Reviews

Maddy Kettle: The Adventure of the Thimblewitch by Eric Orchard

lrouss89's review

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3.0

Simple story, but charming illustrations.

alisarae's review

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5.0

Beautiful, whimsical, enchanting, playful.

Maddy is an Arizona girl (holla!) who needs to turn her parents, currently an adorable pair of kangaroo rats, back into humans. Her adventures lead her to fantastical creatures, magical machinery, and delightful surprises.

The art is gorgeous, the story is entertaining, and I cannot covet this book enough.

Full review upcoming on Papercuttts.

(note: I received this ARC ebook for free, but that didn't change my honest opinion.)

library_bookwyrm's review

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4.0

Maddy Kettle is a very cute little graphic novel. I liked it; my kiddos (9 & 7) loved it - hence, four stars!

When Maddy Kettle's parents are turned into rats and then kidnapped, along with her pet floating toad, she sets out to confront the Thimblewitch. A perfect little journey story follows!

Here is my daughter's review of the book:

"This book is about a little girl who lives with her mother and father (who have now become kangaroo rats) and her floating toad, Ralph. She goes from her house to the Thimblewitch's castle. She then travels to the spider goblin's lair, and at the end of the book, the cloudscape. Goblins steal her parents and her pet toad, so she goes to save them. Along the way, she encounters armies of scarecrows and goblins, both of which prove to be easy to pass. She also makes friends with the Thimblewitch and some cloud cartographers. This book seems to have a second book with it, but I didn't look for it. She learns that the Thimblewitch was the former owner of Ralph, and that she could help not only her parents, but everyone. (Oh, and that toads have a terrible memory.) I loved this story a lot, and all the people in the world should read it. No part in particular is the best. "

theybedax's review

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4.0

A whimsical tale of magic gone awry and miscommunication. Utterly adorable to say the least.

mslibrarynerd's review

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3.0

Beautiful Art, interesting plot. Terrible writing.

2kimi2furious's review

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2.0

Meh. This had a lot of potential, but it seemed too spread out and thin. It didn't flow nicely at all, which is a shame, because I really liked some of the scenes in here. :(

leslie_d's review

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4.0

Love the illustrations and the confidence in pace and storytelling. It has unexpected turns yet a lovely straightforward/simplicity for young readers.

For readers of Hatke's Zita Spacegirl and fans of Studio Ghibli's kind of tales...

Looking forward to a next installment.

earth_and_silver's review

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adventurous lighthearted fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Loveable characters? Yes

3.5

kittykult's review

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5.0

UPDATE: I was finally able to read Maddy Kettle from beginning to end IN ORDER! It's even better when you're able to understand what's going on sequentially. It seems like it may leave room at the end for a second volume, and if so, I will eagerly read it.

NOTE: I received a free digital copy of this graphic novel from NetGalley to review. The copy I received was out of order and I haven't found a way to fix it yet. I will update the review if needed when I am able to read it in its entirety.

Younger Me is sad that she never got to read this book, as it is an amazing world-building adventure with strong characters. Maddy Kettle is kind of like if Lord of the Rings and the May Bird series had a graphic, steampunk lovechild. I especially liked the theme of grey area - all of the characters are not really what they seem, which is a very strong lesson. The art is very kitschy and dreamy and it is (or would be if my copy was in the right order) a quick read at under 100 pages. I predict this will become a well-loved series by children who seek out quirky reads.

debc's review

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3.0

A nice short story. I really liked the art work, really colourful. Obviously aimed at children but still a nice little read. Great title too. Some great characters, I particularly liked the idea of Ralph. Story ends abruptly so I assume there is a second volume. This isn't available at my online library. A good place for younger readers to start with graphic novels if you had the rest in the series.