Sunday, January 28, 2018

The Very First Sidetracked Sunday!


So we all do it.  We want to collect and read ALL the books and are enticed weekly by all the shiny new releases.  But we're only human and can't possibly read ALL the books. So some get pushed back and when that happens, unfortunately they get no attention and our stacks grow and grow and grow.

So I've implemented a new monthly feature.  Once a month, I will read a book that ISN'T a new release and which isn't getting all the hype (and we all know how that's worked out for me).  This book may come from my physical shelves, from my backlog of Netgalley acquisitions, or even from the library if it's just an older book I've always wanted to pick up.  So then on the last Sunday of the month, I'll share that review with you!  And it will from here on out be known as "Sidetracked Sunday!"


TITLE: Space Dumplins
AUTHOR: Craig Thompson
PUBLISHER: Graphix
PUBLISHING DATE: August 25, 2015

FROM GOODREADS: For Violet Marlocke, family is the most important thing in the whole galaxy. So when her father goes missing while on a hazardous job, she can't just sit around and do nothing. To get him back, Violet throws caution to the stars and sets out with a group of misfit friends on a quest to find him. But space is vast and dangerous, and she soon discovers that her dad is in big, BIG trouble. With her father's life on the line, nothing is going to stop Violet from trying to rescue him and keep her family together.

Visionary graphic novel creator Craig Thompson brings all of his wit, warmth, and humor to create a brilliantly drawn story for all ages. Set in a distant yet familiar future, Space Dumplinsweaves themes of family, friendship, and loyalty into a grand space adventure filled with quirky aliens, awesome spaceships, and sharp commentary on our environmentally challenged world.
 


MY THOUGHTS: I remember hearing about this book when it first came out, but in 2015 I hadn't really tried graphic novels.  Then when I started reading them, I didn't even think to see if my library carried it.  A few weeks ago I saw "Space Dumplins" mentioned on Booktube, looked on my library site, and hit reserve.

"Space Dumplins" is advertised as juvenile fiction, but I think anyone who enjoys graphic novels would enjoy it. The artwork is bright, colorful and quite intricate.  Violet's father is a space scavenger and her mother an aspiring space designer.  One day her father takes a secret mission and suddenly disappears.  About that time, the galaxy is being inundated with space whale diarrhea - giant purple space whales - and they are rather cute.  Violet teams up with a team of misfits to look for her father and in the process, tries to save a captured baby whale.

I loved Violet and her misfit team.  My favorite is Elliot the Chick.  His father, a mad chicken scientist, abandoned him when he was young and although quite bright, he has no social skills.  Below are a few pics of Elliot.  And I forget to mention, every time he gets nervous, he has seizures, and Violet comforts and takes care of him where no one has before.

"Space Dumplins" is a story about friendship, family, adventure and how people are ruining the ecosystem.  It's told in a fun and innovative way and I really enjoyed reading this rather lengthy graphic novel.  If any of these topics interest you, or if you want to meet Elliot for yourself, then grab a copy and enjoy the space ride!

RATING: 4 PAWS




CHALLENGE: Swords and Stars Challenge - read a SFF graphic novel, Library Love

24 comments:

  1. Love your new post, I need to think of something like this to do for mine. :) Those dogs are just so cute! This sounds like a fun graphic!

    Have a great day,
    Stormi

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    1. It was fun. I loved Elliot and the little baby whale.

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  2. Yay for reading older books! Something I'm trying to do as well. This book sounds like fun, probably not my thing, but I do like that artwork😀

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    1. I know, I had this post already formatted when I saw your post on reading some books on your shelves - great minds think alike huh?

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  3. I love this! I'm always hoping to catch up on older titles. :) This looks cute!

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    1. Thanks Jen. I hope to be able to pick up some older titles and not feel guilty.

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  4. What a fantastic idea! I have so many books sitting on my shelves. I've been a member of Owlcrate for a little over a year, and many of those books just sit there! They are pretty, but I want to actually open them up.

    Space Dumplings looks adorable. I need to see if this is at my library!

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    1. The same happens with my Nocturnal Readers books most of the time. Definitely grab it if your library has it!

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  5. Ooh fun feature! And Space dumplins looks great- I love the look of the artwork. Looks cute and funny too, definitely gonna check it out!

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    1. The artwork is wonderful. Who wouldn't like purple whales!

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  6. This is a great idea. This year I notice a lot of bloggers are making a push to read their backlog or personal books (i.e. non review books) and just in general clear their shelves. I tried to take part in a similar meme last year called Backlist Burndown and failed miserably, but maybe I should attempt it again!

    ~Mogsy @ BiblioSanctum

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    1. I failed miserably at a challenge devoted to this last year so I just decided to start my own personal thing so hopefully I will do better with less pressure.

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  7. Very cute graphic for your new feature! I'm pretty much always working on my backlog...I tend to shelve most new books I buy to read at a later date!

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    1. I love how you are always reading your older stuff - so inspiring. Thanks for the compliment. I think this is one of my fave graphics yet.

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  8. That looks like a really cute graphic novel! Great new feature, Barb. I'm hoping to get more tbr books in this year. Last week was dismal for my piles!

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  9. Great idea!! I hope you have a lot of fun reading older titles. I really need to do the same (eventually lol) since new books come out and ones that aren't talked about anymore get shoved to the side. :P

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    1. I'm looking forward to some older impulse reads. I have so many books I need to start reading some of them!

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  10. This is such a cool idea for a monthly feature. I have had so many books get pushed to the bottom of the pile. I don't really read graphic novels but the arwork in this one looks great!

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    1. The artwork was so fun and intricate. There was so much to look at on each page!

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  11. I read probably too many books that aren't new. I'm trying to get out of that but I like reading what I like reading.
    This reminds me of another space girl but it looks like it would be funnier. Elliot the Chick sounds like he would be my favorite too.

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    1. Elliot is so darn cute. He reminds me of a character off an old cartoon but for the life of me I can't think of who it is!!!

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  12. This looks right up my alley! Thanks for putting it on my radar! :)

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  13. This is a great idea, Barb! Sometimes, I'm sad about all the books I own but haven't read yet. And at the same time, I get so excited about all the new shinies...
    Lexxie @ (un)Conventional Bookviews

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