When pigs fly by Rob Harrell

Reluctant readers, fans of Captain Underpants, Dog Man and Bad Guys will be instantly hooked on this hillariously witty, fast-paced graphic novel. Unlike some other comic strip style novels, these black and white panels are large with big text. The book is also separated into two main stories (as well as a brief intermission story) as well as into short chapters, making it perfect for those who struggle to read for longer bursts.

Fans of Rob Harrell's previous book Wink may recognise the main character Garry Yorkshire. He's a perfectly average pink pig who loves eating sandwiches, playing video games and hanging out with his mates Carl the fish and Brooklyn the bat. But as we see in the first and self-proclaimed 'origin story' Garry develops super powers after being bitten by Brooklyn. Suddenly he is giving himself wedgies with his super strength, floating in air, eating ten sandwiches in one sitting and seeing through walls (pity it's Mrs. Hawley's giant collection of cat hairballs he can see!). Some fun adventures follow, from defeating giant lizards to bringing down an evil butcher with a curious list of demands. 

There are witty little details thrown into every panel and the trio of friends have wonderfully well-drawn personalities with diaglogue that absolutely explodes off the page. Admittedly there is a lot of icky toilet humour but there are also clever one-liners and a funny interplay between dialogue and narration. The story also touches a lot on friendship and appreciating each others unique qualities. This is super-readable and brilliantly executed. The ending refers to 'the next book' so hopefully there is another installment to follow.

Themes: Superheroes, Humorous stories, Graphic novel, Friendship.

Nicole Nelson