Adventure Classics

January 1, 2006
Gr 6 Up -Taking stories from Alexander Dumas, O. Henry, Arthur Conan Doyle, and others and turning them into comics provides some very entertaining pieces. Colonial explorers, treasure-mad eccentrics, and mysterious figures in seedy taverns populate each tale, with the language mostly updated but still referring to natives as -brutes. - Each tale is drawn differently, from caricature to stark, matching the tenor of the plot. Settings such as a desert, a jungle, and the American West plus plenty of strange characters bring the adventures alive. This is a thoroughly satisfying affirmation of the magic of reading, taking readers anywhere they want to go." -John Leighton, Brooklyn Public Library, NY"

Copyright 2006 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

October 1, 2005
Gr. 9-12. Teens studying the classics in school will be delighted by this accessible selection of illustrated stories from classic masters, ranging from Kipling to Dumas. Focusing on adventure stories and poems, Pomplun offers a variety of both storytelling and illustration. A sampling includes Sax Rohmer's "In the Valley of the Sorceress," about an archaeologist unearthing an Egyptian tomb,with stark, stylized, high-contrast black-and-white art by J. B. Bonivert, and "The Shooting of Dan McGrew," presented as a humorous poetic ode to the Wild West. As a bonus, Pomplun includes short biographies of the writers and artists. A good suggestion for teens having a hard time getting into the classics.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2005, American Library Association.)