Importance of an Epipen: Sidekicks

I rushed Dan Santat's Sidekicks to the top of my reading pile when the library called it home, and I had so much fun reading it that I immediately passed it along to P, who also completed it within the hour. This middle grade Cybils Graphic Novel finalist has bright colors, nifty super powers, and an internal family drama that keeps the emotions real even as the hamster and chameleon fight crime with the help of the superpowered cat and dog.

We do have to point out that the clock in the first panels is drawn incorrectly -- at 6:45 the hour hand of a clock does not point to six but is much closer to seven. This bugged my child from the first page, but luckily the clock does not return after that initial scene.

Anyway, the driving conflict of Captain Amazing's neglect of his pets because of his demanding superhero job clearly resonates with many kids, but the sugar coating of delivering the message through anthropomorphic pets keeps the tone light, even as they deal with sibling rivalries and devotion. This was a fun and lighthearted read that charmed adults and kids (X had read it weeks ago, when I first checked it out).