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Gregory James and Lola, the two main characters, show up before the story to explain how to read comic panels and speech bubbles. Gregory James has light tan skin, freckles, and exuberantly curly brown hair. Lola also has tan skin with a gap in her front teeth, black hair, and dark eyebrows. There is diversity in body types shown right away, with Lola having a square, broad figure and Gregory being more lanky, wrapped in a hoodie and long shorts.
The story begins with Gregory James walking to the bus stop with a heavy, clanking backpack. Accosted by bullies, his backpack spills an array of random objects across the sidewalk. In chapter two, Lola appears and cheerfully helps him pick up the items, offering to walk with him to school. When she asks about the things he has, including a colander, feather duster, and kazoo, he says "There might be a kazoo emergency."
The two new friends are chatting when suddenly... there is an emergency! A tyrannosaurus has grabbed the bus which is stuck on a hot air balloon! This is the unexpected situation Gregory James has been preparing for, and with the backup of Lola (and his kazoo) he saves the day. The two friends continue on to school, ready for anything.
Cheerful digital cartoon illustrations fill the panels, adding humor to the characters' matter-of-fact delivery as the wacky events accumulate. The art and text is simple but bold, with clear, easy to follow speech balloons and uncluttered panels with strong background colors to make the art and text pop.
Verdict: Ready-to-Read has done some really strong comic easy readers and my only regret about this title is that it doesn't appear to be a series. A delightfully humorous story with a diverse cast, strongly recommended.
ISBN: 9781665920049; Published May 2023 by Simon Spotlight; Review copy provided by publisher; Donated to the library
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