Scan barcode
panda_incognito's review against another edition
2.0
This book is chaotic, and not in a good way. The many multi-media elements that it juggles often run together in confusing ways, without clear demarcations of time and place. The beginning was especially difficult, since I had to figure out what order various artifacts came in to start getting into the story. Was a letter, for example, sent before or after the text exchange I'd just seen? Were these photos from the present, or illustrating past events? Even though series like Jedi Academy have been very successful while using a multi-media approach, the sheer quantity of different elements here seemed unnecessarily overwhelming and confusing.
In addition to the confusing pacing, this book also has a weak storyline. The author spends so much time introducing the characters, the school concept, and everyone's various communications with each other that there isn't much time for the actual plot to unfold. It all feels very rushed and poorly paced, with online fan fiction updates from Ms. Marvel interrupting the story at random intervals. Although the reader comments on her updates were funny and realistic, her writing never really went anywhere. It wasn't a story-within-a-story, and was just something else interrupting what little flow this book had.
I really wanted to enjoy this, since I love Ms. Marvel and Squirrel Girl, but it fell flat for me. I'm sure that many of the target middle grade readers will feel differently, and will really get into the story and the characters, but this didn't work for me at all. I'm tempted to still read the second book in case the structure, pacing, and flow improve, but I'm also not sure if I want to exert the same mental strain it took me to figure this book out. The struggle may be somewhat specific to me, since I'm an overly literal, structured, and linear person, but reading this book was WORK, despite how short, light, and illustration-heavy it is.
Also, despite the very limited text, there were two notable writing mistakes. On page 36, Fredrick Douglass's name is missing the second 's,' and page 158 features a dialogue bubble with the word "crumbilng." Even spell-check can catch that, so I have no idea why an editor didn't.
In addition to the confusing pacing, this book also has a weak storyline. The author spends so much time introducing the characters, the school concept, and everyone's various communications with each other that there isn't much time for the actual plot to unfold. It all feels very rushed and poorly paced, with online fan fiction updates from Ms. Marvel interrupting the story at random intervals. Although the reader comments on her updates were funny and realistic, her writing never really went anywhere. It wasn't a story-within-a-story, and was just something else interrupting what little flow this book had.
I really wanted to enjoy this, since I love Ms. Marvel and Squirrel Girl, but it fell flat for me. I'm sure that many of the target middle grade readers will feel differently, and will really get into the story and the characters, but this didn't work for me at all. I'm tempted to still read the second book in case the structure, pacing, and flow improve, but I'm also not sure if I want to exert the same mental strain it took me to figure this book out. The struggle may be somewhat specific to me, since I'm an overly literal, structured, and linear person, but reading this book was WORK, despite how short, light, and illustration-heavy it is.
Also, despite the very limited text, there were two notable writing mistakes. On page 36, Fredrick Douglass's name is missing the second 's,' and page 158 features a dialogue bubble with the word "crumbilng." Even spell-check can catch that, so I have no idea why an editor didn't.
mlinamman's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
onceandfuturelaura's review against another edition
4.0
After the teenaged heroes of the Marvelverse destroy a few too many buildings, Captain Marvel and Nick Fury start an afterschool program to teach them things like teamwork, ethics, and interdimensional travel. The course is capped with a decathlon the run in teams. Ms. Marvel, Squirrel Girl, and Miles Morales team up and boy do they make friends along the way.
The story is told through a combination of graphic art, texts, journal entries, superhero cards, fanfiction, and academic notes. It's laugh out loud funny. Not much in the way of character introduction, but if you know who our heroes and villains are, it's well worth the time.
Professor Lockjaw is AWESOME. And I feel She-Hulk's alarm when she realizes that every member of her class has questions about what they should do when they've 1. saved the day 2. damaged a building and 3. have to get to class. The real quandaries of our time.
The story is told through a combination of graphic art, texts, journal entries, superhero cards, fanfiction, and academic notes. It's laugh out loud funny. Not much in the way of character introduction, but if you know who our heroes and villains are, it's well worth the time.
Professor Lockjaw is AWESOME. And I feel She-Hulk's alarm when she realizes that every member of her class has questions about what they should do when they've 1. saved the day 2. damaged a building and 3. have to get to class. The real quandaries of our time.
royallyreading's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
cuteasamuntin's review against another edition
5.0
I picked up this middle reader purely because Preeti Chhibber is a gift and also a treasure, so obviously I’m going to be a little biased. It was super adorable and fun and featured a lot of really cool, underused Marvel heroes in a novel setting. Chhibber does a great job of portraying an internet-native nerd who doesn’t fall into full-on Hackers territory, and her Gen Z heroes are cute and funny without being twee.
The little touches really sold me on this, and I got a little choked up by things like the official Avengers intake form asking for people’s pronouns. Chhibber also has a little bit of a cameo from the OG Spidey, which I appreciated, and I’m also now kind of dying to find all her old Marvel fanfiction that clearly exists because Kamala’s fic and the reader comments are just too realistic.
The little touches really sold me on this, and I got a little choked up by things like the official Avengers intake form asking for people’s pronouns. Chhibber also has a little bit of a cameo from the OG Spidey, which I appreciated, and I’m also now kind of dying to find all her old Marvel fanfiction that clearly exists because Kamala’s fic and the reader comments are just too realistic.
pages_and_procrastination's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
fast-paced
3.75
I have books 2 and 3 for review, so I decided to pick this one up from my library. I am a huge Marvel fan, so I just knew that I was going to love this one. I did like it. It is definitely something that I would have loved and raved about -if I had read this when I was the age that this was meant for. I am glad that they chose to focus on the lesser known superheroes for their series.
This is your typical "get to know yourself and your team" story. It was fun watching the team come together, and I enjoyed watching Kamala step up as leader. How they all missed the villains in training though is beyond me. This is definitely something I think my kids would enjoy.
taratearex's review against another edition
4.0
This was super cute and fun, with a lot of heart. I bought it because I love Ms. Marvel and like the author a lot, but plan to give it to one of my partner's niblings :)
These sort of comic/ya novel hybrid books are great and I remember kids just loving them when I was a social worker/teacher- the mixed styles of writing- journal entries, cell phone texts, art, etc, is just a fun way to read and a lot of my more reluctant readers loved these types of books.
These sort of comic/ya novel hybrid books are great and I remember kids just loving them when I was a social worker/teacher- the mixed styles of writing- journal entries, cell phone texts, art, etc, is just a fun way to read and a lot of my more reluctant readers loved these types of books.
ki4eva's review against another edition
3.0
A cute book for young comic lovers. It may be a little confusing for some as it tends to jump around some.