Space Dumplins

by Craig Thompson

Highly acclaimed graphic novelist Craig Thompson's debut book for young readers about a plucky heroine on a mission to save her dad.
For Violet Marlocke, family is the most important thing in the whole galaxy. So when her father goes missing while on a hazardous job, she can't just sit around and do nothing. To get him back, Violet throws caution to the stars and sets out with a group of misfit friends on a quest to find him. But space is vast and dangerous, and she soon discovers that her dad is in big, BIG trouble. With her father's life on the line, nothing is going to stop Violet from trying to rescue him and keep her family together.
Visionary graphic novel creator Craig Thompson brings all of his wit, warmth, and humor to create a brilliantly drawn story for all ages. Set in a distant yet familiar future, "Space Dumplins" weaves themes of family, friendship, and loyalty into a grand space adventure filled with quirky aliens, awesome spaceships, and sharp commentary on our environmentally challenged world.
"

Genres: Graphic Novels, Comics, Science Fiction, Middle Grade, Childrens, Fiction, Adventure

320 pages, Paperback

First published August 25, 2015

About the author

Craig Ringwalt Thompson (b. September 21, 1975 in Traverse City, Michigan) is a graphic novelist best known for his 2003 work Blankets. Thompson has received four Harvey Awards, two Eisner Awards, and two Ignatz Awards. In 2007, his cover design for the Menomena album Friend and Foe received a Grammy nomination for Best Recording Package.

Reviews

[Patrick · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book, as you would expect from Craig Thompson.

I'm curious as to why the ratings on this one are so low, given that I really enjoyed this book, and Craig has written some of the very best graphic novels that I've ever read. (Blankets and Habibi)

My guess is that this book is a big departure from the style of his other two books. They were both intensely emotional character centered stories. While this is obviously a fun Sci-Fi story targeted at a younger audience.

This sort of thing happens to an author a lot when they try to write something new. People get pissed that you aren't writing more of the same thing that they've come to love.

Personally? I really liked it. And so did Oot. To me that says this book was a lovely success.

[Ramsey Hootman · Rating 2 out of 5]

I picked up the advance copy of this at ALA. My 5 year old loves graphic novels like the Amulet series so I thought we'd give this one a try. Overall, I am not super impressed.

The Good:

My son liked it, mostly for the illustrations. Most of the text went completely over his head and I don't think he got anything other than that there was a dad and a baby whale in trouble that needed rescuing. He spent a lot of time in his room with this book, poring over the very detailed and whimsical illustrations.

I enjoyed the little mutant chicken character. He was unique and interesting in his capacity as a sort of dream-prophet.

The Less-Good:

Two really glaring instances of sexism made me wish I'd read ahead so I could sort of "edit it out" for my kid. The first one comes when the protagonist, Violet, sees a male friend at a dump. They are busting stuff apart with hammers and she is doing it weakly. He tells her to stop hitting "like a girl," so she doubles down and really goes at it - presumably, "like a boy." The second instance is when she tells her two companions, both males, that she is so glad she left all her female friends behind because they were so uptight and how much better she likes being with the guys. I realize the intent here was to point out how snotty the station kids are, but it really came off as, "Wow, girls are so dumb, I'm so glad I'm one of the guys." In neither case are these assumptions criticized or questioned.

Also, aside from Violet and her mom, literally every single other speaking character in this book is male. So this fictional universe is populated by 95% males. Sorry, it's 2015. This is not okay.

I honestly did not grok the overall "message" of the book, even though I felt like the ending tried to hit the reader over the head with the point. Was it about recycling, maybe? I dunno. Something environmental. But I couldn't figure out if space whale poop was supposed to be analogous to something in our own world or what.

Finally, I'm really not sure who the audience is here. I felt like maybe it was supposed to be for all ages, but it sorta missed the mark. For me the story was predictable and juvenile, but there were a ton of literary (and Star Wars) references, which didn't seem to accomplish anything other than perhaps making me feel clever for getting them. Much of the dialogue was too complex for my five year old, so he couldn't read the book himself and often had no idea what anyone was saying. I'm not sure a pre-teen would get much out of the in-jokes, either. And I'm not sure teens would be interested in reading about small children.

[Sally906 · Rating 3 out of 5]

SPACE DUMPLINS is a children’s graphic story marketed as a “…grand space adventure filled with quirky aliens, awesome space-ships, and sharp commentary on our environmentally challenged world…” it certainly filled its brief. However the biggest problem I had was with the word ‘dumplins’ in the title. All I could focus on was that word, and how I strongly believed it was spelt wrong (even my spell check thinks it’s wrong) – it should have been dumplings. Rightly or wrongly that word jarred on my senses so may have made me more critical than I would normally. This could also have something to do with the fact that I am not in the target age group and deliberately misspelling words for effect seem to be the trend nowadays which grumps like me really hate but doesn’t bother the sweet young things.

The artwork of the graphics was beautiful, Craig Thompson’s outer space is not empty there is a lot going on so once you’ve read the words there is a whole lot of looking to do. Sometimes the graphics were a little too busy for me as there was so much squeezed into a scene. The story itself is simple with Violet going off to rescue her father who collects space whale poop that the huge corporation that rules space can convert to fuel. There are enough gross things in the story to keep the average kid very happy – all that space poo for a start! But, within that simplicity of the plot there are a whole lot of deeper issues going on – racism, haves and have-nots, religion, the environment, consumerism and of course saving the whales. For such a basic story there is almost too many issues going on which is why I can see this will be popular with teachers, but maybe not so popular with kids because they will just want to read it and enjoy it – not moralise over it.


With thanks to Allen & Unwin and the author for this copy to read and review.

[Dov Zeller · Rating 3 out of 5]

I didn't love this book. The art is pretty, um. (inter)stellar. But there is so much going on and it's all very narratively rushed and allegorically heavy, and so many of the relationships are mired in the symbolic. In the end the characters don't have much personality and the story itself, while trying so hard to be of contemporary conciliatory importance, is pretty predictable. It's like someone is pushing a plate under our (collective readers) nose with requisite "peas and carrots", and feeling good about themselves for doing it because they're helping us eat our vegetables. But the vegetables aren't fresh or free-range and they're freezer burned and have lost quite a few of their nutrients.

What is Thompson's overall message in this epic book that takes its hat off pretty bizarrely to Moby Dick (see chapter 101 "they had dumplings too; small but substantial..." Oh, and the whales.)? Is it striving, perhaps, for some kind of vague "feminist" or "humanist" or "chickenist" message? I'm not sure, but maybe I will have some epiphanies as I write this review?

The book opens in a little spaceship called a "tug." A giant, ridiculously ripped, bearded, tattooed and a-shirt wearing blue-collar white guy is teaching his Disney-pretty, smart, talented, feisty daughter Violet how to fly the space tug. And she is our protagonist. "Space Dumplins" does have a hero who is a girl. Yay! But over-all there isn't too much feminist stuff happening, not too much out of the ordinary in terms of representation. Violet is main-stream-comic-book attractive. She's the heroine not because she is a girl, but despite that fact. (Because she can 'keep up' with the boys.) She has two sidekicks. One's a chicken and the other is, well, a chicken? The definitely-a-chicken chicken is one of the more compelling characters because of the humor (an adorabe, brooding neurotic chicken) but I can't quite make sense of the message there. He's an angsty writer who is terrified of taking risks and ends up being dragged along on an adventure that scares him a lot. Okay. Is this a kind of 'How to make friends and influence people' for chickens? "Risk your life and be brave while also being anxious enough to provide comic relief?"

Overall the book seems to be trying to forge a kind of narrative peace-treaty between folks in a class system that manufactures deep divisions. The divisions in the book of course mirror those in contemporary not-outer-space western human habitats, but without much complexity and without offering true resolution. The story kind of putters to the finish line not very convincingly tying up all loose ends. Tensions are resolved in ways that aren't believable within the world of the story.

The final message of "Space Dumplins?" Is it: "If you work hard enough and risk your life in order to try to make ends meet (while other people live in luxury and barely have to lift a finger), you can find a way to scrape by even if you are (and continue to be) suffering from poverty in a daily way and economically victimized by the system you are in." Or is it: "Giant working-class-Disney-greek-god-muscular male lumberjacks and androgynous-trope-ically-villainous-wealthier-male-manufacturers can all get along if the right kind of catastrophe brings them together because really aren't we all human? [except for the chickens etc]. [But they are anthropomorphized humanistic chickens].

Don't we all, in the end, ultimately care about each others experiences and quality of life? Um, no. (We just elected Trump, remember? The Batman villain who vows to make America Gotham City again.)

Now that I've inarticulately said some things about the book, I want to mention something that I find a bit disturbing. Well, one of the GR reviewers expressed frustration with the sexism in Thompson's representation of girls and his failure to represent racially diverse human characters. And her point makes a lot of sense. But several people commented (or a few people commented several times) in a flurry of defensiveness, saying that it's good the sexism is in there, because that helps people get ready for 'the real world.' Huh? Nope! That's not how it works. At all. Certainly not when the stuff is happening without being addressed or called into question within the scope of the narrative. And anyway, that's like saying we should all be kicked as much as possible starting as young as possible to get us used to the fact that life is hard. And those who stand to have the hardest time in the world because of institutionalized racism, sexism, etc, should get kicked even more as kids to prepare them. If you think that's a good way to "prepare" kids for "life", EEK!

Problematic messages in books about class and race and gender seep into the narrative consciousness of the kids who read them. And kids who rarely or never see themselves or their social scenarios represented in books are also very much affected and harmed by that absence of representation. So yeah, it's really important for kid's book authors to be considerate and thoughtful about this kind of stuff and not just reiterate harmful messages. (It's not easy to do. To truly step out of pervasive and harmful narratives, so thank you Thompson for a book with a cool protagonist.)

Okay, not sure if I've made any bit of sense, but those are my thoughts for the moment.

[Sarah Churchill · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars maybe.

I really did enjoy this. The artwork is brilliant, Craig Thompson's outerspace is just beautiful and full of detail. The plot surrounds a young girl whose dad goes missing, and mum works at a posh space station, all during a Whale diorrhea incident that's threatening lives on the satellites... it actually makes sense when you read it.

It covers a lot of great issues, especially for the target audience which is admittedly a lot younger than I am. Class, bullying (briefly), consumerism, pollution, renewable energy... then the usual family relationships, friendships, fitting in and belonging. The end was a bit too cliché for my liking, but overall a fun and definitely visually appealing adventure.

I did have a couple of problems with it though; a couple of flippant sexist remarks that made me double check that it is actually a recent release, and the inclusion of whale diorrhea as a huge plot point - I'm fairly fed up with poo being a necessity for some when writing for a younger audience. It did work for this, admittedly, but bodily functions as amusement for kids bugs me, like we're intentionally dumbing down for an audience that we're actually grossly underestimating.

So, I know I sound mixed there, but I did enjoy it more than I had problems with it. Not Thompson's best work plot-wise, but beautiful and fun nonetheless.

[Dave Schaafsma · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really admire that Craig Thompson is having fun with this ambitious tome of a children's graphic novel, sci fi with weird and sometimes cuddly characters. Thompson, who is an amazing artist with a powerful track record, including the moving and romantic memoir-fiction Blankets and the ambitious epic Habibi, became known for Goodbye, Chunk Rice, which features little cartoony characters. These three books (oh, and the "travel" story, Carnet de Voyage, also!) reveal Thompson's serious, sadder, more contemplative side, and are some of the best comics art in history, without question.

This book, for kids and done by Scholastic, which means it is going to be in the hands of almost every household in the US. . . good for you, Craig!) is for kids, and my 9 year old son likes it a lot. "It's good," he says, and he is the only critic Thompson cares about for this one. I think he is sort of letting loose and having fun here and reaching an audience that reminds me of the cartoony Chunky Rice little guys in places. And also exhibits the environmental concerns of Habibi. The art here is terrific, again, with a whole different purpose, so Thompson shows an expanding range of invention. The space story doesn't seem particularly fresh or insightful to me, and some of the corniness seems just consistent with kiddie sci fi, but as my son would say, "It's good," he read it all in a couple days.

[fer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ja tinha lido algumas reviews negativas sobre essa hq mas nao encontrei nada que tenha me incomodado muito. Acho que alguns dialogos foram adaptados na traduçao pro portugues (li a versao que foi publicada aqui no brasil) entao algumas coisas que podem ter incomodado na leitura da versao em ingles acho que foram amenizadas na ediçao br.

Nao é meu tipo favorito de arte mas gostei bastante das cores usadas.

Acabei comparando um pouco com On a sunbeam da tillie walden por serem duas hqs com temas parecidos e on a sunbeam é muito superior.

[orangerful · Rating 2 out of 5]

Just so disappointed. I loved Habibi and Blankets, so I was really excited to read Thompson's venture into children's comics. But this fell flat to me. Too many agendas, too many soap boxes, far too text heavy and the panels on some page were a mess. And in the end, it had a cliche ending that didn't even make the rest of the story worth my time.

The art and coloring are very nice. The story was a huge letdown. I had to speedread the last few chapters just to get it over with so I could make sure there wasn't some twist I was missing. But, no, it was a huge letdown.

[Raina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Professional Review:
Craig Thompson is known in his field for sprawling and complex graphic novels. Here, he leaves the adult content of Blankets and Habibi, and goes back to the narrative territory of his earliest published work, Goodbye, Chunky Rice. Violet is the child of working class parents, struggling to survive in a space-based society. They live in a mobile-home park – in space. Her dad works in logging – of space whale poop. Her mom works in a factory – on an asteroid. One day, a galaxy-level crisis erupts – whale diarrhea is flooding the locations in space where sentient beings live and work. Then, Violet’s dad goes missing. Thompson’s illustrations are famously detailed – he draws out every item in a trash heap, every thrill-seeker in a water park – and this dense style feels almost like a Where’s Waldo page in some panels. Parts of this story are familiar – the outer space setting, the plucky female protagonist, the alien sidekicks, the stereotypically attractive adult human characters, the epic quest... And when compared with similar stories – Ben Hatke’s Zita the Spacegirl is a prime example – this venture into children’s graphic novels does not necessarily break new ground or bring the genre to new heights. However, expectations are inflated for a giant like Thompson, and this is excellent addition to the ranks of high quality graphic novels for kids. Best suited to elementary, middle school, and public libraries.


My own private thoughts (internet-version):
As I hint at in the review above, I couldn't help being struck by the similarities between this and Zita. The covers are eerily alike. The general setting is the same. The plucky young protagonist and her band of nonhumans ring familiar.
And it feels odd that such a monster in the GN universe would create something SOOO similar to something already out there. Granted, it's not like THERE CAN ONLY BE ONE, but it feels too much like a copycat situation, regardless of the actual provenance of the story. Which is all beneath my expectations for the dude who showed me that I could be a professional GN appreciator as a grown-up.

And when I do accept that this is just Thompson's take on a genre, it still falls a little short. It feels like a story written from an adult gaze. The young characters are a bit caricatured, like the author is winking at us about how cute they are. There are political undertones. And we're a bit too concerned with how the adults are feeling through it all.

I also want to reemphasize the heteronormativity, all-white cast, and stereotypically-attractive bodies of the human characters. This is not only counter to the political messaging of the book, but - on the race side - an unrealistic view of what skin tones would be like in a future in space.

All of that stuff is under the surface, though. The kids will like it. I enjoyed reading it.
In keeping with Thompson's jam, this is hefty. I'm trying to remember EVER reading this long of a standalone GN for kids. That's a niche. Which is good.

I just wish it blew me away a bit more.

[Faith Erin Hicks · Rating 3 out of 5]

Beautiful artwork, absolutely incredible looking book. Characters & story were ... not great.

[Cisz Geverink - Strasters · Rating 3 out of 5]

Grappig, maar geen blijvertje.

[Donalyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

I loved Thompson's adult graphic novels like Blanket and Habibi (you should definitely read those), but I found this book condescending to children. Whale poop as fuel? Diarrhea as a threat? Weird pop culture references like "Buttlestar Paintallica"? The art is stunning, but I would pass kids Amulet and Zita and Princeless and Lumberjanes instead.

[Václav · Rating 4 out of 5]

(4,2 z 5 za vesmírné dobrodružství, vesmírné velryby, jejich ničivý průjem a to vše v krásně zpracovaném komiksu pro celou rodinu)
Paseka nám tu naservírovala Craiga Thompsona jak ho tu ještě neznáme. V komickém kosmickém dobrodružství o malé Violetě co jde zachránit tátu ze spárů Obřích vesmírných velryb. Tahle věc je pro malé i velké, našlapaná odkazy, gagy, humorem, napětím i dojemnými chvilkami. Thompson se tu s kresbou opravdu vyřádil, přes tři sta stran detailních panelů. A v kombinaci s coloringem od Stewarta to vypadá skvěle. Vydání od Paseky má jedinou vadu na kráse, a to velikost - detailní vizuální stránka by si zasloužila větší formát. Ostatní je ale super. Hardback s měkkými deskami je ve výsledku fajn řešení (vazba drží a stránky se otáčí skvěle) a k tisku ani papíru nemám výhrady. České úpravy jsou super a klobouk dolů - překlad mi přišel pocitově velmi poctivý a se "srdíčkem" a grafické úpravy jsou perfektní (a že jich tu je). Za tím určitě stojí hrozná práce, protože texty, nápisy, popisky a SFX v různém vizuálním provedení jsou snad v každém panelu a to občas i v dost velkém množství. Takže Knedlíci dostali péči, kterou na našem trhu vidíme snad jen u Comics Centra a je to znát. Paseka má poněkud specifický výběr komiksů, ale Knedlíci na rozdíl od Essex County osloví široký záběr mladých čtenářů a zároveň můžou skórovat i u čtenářů dospělých, které naopak neoslovuje Hilda či Záleskautky. Kosmo knedlíci jsou podle mě komiks s největším čtenářským záběrem, který kdy Paseka vydala.

[Melina Souza]

Infelizmente não gostei tanto desse livro quanto imaginei que fosse gostar. Já estava com ele há alguns anos na estante e tinha decidido que esse ano finalmente iria ler.

O que me chamou atenção é o fato de que é uma graphic novel middle-grade de sci-fi que se passa no espaço e é protagonizada para uma garota. Fiquei muito empolgada com a ideia, mas durante a leitura, alguns diálogos me incomodaram bastante.

"Don't be such a GIRL about it" (p. 51): quando a Violet está tentando quebrar algumas coisas, mas está com receio. (e sim, o "girl" está em letras maiúsculas).

"pfff what a SISSY" (p. 93): quando o Elliot, um dos amigos da Violet que é mais sensível, está passando mal/assustado, o outro chama ele de "maricas".

"Why look at this PRETTINESS. Do you have a boyfriend?" (p. 121): um personagem alienígena que aparenta ser bem mais velho dá em cima da protagonista que tem uns 13 anos.

Tem um outro diálogo que me incomodou, mas que não estou achando a marcação no momento. Basicamente a protagonista fala algo como é melhor ser amiga dos meninos do que das meninas. (depois edito essa parte para explicar melhor).

Enfim, por ser um livro novo (lançado em 2015), o fato de encontrar coisas assim me deixou bem decepcionada.

Apesar disso tudo, gostei bastante da arte e das cores usadas.

Quarta leitura da Maratona Espacial 2020 / Sétima leitura do Especial Ficção Científica 2020.

[Eva · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is one of the.few graphic novels for children that got translated into Dutch. I loved it, and so did my daughter. The book sits permanently on her nightstand. It's adventurous, full of humor and with an adorable main character. Violet is a young girl whose father one day doesn't return from his work. The three of them live on a spaceship, but have to look for a place once Violets dad disappears. Violet doesn't believe he is dead and sets out to find him.

The artwork is beautiful, as always with Craig Thompson. The story is not always as lighthearted as it seems. Imagine being about 9 or 10 and losing your father... That message comes across strongly. There's a lot in it about familyrelations, friendship and lonelyness.

Recommended!

[Vojtěch Rabyniuk · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kosmo knedlíci jsou přesně to, co slibuje věkové doporučení - komiksové dobrodružství pro celou rodinu.
Craig Thompson skvěle kombinuje humor, emoce, akci a spousty nápadů říznutých lehkou ekologickou tématikou. Čtenář ocení spousty popkulturních i klasickýh inspirací sahajících od Miyazakiho po Bibli.
Kresba je stále ten starý dobrý Craig Thompson s jasnou a přesnou linkou, který je navíc okořeněn barvami nejlepšího coloristy Současnosti - Davea Stewarta.
Trochu matoucí je tady v popisu uvedený Hardcover, protože Knedlíci mají vazbu tak nějak..Polotvrdou.
Ze začátku sme měl obav, ale ve skutečnosti je to na čtení během cestování ideální vazba. Knize by možná slušel větší formát, kde by vynikla spousta detailů.
Lettering opět na výbornou.

[Óscar Trobo · Rating 2 out of 5]

Sabe mal por el curro que se ha dado Thompson, al marcarse un tebeo infantil de ciencia ficción de 320 páginas, pero en mi casa no ha gustado mucho ni a niños ni a adulto.

El dibujo está muy bien, pero la historia se nos ha hecho algo aburrida y un poco pesada con el rollo de la familia, la ecología, el derecho a ser distinto, la experimentación con animales, la diferencia de clases, el agotamiento de los recursos energéticos, etc. Temas que está muy bien tratarlos, pero estaría bien que de una manera más sutil, y sin que lastren tanto el sentido de la aventura.

Cada tiempo elige su bardo y ahora parece que la educación es nuestra principal obsesión. Y aún así, nos va fatal.

[Martina Krausová · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pretty cute but chaotic story. Don't know what else to say about it :D

[Ben Sablon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Perfect rustdag vertier

[Sam Bloom · Rating 2 out of 5]

Was with this one all the way, until the fat-shaming part where the (admittedly minor, but still...) character with the overeating/obesity issues was used as the butt of jokes. Not cool.

[Pavel Pravda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tak tohle je hodně zběsilý komiks! Má ujeté nápady jako Stopařův průvodce Douglase Adamse a šílené stroje jako od Káji Saudka. A má toho mnohem víc. Věděl jsem, že je to komiks především pro děti, ale zároveň jsem o něm slyšel, že pobaví celou rodinu a že je skvělý. Ze začátku jsem byl ale hodně zklamaný. Přišlo mi to příliš dětské a říkal jsem si, že to za rok nebo za dva věnuji malé neteři, která teprve půjde do školy. Ta by se divila… Poměrně brzy jsem totiž odhalil rafinovanost Thompsonova vyprávění. Do všech těch příšerek, barviček a velrybích průjmů totiž ukryl spoustu společenských a sociálních témat, které by tak malé dítě asi ještě těžko chápalo. Nabušený není ale jenom scénář. Kresba vás dostane taky. Craigovi Thompsonovi ten komiks musel dát neuvěřitelnou práci. Kresba není ani zdaleka realistická, spíše naopak - je velmi zjednodušující, ale je v ní tolik detailů, že se to málokdy vidí. Vyzdvihnout musím i to, jak Thompson pracuje s panely a s prostorem. Jeho vnější pohledy kombinované s průřezy jsou fantastické! Budu si tu knihu muset brzy znovu otevřít, abych si znovu a pořádně prohlédl všechny obrázky. V souvislosti s tím musím ocenit i Paseku za překlad a za zapracování všech překladů do obrázků. Celé to podtrhují skvělé barvy Dave Stewarta. Fajnová záležitost tihle Kosmo Knedlíci!

[Jirka Navrátil · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kosmo knedlíci jsou pro mě hodně netradiční komiksové čtení, protože výhradně čtu Marvel a sem tam DC.

Příběh je zábavný a nemá žádné slabé nebo výplňové chvilky. Postavy jsou skvěle napsané a užije si je a taky příběh jak dospělý tak i děti.

Kresba je krásně barevná, rozmanitá a detailní. Nad čím jsem žasl jsou do češtiny přeložená FX, která jsou vtipná a perfektně zpracovaná.

[Sean · Rating 3 out of 5]

I would expect better consideration of readers from Scholastic; Thompson tends to sum up events redundantly (sometimes even two or three times) as if he has zero confidence in his readers' ability to follow the plot and action. There's a fair bit of moralizing, too, with an ending featuring the characters breaking the fourth wall to reinforce the book's "message."

It's impossible to ignore the book's shortcomings, including an overly long stretch of exposition at the outset, but it's equally impossible to ignore the quality of the art, paneling, and technical skills Thompson displays. The man is a comics master; I just wish his editor(s) spent more time reining him in. Voice is inauthentic (many characters experience sudden revelations that don't feel earned) and worst of all, we hear the author's voice coming through characters quite frequently. The usual Thompson elements are present, including Biblical allusions (in this case, entirely forced) and references to typical Wisconsin staples (muskies, lumberjacks, etc.) that give the book an inconsistent albeit unique feel.

It's hard for me, as someone who lists Blankets and Goodbye, Chunky Rice as two of his favorite graphic novels, to give a Thompson book three stars. But ultimately a book's quality has to come down to story, characterization, and plot--all of which this book is seriously lacking.

There are plenty of touching, humorous, and/or clever moments throughout, but they just don't come together in any meaningful or thoughtful manner. I would think that most kids would enjoy the book, but few of them would revisit it or really come away with much of anything in terms of lasting impressions.

So much talent and time went into this book, and it fell flat for me. I sincerely hope Thompson veers away from kidlit and back to middle-grade or YA as this age range is definitely not his strong suit.

[Charles Hatfield · Rating 2 out of 5]

Hugely ambitious (hey, it's a Craig Thompson book!) and gorgeously crafted, and yet a bit strained, I think: the characters come across as counters in a grand game, not as characters capable of surprising you and winning you over. (The three principals too obviously represent some kind of psychomachia, a sort of Kirby/Spock/McCoy triad chosen for symbolic significance.) The book feels overdone, overbaked, excessive, and too deliberately programmed; beautiful, yes, but also crowded and airless. I expect I'll be returning to it to study Thompson's layouts and (of course lovely) drawing, but not out of affection for its characters or faith in its story. Thompson really needs a fierce editor.

[Mitchell Friedman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Huh? What? Well that certainly wasn't Blankets or Habibi. First of all it was an upbeat adventure. Sure it was a plucky young girl and her new friends saving the world and her dad from Space Whale Poop caused by evil scientists. But the art was rich and detailed if almost garish. The aliens were alien but completely recognizable. There's a lot that could be read into this one about destroying the environment and misuse of the proletariat. And Moby Dick of course. But it was also a fun read all the way through from beginning to end.

[Barb (Boxermommyreads) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I remember hearing about this book when it first came out, but in 2015 I hadn't really tried graphic novels. Then when I started reading them, I didn't even think to see if my library carried it. A few weeks ago I saw "Space Dumplins" mentioned on Booktube, looked on my library site, and hit reserve.

"Space Dumplins" is advertised as juvenile fiction, but I think anyone who enjoys graphic novels would enjoy it. The artwork is bright, colorful and quite intricate. Violet's father is a space scavenger and her mother an aspiring space designer. One day her father takes a secret mission and suddenly disappears. About that time, the galaxy is being inundated with space whale diarrhea - giant purple space whales - and they are rather cute. Violet teams up with a team of misfits to look for her father and in the process, tries to save a captured baby whale.

I loved Violet and her misfit team. My favorite is Elliot the Chick. His father, a mad chicken scientist, abandoned him when he was young and although quite bright, he has no social skills. Below are a few pics of Elliot. And I forget to mention, every time he gets nervous, he has seizures, and Violet comforts and takes care of him where no one has before.

"Space Dumplins" is a story about friendship, family, adventure and how people are ruining the ecosystem. It's told in a fun and innovative way and I really enjoyed reading this rather lengthy graphic novel. If any of these topics interest you, or if you want to meet Elliot for yourself, then grab a copy and enjoy the space ride!

[Lucille · Rating 3 out of 5]

[3,5/5]
Une histoire toute mignonne et bien fun! J'aime beaucoup les dessins, la plupart des pages sont remplies de petits détails qu'on pourrait admirer pendant plusieurs minutes. Le texte est drôle, que ce soit pour les enfants ou les grand enfants, assez scato (l'intrigue tourne autour d'un désastre écologique causé par de la diarrhée de baleine tout de même) mais jamais trop vulgaire non plus. Un bon petit moment de lecture!
Bonus pour le mot de la fin par les traducteurs qui expliquent les choix qu'ils ont eut à faire, les jeux de mot de la version originale, etc. Mon petit cœur bilingue était ravi!

[Rumi Bossche · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bought this one awhile back for my daughter, hoping she would read it. She said dad its more something for you. She is right, i love Craig Thompson's work, but a father can try to let his daughter read something comics dammit. Space Dumplings is a great all ages graphic novel about a small girl who is gonna save her dad. Its a bit more for a younger audience,  but i can say this is a stunning looking book. The best colorist in the game, Dave Stewart, makes Thompson's work even more brilliant. Alas, this was a fun read.

[S.E. Anderson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Totally fun, quirky space adventure for kids of all ages.

I was absolutely absorbed by the beautiful artwork. Craig Thompson did an impeccable job creating a fully immersive world, full of characters that manage to be simultaneously zany and believable. It's not every day you have a chicken walking and talking besides humans in space, but it made sense in the context.

I was given this book as a gift, and I think neither me nor my friend realized it was going to be "for children," and it was only after I read the reviews that we had a good laugh about that. The book is definitely for readers of any age, just with clean language, less violence, and a whole lot of poop jokes (that should have been my first clue). But as a science fiction lover, that did not put me off.

Other reviewers have mentioned how some plot points felt rushed, but this is a massive graphic novel, and it manages to cover a lot in a 'short' time. It brings up themes of class division, and family being more than just blood. It doesn't go into depth, but it doesn't need to. It's a story focusing on a child looking for her father, and as of such we get a child's point of view. She gets small lessons on altruism but nothing is going to change overnight.

All in all, super fun book.

[Sven · Rating 3 out of 5]

Deze graphic novel is nu niet erg hoogstaande literatuur maar is wel eens plezant om te lezen. Met thema's als vriendschap en doorzetting. Maar ook het tonen van de verschillen tussen arm en rijk komen aan bod. blij dat ik hem gelezen heb.