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

December 20, 2018 by Johanna

Review: ‘Sanity & Tallulah’

December 20, 2018 by Johanna   Leave a Comment

Sanity & Tallulah

Sanity & Tallulah
by Molly Brooks
Disney-Hyperion, $21.99 hardcover, $12.99 paperback
Ages 8-12

“The future is female,” they say, and nothing demonstrates that better than a science fiction adventure about two smart, daring girls living on a space station.

Super-creative Sanity has genetically engineered a three-headed kitten named “Princess Sparkle, Destroyer of Worlds”. Having a pet is a rule violation in such a tightly controlled environment, particularly one that’s a science experiment created using untested equipment, and Tallulah’s mother, the senior scientist on the station, grounds them both when she finds out. “Maybe next time you’ll think twice before abetting mad science,” she declares to her daughter.

Then the cat gets loose at the same time various outages and problems start occurring in core systems. The girls need to find the pet to figure out whether she’s to blame.

SCROLL TO KEEP READING THIS POST

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

Sanity & Tallulah

Sanity & Tallulah is the best kind of science fiction, full of imaginative ideas and crazy possibilities but fundamentally focused on characters and relationships. This is a diverse future centered on family, but Brooks doesn’t lose sight of the classic adventure structure, where two girls use their determination, smarts, and bravery to save their home.

The color scheme is noticeably distinctive. The palette is midnight blue (good for space), a reddish clay color (which also lightens to pink — together they make dark and pale skin tones), and grey (for technology). They add up to a future world that feels grounded and lived-in. It’s not super-shiny high-tech, but patched together and plausible.

There are times when it can be a little difficult to follow the art. This is Brooks’ first graphic novel, so it’s not surprising that occasionally the dialogue helps in describing what we’re supposed to be seeing, as when the girls discuss how the cat escaped or during the big cliffhanger.

It’s reassuring, though, to see Sanity praised for her genius. (Tallulah is mostly there for energy and enthusiasm.) When one character starts muttering, “That girl is too clever for her own good,” Dr. Vega, Tallulah’s mother, responds, “she’s a perfectly fine amount of clever, so long as she’s properly supervised.” Even when the girls are caught, she intersperses warning and disciplining them with concern for their safety and treating their bumps and bruises. And the young women are listened to, with their ideas given fair consideration.

A lot happens in this story, with plenty of possibility in the environment for more what ifs and future adventures. It’s a satisfying, long-lasting read with some terrific role models.

Filed under: Graphic Novels, Reviews, Young Adult

SHARE:

Read or Leave Comments
kittenMolly Brooksscience fiction

About Johanna

Johanna Draper Carlson has been reviewing comics for over 20 years. She manages ComicsWorthReading.com, the longest-running independent review site online that covers all genres of comic books, graphic novels, and manga. She has an MA in popular culture, studying online fandom, and was previously, among many other things, webmaster for DC Comics. She lives in Madison, Wisconsin.

ADVERTISEMENT

Related Posts

February 2023

Insomniacs After School, vol. 1 | Review

by Johanna

February 2023

Kiss Number 8 | Review

by Johanna

January 2023

My Sister, the Cat, vol. 1 | Review

by Johanna

December 2022

Heartstopper Volumes 1 and 2 | Review

by Johanna

December 2022

Ride On | Review

by Johanna

ADVERTISEMENT

SLJ Blog Network

100 Scope Notes

2023 Caldecott Jump

by Travis Jonker

A Fuse #8 Production

Bonds and Books: An Interview with Megan Dowd Lambert About Building Connections Through Family Reading

by Betsy Bird

Good Comics for Kids

Recent Graphic Novel Deals, Early Mar 2023 | News

by Johanna

Heavy Medal

March suggestions: early Mock Newbery possibilities

by Emily Mroczek-Bayci

Teen Librarian Toolbox

Playing to our Strengths (and Other Insights on Co-Authoring a Novel): A Conversation with Nicole Melleby and A. J. Sass

by Amanda MacGregor

The Classroom Bookshelf

The Classroom Bookshelf is Moving

by Erika Thulin Dawes

The Yarn

Newbery Medalist Amina Luqman-Dawson visits The Yarn

by Colby Sharp

ADVERTISEMENT

Related Articles on SLJ

The Publishing Industry Adapts to COVID-19 While Offering Support

10 Shonen Manga Must-Reads | Mondo Manga

15 Returning Faces for Graphic Novels Shelves | Series Update

LibraryPass’s Comics Plus | Reference Database Review

10 Sports Manga for Hardcore Fans and Newcomers Alike | Mondo Manga

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