He lists no fewer than nine ways to ask “who cut the cheese?” and includes both punny chapter titles (“The Bark Knight Rises”) and nods to Hamiltonand Mary Poppins. During said battle and along the way Pilkey tucks in multiple Flip-O-Rama inserts as well as general gags. The Steinbeck novel’s Cain/Abel motif gets some play here, as Petey, “world’s evilest cat” and cloned Li’l Petey’s original, tries assiduously to tempt his angelic counterpart over to the dark side only to be met, ultimately at least, by Li’l Petey’s “Thou mayest.” (There are also occasional direct quotes from the novel.) But inner struggles between good and evil assume distinctly subordinate roles to riotous outer ones, as Petey repurposes robots built for a movie about the exploits of Dog Man-“the thinking man’s Rin Tin Tin”-while leading a general rush to the studio’s costume department for appropriate good guy/bad guy outfits in preparation for the climactic battle. Recasting Dog Man and his feline ward, Li’l Petey, as costumed superheroes, Pilkey looks East of Eden in this follow-up to Tale of Two Kitties (2017). Main character Olive presents white, while many of her friends, both male and female, are people of color.Ī pleasantly quiet exploration of friends, fitting in, and finding one’s own way.

While many offerings have delved into mean-girl middle school culture or finding acceptance, Miller’s examination takes a more introspective approach with its female protagonist who ultimately determines that she can find happiness both within herself and in her different groups of friends. This bright and friendly graphic novel is rendered with pleasing, pastel-toned illustrations reminiscent of Raina Telgemeier’s art and should appeal to a similar audience. A bit apprehensive, she announces her decision and discovers that not only have things worked out well, but that she has gained a new measure of self-confidence. A weekend with her funky, green-haired aunt helps Olive decide that she will have her own act, without a group behind her. While her friends are not actively excluding her, she suddenly feels adrift without a clique of her own. No one, however, has invited Olive to join their group for the talent show, and her confidence wanes. Olive has lots of friends and moves seamlessly among different peer groups that include karate-loving boys, a cheer-obsessed trio of girls, and a pair of friends who are aspiring magicians. When a talent show is announced to Olive’s fifth-grade class, everyone is excited. Sometimes you can feel lonely without being alone.

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