Alison Dare, Little Miss Adventures

Alison Dare #1

by J. Torres, J. Bone

Alison Dare is not your typical 12-year-old. The daughter of an archeologist/adventurer and the masked hero known as the Blue Scarab (and the niece of an international super-spy), Alison's life has always been different from other girls her age. A craving for danger is in her blood. Unfortunately, her parents have locked her away at the prestigious St. Joan of Arc Academy for Girls, hoping that this would lead to a more "normal" life for their daughter. But despite all the strict rules at the school, Alison and her best pals––Wendy and Dot––somehow manage to get into adventures that rival those of Alison's globetrotting, planet-saving relatives.

Genres: Graphic Novels, Adventure, Comics, Young Adult, Middle Grade, Fantasy

104 pages, Paperback

First published May 11, 2010

About the author

Comic book writer whose credits include the Eisner Award nominated Alison Dare, the YALSA listed Days Like This and Lola: A Ghost Story, as well as Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight, Love as a Foreign Language and Teen Titans Go, which garnered him a Shuster Award.

Reviews

[Caro · Rating 3 out of 5]

A quick and fun read. Great for the family too. It's like a mischievous younger mix between Tomb Raider and Indiana Jones. With a super hero thrown in. Interesting and creative. The art is good, but not great. Enjoy!

[Shannon · Rating 2 out of 5]

Allison is a bit pushy and selfish, not what I would call a good role model.

[Kate · Rating 4 out of 5]

Alison Dare: Little Miss Adventures is a collection of three exciting tales: The Arabian Knights, The Secret of the Blue Scarab, and The Mummy Child.

Honestly, I went into Little Miss Adventures a little wary. While I did enjoy the first novel, it was a little all over the place for my liking. Thankfully, Little Miss Adventures puts the series on the right track. Each story was a lot of fun to read, and gave a nice amount of back story for Dare family. In comparing the two novels, I must admit that Little Miss Adventures was a vast improvement for me. I thoroughly enjoyed Alison's (mis)adventures, and the humor that is sprinkled in.

Alison Dare: Little Miss Adventures shines as an excellent graphic novel series for younger readers. Each adventure is a lot of fun and will have young girls dying for an adventure of their own. If the series continues in this manner, I will definitely be seeing more of Alison Dare in the future.

[Wandering Librarians · Rating 2 out of 5]

Alison's mom is a famous archaeologist. Alison's dad is a librarian, but also the famous Blue Scarab who fights crime. Alison likes action and adventure too, and with the help of her two friends Dot and Wendy they always seem to be up to something.

I think this could have been good, but don't get the "collected" volume. It seems like the collected volume is parts of several different stories, which made each story very short and very unsatisfying. After poking around the interwebs, it seems that there are more full length Alison Dare stories, and I'll have to check those out. I like the idea of a spunky little girl having adventures with her friends, but there were so many holes in this particular collection it wasn't that enjoyable. It seemed to assume I knew a lot more about Alison Dare then I actually did.

[Brett · Rating 3 out of 5]

Although a little choppy in its layout, I enjoyed reading about Alison Dare's adventures in Arabia, & then rather more extensively about her parents, their respective back stories (world-famous archaeologist & librarian-turned-superhero) & Alison's use of a South American baby mummy to attempt to get them back together again. Of course Alison attends what appears to be a private school involving nuns for teachers, & she has two best friends who are themselves vaguely stereotypical, but kids like familiar tropes, & this book is full of fun ones. I would like to know if the Blue Scarab (her superhero dad who takes on all the forces of evil & always wins) is based on, or supposed to be, DC comics character the Blue Beetle, who has a similar origin story.

[Kristen Harvey · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really dug these graphic novels. Alison is the daughter of a superhero and an archeologist and definitely is not beyond getting into trouble with her own adventures. I love the style of these books, along with the characters and the constantly moving plot. They're the type of graphic novels I want in my elementary school library and they're definitely making it on the list for next year. I think it offers a lot to kids who like superheros and those who like real life stories. It's a great blend of genres, which is something we need more of in this world. I believe that both boys and girls will love these graphic novels and I look forward to reading more about Alison and her adventures.

[Drew · Rating 3 out of 5]

a cool book with three adventures in it. i actually began liking this book at lot more when i realized that the first adventure was over and that I had two more to read. the stories are fun, full of adventure and are each different from the others. the artwork is great. each character has their own style and look. the one thing i would say is that if they had been in colour it would have been perfect. lots of kids will instantly turn their head away when they don't see colour. all in all, very good.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Why the low rating? I loved this. I would have especially loved it when I was younger. It was hokey, sure, but that's what's fun about it. This is about a young girl living sometimes in Egypt with her mother, and sometimes at home (not sure where home is). Her mom is an archaeologist (my dream as a kid) and her dad is like a superhero. Her parents are separated in this volume, but there are flashbacks to when they first meant.

It's not perfect, but daggone I liked it, and was fully entertained.

[Abby · Rating 2 out of 5]

A bit too Disney-ish for my tastes but I can see some middle readers/younger teens who like adventure stories with strong female protagonists digging it.

[Shawna · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wish there'd been a little more introduction to the individual characters, but still cute.

[Barbra · Rating 4 out of 5]

Looking for a graphic novel for a reluctant reader with no sex, violence etc. Here it is, search no more,try all the Alison Dare adventures.

[Miss Ryoko · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute little graphic novel. It'd make a fun cartoon show!

[Genevieve · Rating 4 out of 5]

I dug this as a good graphic choice for girls (or boys!) - 3rd/4th. Too bad her friends are such stereotypes, though.