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SPF 40 by FableVision — book cover

SPF 40

by FableVision, Peter H. Reynolds (Illustrator)
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Overview

A great band does more than make music—it makes a difference! This Zebrafish adventure shows that doing good can make a splash and be a rockin’ good time.

Zebrafish has disbanded, at least for the summer, but the ex-band members can still improve the world in their own way. Vita is figuring out how to channel her lazy summer into something positive (with her dog Chimp’s help, of course). Walt and Jay convert an old ice cream truck into an awesomely painted (and fully wired) book mobile. And Plinko and Tanya inspire their campers at Stickleback Arts Camp to seize the day—Tanya takes a special interest in a camper with diabetes who’d rather hang out in the infirmary than participate in camp, while Plinko is preoccupied with his night vision goggles (leading campers to the bathroom night or day!).

Ideally Zebrafish will reunite for the end of summer Strings of Fury concert at the Dunes, but there’s a hitch—Vita refuses to play plastic. This follow-up collaboration between FableVision and Children’s Hospital Boston is as rockin’ as the first.

About the Author, FableVision

FableVision is an award-winning children’s media developer and book packager founded by Peter and Paul Reynolds.

Peter H. Reynolds is the bestselling author and illustrator of I’m Here, The Dot, and Ish; and illustrator for the New York Times #1 bestseller Someday by Alison McGhee. He is also the illustrator of Little Boy, Charlie and Kiwi, and the Judy Moody series. He lives in Dedham, Massachusetts, where he is co-owner of the Blue Bunny bookstore. Visit Peter at PeterHReynolds.com.

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Editorials

Publishers Weekly

The graphic novel Zebrafish (2010) introduced a group of teens that organized a band to support cancer charity work. This sequel about the group’s post-band summer (which was also produced by author/illustrator Peter H. Reynolds and his FableVision children’s media company) comes sharply into focus at the moment that band member Tanya, now a camp-counselor-in-training, discovers that a diabetic camper, Scott, has fallen ill—and it’s her fault. Tanya was holding on to the pack with the remote control to his insulin pump, but she handed it off casually to someone else. “Scott said you had his—” starts her friend Plinko, and she’s instantly stricken. “His pack! I do! I did!” It’s a vivid depiction of the kind of absentminded mistake that’s easy to make, but the rest of the story never achieves that immediacy. The dialogue and full-color cartoons are lively, and the kids are involved in worthwhile summer projects, yet the more sobering elements of the story—Tanya’s leukemia (now in remission), Scott’s diabetes, Vita’s older brother’s cancer research—seem at odds with the overall narrative arc, which is determinedly cheerful. Ages 10–14. (June)¦

Kirkus Reviews

Zebrafish, the plucky band of do-gooder musical misfits, returns in a sophomore offering ready for a summer of camp, video games, first jobs and art. Picking up where Zebrafish (2010) left off, Vita, Tanya, Plinko, Jay and Walt are just beginning a very different summer together. Plinko and Tanya are off to work as counselors-in-training at an arts camp, while Jay and Walt will be working on a library's bookmobile--leaving Vita to wallow about trying to figure out what to do. With no gigs for Zebrafish on the horizon, some members of the group decide to enter a "Strings of Fury" (a fictional cousin of "Rock Band") video game contest. Unlike its predecessor, which concentrated mainly on Vita's experience, this plot focuses on Tanya's and Plinko's time at the camp. In remission from her leukemia, Tanya befriends Scott, a diabetic fellow camper, who will not only become a good friend, but may just be their necessary secret weapon in the "Strings of Fury" contest. A diverse cast of characters pulls the narrative in different directions, but then it just flops about. The one-dimensionality of the art and the story makes it feel relentlessly vanilla. There is little excitement here, a sad fate for a promising summer-camp yarn. Cardboard. (Graphic fiction. 9-12)

Book Details

Published
June 4, 2013
Publisher
Atheneum Books for Young Readers
Pages
128
Format
Paperback
ISBN
9781416997092

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