What do you think?
Rate this book
Pugnapped!: Commander Universe Saves the Day
A funny, fast-paced illustrated chapter book aimed at fans of Hank Zipzer, Stink, and I Funny. Fourth-grader Stevie Blunt is a huge comic book fan–and he's just found a rare copy of the first issue of Captain Fantastic, featuring a “Top Secret Superhero Training Journal.” Now, all he has to do is dig up the money to pay for it. When a neighbor needs a last-minute dog sitter for her beloved pug, Stevie transforms into Commander Universe, ready to be the hero this citizen needs (and earn the money for his comic book). But then the dog goes missing, and Commander Universe has just hours to find out what happened. Follow the daring escapades of Commander Universe as they dodge mind-controlled squirrels, Mystery Neighbors, and new neighbor Abi in their attempt to save the precious pug.
138 pages, Kindle Edition
Published November 16, 2021
3 people are currently reading
9 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
July 25, 2021
This is a book really written for younger middle graders with full-speed imagination, determination and simple, exciting fun.
Stevie...or more correctly said Commander Universe is determined to get one of the 1000 limited edition copies of his ultimate, favorite comic series. But first he has to come up with $75 (and that before his arch-enemy does). When his neighbor agrees to let him dog sit her pug for even more than the needed money, Commander Universe finally has a way to save someone's day (and earn his comic book). Things don't go as planned as someone steals the pug from its super, cozy house. Commander Universe is off to save the day...but being a superhero isn't an easy task.
I love finding kidlit which is really written for kids and not what adults think kids would like, and this book is exactly that. Stevie's determination to be Commander Universe might seem over the top, but it's exactly what my own child or a couple nieces and nephews have done...just more in other directions like animals and such. Stevie embraces his own idea of fun without allowing others to ruin it with their poking and bullying attempts. And he has friends, who are ready to jump into his world with him. So, this alone made it a great read in my eyes.
Of course, this one is well-written and very nicely paced. There's a lot of dialogue, little description (just right for the age group), tons of woven in humor, and adventure pure. It's not clear what has happened to the stolen pug or who the true villain. It is clear that Stevie's so caught up in his own world that he makes some mistakes along the way. It's a great mix, which keeps the reader in the pages...and even more reluctant ones.
This book is an interesting mix of graphic novel and classic novel form. The illustrations are very well done and let every moment shine. These are placed just right with the other text, so that the different moments develop as they need to. It's interesting, and it works. I received an ARC copy and found it to be an very, fun tale.
Stevie...or more correctly said Commander Universe is determined to get one of the 1000 limited edition copies of his ultimate, favorite comic series. But first he has to come up with $75 (and that before his arch-enemy does). When his neighbor agrees to let him dog sit her pug for even more than the needed money, Commander Universe finally has a way to save someone's day (and earn his comic book). Things don't go as planned as someone steals the pug from its super, cozy house. Commander Universe is off to save the day...but being a superhero isn't an easy task.
I love finding kidlit which is really written for kids and not what adults think kids would like, and this book is exactly that. Stevie's determination to be Commander Universe might seem over the top, but it's exactly what my own child or a couple nieces and nephews have done...just more in other directions like animals and such. Stevie embraces his own idea of fun without allowing others to ruin it with their poking and bullying attempts. And he has friends, who are ready to jump into his world with him. So, this alone made it a great read in my eyes.
Of course, this one is well-written and very nicely paced. There's a lot of dialogue, little description (just right for the age group), tons of woven in humor, and adventure pure. It's not clear what has happened to the stolen pug or who the true villain. It is clear that Stevie's so caught up in his own world that he makes some mistakes along the way. It's a great mix, which keeps the reader in the pages...and even more reluctant ones.
This book is an interesting mix of graphic novel and classic novel form. The illustrations are very well done and let every moment shine. These are placed just right with the other text, so that the different moments develop as they need to. It's interesting, and it works. I received an ARC copy and found it to be an very, fun tale.
November 14, 2021
A young reader that exuberantly takes the unreliable narrator shtick and places it firmly in the world of comic and superhero fandom. Stevie thinks he's been turned accidentally into a superpowered kid, so adopts a costume and the name Commander Universe. He even manages to persuade a couple of friends to dress in their own super-clobber. But he's going to need all the powers of the real superhero when he's asked to dogsit – and the pooch disappears.
This was fun. I did have to quibble that the whole thing is peppered with a kind of numbing name-calling, with Stevie permanently twisting the name of another kid in a kind of bullying way. But I guess it's realistic that kids misbehave like that. It certainly gets brownie points for making the fit babe who owns the dog a disabled woman, or the other way round – the disabled dog owner the noted town beauty. The target audience however will be laughing readily at how absurdly and comprehensively the book and Stevie sustain their thing, of making out everything is the result of mind-controlling squirrels, or whatever it is, and how everything Stevie does is down to a superpower. A superpower that fails him every time, hence the unreliable narrator.
Structure-wise, we get almost pure prose on a couple of pages – perhaps a spot illustration here and there – followed by a couple of pages of the story in comic form, where the recurring joke of the "get off my lawn!" person is to be found. Either way it's very readable, pacey, light-hearted and all done with a sarcastic approach to the kids' imaginative play. Four stars and a dash of extra all make perfect sense.
This was fun. I did have to quibble that the whole thing is peppered with a kind of numbing name-calling, with Stevie permanently twisting the name of another kid in a kind of bullying way. But I guess it's realistic that kids misbehave like that. It certainly gets brownie points for making the fit babe who owns the dog a disabled woman, or the other way round – the disabled dog owner the noted town beauty. The target audience however will be laughing readily at how absurdly and comprehensively the book and Stevie sustain their thing, of making out everything is the result of mind-controlling squirrels, or whatever it is, and how everything Stevie does is down to a superpower. A superpower that fails him every time, hence the unreliable narrator.
Structure-wise, we get almost pure prose on a couple of pages – perhaps a spot illustration here and there – followed by a couple of pages of the story in comic form, where the recurring joke of the "get off my lawn!" person is to be found. Either way it's very readable, pacey, light-hearted and all done with a sarcastic approach to the kids' imaginative play. Four stars and a dash of extra all make perfect sense.
January 10, 2022
When Stevie needs money for a rare comic book, he volunteers to dog-sit his neighbor's spoiled pug, Cupcake. But when Cupcake goes missing, Stevie and his friend Rudy must utilize their "superpowers" to find Cupcake and save the day.
Silly and cute. A bit over the top. Perfect for early elementary/beginning chapter book readers. A fun, quick read.
Silly and cute. A bit over the top. Perfect for early elementary/beginning chapter book readers. A fun, quick read.
January 13, 2022
I like that pugnapped has so much humour in it.I also like effects when they pretend they have superpowers and they use them.I like that they have weird poses.I also like that they pretend that they are superhero’s but they are just running around in pjs.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews