This Side Up

October 1, 2022
In this second entry in a series centering on a land where everything is made from cardboard, a group of kids must defeat the evil Grey Queen. After the adventures detailed in The Other Side of the Box (2021), Mac, Maisie, and Bird are safe in The Cardboard thanks to the help of three witches. But Mac's sister, Pokey, is trapped in between worlds with Columbo, a phantom dog. And the witches need the children's help making sense of the board game Cardboardia in order to take down the Grey Queen and save the world. The game came with no instructions, and the children can't figure it out either, but they must keep trying. On a trip back to Earth, Maisie and Mac stumble upon a copy of Cardboardia, complete with rules. However, Mac's grandparents, the police, and a threatening character named Weird Guy are looking for them. The story ends as the plot at home and in The Cardboard thickens. Clever chapter breaks, with the chapter number indicated by the dots on the side of a die, include trading cards of the ever growing cast of characters. Bright colors, varying panel format, and ample white space between panels create visual interest on each page, and the blue-toned scenes depicting the trapped Pokey clearly establish a separate world. Readers unfamiliar with the first installment will be lost, as will those who have read the book some time ago. The book ends on a cliffhanger; fans will be eager to see how the story wraps up. Mac, Pokey, and Bird are tan-skinned, while Maisie is light-skinned; the witches have green skin. Fun and engaging, but for maximum enjoyment, pick this one up right after reading the first installment. (Graphic novel. 8-12)

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