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mallorieedward's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
fast-paced
4.0
thrym's review against another edition
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
booklover160's review against another edition
4.0
This was cute! I liked the interesting concept and it's fairly well written. It's paced oddly, fast or super fast, but ended up good.
rdyourbookcase's review against another edition
4.0
I loved the art and use of color. The story was exciting and will prompt kids to think about what kind of food they are eating.
droar's review against another edition
4.0
Very cute! I love the sketchy art style so much (Yasmina's winter ninja hat is my absolute favorite) and it's wild energy pairs very well with the off the wall, culinary/sci-fi story Mannaert is telling. Each character is so well realized visually that, even though we might not get much of their story explicitly, they feel very whole and realized. Very fun all around!
saramarie08's review against another edition
4.0
Read more graphic novel reviews at www.graphiclibrary.org.
Yasmina is an aspiring young chef who fills her dad’s lunchbox with delicious and fresh foods. He works at a French fry eatery, but she insists on fresh ingredients that she often obtains from a neighborhood garden. That is, until a big conglomerate comes in, buys the land, and razes the gardens to plant potato fields. Yasmina resorts to stealing veggies and herbs from a neighbor’s garden on the roof of her building, but she’s eventually caught and made to stop. She tries to spend her meager savings on some fresh foods from the market, but she instead finds all the fresh ingredients have been replaced by potato crisps in bags, and her fellow townspeople are going nuts for them! Yasmina and her friends from the garden must get to the bottom of the mystery of these potato crisps and why they’re turning the townspeople into crazy animals, and her upstairs neighbor may have something to do with it all.
Yasmina is so full of energy, and reading this made me hungry for some fresh foods. She is very passionate about food and her family, and she expresses her love for her father in being able to cook for him. There is a bit of a criticism to cultures prioritizing convenience food rather than homemade with fresh ingredients, as well as the harm being done to the environment by large corporate farming. The "mystery" Yasmina must solve is fun and slightly gross. Most of the characters around Yasmina, including her dad, are not given a ton of depth or development. Still, this is an imaginative story with some interesting social commentary.
The art is a little interesting. There are whole pages without dialogue, but the story is easy to follow. There are no panel outlines like traditional graphic novels. Make sure readers have a firm grasp on narrating wordless pages and following the flow without panels.
Sara's Rating: 7/10
Suitability Level: Grades 6-8
This review was made possible with an advanced reader copy from the publisher through Net Galley. This graphic novel will be on sale January 26, 2021.
Yasmina is an aspiring young chef who fills her dad’s lunchbox with delicious and fresh foods. He works at a French fry eatery, but she insists on fresh ingredients that she often obtains from a neighborhood garden. That is, until a big conglomerate comes in, buys the land, and razes the gardens to plant potato fields. Yasmina resorts to stealing veggies and herbs from a neighbor’s garden on the roof of her building, but she’s eventually caught and made to stop. She tries to spend her meager savings on some fresh foods from the market, but she instead finds all the fresh ingredients have been replaced by potato crisps in bags, and her fellow townspeople are going nuts for them! Yasmina and her friends from the garden must get to the bottom of the mystery of these potato crisps and why they’re turning the townspeople into crazy animals, and her upstairs neighbor may have something to do with it all.
Yasmina is so full of energy, and reading this made me hungry for some fresh foods. She is very passionate about food and her family, and she expresses her love for her father in being able to cook for him. There is a bit of a criticism to cultures prioritizing convenience food rather than homemade with fresh ingredients, as well as the harm being done to the environment by large corporate farming. The "mystery" Yasmina must solve is fun and slightly gross. Most of the characters around Yasmina, including her dad, are not given a ton of depth or development. Still, this is an imaginative story with some interesting social commentary.
The art is a little interesting. There are whole pages without dialogue, but the story is easy to follow. There are no panel outlines like traditional graphic novels. Make sure readers have a firm grasp on narrating wordless pages and following the flow without panels.
Sara's Rating: 7/10
Suitability Level: Grades 6-8
This review was made possible with an advanced reader copy from the publisher through Net Galley. This graphic novel will be on sale January 26, 2021.
banana83854's review against another edition
3.0
**ARC provided by NetGalley for review**
Chef Yasmina and the Potato Panic was a fun middle-grade graphic novel about a healthy and ambitious young girl who's a cooking whiz and a mysterious potato company that tries to ruin everything!
This was a simple story and a fun adventure for kids. Although it left me with a couple lingering questions about the characters, I didn't have any problems with the writing itself. It was nice to see how Yasmina helped out at home while dad was at work. She was such a (mostly) responsible and creative character; I think kids would really enjoy. The art was great also.
Chef Yasmina and the Potato Panic was a fun middle-grade graphic novel about a healthy and ambitious young girl who's a cooking whiz and a mysterious potato company that tries to ruin everything!
This was a simple story and a fun adventure for kids. Although it left me with a couple lingering questions about the characters, I didn't have any problems with the writing itself. It was nice to see how Yasmina helped out at home while dad was at work. She was such a (mostly) responsible and creative character; I think kids would really enjoy. The art was great also.
driedfrogpills's review against another edition
4.0
Really more like 3.75 stars, but I love Yasmina's relationship with her dad and the art is pretty cool. Very nice, inventive visual storytelling.