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

January 3, 2019 by Esther Keller

Review: ‘The Cardboard Kingdom’

January 3, 2019 by Esther Keller   Leave a Comment

cardboard header“Give a kid a cardboard box….” You’ll often hear parents quip that their child was more interested in the box rather than the new toy. And I know when my groceries are delivered in cardboard boxes, my kids beg me to keep it around. It becomes a house, a bus, and anything their imagination allows. Chad Sell and his many collaborators use this concept to create a rich story about a group of neighborhood kids that allows their imagination and ours to soar.

Cardboard KingdomThe Cardboard Kingdom
By Chad Sell. Jay Fuller, David Demeo, Katie Schenkel, Manuel Betancourt, Molly Muldoon, Vid Alliger, Cloud Jacobs, Michael Cole, Barbara Perez Marquez.
Random House Kids Books
Grades 3 and up

SCROLL TO KEEP READING THIS POST

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

I admit, my old, feeble mind had to go back and re-read parts of this book to “get it.” I know kids won’t have to. This is a book that totally encompasses a child’s mind as if the authors and artists have the Peter Pan syndrome.

The book is composed of short vignettes, each focusing on a different character but ultimately bringing together a whole neighborhood of kids who play the summer away, rich in their imagination. There is the boy who likes to dress up as the evil sorceress (and his mom who says it’s okay if it’s more than dress-up). The kid who desperately wants to fit in and find a friend but can’t find the right combination. Or the child who uses dress-up to help protect his mom from his estranged father. The book ends with the beginning of school, but on a hopeful note that the stories will continue.

This is a lovely book with bold artwork—with hints of a Saturday Morning Cartoon—and yet with so much more depth. The rich colors, the nuanced expressions on the various characters’ faces, and the minimal text will have readers flipping back and forth to search for more details that they will surely find. This book is a solid read.

Filed under: All Ages, Graphic Novels, Reviews

SHARE:

Read or Leave Comments
graphic novelmiddle graderandom house kidsreview

About Esther Keller

Esther Keller is the librarian at JHS 278, Marine Park in Brooklyn, NY. There she started the library's first graphic novel collection and strongly advocated for using comics in the classroom. She also curates the Graphic Novel collection for the NYC DOE Citywide Digital Library. She started her career at the Brooklyn Public Library and later jumped ship to the school system so she could have summer vacation and a job that would align with a growing family's schedule. On the side, she is a mother of 4 and regularly reviews for SLJ and School Library Connection (formerly LMC). In her past life, she served on the Great Graphic Novels for Teens Committee where she solidified her love and dedication to comics.

ADVERTISEMENT

Related Posts

January 2023

Andy Warner's Oddball Histories: Pests and Pets | Review

by Esther Keller

January 2023

My Sister, the Cat, vol. 1 | Review

by Esther Keller

January 2023

History Comics: Rosa Parks & Claudette Colvin | Review

by Esther Keller

September 2022

History Comics: The Roanoke Colony | Review

by Esther Keller

September 2022

Batman's Mystery Casebook | Review

by Esther Keller

ADVERTISEMENT

SLJ Blog Network

100 Scope Notes

2023 Caldecott Jump

by Travis Jonker

A Fuse #8 Production

Fuse 8 n’ Kate: A Bad Case of Stripes by David Shannon

by Betsy Bird

Good Comics for Kids

Ben Mortara and the Thieves of the Golden Table | This Week’s Comics

by Lori Henderson

Heavy Medal

March suggestions: early Mock Newbery possibilities

by Emily Mroczek-Bayci

Teen Librarian Toolbox

New Reports Show a Decline in YA Book Sales and I Have Some Thoughts as to Why That Might be Happening

by Karen Jensen, MLS

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

Sneak Peek: SLJ Best Books 2020

Nonfiction Graphic Novels Spotlight Microhistories and Overlooked Historical Figures

Superheroes Meet Real-Life Science in DC’s ‘Flash Facts’

Exclusive Excerpt of "The Baby-Sitters Club" Graphic Novel 'Jessi's Secret Language'

LibraryPass’s Comics Plus | Reference Database Review

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