Hilo Book 9: Gina and the Last City on Earth:

Hilo #9

by Judd Winick

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLING GRAPHIC NOVEL SERIES!

Is Gina the hero the world needs? Gina, D.J., and Hilo are back with an epic time-turning adventure in the New York Times bestselling graphic novel series that kids and critics love!

"An action-packed page-turner with heart!" --Dav Pilkey, author of DOG MAN

Sometimes the world needs to be saved and there's only one person brave enough to do it. This time . . . that person is Gina. With the help of D.J., Hilo, one warrior cat, one warrior cat's annoying little brother, one flying Bearacat, lots of magic, lots of action, lots of laughs, and a whole world that believes in her, Gina is ready to save the world once and for all!

Prepare for a Hilo with more twists, more turns, more monsters, and more shocking surprises than ever before--because sometimes we all need to be reminded who we've always been.

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

240 pages, Library Binding

Published February 28, 2023

About the author

Judd Winick is an American cartoonist, comic book writer, screenwriter, and former reality television personality known for his diverse contributions to storytelling across multiple media. He first entered the public eye in 1994 as a cast member on The Real World: San Francisco, where he formed a close friendship with AIDS educator Pedro Zamora, an experience that deeply influenced his later work. Winick memorialized their bond in Pedro and Me, a critically acclaimed autobiographical graphic novel that earned several literary awards and became a staple in school curricula.

Winick's career in comics took off with The Adventures of Barry Ween, Boy Genius and continued with major runs at DC Comics, including Green Lantern, Green Arrow, and Batman. His stories often explored socially relevant themes, such as HIV, homophobia, and identity. He was recognized for introducing gay characters and tackling difficult subjects with empathy and clarity. His work on Batman notably included resurrecting the character Jason Todd as the Red Hood, a storyline later adapted into the animated film Batman: Under the Red Hood, for which Winick wrote the screenplay.

Beyond comics, he created The Life and Times of Juniper Lee for Cartoon Network and served as head writer for Hulu's The Awesomes. In 2015, he launched the Hilo series, an all-ages sci-fi adventure inspired by his own children. The bestselling series has been widely praised and is expected to reach its eleventh volume in 2025.

Winick lives in San Francisco with his wife, Pam Ling, also a Real World alum, and their two children. He continues to create heartfelt and imaginative stories for audiences of all ages.

Reviews

[Thomas · Rating 5 out of 5]

All. The. Feels.

Also: Outstanding!

[Jaymie · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 stars = Great! Might re-read.

A fun continuation of Gina's story. Great adventure/action, a curious and mysterious story. I love that this series doesn't shy away from grief and loss, but it also stays fun. The heart of this series and the characters keep me coming back, book after book after book.

[Raven Black · Rating 3 out of 5]

If Avatar the Last Airbender had an even more mixed up, crazy bunch of characters and odd monsters. An interesting turn of events ends this book for our group of adventures adventures.

[Karissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Series Info/Source: This is the 9th book in the HiLo series. I bought a copy of this book.

Thoughts: This book was just as much fantastic fun as all of these books have been. The characters and story are a blast, the illustration is bright, colorful, and easy to follow. Every time I read a new book in this series I end up laughing out loud and having a great time.

In this installment Gina (with the help of her friends) must put the world back into the shape it once was before it was broken. There's a lot of monsters, magic, and mayhem as she works to do this.

I loved this, it was just sooo much fun. I enjoyed how things resolved as well and wonder if we will see more HiLo books or if this is the end!?

My Summary (5/5): Overall this was just as fun, creative, and wonderful as all the previous books in this series. There is magic, action, adventure, crazy creatures and wonderful characters. I loved the story as well and hope that we see more books in this series!

[Panda Incognito · Rating 3 out of 5]

This graphic novel is super chaotic and all over the place, with too many info-dumps through dialogue and lots of frenetic action scenes. This is much weaker than previous installments of the series, is very confusing unless you remember everything from the last couple books, and includes way too many minor characters, poorly explained fantasy and science fiction elements, and story threads all at once for many young readers to follow.

Nonetheless, this book has some enjoyable elements and heartwarming moments, which is why I am rating this three stars instead of two. I hope that the next installment will get the series back on track, with less chaos and deeper character development.

[John Shaw · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hilo the little robot who had to save both his world
and ours is now a real boy (because magic)
trying to live as normal a life as a former flying
robot with laser hands can.
BTW he can still fly and zap things ( Magic again ).
Spending time with his best friends D.J. and Gina.

Now the trouble no longer comes Hilo's Evil Robot Dad
causing shenanigans with giant robots.
It comes from magical BS being drawn to Gina
who apparently deeply bad assed in magic.

I have been a fan of Winick for years and
I always find my self drawn to his books.
Even those written for kids.

[Ellon · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 stars (I liked it)

It's been a bit since I read the last book so perhaps that is why this one felt confusing. But I feel like Winick put in a lot of recaps and yet there was still some weird pacing that made it a little confusing. It's also super chaotic. But it definitely is sweet and meaningful. It deals a lot with grief, which really hits home for me. I will definitely continue the series and continue purchasing for my school library!

[Qamar · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fantastic job reading "Gina and the Last City on Earth" by Judd Winick! This story teaches us the power of perseverance and hope. Just like Gina, always remember that even when things seem tough, your determination can lead to amazing adventures and solutions. Use this lesson to keep trying your best at school and when solving problems, no matter how big they seem. We're so proud of you for learning such important lessons through your books!

Love,
Mom and Dad

[James DeSantis · Rating 3 out of 5]

Weakest in the series for me. My daughter also was a bit bored in the start and middle. It's alot of talk of magic, and the lands of which our villains come from/are. It's some neat twist, and the stuff with Izzy is perfect, but it had a struggle to balance the humor and story plotting. My daughter's words were

"I don't know what is happening sometimes but I LOVE Izzy" and Izzy is now her favorite.

A 3 out of 5.

[Michele Knott · Rating 3 out of 5]

I adore this series, but this one got confusing for me. I haven't read book 8 since last February, and you really need to remember the events of that book to understand this one. I remembered some things as I went along, but was usually just confused. The book still ends with the same kind of heart and emotion, and of course, cliffhanger, that you expect from the HiLo series.

[Kat · Rating 3 out of 5]

I used to really love this series, but now it seems like every speech bubble has about three or four words in bold and it makes it much harder to read. I checked back in HiLo #1 and there are maybe one or two bold words per page, so I'm not just imagining it.
The story was pretty cute and the art is always great, but the text is just getting silly now. Sorry Mr Winick, but what happened?

[Beth · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’m still really enjoying these. The mix of real and deep emotions with honest silliness and wild plotting really works. I appreciated the reprise of the mango joke as we readied Hilo to face his grief and loss, and how so many of the characters had to pay a price to see the changes they wanted in the world.

[Heather Jensen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Judd Winick does it again with Gina and the Last City on Earth! Funny and heart warming! Hilo and Gina along with friends and family show us the power of belonging to something greater than ourselves!

[Liz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely love this series. It makes me laugh! It's literally a great series for all ages. There are some serious topics within the book but it is written and drawn in a way that children will understand. I recommend this series to anyone looking for a quick, easy and funny read.

[Kyle Hough · Rating 3 out of 5]

My 4 year old listened to the first 8 books on audio and loved them. This one is not available in audio so I had to read it to him. I do not enjoy reading graphic novels aloud. He really liked this one too though

[Meredith · Rating 5 out of 5]

Magical Filled Fun

[D.T. · Rating 5 out of 5]

This series is clever, especially with how it deals with grief.

[Elisabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars. This continues to be such a great kids series!!!

[Katie Slott]

graphic novel
fave series
not enough mango

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

The pacing, the humor, the characters, the relationships, the hijinks, the feels- all fantastic.

[Luisa Nguyen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Outstanding!

[Laila · Rating 5 out of 5]

This kids' graphic novel series is fantastic.

[Tricia Price · Rating 3 out of 5]

My daughter's hooked on this series, and I've read bits and pieces of the different books with her, but we sat down and read this in just two sittings, and it was pretty enjoyable.

[Ms. Yingling · Rating 3 out of 5]

Library copy

[Aron Wagner · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ridiculous. Heartbreaking. Superb!

[Annika M Baldwin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Aww this was adorable

[Mia Harden · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hilo is iconic and Pip is my spirit animal

[PottWab Regional Library]

O

[Jennifer · Rating 2 out of 5]

Jon and Savannah rate it 3 stars. Official review is "It was kinda boring."

[Boopsie · Rating 5 out of 5]

It is very interesting.