The Unlucky Kid
by Bob Holt; illus. by the author
Primary    Kids Can    64 pp.
5/24    9781525306594    $14.99
e-book ed.  9781525313486    $12.99

This comic for newly independent readers introduces Quin, the titular unlucky kid, in three short stories. In the first, Quin heads to the beach, where he bikes off a dune, is attacked by gulls, trips on a fence, and is hit by a rogue wave. Despite his penchant for plotting and creating detailed diagrams before taking action, this is how things go for Quin in the other stories as well: one in which he ropes his sister into a scheme to pull out his loose tooth (a dog, a cat, and a kite are involved) and another in which he goes fishing with his friend Jose (watch out for hornets). Holt draws his characters with exaggerated features—huge heads, googly eyes, and prominent noses contrasted with sticklike arms and legs—signaling and supporting the goofy tone. He controls the pace by varying the number and size of the panels on each page, guiding the narrative in and out of chaos. Quin’s disaffected cat, Kitty, provides wry commentary throughout (“This kid is going to need a lot more protection than that”; “Great is not the word I would use”), adding to the humor. Quin’s affable, can-do attitude in the face of his plans continually going sideways will win him fans.

From the July/August 2024 issue of The Horn Book Magazine.