SUBSCRIBE
SUBSCRIBE
SLJ Blog Network +
  • 100 Scope Notes
  • A Fuse #8 Production
  • Good Comics for Kids
  • Heavy Medal: A Mock Newbery Blog
  • Teen Librarian Toolbox
  • The Classroom Bookshelf
  • The Yarn
  • Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • About/Contact
  • Previews
  • Reviews
  • Manga
  • All Ages
  • Young Adult
  • Interviews
  • News

March 25, 2009 by Eva Volin

Review: Swans in Space

March 25, 2009 by Eva Volin   Leave a Comment

I know this may come as a shock to some of you, but Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers isn’t real.  I’m sorry. 

But what if it was?  What if the TV show was really a documentary and everything you saw on the screen had actually taken place, complete with weird aliens, space ships, and cool costumes?  Even better, what if the aliens were talking teddy bears, the space ships looked like swan-shaped paddle boats, and the costumes were so cool they came equipped with button-topped go-go boots?

Swans in Space
Creator: Lun Lun Yamamoto
Age Rating: 7-12
ISBN: 978-1-897376-93-5
Udon Entertainment, 150 pages, $8.99

Sixth grade class president Corona Hoshino is Big Girl On Campus.  Her winning personality and fashion sense have made her popular with her classmates and her great grades and organizational skills have made her popular with her teachers.  Corona takes her position as class president seriously, so when she sees classmate Lan Tsukishima being bullied for being a fan of the kiddie show Space Patrol, Corona steps in.  Corona comforts Lan by fibbing that she, too, enjoys Space Patrol and thinks the show is cool.  Impressed by Corona’s seeming sincerity, Lan whisks Corona away to the actual Space Patrol space station, where she is talked in to becoming the newest Space Patrol recruit.

SCROLL TO KEEP READING THIS POST

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

Lan and her instructor, a cuddly-looking teddy bear who would rather play video games than work, turn out to be complete slackers, and both are on the verge of being fired.  Corona’s competitive spirit kicks in and she vows to make their team the best.  Through a series of adventures, Corona begins to learn just what she’s gotten herself into by agreeing to be a Space Patrol trainee and how to juggle home, school, and outer space without falling asleep in class.

Swans in Space is for every little girl who wishes all the Power Rangers could be as smooth and beautiful as the Pink Ranger. Or at least as cool and beautiful as the Pink Ranger was when she was eleven years old.  Corona is a take-charge girl who, when faced with having to make lemonade, makes the best lemonade possible.  But she does it without ever crossing over into too goody-goody or too cloyingly sweet.  Corona stays interesting throughout, playing straight man to Lan much the way Beezus does for Ramona in the Beverly Cleary books.    

Unusual for manga, Swans in Space is in bright, full color, which brings to life to the simple character designs.  The set up and delivery of the jokes are basic enough for early readers to understand and there are enough sight gags to keep older readers engaged.  And while the entire book could have easily gotten mired in sticky sweetness, what with its flying amusement park-themed space ships, adorable aliens, and cross-eyed heroes and heroines, it never does.  Instead it stays gentle, the girls’ adventures are fun, and the teaching moments that all books like this one have aren’t obvious or annoying.  This book will appeal to girls who love sweet fantasy stories like the fairy books by Daisy Meadows, but who aren’t quite ready for manga as involved as VIZ’s Ultra Maniac, and is recommended for ages six and up.

Filed under: Reviews, Uncategorized

SHARE:

Read or Leave Comments
reviewUdon

About Eva Volin

Eva Volin is the Supervising Children's Librarian for the Alameda Free Library in California. She has written about graphic novels for such publications as Booklist, Library Journal, ICv2, Graphic Novel Reporter, and Children & Libraries. She has served on several awards committees including the Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards, the Michael L. Printz Award, and the Isotope Award for Excellence in Mini-Comics. She served on YALSA's Great Graphic Novels for Teens committee for three years and is currently serving on ALSC's Notable Books for Children committee.

ADVERTISEMENT

Related Posts

October 2022

Review: Parachute Kids

by Eva Volin

July 2011

Review: Drawing From Memory

by Eva Volin

May 2011

Review: The Zabime Sisters

by Eva Volin

May 2011

First Second Reviews

by Eva Volin

March 2011

Review: Skullkickers, vol 1

by Eva Volin

ADVERTISEMENT

SLJ Blog Network

100 Scope Notes

U.S. Gov: ‘All Books Must Have Round Corners’

by Travis Jonker

A Fuse #8 Production

Review of the Day – Bear and Bird: The Picnic and Other Stories by Jarvis

by Betsy Bird

Good Comics for Kids

Review: Swim Team

by Esther Keller

Heavy Medal

March suggestions: early Mock Newbery possibilities

by Emily Mroczek-Bayci

Teen Librarian Toolbox

Write What You Know. Read What You Don’t, a guest post by Lauren Thoman

by Amanda MacGregor

The Classroom Bookshelf

The Classroom Bookshelf is Moving

by Erika Thulin Dawes

The Yarn

Jarrett and Jerome Pumphrey Try Something New

by Travis Jonker

ADVERTISEMENT

Related Articles on SLJ

Graphic Novel Series Updates for Both Die-Hard Fans and New Readers

10 Standout Graphic Novels by AAPI Creators

15 Returning Faces for Graphic Novels Shelves | Series Update

Best Graphic Novels 2022 | SLJ Best Books

First-Person Graphic Memoirs Bring Events to Life for Students

Commenting for all posts is disabled after 30 days.

ADVERTISEMENT

Archives

Follow This Blog

Enter your email address below to receive notifications of new blog posts by email.

This coverage is free for all visitors. Your support makes this possible.

This coverage is free for all visitors. Your support makes this possible.

Primary Sidebar

  • News & Features
  • Reviews+
  • Technology
  • School Libraries
  • Public Libraries
  • Age Level
  • Ideas
  • Blogs
  • Classroom
  • Diversity
  • People
  • Job Zone

Reviews+

  • Book Lists
  • Best Books
  • Media
  • Reference
  • Series Made Simple
  • Tech
  • Review for SLJ
  • Review Submissions

SLJ Blog Network

  • 100 Scope Notes
  • A Fuse #8 Production
  • Good Comics for Kids
  • Heavy Medal
  • Neverending Search
  • Teen Librarian Toolbox
  • The Classroom Bookshelf
  • The Yarn

Resources

  • 2022 Youth Media Awards
  • The Newbery at 100: SLJ Celebrates the 100th Anniversary of the Award
  • Special Report | School Libraries 2021
  • Summer Reading 2021
  • Series Made Simple Spring 2021
  • SLJ Diverse Books Survey
  • Summer Programming Survey
  • Research
  • White Papers / Case Studies
  • School Librarian of the Year
  • Mathical Book Prize Collection Development Awards
  • Librarian/Teacher Collaboration Award

Events & PD

  • In-Person Events
  • Online Courses
  • Virtual Events
  • Webcasts
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Advertise
  • Subscribe
  • Media Inquiries
  • Newsletter Sign Up
  • Content Submissions
  • Data Privacy
  • Terms of Use
  • Terms of Sale
  • FAQs
  • Diversity Policy
  • Careers at MSI


COPYRIGHT © 2023


COPYRIGHT © 2023