Space Pirate: Sardine in Outer Space - Emmanuel Guibert and Joann Sfar

Square Fish

With "Space Pirate: Sardine in Outer Space," preteens have the first in an intended series of graphic novels concerning young girl Sardine, her friends and her uncle, who's a pirate named Capt. Yellow Shoulder.

Together, they all fly through space (as if the title didn't clue you in) and have six short adventures in the span of 60 pages, often coming up against the nefarious clutches of Supermuscleman and Doc Krok. Villains are vanquished with slapstick comedy and weapons no more harmless than a glue gun.

It's completely inoffensive (unless "booger" is a no-no is your household), so grade schoolers are more apt to find these colorful comics fun. Sfar's art is playful and appropriately cartoony, but there's something a bit "off" in Guibert's dialogue. Then I noticed it was translated from French, which explains it.

"?Rod Lott

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