A Home for Mr. Easter
Gr 9 Up–Tesana, an obese, emotionally immature teenager, steals a rabbit from a high school fundraiser because she believes it's the Easter Bunny. In attempting to return it to its home, she ends up being chased by a stage magician, a greedy pet-shop owner, a farmer, cosmetic scientists, and a horde of animal-rights activists. The book is low on message, but filled with emotion, as its unstable protagonist causes trouble to cascade around her and inspires rage, greed, regret, and defiance in those she encounters. That said, while the book builds to a sweet ending and a degree of hope is, at long last, established, the primary activity is establishing and intensifying an extended chase scene, with more and more people joining in to prevent her from reaching her destination or to acquire her precious cargo. The tone is both comic and raw, with the fantastic elements providing some much-needed escapism from Tesana's miserable existence. This is reinforced by the artwork, which is scratchy and scribbly, but energetic, with a rock-solid understanding of cartooning and kineticism. Thoroughly enjoyable entertainment, with an unusual protagonist and showcasing a quirky new voice in comics.Benjamin Russell, Belmont High School, NH© Copyright 2010.  Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc.  No redistribution permitted.