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Maker Comics
Maker Comics: Fix a Car!
Maker Comics is the ultimate DIY guide. Inside this graphic novel you'll find illustrated instructions for ten car repair activities!Lena, Mason, Abner, Rocky, and Esther only have one thing in They’re crazy about cars. A few of them already have their driver’s licenses. And even though Rocky and Esther are too young to drive, they still have a lot questions. In Car Club, Ms. Gritt has all the answers. When is the best time to check the oil? How do you change a tire? And why is Mason’s car making that squeaky noise?Before you get behind the wheel, learn what’s going on underneath the hood. Follow along as Ms. Gritt covers all the basics of preventative maintenance and roadside repairs. Colorful diagrams illustrate the inner workings of complex parts and systems. With Maker Fix a Car! you can keep your automobile in tip-top shape!Follow the easy step-by-step instructions and you a portable tool kit Check the oil and fluid levels Maintain the battery Replace the windshield wipers Replace a drive belt or pulley Change the oil Change a flat tire Wash and detail a car (and add a racing stripe!) Change a taillight bulb Jump-start a car
128 pages, Kindle Edition
First published February 5, 2019
4 people are currently reading
100 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews
August 11, 2019
Schweizer keeps this educational, text-heavy graphic novel moving along pretty well despite its being mostly a maintenance manual for cars. The characters are a bit thin on personality, but pretty likable. More than teaching you how to maintain and fix a car, though, this is a pretty good tool to help you determine if that is even something you feel you can or want to do.
February 6, 2019
This book reminds me of the Science Comics format and please take that as a HUGE compliment! I loved this book and so did my kids. It is a great way for them to learn and to really enjoy reading!
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March 2, 2024How? Kiddo found it on the shelf and after bouncing off the Make a Robot! entry for now, we dove in.
What? A bunch of high school (and middle school!) kids attend the physics teacher's Saturday car club, doing all sorts of car maintenance and upkeep: checking fluid levels and tires, cleaning the car inside and out, replacing the oil, jumping a car, maybe a few other things. Is this a love letter to dads?
Yeah, so? Again, just enough narrative and character-sketching to keep things moving in what is a pretty text-heavy comic; I, of course, was immediately drawn to ambitious but overworked Mason, and of course the whole Breakfast Club of it all: all these kids with such different interests and outlooks all drawn together by curiosity. (Also, I was immensely moved by all the gestures towards sketching out the lower-class and half-orphaned middle-school twins whose love of cars goes back to their dead dad. Again: love letter to dads!)
I also really appreciated the afterword, where Chris Schweizer notes that he was scared of car work until he was complaining to his neighbor who just pointed out the problem and said "you could do it yourself" -- which was all he needed to hear. I'm all for comic books giving kids (and adults) confidence to try something. But I might just check out some tutorials next time I need to jump a car, just in case.
What? A bunch of high school (and middle school!) kids attend the physics teacher's Saturday car club, doing all sorts of car maintenance and upkeep: checking fluid levels and tires, cleaning the car inside and out, replacing the oil, jumping a car, maybe a few other things. Is this a love letter to dads?
Yeah, so? Again, just enough narrative and character-sketching to keep things moving in what is a pretty text-heavy comic; I, of course, was immediately drawn to ambitious but overworked Mason, and of course the whole Breakfast Club of it all: all these kids with such different interests and outlooks all drawn together by curiosity. (Also, I was immensely moved by all the gestures towards sketching out the lower-class and half-orphaned middle-school twins whose love of cars goes back to their dead dad. Again: love letter to dads!)
I also really appreciated the afterword, where Chris Schweizer notes that he was scared of car work until he was complaining to his neighbor who just pointed out the problem and said "you could do it yourself" -- which was all he needed to hear. I'm all for comic books giving kids (and adults) confidence to try something. But I might just check out some tutorials next time I need to jump a car, just in case.
January 17, 2025
As a real auto mechanic, this is legit! Love to see it
March 24, 2019
It’s the first day of Car Club; an extracurricular activity held every Saturday. It’s lead by Mrs. Gritt, the high-school track coach. Whether you are a boy or girl, come join the fun! You don’t even have to be old enough to drive in order to participate. Just be sure to wear clothes that you don’t mind getting dirty and some sneakers that won’t slip in oil.
Over the course of the next several weeks, members of Car Club will learn a variety of techniques to keep their automobiles running smoothly. From changing a tire to detailing the hood, Mrs. Gritt is there to teach the students the basics of car care. By the time Winter break puts an end to these meetings, our participants might even learn a little bit about themselves!
Go to just about any auto shop in the world and you’ll find these books called ‘Haynes guides’. They are these massive books with extremely detailed drawings of how to repair almost anything in the make and model of car covered in the guide. That’s exactly what author and illustrator Chris Schweizer does in this book. His step-by-step instructions and diagrams show amateur mechanics how to get into the bowels of their vehicles.
I have always loved cars and trucks. But I never had someone to teach me how to perform quality maintenance on an automobile. I really wish I had had something like this book to have shown me the way to do things.
Some of the activities in the car will require an adult. I’m not advocating for an 9 or 10 year old to get this book and start changing the own in their parent’s car battery by themselves. But there are a variety of things that kids crazy about cars can do at just about any age.
The easiest thing for anyone to do in this book is on how to properly clean, wash and wax a vehicle. Sure, nobody likes to clean. But if you start to teach a child with the little things and they take it serious, you can then move on to bigger and more intensive things. Plus, did you know that washing a car can actually keep it from rusting?
Gross Fun Fact- bird poop is so acidic, it can eat away at a car’s paint job!
More advanced projects in this book range from replacing a headlight/taillight to tightening a loose fan belt to changing a tire.
Not everything you need to know about fixing up your car is in the book. Changing spark plugs and rotating tires are some activities hinted upon but not covered. I wish that pumping gas was included in this book. Yes, some states require that a child be of almost driving age in order to use a gas pump. But that’s an important step in keeping your car running that is often overlooked even in driver’s ed.
Currently, there’s only 2 books in the Makers Comics line. But, First Second has several more DIY-style graphic novels on tap to premiere later this year, including ones how to create a superhero costume and how to plant a garden. I’m looking forward to getting my hands on the other book currently out on the market by First Second, Bake Like A Pro! Once I do, that will be a focus in my semi-regular column, Cooking Geeky.
Reading Rainbow's Levar Burton has a famous saying. ‘If your kids loves superheroes, then dammit, buy them comic books!’ Forgive the salty language, but the Roots actor is right. Do everything you can to get the next generation reading.
I would amend Burton’s advice to say that if the young reader in your life is interested in cars then buy them this book. Society is losing a number of skilled labor jobs not to immigrant workers but to colleges and other institutions of higher learning. With a focus on computers and math and physics, everyday science skills such as botany and auto mechanics is dying out. Do you know how much a certified mechanic makes in a year? Let’s just say that I had Maker Comics around when I was a kid, I’d have my house paid off within just 1 years worth of work under the hood.
Taking visual learning to the next level, Maker Comics promises to teach valuable and fun skills to car enthusiasts of all ages. A little bit technical at times, this book does go step-by-step. So readers can work on projects at their own pace! A must for anyone who wants to share the experience of working on cars with a special youngster in their life!
Over the course of the next several weeks, members of Car Club will learn a variety of techniques to keep their automobiles running smoothly. From changing a tire to detailing the hood, Mrs. Gritt is there to teach the students the basics of car care. By the time Winter break puts an end to these meetings, our participants might even learn a little bit about themselves!
Go to just about any auto shop in the world and you’ll find these books called ‘Haynes guides’. They are these massive books with extremely detailed drawings of how to repair almost anything in the make and model of car covered in the guide. That’s exactly what author and illustrator Chris Schweizer does in this book. His step-by-step instructions and diagrams show amateur mechanics how to get into the bowels of their vehicles.
I have always loved cars and trucks. But I never had someone to teach me how to perform quality maintenance on an automobile. I really wish I had had something like this book to have shown me the way to do things.
Some of the activities in the car will require an adult. I’m not advocating for an 9 or 10 year old to get this book and start changing the own in their parent’s car battery by themselves. But there are a variety of things that kids crazy about cars can do at just about any age.
The easiest thing for anyone to do in this book is on how to properly clean, wash and wax a vehicle. Sure, nobody likes to clean. But if you start to teach a child with the little things and they take it serious, you can then move on to bigger and more intensive things. Plus, did you know that washing a car can actually keep it from rusting?
Gross Fun Fact- bird poop is so acidic, it can eat away at a car’s paint job!
More advanced projects in this book range from replacing a headlight/taillight to tightening a loose fan belt to changing a tire.
Not everything you need to know about fixing up your car is in the book. Changing spark plugs and rotating tires are some activities hinted upon but not covered. I wish that pumping gas was included in this book. Yes, some states require that a child be of almost driving age in order to use a gas pump. But that’s an important step in keeping your car running that is often overlooked even in driver’s ed.
Currently, there’s only 2 books in the Makers Comics line. But, First Second has several more DIY-style graphic novels on tap to premiere later this year, including ones how to create a superhero costume and how to plant a garden. I’m looking forward to getting my hands on the other book currently out on the market by First Second, Bake Like A Pro! Once I do, that will be a focus in my semi-regular column, Cooking Geeky.
Reading Rainbow's Levar Burton has a famous saying. ‘If your kids loves superheroes, then dammit, buy them comic books!’ Forgive the salty language, but the Roots actor is right. Do everything you can to get the next generation reading.
I would amend Burton’s advice to say that if the young reader in your life is interested in cars then buy them this book. Society is losing a number of skilled labor jobs not to immigrant workers but to colleges and other institutions of higher learning. With a focus on computers and math and physics, everyday science skills such as botany and auto mechanics is dying out. Do you know how much a certified mechanic makes in a year? Let’s just say that I had Maker Comics around when I was a kid, I’d have my house paid off within just 1 years worth of work under the hood.
Taking visual learning to the next level, Maker Comics promises to teach valuable and fun skills to car enthusiasts of all ages. A little bit technical at times, this book does go step-by-step. So readers can work on projects at their own pace! A must for anyone who wants to share the experience of working on cars with a special youngster in their life!
August 24, 2019
I wish this clever little comic had been around when I was younger, most of my experience with cars when I was young was holding a flashlight for my dad and not really knowing what we were doing or why.
This comic is a very easy read and explains the basics of the how and why you would want to fix certain things on a car, along with some basic trouble shooting. The author/artist also gives some recommendations on reference guides to pick up if you want to learn more.
This comic is a very easy read and explains the basics of the how and why you would want to fix certain things on a car, along with some basic trouble shooting. The author/artist also gives some recommendations on reference guides to pick up if you want to learn more.
June 2, 2019
Very informative about car maintenance, and a cute (slightly cheesy) story. I would read a sequel if there ever was one.
July 14, 2019
this was a really great how-to book!! i actually feel interested in learning more and empowered to do my own (easy lol) repairs. B))
January 28, 2019
A group of students meets up with the Physics teacher from their school, Ms Gritt, for Car Club every week to earn some extra points in class and the skills to take care of their own vehicles. Readers get to join Car Club’s meetings and learn with the students the parts of a vehicle, what those parts do, how to take care of basic car repairs, and suggested upkeep.
I am totally not a car person and before reading this I only knew the names of main parts of the car and the gist of how some of them worked. The way everything was broken down in the book was really easy to follow, and I totally feel like if I needed to I could carry out many of the tasks outlined. The book is put together under the guise of a fictional situation and you get to know each of the characters a teensy bit, which helps make this much more easy to swallow than reading a flat out how-to car manual. That said, though, it also isn’t quite the thing you’d pick up if you want a riveting story. The instructional and informational aspects of the book are definitely the main point and take up 99% of the page space. So I’d categorize it overall more as an easily palatable nonfiction graphic novel rather than fiction. And I’d highly recommend it to any first time (or long time) car owners, especially those who find normal car manuals intimidating or sleep-inducing. Also a great idea for a gift for someone just learning to drive. I’ll definitely be adding this to our secondary library.
Notes on content [Based on the ARC]: No language issues. No sexual content. Two potentially deadly situations if repairs are done wrong are illustrated with some dark humor (non-gorily).
I received an ARC of this title from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
I am totally not a car person and before reading this I only knew the names of main parts of the car and the gist of how some of them worked. The way everything was broken down in the book was really easy to follow, and I totally feel like if I needed to I could carry out many of the tasks outlined. The book is put together under the guise of a fictional situation and you get to know each of the characters a teensy bit, which helps make this much more easy to swallow than reading a flat out how-to car manual. That said, though, it also isn’t quite the thing you’d pick up if you want a riveting story. The instructional and informational aspects of the book are definitely the main point and take up 99% of the page space. So I’d categorize it overall more as an easily palatable nonfiction graphic novel rather than fiction. And I’d highly recommend it to any first time (or long time) car owners, especially those who find normal car manuals intimidating or sleep-inducing. Also a great idea for a gift for someone just learning to drive. I’ll definitely be adding this to our secondary library.
Notes on content [Based on the ARC]: No language issues. No sexual content. Two potentially deadly situations if repairs are done wrong are illustrated with some dark humor (non-gorily).
I received an ARC of this title from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
September 25, 2019
I enjoyed this comic. In fact, I'm enjoying all the comics in the Maker Comics series. They each have a framing story and then give really practical information about the topic they are covering. The framing story for this book is a group of teens who are meeting with one of their teachers on Saturdays for car club. The information about cars is fairly basic, and as someone who is surrounded by people who always do their own car repairs, there wasn't a lot of new information. However, this would be really great to give to a young person who is just starting out as a driver. Most of the 'car fixing' is actually about maintaining your vehicle properly so it doesn't break down: how to check the fluids, how to change the oil, how to change the wipers, how to clean it, etc. However, the way things are presented is really good and for beginner drivers, this is all really good information. I will make my kids read this went they are old enough to drive (and that is a scary sentence to type.)
November 4, 2020
In the vein as all the rest, this Maker Comics book focuses on the intricacies of a topic that is hands-on, in this case, car maintenance. Like the others, there are a storyline with characters that give you the book feel while sticking pretty heavily to the nonfiction side of fixing a car. This is about a group in a car club and learning the ins and out of basic car care like where you might find an item on a car, what a battery does, why lubricants and oils and fluids are important and in some cases actually diagramming different items inside.
It recognizes some inherent danger in car maintenance like hot liquids or jacks and working underneath a car while also explaining a cost/benefit analysis of "doing it yourself" versus taking it to someone to do. It's detailed and specific while also touching on the more basic points. It works well.
It recognizes some inherent danger in car maintenance like hot liquids or jacks and working underneath a car while also explaining a cost/benefit analysis of "doing it yourself" versus taking it to someone to do. It's detailed and specific while also touching on the more basic points. It works well.
December 30, 2025
Car club I never found one or tried to find one in my life. This book made you feel like apart of a car club. All the anxiety of asking what you may think could be perceived as dumb questions can be the exact same questions others might ask. All the sudden you don’t feel alone, you’ve become part of community. You gotta start somewhere and you gotta take that first step of trying. My favorite subjects covered were checking and maintaining fluid levels and jump starting the battery. The best part was at the end with the Authors notes explaining the process of learning how to do work on his own car and the resources he used to increase that knowledge listed a few books which I have added to my reading list and that it has become a regular routine for him and his daughter to do regular maintenance on their Jeep Cherokee❤️
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 19, 2019
In this engaging comic book, five teens join Car Club with Ms. Gritt so they can learn how to keep their rides going smoothly. As Ms. Gritt says, “ Get to know your car’s guts!” Covering everything from how to change the oil to fixing the drive belt alignment, this comic book shows amateur mechanics how to do routine maintenance and repairs.
I especially appreciate the way the story breaks up and provides contexts for the the detailed how-to explanations. I also appreciate how diverse the characters are, consciously breaking stereotypes. Do be aware -- there is a lot of text to some of the explanations. But the clear illustrations, thoughtful panel placement and variation of background colors keeps the momentum going.
I especially appreciate the way the story breaks up and provides contexts for the the detailed how-to explanations. I also appreciate how diverse the characters are, consciously breaking stereotypes. Do be aware -- there is a lot of text to some of the explanations. But the clear illustrations, thoughtful panel placement and variation of background colors keeps the momentum going.
October 11, 2025
To be clear, I've tagged death because there are FICTIONAL portrayals of "this is how you will DIE if you aren't careful!" included, albeit in a funny way ("Oh no, now I am dead").
This is a very clear and well-illustrated* book about basic car maintenance that almost anyone should be able to do! While I haven't fact-checked it 100%, most of it is covered by "Check your manual" (haha), and what I do know seems accurately represented. Very handy book to keep in your car!
*although Abner's spoiler is bigger than his car, haha
This is a very clear and well-illustrated* book about basic car maintenance that almost anyone should be able to do! While I haven't fact-checked it 100%, most of it is covered by "Check your manual" (haha), and what I do know seems accurately represented. Very handy book to keep in your car!
*although Abner's spoiler is bigger than his car, haha
April 2, 2019
Learning how to service cars through the medium of graphic novels? Sure, why not!
This book is a bit engaging, while not having much of a plot. It teaches the basic of how and, perhaps, more importantly, why to do maintenance on your vehicle. I look forward to seeing how the other topics in the Maker Comics series are treated.
This book is a bit engaging, while not having much of a plot. It teaches the basic of how and, perhaps, more importantly, why to do maintenance on your vehicle. I look forward to seeing how the other topics in the Maker Comics series are treated.
July 3, 2019
Very informative book about car maintenance. Easy to follow and understand. Great for that teen learning to drive. Also perfect for any age that want to start learning the basics of how a car works without the dread of reading a drool car book.
May 24, 2022
This was in the Juvenile section at the library but I picked it up on a whim! I know very little about cars but would like to understand them better to make basic repairs. The author covers all the main components of a car in simple terms and easy to follow graphics.
January 23, 2024
This book featured an interesting teacher and a group of students with an interest in cars and their own unique personalities. The way that the material was covered reminded me of how my dad taught me about cars all those years ago.
October 25, 2024
This is a great book! I love the idea of teaching the basics of responsible car ownership via a graphic novel about a car club. Appealing illustrations and characters, and I learned a few things about maintenance! I hope teens will enjoy this one.
February 21, 2019
Wow! What a great way to teach taking care of your car!
March 18, 2019
tween/teen graphic diy
excellent guide that makes auto maintenance accessible--with a supervising adult. Recommended for anyone who owns a car or who is interested in fixing cars.
excellent guide that makes auto maintenance accessible--with a supervising adult. Recommended for anyone who owns a car or who is interested in fixing cars.
Want to read
April 25, 2021Note: I received a digital review copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley.
July 27, 2021
This is good for the person who finds car maintenance to be to intimidating. It is a good beginner.
September 5, 2021
A good intro graphic novel on how to take car of your car. I really liked all the diagrams on the different systems in the car.
August 24, 2023
Great for kids? Sure! Great for adults that want a simple explanation of car mechanics? Absolutely!
November 26, 2024
Fun, good characters, Dad jokes - good diagrams and maintenance tips, plus I learned stuff I didn't already know. My kid even wants to read it now
Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews