MMGM: Giants Beware by Rafael Rosado and Jorge Aguirre

GIANTS BEWARE
by Rafael Rosado and Jorge Aguirre
First Second, 2012
ISBN: 978-1-59643-582-7
Grades 1-5
Reviewed from personal copy.

Make way for Claudette the giant slayer in this delightful, fantastical adventure!

Claudette’s fondest wish is to slay a giant. But her village is so safe and quiet! What’s a future giant slayer to do?

With her best friend Marie (an aspiring princess), and her brother Gaston (a pastry-chef-to-be), Claudette embarks on a super-secret quest to find a giant—without parental permission. Can they find and defeat the giant before their parents find them and drag them back home?

Giants Beware! offers up a wondrous, self-contained world in the tradition of the very best of Pixar. Claudette and her friends will have you laughing out loud from page one.
 
Graphic novels are by far the most popular genre of books in my school library.  They come and go on a daily basis, so I'm always on the lookout for new ones to add.  While there are many available graphic novels, many of them I don't find particularly enjoyable, the kids might, but I don't.  However, I really enjoyed this one.  

Not only are the characters delightful with more depth than one might expect in a graphic novel, but the plot has some delicious twists and turns.  I loved the twist at the end which I did not predict. I knew something would happen that would encourage Claudette to think more before she rushes into things, but the ending was a nice surprise. I also liked how her friend and brother were given a chance to shine also. I appreciated Claudette's courage in standing up to the local bullies, even if her actions were rather rash at times. A lot of times secondary characters fade so much into the background that you hardly notice them. That is not the case here. The illustrations are gorgeous and very appealing, the writing crisp and easy to follow. This is one graphic novel that I can recommend very highly indeed.