About the Book
What's the best day for an alien invasion? Halloween, of course. When Eek and Ack visit Earth during the ghoulish holiday, they fit right in with the other trick-or-treaters. Unfortunately, so does Wolfy the Wolfman! Now, the terrible twosome must fight off this frightful furball or fail to conquer Earth once again.
About the Author :
Steve Harpster has loved to draw funny cartoons, mean monsters, and goofy gadgets since he was able to pick up a pencil. In first grade, he avoided writing assignments by working on the pictures for stories instead. Steve was able to land a job drawing funny pictures for books, and that's really what he's best at. Steve lives in Columbus, Ohio, with his wonderful wife, Karen, and their sheepdog, Doodle. Blake A. Hoena grew up in central Wisconsin, where he wrote stories about robots conquering the moon and trolls lumbering around the woods behind his parents house. He now lives in Minnesota and continues to write about fun things like space aliens and superheroes. Blake has written more than 100 chapter books and graphic novels for children.
Review :
Aliens Eek and Ack want to find out why Earth is so hard to conquer. They dress up in "traditional Earthling costumes" and arrive on the planet during a meteor shower, a perfect disguise for their landing. They do not realize that it is Halloween or that the Wolfman is on the loose. Harpster's characters are wonderfully drawn in dark colors, and readers see the full emotion behind these charming aliens. Reluctant readers new to graphic novels will love this book. In the second title, Zack Allen is bullied at school. When a tornado hits his town, he turns into Zinc Alloy, superhero. Things go haywire when his suit backfires and sends him through the toilet. He destroys the town by accident, and an angry mob decides that he is a mutant. He runs for cover in the forest, where he meets Frankenstein, who turns out to be a girl. They fight, but become friends as soon as Frankenstein hears that Zinc Alloy likes the comic book Robo Hero. They join forces and wash the town clean but leave it without drinking water. Holgate's illustrations are explosive and exaggerated and will appeal to children. Both books include a list of characters, a glossary, discussion questions, writing prompts, and Internet sites.-- "School Library Journal"
Eek and Ack are alien invaders determined to conquer earth, but instead they often find themselves in troublesome situations. In the latest volume in the Graphic Sparks series, aimed at younger readers, the inept aliens land their laundry-dryer-shaped spaceship on the spookiest day of the year, Halloween. The good news is that even though they wear weak disguises, no one suspects they are really creatures from another planet. The bad news is that a werewolf decides to attack the town. The cute story will definitely appeal to younger fans of graphic novels, and children learning to read and those being introduced to sequential art will enjoy the cartoon-style illustrations. In the back of the book, readers will discover a glossary, more facts about werewolves, discussion questions, writing prompts, and Internet sites, all of which make this graphic novel very appealing to educators and parents. With out-of-this-world silliness mixed with a touch of gross humor and a gob of goofy monsters, this will be a popular choice.-- "Booklist"
Graphic Novels for Reluctant Readers These two books come from Stone Arch Books and are a part of a larger series called Graphic Sparks which the publishers describe as good-humored, graphic novels especially designed for younger readers with wacky comic-book-style artwork. And I concur with that. As with all Stone Arch graphic novels they are also well suited for educational use. With the back pages containing: About the Author, About the Illustrator, Glossary, More about the topic of interest (in this case the myth of werewolves and a brief history of Frankenstein), Discussion Questions and Writing Prompts. Plenty of material for a teacher to buy a set and include these graphic novels in a book study. Of course, we just read the books here at home! No further study required. Eek & Ack vs the Wolfman by Blake A Hoena. Illustrated by Steve Harpster. 33 pgs. 2009. RL: 1.8. Eek & Ack are two aliens who fly around in a spaceship which looks suspiciously like a washing machine. They decide to visit Earth to find out why it is so hard to conquer. They arrive on Halloween night dressed in costume with funny results but eventually meet up with a Wolfman who has also used the night to fit in with humans and decides that Eek & Ack look tasty . Lots of fun! My son had a great time reading this one, even though there were quite a few hard words for him. I had to help him out quite a bit but he loved the characters and really enjoyed the story. He would be very happy if we placed another Eek and Ack book in his hands and fortunately there are several already out about the alien duo. The illustrations are wonderful! Done in cool colours, most pages showcase greens, blues and purples and they are a perfect fit for the story. 4/5 Zinc Alloy vs Frankenstein by Donald Lemke. Illustrated by Douglas Holgate. RL: 1.9. 2009. 33 pgs. Zack Allen has a robotic suit that turns him into a superhero, Zinc Alloy. A twister is headed his way and when Zinc tries to push it out of the path of his town he short circuits and ends up in the forest where he comes face to face with another robot, Frankenstein! Zinc's superhero efforts all seem to lead to unexpected results. Another fun book that my 9yo son really enjoyed. My son is a reluctant reader and the superhero aspect of this book grabbed him right away. Some words are a bit difficult but with me sitting beside him and helping as needed the story kept him going and frustration-free as he enjoyed the fast-paced action and the subtle humour found in some of the illustrations. It's wonderful to find books that are easy to read but hold the interest of an older child. When he finished reading this my son's first words were Are there any more Zinc books? So we flipped the book over and there on the back cover were the pictures of the first two in the series! 4/5 http: //graphicnovelschallenge.blogspot.com/2009/06/graphic-novels-for-reluctant-readers.html-- "Graphic Novels Challenge"
I have to admit this book cracked me up. Eek & Ack travel to earth in their spaceship - that really looks like a washing machine - to discover why it is so hard to conquer. Their disguises are hilarious - one wearing a tutu and the other in a hooded robe of sorts. They end up traveling to earth on Halloween and meet up with a wolfboy. Let's just say, they're not staying long on this Earth. This graphic novel is comical and fantastical, elements that I both enjoy. These books will be great for kids who like something a bit more funny. And this is another great book for librarians and teachers - including a glossary, a section talking a bit more about werewolves, discussion questions and writing prompts. Probably a book I'll be purchasing for my school library. Recommended for 2nd grade and up. http: //www.bookworminginthe21stcentury.com/2010/01/eek-ack-vs-wolfman.html-- "Bookworming in the 21st Century Blog"
STORY SYNOPSIS Eek and Ack, the comedic extraterrestrial duo, fly to Earth in their washing machine-shaped ship for the sinister purposing of determining the best way to conquer the third rock from the sun. It just so happens that they land at Lake Lobo, which we already know is home to at least one werewolf. Dressed as a space alien (duh) and a ballerina they head out incognito on ... you guessed it ... Halloween. The discovery of candy is a nice treat, but the trick is that they also stumble onto a real-life werewolf. Narrowly escaping his cluthes - by the cotton of their space alien Underoos - Eek and Ack do their best to fix the situation. Once back on their home planet, they realize that the monster's bite is worse than his howl. REVIEW EEK & ACK VS THE WOLFMAN is more comedy than horror with just enough monster goodness to tickle a child's fancy but not enough to give anyone the slightest nightmare. I laughed throughout the book and constantly thought of the kids at my school and how they would really dig this book. The girls and the boys would laugh at the crazy antics of Eek and Ack. There's an underpants scene, vomit, a washing machine space ship, and two goofy looking aliens. How could kids not love this book? The pacing is right on with plenty of funny dialogue, great situations, and hysterical action. Of course we have a glossary, pronunciation guide, bios of the creators, discussion questions, writing prompts, further information on werewolves, and even a Fact Hound Internet site. ART REVIEW The dark purple page backgrounds and heavy inks on the panel's frames make for a bit of a creepy crawly tone. The illustration of the characters is a hoot. The two together make for a nice Halloween combination that is just right for little ones. N THE CLASSROOM The book provides some interesting discussion questions and writing prompts that kids would Think-Pair-Share about. It might be interesting to have the students create their own comic about two aliens invading Earth. What would happen? Could students make text-to-world connections in the writing to make it funny and appealing? Sounds like that might be asking them to consider their audience, too, which we know is a national standard for this age group. CHRIS' RECOMMENDATION: Highly Recommended.-- "The Graphic Classroom Blog"
Two goofy aliens come to conquer Earth and fortunately for them, it's Halloween, so no one suspects they're real aliens. But a very real werewolf shows up to attack the town, and they have to think fast. Mild gross-outs, plenty of humor, and comedy monsters make this appealing without being really scary. A short resource section at the end provides a glossary, a pronunciation guide, a discussion questions, writing prompts, Internet sites, and further information on werewolves. There are several more books in the series. http: //www.libraryjournal.com/index.asp?layout=talkbackCommentsFull&talk_back_header_id=6645760&articleid=CA6722094-- "Library Journal, Graphic Novels for Reluctant Readers: 33 Titles"
