Tuesday, May 2, 2017

Marty Pants: Do Not Open ~ Mark Parisi review [@HarperChildrens @OffTheMarkComic ]

Marty Pants: Do Not Open (Marty Pants #1)
Harper Collins
May 02, 2017
256 pages
add to Goodreads/buy from Book Depository/or Amazon

“Funny and engaging. Marty Pants is a surefire hit!”—Lincoln Peirce, author of the Big Nate series

Move over, Wimpy Kid. Here comes the imaginative, the inquisitive, the unstoppable Marty Pants! Meet Marty in the side-splitting first book of a new series written by Mark Parisi, the award-winning cartoonist of the Off the Mark comic.

Marty Pants is different from your typical middle schooler. He has the soul of an artist, and as an artist, he notices things—the kinds of things other kids don’t seem to see.
So when Marty discovers a plot on his teacher’s computer to take over the world, Marty knows this is a danger he can’t just ignore. But no one, not his best friends Parker and Roongrat or his mother, father, sister, arch-enemy, Simon, or Chief of Police Pickels, believes him.

So, it’s up to Marty to save the world—his way.

This hilarious new series follows the endearing, frazzled, embarrassed, and, ultimately, fearless footsteps of literature’s most unlikely hero—Marty Pants.

You know what? I like Marty Pants. He is funny, he is imaginative, he is, honestly, a bit weird, but endearing, too.

Marty is an artist - it's why he wears black - but his teacher doesn't seem to understand his creative expression. Or, at least, he doesn't seem to grade it very well. It all makes a bit more sense, though, when Marty discovers who his teacher really is.

Now, to save the world . . .

Marty Pants: Do Not Open is a fun read whether you normally read MG books or not. It may not be full of life lessons or deep literature but it has a memorable characters, it is creative and original and a truly enjoyable read. Marty's relationship with his family is great (in that it's not always all that great). The dynamic between his parents, his father's love of old music, his hostile cat, Marty's sister - however she spells her name right now - and how they were all very real but also very humorous was fantastic.

The conclusions Marty comes to and the actions he decides to take because of them will be entertaining and, often, comical for both MG age readers and those older.

The illustrations add to the story, giving readers a visual for some of the crazier situations Marty finds himself in or to some of his more specific descriptions. They are a fun addition to the story and well placed.

I am definitely curious to see what Marty will get up to in the second book - and why he'll have done it.




Another Book You Might Also Enjoy: Mutant Mantis Lunch Ladies by Bruce Hale




finished copy received from publisher for review consideration

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