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Lucy & Andy Neanderthal #1
Lucy & Andy Neanderthal
From the author of the New York Times bestselling Jedi Academy books comes a hilarious graphic novel series about two young cave kids living 40,000 years ago.
"Lucy & Andy are Stone Age rock stars! I loved this book!" --Lincoln Peirce, author of the Big Nate series
Lucy and Andy are a sister and brother who get into trouble much like any sister and brother. Only difference? Lucy and Andy live in the Stone Age! Discover their laugh-out-loud adventures as the Paleo pair take on a wandering baby sibling, bossy teens, cave paintings, and a mammoth hunt. But what will happen when they encounter a group of humans?
Includes extra information about Neanderthal life that's sure to appeal to future paleontologists and science phobes alike! And don't miss Lucy and Andy's next outing, Lucy & Andy Neanderthal: The Stone Cold Age -- coming soon!
A New York City Public Library Best 50 Books for Kids 2016!
A Chicago Public Library Best of the Best 2016!
"Jeffrey Brown returns from a galaxy far, far away to bring us a whole new slew of kid-friendly characters! Just beware of mammoth dung!"
--Keith Knight, author of Jake the Fake and The Knight Life
Every kid will love to go back in time with LUCY & ANDY!"
--Judd Winick, author of Hilo: The Boy Who Saved the World
"Lucy & Andy are Stone Age rock stars! I loved this book!" --Lincoln Peirce, author of the Big Nate series
Lucy and Andy are a sister and brother who get into trouble much like any sister and brother. Only difference? Lucy and Andy live in the Stone Age! Discover their laugh-out-loud adventures as the Paleo pair take on a wandering baby sibling, bossy teens, cave paintings, and a mammoth hunt. But what will happen when they encounter a group of humans?
Includes extra information about Neanderthal life that's sure to appeal to future paleontologists and science phobes alike! And don't miss Lucy and Andy's next outing, Lucy & Andy Neanderthal: The Stone Cold Age -- coming soon!
A New York City Public Library Best 50 Books for Kids 2016!
A Chicago Public Library Best of the Best 2016!
"Jeffrey Brown returns from a galaxy far, far away to bring us a whole new slew of kid-friendly characters! Just beware of mammoth dung!"
--Keith Knight, author of Jake the Fake and The Knight Life
Every kid will love to go back in time with LUCY & ANDY!"
--Judd Winick, author of Hilo: The Boy Who Saved the World
240 pages, Paperback
First published August 30, 2016
103 people are currently reading
415 people want to read
About the author
Jeffrey Brown
189 books1,386 followersJeffrey Brown was born in 1975 in Grand Rapids, Michigan and grew up reading comic books with dreams of someday drawing them, only to abandon them and focus on becoming a 'fine artist.' While earning his MFA from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, Brown abandoned painting and began drawing comics with his first autobiographical book 'Clumsy' in 2001. Since then he's drawn a dozen books for publishers including TopShelf, Fantagraphics, Drawn & Quarterly, McSweeney's and Chronicle Books. Simon & Schuster published his latest graphic memoir 'Funny Misshapen Body.' In addition to directing an animated video for the band Death Cab For Cutie, Brown has had his work featured on NPR's 'This American Life' His art has been shown at galleries in New York, San Francisco, San Diego, Los Angeles and Paris. Jeffrey's work has also appeared in the Best American Comics series and received the Ignatz Award in 2003 for 'Outstanding Minicomic.'
He currently lives in Chicago with his wife Jennifer and their son Oscar.
He currently lives in Chicago with his wife Jennifer and their son Oscar.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 201 reviews
September 19, 2016
A new direction for Brown, whose earlier memoir work I loved, and whose wildly popular Star Wars stuff I liked okay. This book I learn from Allie draws from more than 100 books Brown lists as research into Neanderthals and the stone age, which is great primarily because it functions as a model for inquiry: Kids, How much research does an author have to do to write a partly fictional inquiry? Answer: Lots. And in case you want to see just what those books are, he has them all listed on Goodreads, too. Awesome.
Now, I both have no particular interest in Neanderthals nor much general interest in paleontology, archaeology or anthropology, but as Brown points out, The Field Museum he and I go to with kids is one of the best sources of information for this kind of stuff in the world, so my lack of interest doesn't mean a kid might not totally get into it. And maybe neanderthals is and isn't the point. Kids have to do these research reports on stuff in school--I recall my stunning fourth grade report on Alaskan King Salmon, which my mother hung on to for thirty years or so; wish I still had it now to sell it to my fourth grader! (kidding!)--and they now mostly have to do these sort of scripted (Common Core-based) argumentative research reports, but occasionally they do get to do cool, multi-layered, multi-genre research projects. . . like Brown's, which couches this research within a fictional world--we are reading about kids who are there.
Of course there's a lot of "kids as researchers" or inquiry models out there: The Magic Treehouse series, all the kid mysteries, but this one is unique in that it makes use of Chicago's big city resources such as the Field Museum (some of which is digitized for online users everywhere, teachers and parents!) in its focus on the stone age.
This story is about Neanderthal tweens--I am so bored living in the stone age, what is there to do?!-- Andy and Lucy, their toddler brother, their mom and dad and others in their clan. Different chapters feature whatever they have to deal with in their daily lives such as going on a mammoth hunt (which Andy and Lucy are not allowed to do, too young), making clothes, and finding food. There's a cool chapter by artist Brown on cave art I really especially liked. Each chapter includes a section featuring a couple of modern day paleontologists discussing actual paleontological research into Neanderthals, sometimes correcting some of the goofy fictional stuff that pops up in the stories.
Andy and Lucy are not treated with respect by their parents, or adults, they face a lot of what kids today face, which is basically the point in making the story accessible, and maybe especially for struggling readers. The story comes complete with Brown's accessibly simple artwork and sarcasm and silliness. I personally didn't love it, I just liked it, but I think it is going to be wildly popular in schools, and I liked the idea of it a lot as a way of thinking about learning. The Common Core here in the States (but it's similar in Britain and Australia and other places) pushes argument and non-fiction, so this kind of meets non-fiction and argumentative research in the middle. I like that. So 3 for personal engagement with the actual story and 5 for the awesome research aspects, 4 average stars.
Now, I both have no particular interest in Neanderthals nor much general interest in paleontology, archaeology or anthropology, but as Brown points out, The Field Museum he and I go to with kids is one of the best sources of information for this kind of stuff in the world, so my lack of interest doesn't mean a kid might not totally get into it. And maybe neanderthals is and isn't the point. Kids have to do these research reports on stuff in school--I recall my stunning fourth grade report on Alaskan King Salmon, which my mother hung on to for thirty years or so; wish I still had it now to sell it to my fourth grader! (kidding!)--and they now mostly have to do these sort of scripted (Common Core-based) argumentative research reports, but occasionally they do get to do cool, multi-layered, multi-genre research projects. . . like Brown's, which couches this research within a fictional world--we are reading about kids who are there.
Of course there's a lot of "kids as researchers" or inquiry models out there: The Magic Treehouse series, all the kid mysteries, but this one is unique in that it makes use of Chicago's big city resources such as the Field Museum (some of which is digitized for online users everywhere, teachers and parents!) in its focus on the stone age.
This story is about Neanderthal tweens--I am so bored living in the stone age, what is there to do?!-- Andy and Lucy, their toddler brother, their mom and dad and others in their clan. Different chapters feature whatever they have to deal with in their daily lives such as going on a mammoth hunt (which Andy and Lucy are not allowed to do, too young), making clothes, and finding food. There's a cool chapter by artist Brown on cave art I really especially liked. Each chapter includes a section featuring a couple of modern day paleontologists discussing actual paleontological research into Neanderthals, sometimes correcting some of the goofy fictional stuff that pops up in the stories.
Andy and Lucy are not treated with respect by their parents, or adults, they face a lot of what kids today face, which is basically the point in making the story accessible, and maybe especially for struggling readers. The story comes complete with Brown's accessibly simple artwork and sarcasm and silliness. I personally didn't love it, I just liked it, but I think it is going to be wildly popular in schools, and I liked the idea of it a lot as a way of thinking about learning. The Common Core here in the States (but it's similar in Britain and Australia and other places) pushes argument and non-fiction, so this kind of meets non-fiction and argumentative research in the middle. I like that. So 3 for personal engagement with the actual story and 5 for the awesome research aspects, 4 average stars.
September 26, 2016
This book is kid approved! My 10 y.o. reviewed an ARC copy and absolutely loved this graphic novel. A recent museum visit had him reciting facts from the book (yay for covert science knowledge!). This mom was thrilled to hear him laughing in the backseat of the car while reading on the way to school. Alex even provided an impromptu book talk to his sister about the virtues of the book. My kid loved it because it was by a favorite author and hilarious. Lucy & Andy Neanderthal provided what every parent wants their child's reading moments to be full of: joy.
Highly recommended!
Highly recommended!
April 7, 2017
3.5 stars. Review to come
February 6, 2017
***This review has also been posted on Xpresso Reads
Lucy & Andy Neanderthal genuinely surprised me in that I did not expect to enjoy a graphic novel about neanderthals as much as I did. One of my concerns prior to diving in would be that it portrayed neanderthals in a way that did not acknowledge their evolutionary history but Jeffery Brown actively works against doing just that. This graphic novel features short stories about a group of neanderthals but Brown works in actual facts about how neanderthals lived and how they differed from humans into these stories. I am also a nerd and LOVE facts so that I had a lot of fun with that aspect of the novel.
This cute little graphic novel is such a great way to make aspects to evolution accessible to a younger audience and I know I would have gobbled this book as a child (and loved it as a teen so you definitely do not have to be a kid to appreciate this book.)
The illustrations are so much fun too (and obviously have to be to make this graphic novel what it is) and work with the text to create mini-stories that work and are fun to read.
The graphic novel does 'humanize' neanderthals a little which I struggled with but I don't think that can be helped. Brown also works to show the differences and similarities between humans and neanderthals to make up for that humanization.
Lucy and Andy Neanderthal is by the same dude who wrote Darth Vader and Son so like, that might be a reason to automatically add the book to your TBRs but I would definitely recommend it to younger readers or again, readers like me who enjoy kid lit!
Note that I received a finished copy of this book for review.
Lucy & Andy Neanderthal genuinely surprised me in that I did not expect to enjoy a graphic novel about neanderthals as much as I did. One of my concerns prior to diving in would be that it portrayed neanderthals in a way that did not acknowledge their evolutionary history but Jeffery Brown actively works against doing just that. This graphic novel features short stories about a group of neanderthals but Brown works in actual facts about how neanderthals lived and how they differed from humans into these stories. I am also a nerd and LOVE facts so that I had a lot of fun with that aspect of the novel.
This cute little graphic novel is such a great way to make aspects to evolution accessible to a younger audience and I know I would have gobbled this book as a child (and loved it as a teen so you definitely do not have to be a kid to appreciate this book.)
The illustrations are so much fun too (and obviously have to be to make this graphic novel what it is) and work with the text to create mini-stories that work and are fun to read.
The graphic novel does 'humanize' neanderthals a little which I struggled with but I don't think that can be helped. Brown also works to show the differences and similarities between humans and neanderthals to make up for that humanization.
Lucy and Andy Neanderthal is by the same dude who wrote Darth Vader and Son so like, that might be a reason to automatically add the book to your TBRs but I would definitely recommend it to younger readers or again, readers like me who enjoy kid lit!
Note that I received a finished copy of this book for review.
March 2, 2017
There's so many good reviews for this out there that I don't need to say much. I did feel that it was pretty cool that the author used real research (and LOTS of it!) to create a graphic novel full of funny stories. I like that the stories are short and wrap up with with an "actually..." page, essentially listing what really happened in real Neanderthal life compared to what the chapter stated. The fact versus fiction section at the end was awesome, too. The only thing is… This honestly felt kind of dense to me. It was very long, and I am probably standing alone in this feeling, but while some stories made me laugh I definitely felt like others dragged on. I'm still going to give this four stars because I'm impressed by the amount of research done for this kid-friendly graphic novel, and I do think it could be used to show kids that it's important to clarify what is real and what is not in their writing. Great intentions, and my 3rd-5th graders who already love this author will really dig this. :-)
December 21, 2018
Entertaining graphic novel introducing Neanderthal and human characters along with some recent scientific information about the current theories about their life and habits. The illustrations are cartoonish and the interactions are humorous and depict fairly typical sibling rivalries.
Overall, it's a fun fast read and will likely appeal to those who have enjoyed Mr. Brown's Jedi Academy series.
Overall, it's a fun fast read and will likely appeal to those who have enjoyed Mr. Brown's Jedi Academy series.
September 9, 2018
I didn't really like this book. I mean, I love Jeffery Brown's work but I just didn't like this book. Maybe I wasn't paying enough attention and maybe I should read it again but from my first read I didn't like it.
September 21, 2016
Jeffrey Brown has received a lot of attention from the comics community for his autobiographical comics and, more recently, his Eisner award-winning kid-friendly re-imaginings of the Star Wars universe.
His newest work, Lucy and Andy Neanderthal, is also a re-imagining, but of a different sort—it recreates the trials and tribulations of a typical Neanderthal cave unit from thousands of years ago. The reader meets siblings Lucy and Andy, their baby brother Danny, the neighbor Mr. Daryl, and Mr. Daryl’s children, Phil and Margaret. Along with episodes from their daily Neanderthal lives, the work cuts to the present day, where two archaeologists are explaining the available evidence to infer and imagine what Neanderthal life was actually like.
Full review:
http://noflyingnotights.com/2016/09/0...
His newest work, Lucy and Andy Neanderthal, is also a re-imagining, but of a different sort—it recreates the trials and tribulations of a typical Neanderthal cave unit from thousands of years ago. The reader meets siblings Lucy and Andy, their baby brother Danny, the neighbor Mr. Daryl, and Mr. Daryl’s children, Phil and Margaret. Along with episodes from their daily Neanderthal lives, the work cuts to the present day, where two archaeologists are explaining the available evidence to infer and imagine what Neanderthal life was actually like.
Full review:
http://noflyingnotights.com/2016/09/0...
September 14, 2020
4'5 🌟
Jeffrey Brown, autor y dibujante americano, es muy conocido por sus cómics autobiográficos y sus novelas gráficas de humor. Su obra más destacada hasta el momento está conformada por una serie dedicadas al mundo de las míticas películas de Star Wars, de las que se declara fan absoluto, titulados Darth Vader e hijos.
Su última obra "Lucy y Andy Neandertal" presenta una trilogía en donde dos hermanos pertenecientes a una familia de neandertales darán a conocer a una de las últimas especies de la prehistoria.
En este primer volumen, cuyo título da nombre a la serie, Brown acerca al pequeño lector hacia los comportamientos y costumbres de estos considerados últimos primates. El objetivo principal es dar a conocer sus características básicas, su organización social, la vestimenta, la alimentación y el modo de obtenerlo, habilidades y salud de una forma entretenida, amena y divertida.
Con un estilo contemporáneo, vocabulario asequible y diálogos concisos que facilitan la comprensión, la historia transcurre como una sucesión de sketches de un pequeño grupo cuyas anécdotas darán a conocer un ámbito diferente. Cada historieta, a pesar de tratar temas independientes, no queda de forma aislada, sino que la secuencia de todas construye una trama lineal que avanza poco a poco.
Debido a la adaptación y con el firme propósito de una mayor comprensión e identificación, el autor incluye una serie de anacronismos y expresiones contemporáneas que posteriormente explicará. Así mismo, cada referencia histórica del tema tratado es analizado al final de la historieta de la mano de dos arqueólogos contemporáneos que, mediante conversaciones e imágenes, comentan los descubrimientos que realizan basados en estudios científicos. Dichas exposiciones no ocupan más de una página, por lo que no irrumpen demasiado en la lectura y suponen un cierre al aprendizaje.
Además de los arqueólogos, los propios personajes, especialmente los adultos, también destacan por realizar sus propias explicaciones o enseñanzas al grupo más joven, de este modo se puede descubrir los pasos para construir sus propias herramientas, su ropa, las pinturas rupestres, la fisionomía, la fauna y la flora existente, etc.
Lo más destacable de la novela gráfica son las notas de humor; situaciones absurdas, comentarios irónicos y bromas que predominan en la historia haciendo de la lectura un pasatiempo agradable.
Los personajes protagonistas conforman un grupo de lo más variopinto cuyas relaciones, bien construidas e hiladas, hacen disfrutar de la obra. De entre todos destaca Lucy que es inteligente, ocurrente y práctica, como así lo demuestra con sus reflexiones, ideas y comentarios, y por ello no termina de encajar del todo con los demás. Andy es el miembro más torpe, inmaduro y cobardica, aunque trate de aparentar lo contrario, lucha por el amor de Margaret, otra joven de la tribu pasota y rebelde, y se enfrenta constantemente a Phil, un adolescente que trata de burlarse de él y dejarlo en evidencia. A ellos se les une un padre despreocupado, una madre protectora, un bebé aventurero y un anciano que finge que no lo es. En conjunto, un atípico grupo en el que cada uno adopta un rol y será protagonista de una u otra forma de estas alocadas aventuras.
El dibujo de los personajes, y la estética en general, es muy sencillo, no posee grandes detalles ni elementos recargados, más bien transmite la sensación de una imagen limpia cuyo foco recae en la idea que se trabaja. Tanto los movimientos como las expresiones de los personajes están muy bien logradas y consiguen recrear la comicidad que lleva adscrita la novela gráfica. Del mismo modo, a pesar de que el vestuario y estilo de los personajes sea bastante actualizado, los fondos consiguen contextualizar bien el ambiente y transmitir el espacio rústico, salvaje y natural en el que se movían.
Al término de la obra propiamente dicha el autor incluye una serie de páginas en donde amplía de forma más detallada datos relacionadas con los primeros encuentros de huesos, yacimientos neandertales e investigaciones. También, presenta algunos museos en el mundo en donde poder visitar elementos de este periodo histórico, explica los elementos anacrónicos y ficticios incorporados en la trama, así como una cronología de los primates. Finalmente, el autor hace su cameo en un pequeño sketch en el que transmite al lector las motivaciones e inspiraciones que le llevaron a plasmar todo lo que ha aprendido sobre este grupo primitivo.
Personalmente he disfrutado muchísimo con esta novela gráfica con la que he aprendido, recordado algunos datos que había olvidado y, sobre todo, con la que he pasado un rato de lo más agradable riendo sin parar con estos locos neandertales.
Considero que "Lucy y Andy neandertal" es una obra magnifica y bien escrita que recopila de forma divertida una parte de la prehistoria y que ofrece a los más pequeños una nueva forma de aprender al mismo tiempo que se divierte, se sienten identificados y disfrutan con este grupo de lo más particular.
Lo recomiendo especialmente para los primeros cursos de primaria y como lectura necesaria en cualquier biblioteca infantil
Jeffrey Brown, autor y dibujante americano, es muy conocido por sus cómics autobiográficos y sus novelas gráficas de humor. Su obra más destacada hasta el momento está conformada por una serie dedicadas al mundo de las míticas películas de Star Wars, de las que se declara fan absoluto, titulados Darth Vader e hijos.
Su última obra "Lucy y Andy Neandertal" presenta una trilogía en donde dos hermanos pertenecientes a una familia de neandertales darán a conocer a una de las últimas especies de la prehistoria.
En este primer volumen, cuyo título da nombre a la serie, Brown acerca al pequeño lector hacia los comportamientos y costumbres de estos considerados últimos primates. El objetivo principal es dar a conocer sus características básicas, su organización social, la vestimenta, la alimentación y el modo de obtenerlo, habilidades y salud de una forma entretenida, amena y divertida.
Con un estilo contemporáneo, vocabulario asequible y diálogos concisos que facilitan la comprensión, la historia transcurre como una sucesión de sketches de un pequeño grupo cuyas anécdotas darán a conocer un ámbito diferente. Cada historieta, a pesar de tratar temas independientes, no queda de forma aislada, sino que la secuencia de todas construye una trama lineal que avanza poco a poco.
Debido a la adaptación y con el firme propósito de una mayor comprensión e identificación, el autor incluye una serie de anacronismos y expresiones contemporáneas que posteriormente explicará. Así mismo, cada referencia histórica del tema tratado es analizado al final de la historieta de la mano de dos arqueólogos contemporáneos que, mediante conversaciones e imágenes, comentan los descubrimientos que realizan basados en estudios científicos. Dichas exposiciones no ocupan más de una página, por lo que no irrumpen demasiado en la lectura y suponen un cierre al aprendizaje.
Además de los arqueólogos, los propios personajes, especialmente los adultos, también destacan por realizar sus propias explicaciones o enseñanzas al grupo más joven, de este modo se puede descubrir los pasos para construir sus propias herramientas, su ropa, las pinturas rupestres, la fisionomía, la fauna y la flora existente, etc.
Lo más destacable de la novela gráfica son las notas de humor; situaciones absurdas, comentarios irónicos y bromas que predominan en la historia haciendo de la lectura un pasatiempo agradable.
Los personajes protagonistas conforman un grupo de lo más variopinto cuyas relaciones, bien construidas e hiladas, hacen disfrutar de la obra. De entre todos destaca Lucy que es inteligente, ocurrente y práctica, como así lo demuestra con sus reflexiones, ideas y comentarios, y por ello no termina de encajar del todo con los demás. Andy es el miembro más torpe, inmaduro y cobardica, aunque trate de aparentar lo contrario, lucha por el amor de Margaret, otra joven de la tribu pasota y rebelde, y se enfrenta constantemente a Phil, un adolescente que trata de burlarse de él y dejarlo en evidencia. A ellos se les une un padre despreocupado, una madre protectora, un bebé aventurero y un anciano que finge que no lo es. En conjunto, un atípico grupo en el que cada uno adopta un rol y será protagonista de una u otra forma de estas alocadas aventuras.
El dibujo de los personajes, y la estética en general, es muy sencillo, no posee grandes detalles ni elementos recargados, más bien transmite la sensación de una imagen limpia cuyo foco recae en la idea que se trabaja. Tanto los movimientos como las expresiones de los personajes están muy bien logradas y consiguen recrear la comicidad que lleva adscrita la novela gráfica. Del mismo modo, a pesar de que el vestuario y estilo de los personajes sea bastante actualizado, los fondos consiguen contextualizar bien el ambiente y transmitir el espacio rústico, salvaje y natural en el que se movían.
Al término de la obra propiamente dicha el autor incluye una serie de páginas en donde amplía de forma más detallada datos relacionadas con los primeros encuentros de huesos, yacimientos neandertales e investigaciones. También, presenta algunos museos en el mundo en donde poder visitar elementos de este periodo histórico, explica los elementos anacrónicos y ficticios incorporados en la trama, así como una cronología de los primates. Finalmente, el autor hace su cameo en un pequeño sketch en el que transmite al lector las motivaciones e inspiraciones que le llevaron a plasmar todo lo que ha aprendido sobre este grupo primitivo.
Personalmente he disfrutado muchísimo con esta novela gráfica con la que he aprendido, recordado algunos datos que había olvidado y, sobre todo, con la que he pasado un rato de lo más agradable riendo sin parar con estos locos neandertales.
Considero que "Lucy y Andy neandertal" es una obra magnifica y bien escrita que recopila de forma divertida una parte de la prehistoria y que ofrece a los más pequeños una nueva forma de aprender al mismo tiempo que se divierte, se sienten identificados y disfrutan con este grupo de lo más particular.
Lo recomiendo especialmente para los primeros cursos de primaria y como lectura necesaria en cualquier biblioteca infantil
August 23, 2017
This was an awesome (and informative) read! I have been mulling around some ideas for a story based in the good ol' Neanderthal days, so I figured I would see what this book was about. It was a fun way to learn a little more about that time period.
The drawings were fun and the story had some great humor intertwined. Plus, I appreciated how Jeffrey used some of the unknowns to add fun little details. I found myself laughing several times!
The drawings were fun and the story had some great humor intertwined. Plus, I appreciated how Jeffrey used some of the unknowns to add fun little details. I found myself laughing several times!
December 30, 2017
Very cute graphic work about Neanderthals. It's designed for kids, but can be enjoyed by people of all ages. There are little vignettes showing the daily life of a Neanderthal clan followed by information/facts by two cartoon scientists. I learned some new things and was entertained all at once.
January 2, 2021
I object to the pronunciation of "Neanderthal" that goes "knee-and-ur-tall" because the neanderthals were not very tall, and this makes it seem like maybe they were. I propose a new version: "Knee-and-ur-not-so-tall."
February 19, 2022
I read this book a long time ago, like in 2017, and reread this year. It's still funny. I always like the books by this author. I like imagining what neanderthals might have been like.
December 29, 2020
I haven't read this one but my 8 year old loved it and asked for more.
August 25, 2016
This rating/review is based on an ARC from the publisher.
I already love Jeffrey Brown a lot and this is just really lovely. Once we actually get copies on the shelves I will definitely booktalk it to tweens constantly!
Lucy & Andy Neanderthal is the story of two neanderthal kids living in a cave with their family. There is a mammoth hunt (which they are not allowed to go on), cave painting, miscellaneous gathering, and all kinds of other stone age hijinks.
My favorite part is the interjections from the two present-day scientists. They pop in to say "Hmm they probably wouldn't have had a pet cat but..." and introduce actual evidence about what we know of neanderthal life. Brown also emphasizes how much our knowledge of neanderthals has changed and evolved over time, and he personally has a goodreads shelf of almost 100 books of Lucy-Andy research. I really enjoyed the actual neanderthal timeline and the pop culture neanderthal timeline, but the best part was definitely the (relatively) stealth science throughout.
This is a bit of a spoiler for the second chunk of the book but
I already love Jeffrey Brown a lot and this is just really lovely. Once we actually get copies on the shelves I will definitely booktalk it to tweens constantly!
Lucy & Andy Neanderthal is the story of two neanderthal kids living in a cave with their family. There is a mammoth hunt (which they are not allowed to go on), cave painting, miscellaneous gathering, and all kinds of other stone age hijinks.
My favorite part is the interjections from the two present-day scientists. They pop in to say "Hmm they probably wouldn't have had a pet cat but..." and introduce actual evidence about what we know of neanderthal life. Brown also emphasizes how much our knowledge of neanderthals has changed and evolved over time, and he personally has a goodreads shelf of almost 100 books of Lucy-Andy research. I really enjoyed the actual neanderthal timeline and the pop culture neanderthal timeline, but the best part was definitely the (relatively) stealth science throughout.
This is a bit of a spoiler for the second chunk of the book but
January 11, 2016
Now remember my impressions are based on an ARC received in January 2016 and the book isn't due until August 2016. In fact about halfway thru the art gets very rough and big disclaimers of "ART NOT FILE" adorn every page.
I'm sincerely worried about Andy & Lucy o.o like don't trust the humans! They're never up to good things! Sneaky is sneaky!
In general I enjoyed this graphic novel. And I learned some stuff--that's right, you get to learn stuff. At the end Brown makes a point to say he is constantly reading new sources to keep it as up to date as possible, meanwhile two present day "scientists" jump in occasionally to set straight incorrect assumptions.
Like I said in a status update, this reminds me of the cartoon CRO, which is not bad and greatly appreciated.
I think kids (especially middle grade) will appreciate the fact that neither Lucy nor Andy are taken seriously by the "adults" (isn't this case their parents and two older kids, Phil and Margaret). It's the first in a series, and Lucy at least is usually proved correct, so I wonder how long we will follow them.
Or whether Andy will EVER get to go on a hunt or will Danny EVER wear pants.
I'm sincerely worried about Andy & Lucy o.o like don't trust the humans! They're never up to good things! Sneaky is sneaky!
In general I enjoyed this graphic novel. And I learned some stuff--that's right, you get to learn stuff. At the end Brown makes a point to say he is constantly reading new sources to keep it as up to date as possible, meanwhile two present day "scientists" jump in occasionally to set straight incorrect assumptions.
Like I said in a status update, this reminds me of the cartoon CRO, which is not bad and greatly appreciated.
I think kids (especially middle grade) will appreciate the fact that neither Lucy nor Andy are taken seriously by the "adults" (isn't this case their parents and two older kids, Phil and Margaret). It's the first in a series, and Lucy at least is usually proved correct, so I wonder how long we will follow them.
Or whether Andy will EVER get to go on a hunt or will Danny EVER wear pants.
May 3, 2017
This nifty graphic novel is set during the prehistoric era and features twins Lucy and Andy. Although some of the issues these Neanderthal youngsters will be familiar to modern readers--parental rules and family dynamics, for instance--other challenges are unique to the time period, allowing readers to have a glimpse into life in a cave. The amount of research that must have gone into this book so that all the details are right most have been enormous. As I read it, I was entertained but also informed, which pleased me. Having two well-informed modern adults who look as though they could be paleontologists pop in and out of the pages to ruminate on various artifacts found in a museum allows additional facts to be shared with readers. I can certainly see this series being very popular with intermediate and middle grade readers as well as being useful in a science classroom during the study of anthropology.
September 18, 2016
Jeffrey Brown is the author of numerous Star Wars themed books. In Lucy & Andy Neanderthal, he changes course going from science fiction to the Stone Age. The story centers around two siblings, Lucy and Andy. Lucy’s bright and Andy’s always managing to get into trouble. They both often feel left out. Many times they’re told they can’t do something because they’re either not old enough or just not ready. A lot of kids can identify with that. This is a graphic novel, and it’s chock full of information about the Neanderthals; how they hunted, made clothes and tools, their cave drawings. It’s humorous, too. Middle graders are sure to find it funny. They’ll enjoy
the author’s artwork, his story, and maybe learn a little something, too.
the author’s artwork, his story, and maybe learn a little something, too.
May 23, 2016
Lucy and Andy are Neanderthals--and siblings, much to their eternal dismay. Andy desperately wants to go on a hunt (though he's too young and goofy). Lucy desperately wants people to listen to her (and she's usually right). It's a fun story featuring lots of elements of Neanderthal life--with two scientists jumping in between chapters to clarify the facts.
A fun comic for elementary schoolers, maybe middle schoolers. I read this from an ARC I picked up at ALA, so the art isn't final, but if you know Jeff Brown's style from the Darth Vader & Son books, you have a good sense of what this looks like.
A fun comic for elementary schoolers, maybe middle schoolers. I read this from an ARC I picked up at ALA, so the art isn't final, but if you know Jeff Brown's style from the Darth Vader & Son books, you have a good sense of what this looks like.
December 21, 2016
A cute comic book formatted novel about a family of Neanderthals living their lives in ancient times. Lucy and Andy (the protagonists) are a brother and sister and they have the typical goals and squabbles of young kids today. The important aspect of this graphic novel is that it teaches young readers about Neanderthal life - hunting, food, making weapons, art. etc. The book is broken down into episodes lasting about 7 or 8 pages each. I can see why Mr. Brown has a following among the 9 to 12 year old crowd.
August 14, 2016
This is going to be a short review because the book itself is short and there isn't much to comment on.
Lucy & Andy Neanderthal is basically a classroom tool. There isn't much of a story but there's a wealth of information about neanderthal life. It isn't really a novel so much as just mini lessons cobbled together in one book. Informational, but not particularly exciting.
Lucy & Andy Neanderthal is basically a classroom tool. There isn't much of a story but there's a wealth of information about neanderthal life. It isn't really a novel so much as just mini lessons cobbled together in one book. Informational, but not particularly exciting.
December 15, 2016
Art and is true to his style, cute. Story is ok, though I don't agree with evolution.
September 21, 2021
This book is nice to read and is like a comic and it is about a family that is from a really long time ago.
July 7, 2017
It's still so weird to me that the guy whose comics I used to read in college about getting blowjobs and pining over ex-girlfriends now makes comics that my children read. It's a testament to how talented a cartoonist Jeffrey Brown really is that he's made the transition so seamlessly. After dabbling in the high-tech Star Wars universe, Brown's latest comic, "Lucy & Andy Neanderthal," goes way WAY back to a not-so-far-away-place: Stone Age-era Earth, populated by now-extinct Neanderthal man. With his playful wit intact and variety of interesting factoids, Brown has made a book that is equal parts entertaining and informative.
Lucy and Andy are a pretty typical brother-and-sister combo: they pick on each other, play together, help out their family, etc.; the big difference is that they also hunt mammoths, make stone tools, and live in a cave. Jeffrey Brown notes that he went out of his way to make "Lucy & Andy Neanderthal" faithful to the latest scientific discoveries about Neanderthals, but that doesn't get in the way of him making a good joke or giving his characters a more modern sensibility (wisely, the book includes a pair of scientists, Eric and Pam, who show up at the end of each chapter to clarify what's true and what's embellished for comedic effect). Brown's drawings in this all-ages graphic novel are perhaps his most confident and effortless-looking; he's come a long way from his scratchy, sketchy early comics. His inkwashes in particular give the book an appealing visual softness that his previous straight-to-ink work didn't have. This is a great breezy sit-on-the-deck-on-a-summer-afternoon-and-read kind of book.
His Star Wars and caveman work may not have the emotional rawness of his early books but Lucy and Andy are just as relatable as Jeffrey Brown's autobio comic work. I'd love to see him go back to some more mature themes in his future comics but, in the meantime, it looks like he's having a blast on a 40,000-year-old playground.
Lucy and Andy are a pretty typical brother-and-sister combo: they pick on each other, play together, help out their family, etc.; the big difference is that they also hunt mammoths, make stone tools, and live in a cave. Jeffrey Brown notes that he went out of his way to make "Lucy & Andy Neanderthal" faithful to the latest scientific discoveries about Neanderthals, but that doesn't get in the way of him making a good joke or giving his characters a more modern sensibility (wisely, the book includes a pair of scientists, Eric and Pam, who show up at the end of each chapter to clarify what's true and what's embellished for comedic effect). Brown's drawings in this all-ages graphic novel are perhaps his most confident and effortless-looking; he's come a long way from his scratchy, sketchy early comics. His inkwashes in particular give the book an appealing visual softness that his previous straight-to-ink work didn't have. This is a great breezy sit-on-the-deck-on-a-summer-afternoon-and-read kind of book.
His Star Wars and caveman work may not have the emotional rawness of his early books but Lucy and Andy are just as relatable as Jeffrey Brown's autobio comic work. I'd love to see him go back to some more mature themes in his future comics but, in the meantime, it looks like he's having a blast on a 40,000-year-old playground.
October 20, 2018
I've read other books by Jeffrey Brown before and much enjoyed them. I also really liked this one and will likely get the next in the series. What we have is a graphic story depicting a Neanderthal family's day to day life. One of the things I much enjoyed about the book was how it tried to stay as close to the truth as we know it today while still telling funny stories about the family. There's a neat little section at the end where the author details the liberties he took with the story to enhance the humor. There was only one place where he failed to do so and I have to say it did irritate me a bit, and that's probably why I'm giving it 4 rather than 5 stars. The Neanderthals meet some H. Sapiens who are migrating up from Africa into Europe, and the sapien clan has clearly mixed African and European members. The problem with this is that those early clans were probably much more homogeneous and probably wouldn't look like either modern Africans or Europeans. They certainly wouldn't have had such a mixture of skin colors and hair and facial features within a single clan. Most likely they were all darker skinned than modern Europeans, although we don't know for sure. I felt like the author should have included a note at the end explaining this liberty with history as well. Overall, though, I had a lot of fun with this tale.
September 2, 2017
"Definitely five stars" my ten year old exclaimed after reading it cover to cover after reading it each night for four nights. Admittedly, she didn't want to read it at first, since she found literary enjoyment in a thesaurus... And she's not nerdy, just the sort of quirky things children do. My point is, that once, after only a few pages, she was gripped and found it funny and easy to read; she actually described it as a 'page turner'. She must be reading my reviews on the sly.
A compact tome, smaller than A4, larger then A5 and about 1.5cm thick, protected by thick, hard covers, this is a book that should last. The pages themselves are also a thick paper, again resistant to the pawing of children. I wasn't at all familiar with the work of Jeffrey Brown before, however his style is very clear and bold cartoons and the story contains lots of facts about the prehistoric era. Based upon the reaction for this book, I can heartily recommend it (for either gender) and will seek out further work from the author too.
A compact tome, smaller than A4, larger then A5 and about 1.5cm thick, protected by thick, hard covers, this is a book that should last. The pages themselves are also a thick paper, again resistant to the pawing of children. I wasn't at all familiar with the work of Jeffrey Brown before, however his style is very clear and bold cartoons and the story contains lots of facts about the prehistoric era. Based upon the reaction for this book, I can heartily recommend it (for either gender) and will seek out further work from the author too.
January 26, 2018
Previously posted on the young girl who loves books.
I expected to love this book as I just took a biological anthropology class but maybe that why I didn't enjoy it that much. I love graphic novels and I love Neanderthals so I am not sure where things went wrong.
Lucy &. Andy Neandertal is a super cute graphic novel which makes aspects of evolution easier for kids to understand. I am not going to get into an evolution debate so don't worry. One of the biggest fears I had, when I jumped into this book when I got home from the library, was that it would have Neandertals show in an unfactual light. To my surprise, Author Jeffery Brown worked to prevent that.
The graphic novel has little short stories from a couple of Neanderthals and actually has facts about how they lived, how the different from us humans, and other fun facts. I thought it was interesting how they were weaved into the storyline of the graphic novel.
The illustrations are so good and fun. Which is so important in a graphic novel and why I am rating this four stars instead of just two. Now coming to the biggest issue I had with the novel which was the humanization images of Neanderthals. I struggled with that all throughout the book. I just couldn't get past that. I do like that Brown told of the differences but I don't think that made up for the images for me.
I expected to love this book as I just took a biological anthropology class but maybe that why I didn't enjoy it that much. I love graphic novels and I love Neanderthals so I am not sure where things went wrong.
Lucy &. Andy Neandertal is a super cute graphic novel which makes aspects of evolution easier for kids to understand. I am not going to get into an evolution debate so don't worry. One of the biggest fears I had, when I jumped into this book when I got home from the library, was that it would have Neandertals show in an unfactual light. To my surprise, Author Jeffery Brown worked to prevent that.
The graphic novel has little short stories from a couple of Neanderthals and actually has facts about how they lived, how the different from us humans, and other fun facts. I thought it was interesting how they were weaved into the storyline of the graphic novel.
The illustrations are so good and fun. Which is so important in a graphic novel and why I am rating this four stars instead of just two. Now coming to the biggest issue I had with the novel which was the humanization images of Neanderthals. I struggled with that all throughout the book. I just couldn't get past that. I do like that Brown told of the differences but I don't think that made up for the images for me.
March 24, 2025
On the cover of this book, Lucy Neanderthal has a speech bubble that states "Life is pretty boring here in the Stone age..." I couldn't agree more, because this was such a slog to get through.
Before I begin, I'd like to say that Jeffrey Brown was one of my favorite authors during my formative years. As a toddler, I was transfixed by the wholesome misadventures he wrote about in Darth Vader and Son, which I read with my dad nearly every night. In elementary school, I became truly obsessed with his Jedi Academy books, capturing the Star Wars universe from a younger and more down-to-earth point of view. I may not read those books constantly anymore, but I have fond memories of them, and they still hold up whenever I've gone back to them.
But this book? I don't even know. I was kind of baffled by it.
None of these characters feel like real people. To call them "cardboard cutouts" would be an insult to quality packing material. Andy is a whiny brat, Margaret is a moody stick-in-the-mud, Phil is either annoying or downright cruel, the parents are flat, and Lucy, despite having potential to be interesting, is given little to no development. And the whole book is these bland characters getting up to "wacky shenanigans" that aren't humorous, but rather boring and clunky. There is little to no joy present in any of these anecdotes, and just when you think the book MIGHT amount to something of worth, it stops. Yeah, it doesn't even end, it just stops. Is this really the best we can do? REALLY?
I remember when Brown wrote characters I actually connected to and found likable. I was invested in the romance between Roan and Gaiana in the Jedi Academy books. I remember feeling the love and heart whenever Brown drew a little kid version of Luke Skywalker and a devoted dad version of Darth Vader. With this book, I feel no such passion. It is such a stock generic kids book that made me feel absolutely nothing.
I guess the moral is that Brown should've just stuck to Jedi Academy. God knows he'd have done a better job than whatever Jarrett J. Krosoczka did with the series going forward. But that's a whole other can of worms.
Before I begin, I'd like to say that Jeffrey Brown was one of my favorite authors during my formative years. As a toddler, I was transfixed by the wholesome misadventures he wrote about in Darth Vader and Son, which I read with my dad nearly every night. In elementary school, I became truly obsessed with his Jedi Academy books, capturing the Star Wars universe from a younger and more down-to-earth point of view. I may not read those books constantly anymore, but I have fond memories of them, and they still hold up whenever I've gone back to them.
But this book? I don't even know. I was kind of baffled by it.
None of these characters feel like real people. To call them "cardboard cutouts" would be an insult to quality packing material. Andy is a whiny brat, Margaret is a moody stick-in-the-mud, Phil is either annoying or downright cruel, the parents are flat, and Lucy, despite having potential to be interesting, is given little to no development. And the whole book is these bland characters getting up to "wacky shenanigans" that aren't humorous, but rather boring and clunky. There is little to no joy present in any of these anecdotes, and just when you think the book MIGHT amount to something of worth, it stops. Yeah, it doesn't even end, it just stops. Is this really the best we can do? REALLY?
I remember when Brown wrote characters I actually connected to and found likable. I was invested in the romance between Roan and Gaiana in the Jedi Academy books. I remember feeling the love and heart whenever Brown drew a little kid version of Luke Skywalker and a devoted dad version of Darth Vader. With this book, I feel no such passion. It is such a stock generic kids book that made me feel absolutely nothing.
I guess the moral is that Brown should've just stuck to Jedi Academy. God knows he'd have done a better job than whatever Jarrett J. Krosoczka did with the series going forward. But that's a whole other can of worms.
May 17, 2017
Let me tell you something about this book...it is incredible!!!!! It's taken me a long time to jump on the graphic novel bandwagon, but this book was entirely something different. Tell an elaborate story through pictures full of humor and lessons is one thing, but to incorporate non-fiction into it is genius. Kids (and adults) are going to eat up the comedy found within the pages, but at the same time, they are also going to learn something. If more non-fiction books took this approach they would start flying off the shelf. My favorite part was at the end when Jeffrey Brown showed his humility in what he knows about Neanderthals, he clearly points out that science is constantly changing and there will most likely come a day when someone will make a discovery to prove some of his research wrong. How inspiring is that for a kid to read and maybe they want to be the ones to do this. Great job Mr. Brown. Great job!
March 14, 2018
Siblings, Lucy and Andy, live with their friends, Margaret and Phil, in a cave. Andy has a crush on Margaret. He wants to go hunting, but when he sees what happens to the mammoth, he barfs two times. Andy is tired of eating mammoth, and once when he eats merky (dried mammoth), he comes down with a tooth problem. Andy's dad must pull his tooth out. One day when Lucy is making new clothes out of mammoth fur, Margaret upsets her. Lucy runs into the woods and meets two people, Claire and Chris, but she's frightened, so she runs back. The two clans meet, but will they get along?
Opinion:
This is a wonderful graphic novel! It was funny and adventurous. I liked when Danny, the little brother, lost his pants. I thought the drawing of that scene was hilarious! Jeffery Brown did a great job! Kids with a sense of humor will love this book!
Reviewed by a LitPick Student Book Reviewer, Age 10
Opinion:
This is a wonderful graphic novel! It was funny and adventurous. I liked when Danny, the little brother, lost his pants. I thought the drawing of that scene was hilarious! Jeffery Brown did a great job! Kids with a sense of humor will love this book!
Reviewed by a LitPick Student Book Reviewer, Age 10
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