What do you think?
Rate this book
El lladre d'entrepans
Marin s’est fait voler son sandwich, celui du lundi au jambon-cheddar-laitue, son préféré ! Quel malfaisant a pu commettre un acte aussi cruel ? Le mardi, c’est le jour de son deuxième sandwich préféré : celui au thon que sa mère prépare avec sa fameuse mayonnaise et des tomates séchées. Pour ne pas mourir de faim, Marin décide de tendre un piège au voleur…
Premier livre de Patrick Doyon et André Marois à La Pastèque. Le voleur de sandwichs est un polar pour enfants qui vous tiendra en appétit du début à la fin.
Premier livre de Patrick Doyon et André Marois à La Pastèque. Le voleur de sandwichs est un polar pour enfants qui vous tiendra en appétit du début à la fin.
160 pages, Paperback
First published November 1, 2014
13 people are currently reading
209 people want to read
About the author
André Marois
139 books41 followersAuteur, scénariste et chroniqueur, André Marois est né en France et vit au Québec depuis 1992. Il se démarque par son ironie grinçante, son imagination débridée et son style incisif. Il a publié plus d'une quarantaine d'albums pour enfants, de recueils de nouvelles et de romans noirs, policiers et de science-fiction pour les adultes et les adolescents. Plusieurs titres sont parus en jeunesse à la courte échelle (séries Petit Pat, Les voleurs, Les Allergiks, etc.), ainsi que pour les plus grands (La fonction, Du cyan plein les mains, 9 ans, pas peur…)
Les livres d’André Marois lui ont permis de remporter plusieurs prix. Les voleurs de mémoire a remporté le Prix des libraires jeunesse en 2013. En 2015, son roman graphique Le voleur de sandwichs illustré par Patrick Doyon a remporté le Prix du Gouverneur général, catégorie livre jeunesse illustré, et le Prix des Incorruptibles en France. Il a aussi gagné le Prix peuplier 2017 en Ontario avec l’album Aux toilettes, illustré par Pierre Pratt.
Les livres d’André Marois lui ont permis de remporter plusieurs prix. Les voleurs de mémoire a remporté le Prix des libraires jeunesse en 2013. En 2015, son roman graphique Le voleur de sandwichs illustré par Patrick Doyon a remporté le Prix du Gouverneur général, catégorie livre jeunesse illustré, et le Prix des Incorruptibles en France. Il a aussi gagné le Prix peuplier 2017 en Ontario avec l’album Aux toilettes, illustré par Pierre Pratt.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 104 reviews
February 9, 2016
Injustice, that sweet universal quality, makes for great children’s books. Whether it’s a picture book or a young adult novel, if you can tap into a reader’s sense of unfairness you have yourself some children’s book gold. It’s the instantaneous gateway to identification. Adults too often forget how painful those early lessons about how the world is an unfair place feel. Children’s books tap into that feeling, while also giving kids a sense of hope. Yes, the world is a mad, bad place sometimes. But there are times when things work out for the best. And if its takes disgusting flavor balls in delicious sandwiches to reach that cathartic ending, so much the better. I wouldn’t argue that Andre Marois’s The Sandwich Thief is the greatest book on this subject I’ve ever seen (it could use a little work in the empathy department), but when it comes to tapping into that feeling of unbridled rage in the face of a cold, calculating world, this title definitely knows its audience.
There are upsides and downsides to having foodies for parents. On the one hand, they can seriously embarrass you when they overdo your school lunches. On the other hand, delicious sandwiches galore! Marin’s a big time fan of his mom’s sandwich constructions, particularly when graced with her homemade mayonnaise, but then one day the unthinkable occurs. Marin goes to take his sandwich to the lunchroom only to find it is gone! When it happens a second time on a second day Marin is convinced that a thief is in his midst. But who could it be? A classmate? A teacher? Everyone is suspect but it’s Marin’s clever mama who knows how to use her mad genius skills to out the culprit, and in a very public way!
Writing a good early chapter book takes some daring. The form is so incredibly limited. It’s best to have a story that can be read in a single sitting by a parent, or over the course of several attempts by a child just getting used to longer sentences. In this book Marois sets up his mystery with care. There are lots of red herrings, but the author also plays fair, including the true villain amongst the innocuous innocents. The adults made for particularly interesting reading. For example, I loved the portrait of Marin’s principal Mr. Geiger, a man so rumpled and ill-fed you wonder for quite some time how he got his current position (he redeems himself at the end, though).
I like to tell folks that we are currently in a new Golden Age of children’s literature. This is, admittedly, a fairly ridiculous statement to make since few people can be aware of a Golden Age, even if they are already waist deep in it. Still, the evidence is striking. Never before have authors or illustrators had so much freedom to play around with forms, construction, colors, art styles, etc. It’s not a free-for-all or anything (unless you’re self-publishing) but ideas that publishers might have balked at twenty years ago are almost commonplace today. Take The Sandwich Thief as one such example. Here you have an early chapter book that draws heavily on the classic comic tradition. But speech balloons aside, artist Patrick Doyon makes every single page an eclectic experience. A French-Canadian editorial illustrator who had never made a children’s book prior to this one, in this book Doyon moves effortlessly between two-page spreads, borderless panels, sequential art, the works. You might be so wrapped up in the form that you’d miss how limited his palette is. Working entirely in orange, red, and black, Doyon’s talents are such that you never even notice the missing colors during your reading experience.
Sadly, there are some aspects to this brand new book that feel like they were written twenty or thirty years ago (and not in a good way). When identifying the potential thieves in his classroom, Marin falls back onto some pretty broad stereotypes. We’re in an era when body acceptance makes old-fashioned fat shaming feel downright archaic. With that in mind, the identification of one student as “Big Bobby” whose “main hobby is eating” is particularly unfortunate. Add in “Poor Marie” whose mom lost her job and can’t afford to eat, and you’ve got yourself an odd avoidance of sympathy. Another reader of this book mentioned that the villains is of a similar lower-socioeconomic level, which is questionable. There are also a couple insults like “Numbnuts” floating about the text that will pass without comment in some households and be a major source of contention in others. FYI.
Winner of the Governor General’s Literary Award for Illustrated Children’s Literature, French Language, Marois and Doyon’s first collaboration is for any kid that comes in looking for a fun read with a mystery component. With its classy format and striking cover it may even appeal to the Wimpy Kid contingent. Hey, stranger things have happened. It's a true bummer that the book dumps on so many people along the way but it may still appeal to any kid who craves a little justice in the world. Particularly if that justice comes with the taste of chalk-textured cat pee.
For ages 7-9.
There are upsides and downsides to having foodies for parents. On the one hand, they can seriously embarrass you when they overdo your school lunches. On the other hand, delicious sandwiches galore! Marin’s a big time fan of his mom’s sandwich constructions, particularly when graced with her homemade mayonnaise, but then one day the unthinkable occurs. Marin goes to take his sandwich to the lunchroom only to find it is gone! When it happens a second time on a second day Marin is convinced that a thief is in his midst. But who could it be? A classmate? A teacher? Everyone is suspect but it’s Marin’s clever mama who knows how to use her mad genius skills to out the culprit, and in a very public way!
Writing a good early chapter book takes some daring. The form is so incredibly limited. It’s best to have a story that can be read in a single sitting by a parent, or over the course of several attempts by a child just getting used to longer sentences. In this book Marois sets up his mystery with care. There are lots of red herrings, but the author also plays fair, including the true villain amongst the innocuous innocents. The adults made for particularly interesting reading. For example, I loved the portrait of Marin’s principal Mr. Geiger, a man so rumpled and ill-fed you wonder for quite some time how he got his current position (he redeems himself at the end, though).
I like to tell folks that we are currently in a new Golden Age of children’s literature. This is, admittedly, a fairly ridiculous statement to make since few people can be aware of a Golden Age, even if they are already waist deep in it. Still, the evidence is striking. Never before have authors or illustrators had so much freedom to play around with forms, construction, colors, art styles, etc. It’s not a free-for-all or anything (unless you’re self-publishing) but ideas that publishers might have balked at twenty years ago are almost commonplace today. Take The Sandwich Thief as one such example. Here you have an early chapter book that draws heavily on the classic comic tradition. But speech balloons aside, artist Patrick Doyon makes every single page an eclectic experience. A French-Canadian editorial illustrator who had never made a children’s book prior to this one, in this book Doyon moves effortlessly between two-page spreads, borderless panels, sequential art, the works. You might be so wrapped up in the form that you’d miss how limited his palette is. Working entirely in orange, red, and black, Doyon’s talents are such that you never even notice the missing colors during your reading experience.
Sadly, there are some aspects to this brand new book that feel like they were written twenty or thirty years ago (and not in a good way). When identifying the potential thieves in his classroom, Marin falls back onto some pretty broad stereotypes. We’re in an era when body acceptance makes old-fashioned fat shaming feel downright archaic. With that in mind, the identification of one student as “Big Bobby” whose “main hobby is eating” is particularly unfortunate. Add in “Poor Marie” whose mom lost her job and can’t afford to eat, and you’ve got yourself an odd avoidance of sympathy. Another reader of this book mentioned that the villains is of a similar lower-socioeconomic level, which is questionable. There are also a couple insults like “Numbnuts” floating about the text that will pass without comment in some households and be a major source of contention in others. FYI.
Winner of the Governor General’s Literary Award for Illustrated Children’s Literature, French Language, Marois and Doyon’s first collaboration is for any kid that comes in looking for a fun read with a mystery component. With its classy format and striking cover it may even appeal to the Wimpy Kid contingent. Hey, stranger things have happened. It's a true bummer that the book dumps on so many people along the way but it may still appeal to any kid who craves a little justice in the world. Particularly if that justice comes with the taste of chalk-textured cat pee.
For ages 7-9.
May 26, 2016
Arthur Graham reviews Amy Shumer’s
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2...
in this way:
How to write a good book:
1. Nude photo of self on cover {which he also does on some of his books)
2. Clever parody of an overused title template
3. Put words inside
The Sandwich Thief fulfills two of Arthur’s requirements for a good book, and maybe a couple of mine: It has 1) attractive contemporary-feeling, funkily-colored angular art by Montreal illustrator Doyan in his first book, and 2) it’s pretty funny 3) and because I have been trying to get into mysteries lately, hey, it’s a mystery!
The Sandwich Thief is a kid’s mystery book (for maybe 7-10 year olds?) told by Montreal mystery and detective writer Marois about who it is might be stealing one kid’s, Marin’s, sandwiches made by his foodie parents. True, he’s not particularly likeable as a kid, nor are his parents, but I like the story where we go through all the goofy student and teacher and janitor suspects.
I read it after Harry (11) brought it to me and said “Dad, you gotta read this! It’s really good!” I sat right down and read it through and didn’t like it quite as much as he did (I would rate this 3 stars, tops, but since he said 5 stars, we’ll split the difference), but see above, re: Arthur: It has a cute title that evokes a famous book! and. . . words! What’s not to like?
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2...
in this way:
How to write a good book:
1. Nude photo of self on cover {which he also does on some of his books)
2. Clever parody of an overused title template
3. Put words inside
The Sandwich Thief fulfills two of Arthur’s requirements for a good book, and maybe a couple of mine: It has 1) attractive contemporary-feeling, funkily-colored angular art by Montreal illustrator Doyan in his first book, and 2) it’s pretty funny 3) and because I have been trying to get into mysteries lately, hey, it’s a mystery!
The Sandwich Thief is a kid’s mystery book (for maybe 7-10 year olds?) told by Montreal mystery and detective writer Marois about who it is might be stealing one kid’s, Marin’s, sandwiches made by his foodie parents. True, he’s not particularly likeable as a kid, nor are his parents, but I like the story where we go through all the goofy student and teacher and janitor suspects.
I read it after Harry (11) brought it to me and said “Dad, you gotta read this! It’s really good!” I sat right down and read it through and didn’t like it quite as much as he did (I would rate this 3 stars, tops, but since he said 5 stars, we’ll split the difference), but see above, re: Arthur: It has a cute title that evokes a famous book! and. . . words! What’s not to like?
February 29, 2016
A middlegrade graphic novel (or maybe more illustrated novel) about a kid whose very posh sandwiches are stolen from his lunchbox each day, and his detective work to find the culprit. The story itself is very simple, yet entertaining enough, and the writing is lovely. It's the artwork I really loved though. I usually lean towards a realistic style in illustrations but this totally worked with the writing and the simplicity added to the childlike plight, while also adding little details a younger reader might miss; like the poor overworked principal who has a dozen coffee mugs and what might be medicine bottles on his desk.
A quick read that younger readers will love, and I really enjoyed.
A quick read that younger readers will love, and I really enjoyed.
January 27, 2016
I love this simple art! I always forget - it's not about realism, necessarily. It's about whether or not you can work with what you can do. And this art is perfect in that you know exactly what the characters are thinking just by the expressions on their faces. And action is expressed so obviously.
And the writing is a perfect complement to the art. You're disgusted by the written description of the lunchroom - then the picture comes - and ew!
But then I was a little disappointed in the storyline.
Obviously a sandwich is stolen. But one of the suspects is a suspect because she is poor. This seems like a poor use of poverty as a plot device. And then it's who is the actual thief. Maybe it was just intended to be a crime of convenience, but it didn't feel like it. I don't know - maybe I'm overly sensitive but it just seems contrived to focus negatively on people of certain economic status.
What do you think? Am I being overly critical?
Thanks to NetGalley and Chronicle Books for a copy in return for an honest review.
And the writing is a perfect complement to the art. You're disgusted by the written description of the lunchroom - then the picture comes - and ew!
But then I was a little disappointed in the storyline.
Obviously a sandwich is stolen. But one of the suspects is a suspect because she is poor. This seems like a poor use of poverty as a plot device. And then it's who is the actual thief. Maybe it was just intended to be a crime of convenience, but it didn't feel like it. I don't know - maybe I'm overly sensitive but it just seems contrived to focus negatively on people of certain economic status.
What do you think? Am I being overly critical?
Thanks to NetGalley and Chronicle Books for a copy in return for an honest review.
January 30, 2016
This rating/review is based on an ARC from netgalley.
More of an illustrated novel than a graphic novel, but it still has plenty of kid-appeal. I'll definitely recommend it to patrons, but personally I found the main kid really unlikable.
More of an illustrated novel than a graphic novel, but it still has plenty of kid-appeal. I'll definitely recommend it to patrons, but personally I found the main kid really unlikable.
March 19, 2025
3.5⭐️ Lu en classe avec les élèves sur la plate-forme Biblius, nous avons particulièrement aimé les illustrations.
August 8, 2021
J’ai écouté la version audio avec les enfants sur la route et wow on a adoooooré! Une histoire super mignonne d’enquête sur le vol de sandwichs! Les ajouts sonores apportent une belle dimension à cette histoire. Je lirai assurément le roman afin d’observer les illustrations! On va de ce pas écouter la suite..
November 26, 2020
Een leuk boek met sandwiches, dieven, en meer. Al vroeg ik me wel af wat voor kind onze hoofdpersoon was dat hij niet blij was met pizzas en tortillas. Ja, ze waren wat zompig, maar ik ken maar weinig kinderen die het weigeren en liever gezonde broodjes eten. Het was erg leuk geschreven met veel illustraties die het verhaal helemaal compleet en nog grappiger maken. Ik vond het tof dat de ouders Martijn hielpen en die moeder, OMG, die moet je dus echt niet boos maken. :P
De dief? Tja, ik hoop dat deze persoon een flinke straf krijgt, want
Leuk dat we ook andere karakters zien, en ik denk dat iemand een oogje heeft op Martijn, al heeft hij het totaal niet door. :P
Ik heb heerlijk gelachen en ik vond Martijn een goed karakter en ik was voor hem aan het juichen dat hij de dader zou vinden. Aanrader!
De dief? Tja, ik hoop dat deze persoon een flinke straf krijgt, want
Leuk dat we ook andere karakters zien, en ik denk dat iemand een oogje heeft op Martijn, al heeft hij het totaal niet door. :P
Ik heb heerlijk gelachen en ik vond Martijn een goed karakter en ik was voor hem aan het juichen dat hij de dader zou vinden. Aanrader!
January 6, 2018
I was really disappointed in this story line. It could have been amusing, but his first round of suspects including the overweight kid and the poor girl made me a little annoyed. Then the fact that the thief is who it was really annoyed me. That's just not acceptable.
November 5, 2023
"Le voleur de sandwich" est un incontournable parmi les incontournables en Librairie Jeunesse québécoise, il aura fait lire de nombreux jeunes québécoises et québécois du lectorat intermédiaire et aura même trouvé sa place dans les écoles, que ce soit en analyse du roman policier ou en biblio-classe. Il s'agit du premier tome d'une série, "La classe de madame Tzatziki", qui n'a pas de tomaison, puisque vous pouvez les lire dans le désordre et indépendamment les uns des autres.
Dans le premier tome, Marin est le genre d'enfant qui a des parents pour qui les livres de recettes offert à Noël valent la peine, car ils adorent cuisiner. Résultat, le jeune garçon possède une routine de sandwichs fabuleux et diversifiés, de quoi regarder nos sandwichs jambon fromage d'un œil un peu blasé. Néanmoins, en ce beau lundi, Marin est loin de se douter qu'il se fera voler son précieux sandwich. Commence alors une enquête pour trouver le coupable, qui a le culot de récidiver tout le reste de la semaine! Qu'à cela ne tienne, Marin a de la suite dans les idées et une maman complice plutôt astucieuse.
C'est donc une série d'hybride entre le roman et l'album ( ce que certains appellent "Roman graphique") du genre policier, avec un.e illustrateur.rice différent.e.s pour chaque tome. Ne vous étonnez donc pas que le graphisme change entre eux. La formule très graphique où le texte côtoie les dialogues, dans un format différent du roman, a beaucoup plu à mes jeunes lecteurs et lectrices, qu'ils soient férus ou non de lecture. L'humour et le thème scolaire sont également des choses plutôt universelles, ce qui plait à de nombreux jeunes lecteurs.
"Le voleur de sandwich" est ce genre d'hybride qui constitue une valeur sure, même si bien sur, un petit détours auprès d'un.e libraire reste toujours pertinent. Et une façon pétillante de s'initier au roman policier jeunesse.
Pour un lectorat intermédiaire du 2e cycle du primaire, 8-9 ans.
Catégorisation: Hybride Roman/Album policier québécois, littérature jeunesse intermédiaire, 2e cycle primaire, 8-9 ans
Note: 7/10
Dans le premier tome, Marin est le genre d'enfant qui a des parents pour qui les livres de recettes offert à Noël valent la peine, car ils adorent cuisiner. Résultat, le jeune garçon possède une routine de sandwichs fabuleux et diversifiés, de quoi regarder nos sandwichs jambon fromage d'un œil un peu blasé. Néanmoins, en ce beau lundi, Marin est loin de se douter qu'il se fera voler son précieux sandwich. Commence alors une enquête pour trouver le coupable, qui a le culot de récidiver tout le reste de la semaine! Qu'à cela ne tienne, Marin a de la suite dans les idées et une maman complice plutôt astucieuse.
C'est donc une série d'hybride entre le roman et l'album ( ce que certains appellent "Roman graphique") du genre policier, avec un.e illustrateur.rice différent.e.s pour chaque tome. Ne vous étonnez donc pas que le graphisme change entre eux. La formule très graphique où le texte côtoie les dialogues, dans un format différent du roman, a beaucoup plu à mes jeunes lecteurs et lectrices, qu'ils soient férus ou non de lecture. L'humour et le thème scolaire sont également des choses plutôt universelles, ce qui plait à de nombreux jeunes lecteurs.
"Le voleur de sandwich" est ce genre d'hybride qui constitue une valeur sure, même si bien sur, un petit détours auprès d'un.e libraire reste toujours pertinent. Et une façon pétillante de s'initier au roman policier jeunesse.
Pour un lectorat intermédiaire du 2e cycle du primaire, 8-9 ans.
Catégorisation: Hybride Roman/Album policier québécois, littérature jeunesse intermédiaire, 2e cycle primaire, 8-9 ans
Note: 7/10
June 26, 2017
I found this such a funny book all the more so because, quite unusually, the main protagonist is not someone you can really 'like' as such. He's brash, rude, selfish and totally uncaring when it comes to the plight of others around him. I'd go as far as to say that I'm not sure that he'd made a good friend - certainly not the kindest one - but he is funny and he is incredibly determined.
Heavily illustrated throughout by Patrick Doyon (all for the better because his work is fantastic), The Sandwich Thief tells the story of Marin's quest to find out who keeps taking his wonderful sandwiches made especially by his multi-talented mother. For me, it is Marin's dogged attempt to find the thief no matter the cost, his damning appraisal of all those around him and Doyon excellent illustrations that make this a great book for me.
Heavily illustrated throughout by Patrick Doyon (all for the better because his work is fantastic), The Sandwich Thief tells the story of Marin's quest to find out who keeps taking his wonderful sandwiches made especially by his multi-talented mother. For me, it is Marin's dogged attempt to find the thief no matter the cost, his damning appraisal of all those around him and Doyon excellent illustrations that make this a great book for me.
June 14, 2022
Je n’aimais pas les illustrations, mais le message de ce livre est, selon moi, tout simplement affreux.
Un petit garçon se fait voler son sandwich. Ses deux premiers suspects ? L’enfant en surpoid, alias « le gros Robin » [goinfre comme il est, il l’avait sûrement dévorer sans l’apprécier] et la « pauvre Marie » dont la mère vient de perdre son emploi [son manque d’alimentation la rendait hautement suspecte].
Il finit par soupçonner tout le monde avec une paranoïa évidente, le rendant presque méchant, pour découvrir que le voleur est un membre du personnel de l’école… Quel message ça donne aux enfants? Qu’un adulte peut voler le repas d’un élève pendant plusieurs jours? Sans compter la paranoïa et le jugement que le jeune a envers ses camarades de classe.
Le roman s’adresse a des 7-9 ans, mais je l’ai trouvé adulte, limite horrifiant. Je ne conseille pas ce livre pour les enfants.
Un petit garçon se fait voler son sandwich. Ses deux premiers suspects ? L’enfant en surpoid, alias « le gros Robin » [goinfre comme il est, il l’avait sûrement dévorer sans l’apprécier] et la « pauvre Marie » dont la mère vient de perdre son emploi [son manque d’alimentation la rendait hautement suspecte].
Il finit par soupçonner tout le monde avec une paranoïa évidente, le rendant presque méchant, pour découvrir que le voleur est un membre du personnel de l’école… Quel message ça donne aux enfants? Qu’un adulte peut voler le repas d’un élève pendant plusieurs jours? Sans compter la paranoïa et le jugement que le jeune a envers ses camarades de classe.
Le roman s’adresse a des 7-9 ans, mais je l’ai trouvé adulte, limite horrifiant. Je ne conseille pas ce livre pour les enfants.
November 27, 2018
I think I liked this clever, fun book a bit more than EM, but she definitely enjoyed it. We finished it together in a hotel bathroom in Tennessee while little brother napped. Bookworms gotta do what we gotta do.
Read
February 26, 2023I wasn't too into this one, and I'm not sure why - there's something distinctly French (/Quebecois?) about the artistic style that's never my favorite, and ... it was just too juvenile for me (it's for kids! This isn't a fair criticism.).
January 5, 2021
Very short
Read
September 4, 2021Çizimleri mükemmel
Hikaye kesinlikle merak uyandırıyor
Sonu, bilemedim?
Okurken çok eğlendim 💫
Hikaye kesinlikle merak uyandırıyor
Sonu, bilemedim?
Okurken çok eğlendim 💫
January 9, 2022
M'agrada perquè té molta aventura i emoció.
June 27, 2016
“The Sandwich Thief” is truly something special, which means it’s a little weird at first.
The writing of Frenchman André Marois doesn’t track the modern American parent’s preferred course. It addresses class without moralizing, just calling a character “poor.” Then the working class culprit steals from a family of food snobs, yet he’s not the hero; the brat kid who persecutes him is. The structure of the book is also potentially off-putting. It’s really one long picture book shaped like a chapter book rather than something that can easily be read in installments. And the illustrations aren’t the slickest.
For all these reasons I thought it would hit the donation pile shortly after arriving. But one minor issue surfaced: my kids absolutely love it. Our seven-year-old reads it to herself, again and again, my uber-active four-year-old sits for a full half hour to hear it read aloud, and even the baby gets in on the act, using her squishy little 18-month-old fingers to turn the pages and say “san-itch, san-itch.” There’s an affirming gender message when the protagonist’s mom digs into chemistry as well as the culinary arts, and the rougher edges gave us a chance to chat through heady topics like privilege and mayonnaise.
Like the creative sandwiches described throughout the book, “The Sandwich Thief” only needs to be given a try. If your family is like mine, the adults will ultimately find it palatable, and the kids will just eat it up.
The writing of Frenchman André Marois doesn’t track the modern American parent’s preferred course. It addresses class without moralizing, just calling a character “poor.” Then the working class culprit steals from a family of food snobs, yet he’s not the hero; the brat kid who persecutes him is. The structure of the book is also potentially off-putting. It’s really one long picture book shaped like a chapter book rather than something that can easily be read in installments. And the illustrations aren’t the slickest.
For all these reasons I thought it would hit the donation pile shortly after arriving. But one minor issue surfaced: my kids absolutely love it. Our seven-year-old reads it to herself, again and again, my uber-active four-year-old sits for a full half hour to hear it read aloud, and even the baby gets in on the act, using her squishy little 18-month-old fingers to turn the pages and say “san-itch, san-itch.” There’s an affirming gender message when the protagonist’s mom digs into chemistry as well as the culinary arts, and the rougher edges gave us a chance to chat through heady topics like privilege and mayonnaise.
Like the creative sandwiches described throughout the book, “The Sandwich Thief” only needs to be given a try. If your family is like mine, the adults will ultimately find it palatable, and the kids will just eat it up.
December 10, 2018
Delizioso. Non ho altro modo per iniziare a parlare di questo piccolo gioiello. Divertente, misterioso, con personaggi diretti e uno stile originale che "acchiappa" i piccoli lettori. E questo non lo dico io, ma l'entusiasmo con cui il mio piccolo unno di casa ha seguito le avventure di Marin.
Gli autori, forti di illustrazioni semplici e dirette, parlano la lingua delle persone cui è rivolta la storia, centrando in pieno non solo l'attenzione, ma anche il divertimento che dietro la lettura ognuno cerca (e che è difficile ottenere se il soggetto è alto un soldo di cacio e tutti i denti da latte!).
Alternando la prosa a veri e propri fumetti, che comunque si intersecano creando una lettura dinamica e stimolante, Marin ci proietta in una vera e propria indagine, con tanto di indizi, sospetti, false piste e antefatti. Una ricerca del colpevole in piena regola, insomma. Eppure Il ladro di panini non è solo un piccolo giallo che risulta vincente sotto tantissimi punti di vista, ma anche un bel modo per ricordare ai genitori che ci sono tanti modi per far capire ai propri figli l'amore e il sostegno che si provano nei loro confronti. E, non ultimo, l'importanza di mangiare una buonissima maionese fatta in casa! Che c'entra questo? Dovete leggere per capire!
Gli autori, forti di illustrazioni semplici e dirette, parlano la lingua delle persone cui è rivolta la storia, centrando in pieno non solo l'attenzione, ma anche il divertimento che dietro la lettura ognuno cerca (e che è difficile ottenere se il soggetto è alto un soldo di cacio e tutti i denti da latte!).
Alternando la prosa a veri e propri fumetti, che comunque si intersecano creando una lettura dinamica e stimolante, Marin ci proietta in una vera e propria indagine, con tanto di indizi, sospetti, false piste e antefatti. Una ricerca del colpevole in piena regola, insomma. Eppure Il ladro di panini non è solo un piccolo giallo che risulta vincente sotto tantissimi punti di vista, ma anche un bel modo per ricordare ai genitori che ci sono tanti modi per far capire ai propri figli l'amore e il sostegno che si provano nei loro confronti. E, non ultimo, l'importanza di mangiare una buonissima maionese fatta in casa! Che c'entra questo? Dovete leggere per capire!
September 15, 2020
Vrolijk detective verhaal over scholier Martijn die na flink onderhandelen zijn moeder zo ver heeft gekregen dat ze geen uitgebreide lunches meer voor hem bereidt. In plaats daarvan maakt ze nu sandwiches. Hele lekkere, rijk belegde sandwiches. Met zelfgemaakte mayonaise.
En dan is zijn lunch ineens gestolen.
Vrolijk detective verhaal over hoe Martijn gedurende een week probeert uit te zoeken wie zijn lunch steeds steelt. Is het Vreetzak Vincent, Sneue Suzan of Jaloerse Jordi? De lijst met verdachten breidt zich uit naarmate Martijn meer aanwijzingen vindt, maar krimpt ook weer.
Op iedere pagina vergezellen vlotte illustraties de tekst, vaak in twee of drie kleuren, en daarmee heeft het verhaal een speelse opmaak die ook uitnodigt tot voorlezen aan iets jongere kinderen. Geschreven uit het simpele, jeugdige perspectief van de jonge Martijn en daardoor heel herkenbaar voor kinderen.
Het boek won in 2015 een award voor Beste kinderboek in zowel de Alvine-Belisle Awards als ook de Governor General’s Literary Awards van Canada. En hij is ook leuk :)
En dan is zijn lunch ineens gestolen.
Vrolijk detective verhaal over hoe Martijn gedurende een week probeert uit te zoeken wie zijn lunch steeds steelt. Is het Vreetzak Vincent, Sneue Suzan of Jaloerse Jordi? De lijst met verdachten breidt zich uit naarmate Martijn meer aanwijzingen vindt, maar krimpt ook weer.
Op iedere pagina vergezellen vlotte illustraties de tekst, vaak in twee of drie kleuren, en daarmee heeft het verhaal een speelse opmaak die ook uitnodigt tot voorlezen aan iets jongere kinderen. Geschreven uit het simpele, jeugdige perspectief van de jonge Martijn en daardoor heel herkenbaar voor kinderen.
Het boek won in 2015 een award voor Beste kinderboek in zowel de Alvine-Belisle Awards als ook de Governor General’s Literary Awards van Canada. En hij is ook leuk :)
February 17, 2016
Funny story about Marin, a friendly boy who is decided to find the thief who has stolen his favorites sandwiches form his lunch box in the last few days. Everybody is a suspect: classmates, teachers, janitor, even the principal! A relatable character in a amusing story any middle grader would enjoy.
The illustrations are very creative and cartoon-like, in black, white, yellow and orange only.
Marin's mom sandwiches made me very hungry!
I received an uncorrected copy from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Find More children's book reviews in Reviews in Chalk
The illustrations are very creative and cartoon-like, in black, white, yellow and orange only.
Marin's mom sandwiches made me very hungry!
I received an uncorrected copy from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Find More children's book reviews in Reviews in Chalk
June 28, 2016
Besides feeling the tiniest bit disappointed in who the thief was, it was adorable to see a detective little novel for juvenile readers dealing with sandwich kidnappings. The daily sandwiches of Marin's made me hungry and the format and illustrations are what made this book really come to life. It's nice to see the colors be reminiscence of vintage colors.
March 19, 2016
I love this book! With delightful illustrations and text that is easy enough for an emerging reader to follow and engagingly entertaining for older kids and adults to enjoy, The Sandwich Thief is a sweet tale of a boy on a mission. Great stuff!
May 13, 2016
This one didn't work for me. Not sure of the kid appeal with some of the food elements, and not sure the message sent is a good one for kids. Hmm...
June 4, 2023
The book is illustrated entirely in just the 4 colours shown on the cover: red, yellow, black and grey. I enjoyed seeing how much could be done with just the 4 colours. Each picture looked varied and dynamic, it was easy to find the focus of the picture (e.g. the main character), and the pictures didn't feel repetitive. This is more my own pondering, but I'm also interested to see that although the characters didn't follow proper body proportions and the furniture doesn't follow parallel lines or even necessarily goes in the right direction, but somehow the artist manages to make such fiction look believable and realistic. I guess that's what an artistic style is, but I do wonder what it is that makes people recognize a drawing as having a style in contrast to it just being a bad drawing.
The art style made me think that the book was of French/European origin, I'm not sure why. I think it could be the choice to use a limited colour palette and the specific colours chosen (but surely that's not exclusive to a country?), its a bit artsy fartsy and called to mind the "Composition with Red Blue and Yellow Painting" by Piet Mondrian. It could also be the rendering style of the characters, particularly the principal with his tired looking eyes and defeated slump and who that gave me the impression of a French cop tv caricature. But the back of the book says that the illustrator was born and raised in Canada, so I guess I was wrong in my impression.
When I started reading this book, I got reminded of the Teen Titans Go episode about Robin and his ultimate sandwich. The gist of that episode was the Robin was in fact the culprit, in the future he had built a time machine to go back to eat his sandwich a second time. Luckily, there are no crazy shenanigans like that in this book.
Although the build up of the mystery, the suspicions, and the plotting to expose the culprit was good, I did not feel that the conclusion was exceptionally satisfying. I don't think there was anything wrong with it, but it just didn't stick out as something particularly memorable.
Lastly, I'm not sure if it's a translation error, but the book blurb describes the the sandwiches are "every day they're different and more delicious than the last." I find this to be wrong, as it seems to me that the first sandwich on Monday was Marin's favourite one.
The art style made me think that the book was of French/European origin, I'm not sure why. I think it could be the choice to use a limited colour palette and the specific colours chosen (but surely that's not exclusive to a country?), its a bit artsy fartsy and called to mind the "Composition with Red Blue and Yellow Painting" by Piet Mondrian. It could also be the rendering style of the characters, particularly the principal with his tired looking eyes and defeated slump and who that gave me the impression of a French cop tv caricature. But the back of the book says that the illustrator was born and raised in Canada, so I guess I was wrong in my impression.
When I started reading this book, I got reminded of the Teen Titans Go episode about Robin and his ultimate sandwich. The gist of that episode was the Robin was in fact the culprit, in the future he had built a time machine to go back to eat his sandwich a second time. Luckily, there are no crazy shenanigans like that in this book.
Although the build up of the mystery, the suspicions, and the plotting to expose the culprit was good, I did not feel that the conclusion was exceptionally satisfying. I don't think there was anything wrong with it, but it just didn't stick out as something particularly memorable.
Lastly, I'm not sure if it's a translation error, but the book blurb describes the the sandwiches are "every day they're different and more delicious than the last." I find this to be wrong, as it seems to me that the first sandwich on Monday was Marin's favourite one.
April 17, 2023
There was something here to like. Unfortunately, I couldn't get over the fact that Marin (our protagonist) is rude, entitled, fatphobic... and just unpleasant. And not to have a good lesson in the end, he's this way just because.
I did enjoy the format of this book, it is an interesting mix of picture book and graphic novel. I also felt the art style to be visually interesting in a simplistic way.
If you read this to your kids, PLEASE discuss how it's not okay to represent "big" kids as gross slobs who are only interested in food... this goes hard on that, and I felt uncomfortable. The depiction of "poor Marie" was also not cool. Honestly, I would use this book to talk to kids about how NOT to act, how to respect people no matter their circumstances, and learning to be more open-minded... not whatever this was.
I did enjoy the format of this book, it is an interesting mix of picture book and graphic novel. I also felt the art style to be visually interesting in a simplistic way.
If you read this to your kids, PLEASE discuss how it's not okay to represent "big" kids as gross slobs who are only interested in food... this goes hard on that, and I felt uncomfortable. The depiction of "poor Marie" was also not cool. Honestly, I would use this book to talk to kids about how NOT to act, how to respect people no matter their circumstances, and learning to be more open-minded... not whatever this was.
March 4, 2023
This is a horrible book with terrible life lessons for my kid and I love it. The MC is such a self absorbed, narrow-minded little creep (ahem like most kids). So pretentious, so awful, so incredibly hilarious to read out loud to your own little creep kids. My four year old loved it and hopefully when she grows out of being a self-centered creep, the narrative will shift for her and she will see it not only as a fun mystery but also as a caricature of the innocence of adolescence. Idk if other reviewers are taking the story a bit too seriously but his book is massively underrated. The illustrations and hilariously outrageous narrative deserves more recognition.
April 25, 2023
If you were a kid in the sixties, this will bring you back to your old library book days. Children’s books back then were so cool -the design inspired by and often illustrated by-the best graphic designers in the business. Usually printed with just 2-4 colors, and delivered with that mid-century modern feel. Mario’s’ story is hip, bold, and simple just like that, only with a big scoop of Pilkey-esque silliness that seems to do pretty well on the bestseller lists these days. Patrick Doyon’s illustrations are brilliant.
February 18, 2024
The unusual illustrations are rather appealing and this was a fun read in certain parts. Marin’s sandwiches are being stolen and the first kids he blames are the overweight kid and the poor kid. That just really bothered me and I found the kid rather unlikeable from the start.
It wasn’t the fault of the author / illustrator but I read a library copy via Kindle where the text wasn’t integrated into the pictures. Just a sloppy release via the publisher. It looked nothing like the hardcover versions I saw online.
Materials used: unlisted
Typeface used: unlisted
It wasn’t the fault of the author / illustrator but I read a library copy via Kindle where the text wasn’t integrated into the pictures. Just a sloppy release via the publisher. It looked nothing like the hardcover versions I saw online.
Materials used: unlisted
Typeface used: unlisted
August 7, 2019
Rodzice pewnego chłopca uwielbiają gotować. Mama szykuje synkowi do szkoły wymyślne kanapki z domowym majonezem a tata zostawia karteczki z krótkimi wiadomościami. Pewnego dnia kanapki zaczynają znikać i chłopiec rozpoczyna śledztwo, typując na podejrzanych kolegów z klasy, smutnego dyrektora odpychającego się fast foodami, jedną z nauczycielek i woźnego. W wykryciu złodzieja pomaga zastosowanie kuchni molekularnej.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 104 reviews