novel FULL OF BEANS.

Jennifer collaborates with her brother, Matthew Holm, on three bestselling graphic novel series -- the Eisner Award-winning Babymouse series, the SUNNY series, and the Squish series. SQUISH is now an animated tv series on YouTube!

For more information, visit her website at www.jenniferholm.com.

Reviews

[Jon Nakapalau · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great, quick trip down memory lane. I like books like this that take me back to when I was a kid. Summers spent in the backyard - lemonade and cookies - and comics! Friends would come over and we would just devour anything we could get our hands on comic related! Looking back I know that this is where my love affair with reading started.

[Rod Brown · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was underwhelmed by the first two volumes of the series, but this fell in my hand at the library the other day, and I noticed some impressive names on the cover: George O'Connor, Victoria Jamieson, and Ben Hatke. Unfortunately, this is not their best work, aiming to be strictly juvenile. Not bad, but I was hoping for so much more.

[Katie Lawrence · Rating 4 out of 5]

Such a great assortment of stories and creators this time! I think I loved everything included. Great fun and I love getting these books in kids hands! A great intro to some popular characters too, readers can read more about them in their own series.

[Heidi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Never having had detention I was quite curious about how it would be depicted in these short comic format stories. And of course all the stories are quite absurd, but thoroughly engaging and entertaining and bound to be enjoyed by many young readers. From a student expecting detention but being made a kindergarten helper to a Lunch Lady story to a girl trying to get detention so her crush will notice her, the stories here vary widely but are all amusing. From some of the best graphic artists currently doing children's books the reader should be able to find something he/she likes. My favorites were the story of the girl trying to get in trouble, made difficult by a rather clueless principal, and the Holm's Squish who is thoroughly depressed by having detention.

[Abby Johnson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another Comics Squad collection, this one focusing on detention. This is a great series for kids who love comics - lots of their favorite comic artists are represented here. Since each story is short, this makes an excellent book for browsing or for times when kids don't have a lot of time to read.

[Nancy Kotkin · Rating 4 out of 5]

A compilation of comics by talented creators. All the stories have something to do with recess. Most are stand-alone stories; a few feature well-known serialized characters (like Babymouse, Lunch Lady, and Squish), but even those stories are original and can be enjoyed without reading those series.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

My third graders will love this as much as the others in this series!.

[Mary Lee · Rating 4 out of 5]

I probably shouldn't pick favorites, but Ben Hatke's story is the best.

[Kat L · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fun, lively and packed with detention!

[Angela Blount · Rating 4 out of 5]

Originally reviewed for YA Books Central: http://www.yabookscentral.com/kidsfic...

Eight different author/illustrators bring to life (and panel) eight different stories told via sequential art, with the uniting theme of one of the more dreaded of school time punishments: Detention.
The message content ranges from meaningful to humorous to benign. Coming in at 160 pages, this collection varies widely in art style and approach, and may appeal best to young readers who are already familiar with one or more of the authors.
Short stories include:

*The Breakfast Bunch In… Detention Disaster tells the tale of three kids who wind up in detention after eavesdropping on a teacher who they’re convinced is planning to use bioengineered rats to rob their city. It also has the bonus of a one-page step-by-step guide to drawing one of it’s characters.

*Cheating Death W/ Sisyphus cunningly compares detention to the famed Greek myth (in which the gods condemned a king by the name to forever push a boulder up a mountain, only to watch it roll down again.)

*Worse Than Detention is a twisting and amusing story about community service gone wrong—and right. It also features some of the highest levels of artistic detail within this collection.

*Milo’s Journey is a sweeping-yet-condensed daydream of epic proportions, presenting as a keenly stylized world-within-a-world fantasy.

*Too Nice! Is a comedy of errors, as a boy-crazy “nice girl” tries everything she can think of to land herself in detention, all in the hopes of winning the notice of a wannabe rocker.

*Cyclopean Kid: Detention Is Forever tell the tale of a cyclops who nods off in monster school, and who’s teacher accidentally leaves him in detention longer than she meant to.

*Think About What You’ve Done! introduces readers to a day-dreaming doodler, and the not-so-invisible friend who makes his detention time more bearable with its mischievous antics.

*Squish: Leave No Cell Behind! is the story of a single-cell organism who winds up in trouble after his favorite comic book hero inspires him to commit a good deed. The last page includes a guide on drawing the main character.

All in all, this graphic book is an engaging medium that effectively conveys a wide range of characters, plotlines, humor, and emotion; while also encouraging creativity. A solid pick for any hesitant young reader.

[Dolly · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is filled with school-themed comics from popular authors and illustrators. It's the third installment in the Comics Squad series.

All of the stories refer to getting sent to detention in some way and yet they are all different. I love that there are some stories featuring our favorite characters as well as new ones.

It was very interesting to see George O'Connor take on a more cartoonish school version of the Greek mythologies compared to his amazing graphic novel series featuring the Olympians.

Fans of any one of these authors will likely find a new character, series, or storyline they may want to read about again.

We've read the previous books in this collection, Comics Squad: Recess! and Comics Squad: Lunch!, and really enjoyed them both. I hope there are more published soon!

[Joanne Roberts · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hit or miss. Mostly miss. Prepubescent boy humor, but probably not the kind you read and reread.

[Maria Rowe · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun, light read. My favorite was “Too Nice!” by Rafael Rosado and Jorge Aguirre.

[Becky B · Rating 4 out of 5]

A collection of short graphic novels for middle grades that all center on the topic of detention.

The Breakfast Bunch in Detention Disaster by Jarrett J. Krosoczka
***
Kids from Lunch Lady comics think the new teacher is putting them in detention because they overheard him talking about an evil plot to take over the city.
-Wasn't sure where this was headed. But I liked the twist at the end.

Cheating Death w/ Sisyphus by George O'Connor
****
Sisyphus gets himself in trouble by cheating and faces detention as a result.
-Oh boy, this is probably THE worst detention ever. It's also a nice retelling of the Greek myth of Sisyphus.

Worse Than Detention by Victoria Jamieson
****
A young troublemaker find that at her new school instead of detention, you get sent to help the kindergarten class for a while.
-As a teacher, I find this punishment system AWESOME! Hehehe. I think this girl has learned her lesson.

Milo's Journey by Ben Hatke
***
Milo finds some strange things in his desk during detention...or does he?
-This one will have kids debating whether Milo's adventure is real or not.

Too Nice! by Rafael Rosado & Jorge Aguirre
****
A nice girl with a perfect record and a crush on the cool rebellious kid tries to get herself sent to detention on purpose so she can be near him. Her best friend is constantly trying to help save her.
-I love the irony of the humor in this. I also like that the girl has a solid friend speaking wisdom to her. Of course, some people have to learn things the hard way.

Cyclopean Kid: Detention Is Forever! by Lark Pien
***
Cyclops gets sent to the top of the mountain for detention. He's afraid he'll get stuck up there forever.
-The twist at the end of this was cute. And I like that the cyclops has learned his lesson, detention just isn't worth missing out on all the fun.

Think about What You've Done by Matt Phelan
You're not quite sure what is going on with this kid in detention and the strange circular creature who appears...until the very end.
-I'll be curious to see if kids can puzzle out the meaning of this one. It's a good exercise in reading visual clues.

Squish: Leave No Cell Behind by Jennifer L. Holm & Matthew Holm
****
Squish can't leave Peggy when she trips on the way to school, even if it means being late and getting a detention. A hero wouldn't leave anyone behind.
-And the lesson is, it is super to be a good friend. And you should never, ever give Pod twinkies!

Overall a fun collection kids will enjoy.

Notes on content: No language issues or sexual content. Some bumps and bruises but no serious injuries.

[D.T. Henderson · Rating 2 out of 5]

A fun collection of shorts involving detention is great for most kids.

Breakfast Bunch in Detention Disaster 2 stars
Too silly for me

Cheating Death
Meh
2 stars

Worse than detention 3.5/4 stars
I loved this one! My favorite of the collection. I've worked with kids, and they have a tendency to be just like Mitchell.

Milo's Journey 3 stars
Nice. I liked the fantasy elements even tho the wizard business was confusing. I thought Milo was dreaming, but I guess he wasn't *shrugs *

Too Nice 3 stars
Oh my gosh! The art style is super cute! The story's cute too.

Cyclopean Kid 3 stars
"The world looks so sad through the blur of my tears. "
Super adorable art style!

Think about what you have done 3 stars
Simple but I liked it!

Squish Leave No Detention 2 stars
It was fine

[Nikki · Rating 2 out of 5]

There was maybe one story in here that I didn’t think was that bad. I read the first two books in this series just for the Babymouse comics and didn’t really enjoy those and since this one lacked the Babymouse comic I didn’t really enjoy the book that much at all. There were a couple of stories that I guess were kind of ok but overall I just didn’t really enjoy this book. I don’t really care for how some of the stories just kind of end without really wrapping everything up and some of the stories were just really pointless. I was not a fan of this book or of this series as a whole.

[Lynn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Comics Squad #3: Detention is a graphic novel written by several authors, each with their own story but all utilizing the theme of detention. Some are realistic fiction, and some are fantasy. All of them involve characters introduced in the authors' other novels. I especially liked the one by Jorge Aguirre about a girl trying to get herself thrown in detention to get the attention of a cool boy that she likes. Overall Comics Squad #3: Detention is a fun graphic novel with familiar characters and well thought out stories that each teach a life lesson.

[Earl · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wish I liked this installment more but it has enough star power to have it be popular with kids. I wasn't really familiar with some of the contributors' works so maybe that's why I didn't enjoy it as much. And at least one story felt rushed in terms of its artwork but that was probably the style the graphic novelist was going for.

[Samantha · Rating 3 out of 5]

Short comics on the subject of detention. I like all of the different approaches that appear here. A great book for grades 3-5, as well as any adult wanting a survey of leading comic book writers and illustrator writing for children.

[Sarah Threlkeld · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another great collection of comics with enough variety to appeal to lots of different readers.

[Emily Ross · Rating 4 out of 5]

Super fun collection! This latest in the series was great for anyone who has ever had of feared they would get detention!

[wildct2003 · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read half, skimmed half. Found new authors/artists to follow.

[Colette · Rating 5 out of 5]

What is not to like about Comic Squad? Detention is not fun for anyone, except for maybe Clara?

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved the Victoria Jamieson one and the Ben Hatke one. Fun to see so much talent and creativity in one book.

[Marcie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love this series and other short story collections, because kids can read a story and then find an author they want to read more.

[Jnase1 · Rating 2 out of 5]

A sampling of some graphic novels-it was about as good as the first two.

[AHI · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read at least 2x

[Erica · Rating 3 out of 5]

Find out how some of your favorite comics deal with detention.

[Miss Erica · Rating 3 out of 5]

Find out how some of your favorite comics deal with detention.

[Christian · Rating 5 out of 5]

The best comics squad yet!