Wolverine: Worst Day Ever
Grade 4–8—Thirteen-year-old Eric Mattias is new to Xavier's Institute for Gifted Students, aka X Men training ground. (Though with the world's lamest mutant power, it is highly unlikely that he will ever become an X-Man.) For Eric, it is not just an exaggerated complaint or cry for attention when he says that no one notices him. He can scream his head off, be tripped over, sat on (even on a toilet), and still, no one would notice. The few perks to this anonymity include being able to write a tell-all blog without getting in trouble and shadowing lone hero Wolverine on his adventures. True, the very presence of Wolverine on the book's cover makes it an easy sell, but it is Eric's voice that will keep readers thoroughly absorbed in the story. Tempering his glib and at times laugh-out-loud observations on superhero behavior are Eric's feelings of loneliness and alienation brought about by his power. Individual comic panels that function as posted pictures on Eric's blog make this an amped-up, Marvel version of Jeff Kinney'sDiary of a Wimpy Kid(Abrams) that will simply fly off the shelves faster than Wolverine can retract his adamantium claws.—Joanna K. Fabicon, Los Angeles Public LibraryEND