Middle School Get Me Out of Here

Middle School Get Me Out of Here by James Patterson and Chris Tebbetts

Rafe is back, and if life could get any more difficult it has... Now he is sleeping on the couch at his Grandma's house in the city, his Mom is out of work, he's started the new school year at a fancy "art school" and the pressure is on.  Can Rafe control his out of control life? or will the old Rafe make his presence known in this new installment.

Although this is a similiar style of book as the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series, it just doesn't carry the same funny punch. Where it does win out is the illustrations - Rafe is the kid that is always doodling, he sees his life as a series of frames in a cartoon, his characterization is some of the people in his life (his Uncle Harry -Hairy the Sasquatch, and the Principal as a man-eating spider) are spot on. The fact that his art work are a strong feature of his personality make the styling of the book valid.

Here's the book trailer.

Adventures in Cartooning

Adventures in cartooning: how to turn your doodles into comics by James Sturm, Andrew Arnold, and Alexis Frederick-Frost

If your like me and your drawing ability doesn't go much further than stickmen, don't give up. There's hope for us, we can still tell a great story, full of adventure, fun, silly stuff - with a few helpful hints from this book simple drawings can be turned into a colourful exciting cartoon. Loved it!!

from the cover -- Cartooning is what happens when you send your drawings on an adventure. On this adventure, you'll meet an impatient knight, a cowardly horse, and a magical elf. Our heroes are off to rescue a princess and slay a dragon... and they're learning to make comics along the way. Simple lessons in cartooning are woven into a rip-roaring story. The only thing more fun than reading this comic will be making your own.
Read On.