Olivia Wolf and a Million Olivias/Olivia Wolf un Millón de Olivias by José Fragoso. NubeOcho, c2023 (Spanish edition), 2024 (English edition). 9788419607683 (English), 9788419607676
Rating: 1-5 (5 is an excellent or a Starred review) 3.5
Format: Paperback graphic novel
Genre: Supernatural, adventure
What did you like about the book? Another installation in a colorful and simple graphic series. Olivia the werewolf lives in Monstrocity, where monsters and humans live happily side-by-side. Once again, we’re swept up in her adventure with a supporting cast of 10 monster and human friends, whom Fragoso playfully introduces on the first two pages, complete with small portraits and entertaining descriptions. This time the plot revolves around a visit to Mick’s Rabbit Fun Park, a stand-in for Chuck E. Cheese, complete with arcade games and a giant ball pit. Unbeknownst to the crew, grandma Angelica Wolf’s nemesis Marquis Eyesofthree has cast an evil spell on the ball pit and when Olivia jumps in, troublemaking clones spill out, causing mayhem in Monstrocity. It’s up to the crew to use all their combined mutant talents to save the day. Visually, the book is creative and busy, with clear lime green sections to convey Angelica’s flashback sequences. The quirky kid monsters each have their own weird powers and it’s fun to anticipate how they’ll use them to defeat the big baddie, Eyesofthree.
Anything you didn’t like about it? The original Spanish version reads more smoothly. The English version often sounds oddly formal, with word choices that can sound like they were pulled from a thesaurus (or translated by AI). Instead of “food court”, Eyesofthree “darts through the eating area”. Olivia’s friends groove to the “dulcet tones of the Mick Rabbit robot band” – said no kid ever. Presumably the target audience may not care about this.
To whom would you recommend this book? Kids in grades 2-4 who like silly and not scary monster adventure comics. Read alikes would include Edison Beaker, Creature Seeker by Frank Cammuso or the Frank Einstein series by Jon Scieszka.
Who should buy this book? Elementary schools or public libraries
Where would you shelve it? Graphic novels
Should we (librarians/readers) put this on the top of our “to read” piles? No
Reviewer: Susan Harari, Keefe Library, Boston Latin School, Boston, MA
Date of review: May 16, 2024
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