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CM . . .
. Volume XVI Number 40. . . .June 18, 2010
excerpt:
This collection of three stories about Alison Dare are realized in graphic novel, or comic book, style. Alison is the daughter of a famous archaeologist mother and a super hero father. In the opening story, Alison finds a Genie lamp. She first wishes to have her two best friends, Wendy and Dot, join her in Arabia. This wish leads to a series of adventures which end with Alison�s using her third wish to ask for everything to return to the way it was before she found the lamp. In the second �Miss Adventure,� Alison�s father, the Blue Scarab, is presumed dead after his encounter with Auntie Freeze. The announcement of this news is premature and � well � all�s well that ends well. In the third installment, Alison is involved in a story of international intrigue involving her mother�s archaeological treasures. Indiana Jones meets Archie with a sprinkle of Scooby Doo would be the best way to describe this collection. There are many pop and classic culture references. Some of the references are presented in a way that the reader would understand e.g. the Mark Twain reference from the excerpt. The allusion to Churchill�s reference to Russia (1939), �I am how you zay, a riddle wrapped in an enigma contained in a conundrum,� would probably elude most readers. There are lots of plays on words, such as the location of her first adventure in the �Sultanate of Shahrazad within the arid region of Es-Sindibad just outside the ancient city of Ala-ed-din� and the confusion over her name �Ali � son.� Some readers will enjoy these references, but, for most, it will be beyond their literary and Saturday afternoon matinee movie knowledge. My daughter and I enjoyed the female heroine, and she thought it was a great collection. We both thought that it might be hard to sell with its $13.00 price tag. It is a quick romp with not a lot of substance. It is a reprint of a 2002 title. In spite of my daughter�s stamp of approval, I don�t feel that this title is a good way for libraries to spend their graphic novel dollars. Recommended with reservations. Ruth McMahon is a professional children�s librarian storyteller and co-chair of the Rocky Mountain Children�s Choice Book Award, and the mother of two elementary school aged children.
To comment on this title or this review, send mail to cm@umanitoba.ca. Copyright � the Manitoba Library Association. Reproduction for personal use is permitted only if this copyright notice is maintained. Any other reproduction is prohibited without permission.
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The Tundra media release and website share the following information about the title: �Unfortunately, her parents have locked her away at the prestigious St. Joan's Academy for Girls, hoping that this would lead to a more �normal� life for their daughter.� The website goes on to say: �But despite all the strict rules at the school, Alison and her best pals - Wendy and Dot - somehow manage to find themselves involved in adventures that rival those of Alison's globetrotting, planet-saving relatives. I did not find any references in the novel to her parents� locking her away in a prestigious school. The only mention made in the book of St. Joan�s Academy for Girls is in an illustration in the second adventure (on page 31) that has the following letters showing on a sign outside of the school: OAN�S / DEMY / IRLS. A couple illustrations show nuns in full habit. I found it bewildering that there was more information in the media releases than the book, itself. I was also baffled by the comments about the strict rules at school when my 11-year-old daughter (graphic novel and comic book fan) and I could find no reference to this in the text.