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Searching... Stayton Public Library | YGN TENNAPEL | Searching... Unknown |
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Searching... Woodburn Public Library | TENNAPEL Cardboard | Searching... Unknown |
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Summary
Summary
Cam's down-and-out father gives him a cardboard box for his birthday and he knows it's the worst present ever. So to make the best of a bad situation, they bend the cardboard into a man-and to their astonishment, it comes magically to life. But the neighborhood bully, Marcus, warps the powerful cardboard into his own evil creations that threaten to destroy them all!
Author Notes
Doug TenNapel was raised in the town of Denair, California. In 1994, he created the popular Earthworm Jim. Doug's graphic novel GHOSTOPOLIS was a 2011 ALA Top Ten Great Graphic Novel for Teens, and his follow-up, BAD ISLAND, is a 2012 ALA Great Graphic Novels for Teens as well as one of School Library Journal's Top 10 Graphic Novels of 2011. Doug lives in Franklin, Tennessee.
Reviews (6)
School Library Journal Review
Gr 4-6-Cam's unemployed father can only afford a cardboard box for his son's birthday present. However, this cardboard is special: it animates itself. A cardboard boxer becomes a man called Bill, a magic cardboard machine actually spits out new pieces of magic cardboard, and a figure of Cam's dead mother chastises his father for not moving on. This cardboard powerfully projects the thoughts and desires of its users and becomes dangerous when Cam's wealthy, spoiled neighbor, Marcus, uses it to create an army of monsters. Rich colors printed on glossy pages, along with dramatic cuts between panels, give the comic a cinematic feel, and the illustrations' sharp angles and sinewy lines are striking. This action-filled adventure is not only highly entertaining, but also contains provocative points about the power of imagination. The ending, in which a reformed Marcus has shed his goth stylings and Cam's father has found a job and a girlfriend, is a little too tidy, but this is a thoughtful and gripping read.-Lisa Goldstein, Brooklyn Public Library, NY (c) Copyright 2012. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Publisher's Weekly Review
This graphic novel tries to be about magic and goodness, but instead gets bogged down with creepy drawings, unfair stereotypes, and obnoxiously flat characters. Mike is unable to afford anything good for son Cam's birthday, so he buys the boy only a cardboard box. They turn the cardboard into the shape of a man, only to have it come alive. Danger comes from Marcus, a boy readers are repeatedly told is rich, though apparently his parents can't afford a dentist, and drawings concentrate on his bad teeth as if they're a character flaw. Marcus wants the magical cardboard properties to himself because, well, he's bad. Characters are shown, and drawn, as good or bad. The author also has a problem with people driving hybrids or boys having long hair. What could have been a fun fantasy tale often turns preachy, and it belittles people who look different. The story tries to add depth with the trope of a dead mother, but that theme doesn't rescue it from occasional self-righteousness. Ages 10-14. (Aug.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
Horn Book Review
Cam Howerton's out-of-work father is so broke, the best he can do for Cam's birthday is an empty cardboard box purchased from a toy seller with two mysterious rules: return every unused scrap of cardboard and don't ask for any more. "Worst present in the history of birthdays," thinks Mr. Howerton, but the box becomes a project. What should father and son make out of the box? "A boxer," Cam suggests. So, as with Rabbi Loew's golem in sixteenth-century Prague or David Almond's Clay, "Boxer Bill," created from inanimate material, comes alive. Unfortunately, Marcus, the neighborhood bully, gets wind of the cardboard man, steals the scrap materials, and begins turning out a whole evil empire of cardboard monsters. He expects to lead these loyal minions, but after losing control of them he must unite with Cam and his father to defeat the massive cardboard army. The graphic novel format, with its dynamic panels and fast pacing, is a perfect vehicle for this tale. Early on, big questions are raised about what it means to be a man, what makes a good man, and what forms people's character. Such philosophical musings give way to full-blown action that will grab the attention of graphic novel fans and video-game aficionados. A boldly imaginative and ambitious tale. dean schneider (c) Copyright 2012. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Kirkus Review
An out-of-the-box story of golems, guys and guts. Though dealing with the recent death of his mother, Cam and his father are trying to make the best of a difficult time. Currently unemployed and virtually penniless, Cam's father buys him the only birthday present he can afford: a cardboard box. From the get-go, it is apparent that this is no ordinary cardboard: It comes with a list of rules, which Cam's father casually dismisses. In an attempt to make the bland box more exciting, his father fashions a cardboard man, a boxer he names Bill, who undergoes a Pinocchiolike transformation and becomes a loyal friend. The animated man catches the interest of menacing Marcus, a well-off, wide-eyed, fish-lipped bully, who steals the cardboard for his own malicious intent. When Marcus' plans go horribly, terribly awry, he discovers that he needs one thing that money can't buy: a friend to help him. TenNapel's story is edge-of-your-seat exciting, but what really drives home this clever outing are the added complexities and thought-provoking questions it asks of its reader, specifically examining what constitutes "good" and "bad," and how to change how one is labeled. The result? An exceptionally seamless blend of action and philosophy, two elements that usually do not mix easily; TenNapel handles this masterfully. Utterly brilliant. (Graphic fantasy. 10 up)]] Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Booklist Review
With Ghostopolis (2010), Bad Island (2011), and the very recent Ratfist (2011) still practically hot out of the oven, TenNapel has hit a prolific stride, turning out stories featuring whacked-out science, organic weirdness, and a hefty emotional heart. Here a jobless father gives his son the only birthday gift he can afford in this crushing economy: a cardboard box. However, the two make a cardboard figure (of a boxer, naturally) and find themselves with a brand-new, living, breathing, cardboard friend. Unfortunately, when the petulant and jealous kid next door sees what's going on and steals some of the cardboard, the entire neighborhood is soon threatened by an invasion of handmade monstrosities. TenNapel's cartoon-gritty linework and off-kilter faces offer strangeness that is by turns endearing and disconcerting. His writing, meanwhile, hits some emotionally facile notes and fails to deliver on a few portentous plot points. But he also provides moments of great sweetness and heaps and heaps of bizarre fun, a quality that has become his veritable trademark.--Karp, Jesse Copyright 2010 Booklist
Library Journal Review
TenNapel's previous graphic novels Ghostopolis and Bad Island are both critically acclaimed, and it looks as if his latest work will continue the run of success. Out of work and struggling to raise his son alone, Mike is down on his luck. He knows times are tough when the best present he can afford for his son Cam's birthday is an empty cardboard box. But this isn't ordinary cardboard, and the humanoid sculpture they build from it comes to life. When the neighborhood bully gets a hold of some of his own magical cardboard, trouble ensues, and the father and son must figure out a way to save the day. Beautifully drawn, with powerful characterizations, this graphic novel goes much deeper than its simple story and style would suggest. TenNapel creates an existential morality tale in a fun, silly world of cardboard monsters. Verdict This is the perfect choice for families, as its quirky story will appeal to young readers, and its deeper meaning will hold the interest of their caregivers.-E.W. Goodman, Art Inst. of Pittsburgh (c) Copyright 2012. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.