Synopsis
Raf knows Megan is trouble from the moment she steps into his mom's pet food store asking for a tarantula. But there's one thing you can count on in Chicagoland: weird things happen several times a day. Megan is a vegetarian, manga-reading haiku writer. She definitely doesn't fit in at Stepford Academy, her new summer school. The other students are happy to be in class. Too happy. And everyone looks and acts exactly alike. That's weird. Megan is determined to dig into Stepford's secrets, but soon she's in way too deep. Raf may be the only human being she knows who can help. But with zombified students, very mad scientists, and the school psychiatrist on their trail, they're going to need a whole lot more help. We did say that Chicagoland is weird...
VOYA
The Drained Brains Caper, the first in the new Chicagoland Detective Agency graphic novel series, tells the story of Megan, a new student at Stepford Academy whose suspicions about the zombielike student body get her a psychological evaluation that leads to an action-packed adventure with new friend and computer programmer Raf. At the conclusion, Meg and Raf team up with an animal ally with unexpected talents to form the Chicagoland Detective Agency. Fast-paced mystery, likeable characters, and zombies equal a strong start to this new graphic novel series from writer Trina Robbins and artist Tyler Page. Megan is a particularly well-formed character; her sense of humor, love of poetry, and teenage impatience make her likeable. Illustrations effectively convey mood and action. Twelve-year-old Raf, however, does not look twelve; this is confusing, because he is also introduced as a computer programmer working at a pet supply store. Once the reader determines that Raf and Megan are peers, the story makes sense. The book wraps up with Meg and Raf teaming up with Bradley, the sleuthing, talking dog, to form the Chicagoland Detective Agency. The talking dog makes this graphic novel appeal to a younger audience, but older tweens and young teens will enjoy Meg's eclectic interests and, of course, the zombies. Reviewer: Molly Krichten