Clementine Hetherington and her robot brother, Digory, have run away from the orphanage they've been living in since their parents died. Clem and Dig want to follow in their famous archaeologist mother's footsteps, but no one will take them seriously. Their chance arrives when a man from their past saves Digory's life, and to repay the debt they enter a multiday rally race... to recover stolen artifacts! Clem and Dig hope to win so they can give the artifacts to a museum, but their opponents want to sell them on the black market. The Ironwood Race has no rules, and Clem and Dig might be in over their heads!
Would love more telling in this and a bit less showing--isn't that weird? So much focus is on the race, and the chase, and explosions that there isn't much exposition when I really wanted it.
All in all, very cool idea and I want to read more! I was totally rooting for the MC(s) and as I'm a sucker for book with an archaeology theme this was an easy win for me (I just wanted more).
I do love race stories, crazy contests and post apocalyptic tales, and this book has all of those things, plus a robot brother and a super awesome art style.
This is what I know. Clem has a robot named Digory for a brother. This is perfectly normal in this unusual world of humans, robots, and anthropomorphic animals and insects. Clem and Digory ran away from an orphanage and are living in a dilapidated building. Clem has some serious archaeologist skills, most likely inherited from her famous archaeologist mother. Clem finds herself being coerced into driving a car in a race called the Ironwood Race where she has the opportunity to find ancient artifacts that could change her circumstances in life.
BUT… I don’t really know much about this guy Kilburn who shows up out of nowhere and quickly gets her involved in the race. I know nothing about this world or how Clem became so good at archaeology. I guess you’re suppose to infer a lot from this statement, “Mom and Dad raised me and Dig on archaeological sites around the world!” p. 24. Those things withstanding, I liked Holgate’s artwork and color palette, and I enjoyed reading about a determined young girl who isn’t afraid to drive a fast car and out maneuver menacing drivers. Read Harder task: A comic that isn't published by Marvel, DC, or Image
3.5 stars rounded up! I would never have thought a combination of archaeology and car races would work, but this book proves me wrong. This book was very fast-paced but needed more details to make me care more about the characters. Even though I did like the characters, a bit more background would have been helpful. More information in the competing teams, especially Team Dray, would have been helpful.
Parts of this were really good. Orphan girl and robot in a really interesting, convincing Sci fi world. But the story falls short in several ways odd leaps in logically or story telling. What's sad is I'm sure all of the jarring jumps could have been addressed with better editing, the underlying story and writing were good.
Rad story, rad art. Clem and her robot brother Gregory join a black market, off-road, archeological race. Hard to explian, easier to read. Check it out.
(3.5 stars) it was fun and breezy, sort of Mad Max meets archeology. I didn't dislike it nor did I love it, it was perfectly fine, if I was a kid I would have LOVED this.
13-year old Clem and her robot brother Digory have run away from the orphanage. They long for the days of excitement when they used to conduct archaeological excavations with their parents. On the run, those days seem long gone until an old friend and partner of Clem’s folks returns with another chance for some adventure.
Clem and Digory are recruited to drive their father’s custom-made roadster in a competition called the Ironwood Race. Racer’s run in series of heats in hopes of uncovering 4 missing artifacts. The team who find the most treasure while running the fastest wins! Other than that, there are no rules in the Ironwood Race. It’s the ultimate fight to the finish!
Clem Hetherington is a cross between Indiana Jones and Mad Max. There’s secret passageways and enigmatic maps, futuristic technology, fierce mutants and no holds barred racing! Being from Australia, the birthplace of apocalyptic adventure stories this seems like a perfect project for the team of Breach and Holgate.
Some scenes of action and adventure may be a little too intense for very young readers. Also, there is some violent scenes both implied and not that prevent this book from being an all-ages read. Recommended for readers in grades 3-7, I wonder if grade 3 might still be a bit too young to read this book.
The story itself was quite original. I’ve never seen an event just like the Ironwood Race as I never really thought to put race car driving with archaeology. Yet, this is a logical pairing as TV and movies are filled with treasure hunters racing to beat their rivals in order to discover a hidden temple or forgotten tomb.
I really look forward to further adventures of Clem and her brother, Digory. They were an interesting duo and they really engaged the imagination. I hope they are preparing for another race because if they are, I’ll be watching from the front row!
An extremely inventive read that may be too intense at times for readers in grades 3 and under.
I didn't think I'd like this graphic novel, part of a planned series, as much as I did. I saw a robot in a car on the cover, and I immediately concluded that it would focus on some kind of road race. And while that conjecture is true, there is a whole lot more to the book than what's on the cover. Fourteen-year-old Clementine Hetherington and her robot brother, Digory, are on the lam, hiding from the authorities after running away from an orphanage. Clem has spent her childhood by the side of her mother who was an archaeologist, and she has skills and knowledge that no one else her age does. But when she reaches out to Professor Perton, a family friend, for help, he dismisses her and tells her she needs the credentials that an advanced degree and more field experience will give her. When Dig comes close to dying as he engages in a shady deal with some street hoods, Kilburn, her parents' friend, happens to arrive, and offers to help. But his aid comes with strings attached, and the two siblings find themselves in a brutal race to find various artifacts. There is plenty of action, and readers will race through the pages to find out what happens next as well as to see whether Clem will compromise her values or change the way she operates in order to win. In a race where just about anything goes, how can two youngsters who play fair and play by the rules possibly hope to win? I had no idea that archaeology could be so brutal or so cutthroat! I won't be the only person waiting impatiently for the next installment in this series and anxious to see what comes next for this pair who seem to be betrayed at almost every turn.
What an enjoyable, smart, girl-centered adventure! Clementine, "Clem" Harrington, is a wunderkind archaeologist and an orphan, along with her "brother" and partner-in-crime, robot Digory. They're stuck in a bleak life in an orphanage, puzzling about what happened to their parents: mom was a famous archaeologist and dad was a tech wizard who created Digory. They escape and their plan for survival has Clem beseeching a professor/museum director and former colleague of mom's to send her on a dig as a bonafide archaeologist. When he scolds her for escaping and tells her to go to years of schooling and then come back, Clem and Digory must find another way. They're hiding out in their ransacked former home when an untrusted man from their past, Kilburn, arrives in the nick of time to save Digory's life after abuse by some unsavory characters. Kilburn then offers the pair a shot at a new, independent life: a spot in the Ironwood Race. Crazy drivers in even crazier cars compete across rough terrain to uncover and recover long lost antiquities. Most of the ruthless competitors plan to sell the artifacts on the black market, but Clem and Dig hope to bring them to their mother's professor colleague for donation to the museum, in order to prove their legitimacy as an archaeology team. The race is a wild ride to say the least, that will have readers turning the pages until the book's climax. Fabulous addition to any classroom or school library, will appeal to boy and girls alike. I hope this is the first in a series!
Childrens graphic novel, sci-fi/adventure genre. This is a strange book. It takes place in a future or alternate world where humans live alongside robots and animalistic humans (ie crocodiles that act like humans). There is not really any world building done to explain this. The preview before the title page suggests this is a book about an armadillo, but we never see the armadillo again. A young girl--Clementine Hetherington, and her robot brother Digory are down on their luck. They want to get back into archaeology, they used to accompany their parents on digs but their parents are now deceased. A shady character from their past, Kilburn, invites them to join a race for 4 archaeological wonders. They do, even though it's not exactly above-board. But can Kilburn be trusted? Can Clem let herself into this world when her parents tried so hard to stay in the legal, legitimate field of archaeology?
The story was interesting, although there were far too many panels of car crashes for my taste. This story could have benefited from longer text blocks, whether as prose inserts or narrative panels. Especially at the beginning, it would have been nice to ease into this alternate world. I may or may not read the sequel if it comes out (it's definitely set up for one). I did like the Indiana Jones vibe though.
Breach, Jen Clem Hetherington and the Ironwood Race, 208 pages. GRAPHIC NOVEL. Graphix (Scholastic), 2018. $8. Language: G (0 swears); Mature Content: G; Violence: G.
Clementine and her robot brother Digory are orphans. They have archeology in their hearts, but no one will give them a chance because they are children. When they meet up with a family friend, he tells them about a secret archeology competition, with amazing prizes. This is their chance to avoid the orphanage and get the recognition in archeology they deserve. But first they will have to use their race car to out maneuver the competition.
I so wanted to love this book, a girl archeologist who drives a race car –that’s right up my alley. But this book was mostly about car racing, super sparse on the archeology. Much of the plot was backstory, so it felt like reading a second book in a series. The biggest plot element ended up being about a moral dilemma, which felt really out of place and put a huge damper on the entire adventure. The illustrations look like they will be great –but this was an advanced copy filled with sketches and mock-ups only.
*Amulet Readalike I’m Clem. And this is my brother Digory. We’re archaeologists. At least, we were. Until our parents died.
Digory and me will do anything to avoid the orphanage and get back in the game again. So when my parents’ former partner (and world class betrayer) Kilburn shows up with an idea to compete in a rally race to find millions of dollars worth of stolen historical artifacts, I’m all for it.
This is supposed to be some sort of deadly race. I don’t mean to brag or anything, but I’m kind of an awesome driver. Yes, I’m 12. Yes, I’m an archaeologist. Yes, I’m an awesome driver. That’s what happens when your dad builds you a custom dragster from spare parts. Deal with it. Plus, Digory’s more than just a brother, he’s an essential sidekick.
Maybe if I can win this race, I can prove that I’m just as good at archaeology as all the money-grabbing adults that keep getting in my way. Maybe I can make enough money so that I don’t have to rely on anyone at all. And I can just...dig.
Clem Hetherington, orphaned daughter of famed archeologists, enters a race that revolves around archeological digs. Yes, you read that right - Clem is racing to dig up some ancient treasure. Like, driving a vehicle across a desert to find the dig site before anyone else can. It's a stretch.
If you can get past that high concept, which is admittedly tough, this is a fun enough story. Clem has a delightful robot companion, a tense relationship with one of her parent's former proteges, and a grudge held against the university that won't admit her. It's all fairly predictable. The best part is easily the vibrant, creative illustrations. I guess I forgot to make it clear that this story takes place in some kind of post-apocalypse world populated by...aliens? Yes, in fact that does make the high concept even tougher to grasp. Good, but could have been better with a more fleshed out world.
2.5 There were things I liked about this book, female fronted action adventure, original ideas (archeologist race!). The illustrations are fun, vibrant, and move along the crash bang excitement of the story. But I felt the storytelling skills couldn't quite weave the pieces of this book together. Clem is an orphan who's run away from the orphanage with her android and trying to find a way to get on an archeological dig so she can support herself. When her parent's colleagues don't want to bring a child on digs, she turns her parents former assistant who wants her to work this dangerous Ironwood Race to dig up berried treasures. The shocking reveal at the end was so poorly developed that the conclusion was pretty meh. I think it's a fine read for younger audiences, but there's better out there, so I recommend with a shrug.
This was super fun! I love the diverse characters that populate the story. I love the entire concept of archeologist road rallies (a la Mad Max) to compete for hidden artifacts. Clem was a delightful, fierce main character and I'm dying to read more about her! I loved her C3PO-esque brother Dig and seeing the strong bond the two share. Interesting beginnings of a conversation about preservation in museums versus selling artifacts for profit on the black market. Overall an excellent series opening, I can't wait to read more! I'll be booktalking this on my summer reading visits, I think kids will really love this one.
Clementine Hetherington and her robot brother Digory have runaway from the orphanage and want to return to an archaeological dig site and continue the work of their parents. When an old friend of their parents offers to finance their entry into a competitive archeological rally race for priceless artifacts, they accept. The race, against various species of teams, is dangerous but they manage to win, only to be betrayed by the murderer of their parents. This is action-packed writing with illustration to match. The alien world is filled with details sure to please readers. A promising start to a new graphic novel series. Recommended for purchase.
Fast-paced adventure graphic novel for those who love the Amulet series and Cleopatra in Space. Clem is a 14 year old archaeologist following in the footsteps of her famous mother. Running away from the orphanage after her parents mysterious death she finds herself entered in the Ironwood Race. Clem and her robot brother Digory, want to desperately prove they can handle this illegal dangerous race regardless of their age and inexperience. They enter hoping to win by finding the lost items of famed archeologist Ironwood, donate them to the museum and earn a spot on an upcoming legitimate dig. Full of intrigue, betrayal, car chases, and suspense this graphic novel series is a new favorite.
What I liked: -Strong female character -making something boring (archeology) look cool -sense of family
What I didn’t like -the pacing. Man was it weird. Like big reveals in a snap( like what happens to her parents) vs pages of mundane things. It just felt so so weird to me. -depicting a car race in comic panels. I felt like it kind of loses its excitement. -the whole idea of the race made little sense to me. Race to a dig site and the little bit of time you saved is going to help you dig up an artifact before anyone else gets there. I’m not so sure about that.
Interesting enough but not something I’d recommend to others.
Good characters with excellent dialog - you could almost feel the relationship between Clem and her robot brother, Digory, and it's a great one. So: characters, plot, setting, colors, art, dialog, action - all checked off the list. Well done.
Only quibble: sometimes, in the action scenes during the race, it was a little tricky to tell exactly what was happening to whom. They might have benefited from more space, to make the artwork more clear. The gist was easy to grasp, though, and the pace was perfect.
An exciting graphic novel cross between Indiana Jones and Mad Max, starring a teen girl and her robotic younger "brother." There is no lack of action and adrenaline, with empowered young characters and a mystery about the disappearance of their parents. I often found the details of the racing scenes a bit hard to follow and wanted a bit more depth to the story, though the gist was always clear for both. This is a fun story.
This is a blast. Just a total blast. It's got action as adventure and archeology worked in a controlled environment! The world of this book is one of love to learn more about, and which also I'm totally ok with not learning more. There are robots, and there are intelligent alligator people and also it's kind of standard modern world history. I loved this and look forward to more. And one of the guns goes "chunt" so I'm a fan of that too.
Breach and Holgate seem the perfect pair as there is a cool balance between character development and racing action scenes. A unique blend of futuristic YA Indiana Jane and a bit of coming-of-age. I really like how this ended. It really struck a mature and challenging cord for me.
3.5 stars. Orphan (and archeology prodigy) Clementine Hetherington is recruited to participate in the Ironwood race. In each leg of the race, participants race to the location and compete to be the first to dig up the day's target artifact. The race is dangerous, and chaotic, but Clem hopes that winning it will guarantee her place on an academic dig. Nice art, but found the concept strange and the racing sequences a bit too chaotic.
If Indiana Jones was a 14-year-old drag racer! Protagonist Clem actually reminds me a lot of Anakin in the pod race, and the world Jen Breach and Douglas Holgate devise includes a similar Star Warsian mix of non-human species diversity. Clem's robot brother Diggory is even a bit like C3PO.
A gender- and species-bending story of a girl and her robot sibling who take on a multi-day car race in order to regain stolen artifacts. Lots of action, family drama and a quest to vindicate her deceased parents. Clem, who is brown-skinned, is a great character with heart and courage. This is book 1 - I look forward to more.
Holy crap I LOVED THIS BOOK! The cover threw me off, but once I cracked this baby open... WOW! A thrilling adventure of sibling orphans of archaeologists thrown into a shady race by an old friend. With deadly stakes but a treasure beyond what they could dream of, this is one graphic novel that is a must read!
This. Is. So. Cool! I’m probably not the first to say this, but it’s like Mad Max meets Indiana Jones but with a super awesome girl with her robot brother! And a red head mechanic? Yes please! Clem and Dig are an awesome team, they’re super smart and strong and never give up. The art is perfect. I hope there are many more!
diverse children's graphic novel (4th grade and up) set on an alien-filled planet with many strong, smart female characters and a brown-skinned, 12-y.o. archaeologist/drag racer with android sidekick/brother. Tons of action and appealing graphic style ake this an easy winner with kids of all ages. More, please!