Reviews

Lumberjanes: Unicorn Power! by Mariko Tamaki

mckinlay's review

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5.0

i was worried i wouldn't love the novels as much as the comics but, no need to worry! I just adore all of these characters so much! FRIENDSHIP TO THE MAX!

maryehavens's review

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1.0

I LOVE Lumberjanes in graphic novel form. So when I saw this at the public library, I immediately grabbed it. It wasn’t until much later that I realized this was a book with illustrations. O.k.....I’ll give it a whirl. I’ve read all of Tamaki’s works (in graphic novel format) that I can get my hands on so I was excited about this new venture. And it’s o.k. It just didn’t work for me. It’s a bit heavy handed/forced. The Lumberjanes are up to their usual shenanigans but the book just read like a series of vignettes where they tried to introduce ideas of gender inclusive language MORE than actually introducing a plot. While I applaud Tamaki and the Lumberjanes community for introducing these social issues into the book, I felt it could have been done in a better way. I also have a bunch of other stuff going on right now so this one fell by the wayside and I don’t have a desire to go back to it. Maybe in the future?
Give it a whirl if you have enjoyed Lumberjanes and let me know what you think! :)

squidjum's review

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4.0

FRIENDSHIP TO THE MAX! This book is many of the things I like most about junior fiction.

hannahwoycik's review

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3.0

This was cute, but I definitely prefer the graphic novels!

rocketbride's review

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4.0

I like Jillian's take on this universe.

moonpie's review

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4.0

Oh, wow, I never marked this as read! I read it a couple of months ago so I don't remember many details, but I DO remember that it was very cute... but I prefer the comics. I think the zippy dialogue and fast-paced action are even more fun in that medium.

lmn9812's review

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5.0

This book captures the spirit of the Lumberjanes comics so perfectly. I absolutely loved the plot of this middle grade novel, really enjoyed seeing more of the character's backstory and the drawings throughout were awesome. Basically, if you're already a fan of the Lumberjanes comics, you'll love this, and if you like girl power, friendship, kindness and unicorn-laden adventures, you need to read this book ASAP!

san89's review

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adventurous emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted mysterious reflective tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

saeverra's review

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3.0

Enjoyable, but a tad too ridiculous for me? I am not the target audience though. Much preferred the graphic novels :)

thingslucyreads's review against another edition

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adventurous funny lighthearted fast-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

4.5

I received a copy of this book from Abrams Books via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

It’s been a long time since I read a Lumberjanes comic so it was a joy to revisit this world and these characters in novel form. This was a quintessential Lumberjanes adventure — an accidental discovery leads to a harebrained scheme undertaken with less than adequate preparation, a seemingly insurmountable obstacle, some brilliant problem solving and teamwork, a little help from their friends, and a safe return back to camp to do it all again tomorrow — but this time in a fresh, new format.

I particularly enjoyed being able to see into the characters’ heads in ways you can’t really do in a comic, and I appreciated that April, who was the genius behind the whole quest, did learn that she can’t just drag her friends off to every adventure she cooks up without considering whether they want to or what THEIR plans for the day were. The Cloudys were an absolute joy, and I loved the interesting and unconventional take on unicorns. Mariko Tamaki managed to capture the characters perfectly and all in all this was a fantastic addition to the greater Lumberjanes universe. Highly recommend it for fans of the comics and new readers alike.

My thanks to Abrams Books for the review copy!