Wars in Toyland

author: Joe Harris

name: Wayne

average rating: 3.42

book published: 2013

rating: 2

read at: 2013/08/14

date added: 2013/08/14

shelves: graphic-novels

review:

In the opening pages on Wars In Toyland, we learn that Matthew and his brother Alex like to stage wars with their toys, lining them up in rows. We also learn that Alex has gone missing. Matthew finds himself in a battle against evil toys to save his brother Alex. The leader of the evil toys is a tattered and unloved teddy bear named Roxbury.



This is a graphic novel in the form of a story book, with images crossing over landscape pages. The art by Pollina, McCarthy and Woodard is vibrant and colorful. The lettering is some of the best I've seen in a while, but I had issues with the story and some of the imagery.



I loved The Great Pacific: Trashed, by Joe Harris, so perhaps I'm confused about who the audience is intended to be. It seems like it's supposed to be a children's story, but it's thematically quite dark. A missing sibling, some nightmarish toys and the reality of war all can be dealt with for children, but in this book, it's spun up too harsh. Sacrifices are made, but don't seem to have weight, or room for Matthew to understand or deal with them. It's all ultimately wrapped up neatly, but never fully explained so that I could understand (much less a child reading it). With this theme, I very much wanted to like this book more.





via Wayne's bookshelf: read http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/584889768?utm_medium=api&utm_source=rss