Sashimi is new in Barnacle Bay school. He has a hoodie pulled over his wide eyes and orange skin. And he’s squishy – he sweats all the time! All the kids he meets at his school are surly, critical and awkward, (or even mean!) but he doesn’t seem to notice. He even thinks the school bully and the bully’s toadies are funny!
There’s a lot that Sashimi doesn’t know. Everything is new to him, and he’s seeing everything for the first time. Even though he’s a sweet…whatever, he sometimes doesn’t realize his behavior isn’t appropriate. So he gets whacked a lot. There’s lots of whacking. But regardless of how the kids treat him, he refuses to be embarrassed – he’s completely confident and authentic about who he is and constantly amazed by everything.
Still, it’s A LOT. Good thing he’s got his friend, the classroom goldfish, to answer some of the more pressing questions he has. There’s also Joseph, the friend who says he’s not a friend. Unfortunately, Sashimi finds some disturbing information out in the supermarket while on a trip downtown. And THEN he meets his friend Joseph’s grandfather, and things get….well…complicated. Just like Clark Kent taking off his glasses, Sashimi’s secret gets found out. But will his friends help him keep his secret? What exactly WOULD a good friend do?
Santat’s broad marker lines and manga-like expressions add to the comic action and made me laugh out loud at some pages – “I can see through time!” “Holy Smokes, kill it with FIRE!”
This is a warm story about making friends, how hard that can be sometimes, and learning to be your authentic self. It’s appropriately placed for middle grades, ages 6-12.
Sashimi By Dan Santat Macmillan Roaring Brook, 2026 ISBN: 9781250360007
The superhero Captain Amazing is getting older, and he could use some help on the job. When he announces hisplan to hold auditions for a sidekick, no one is more excited than his own pets, Roscoe the dog and Fluffy the hamster. Their beloved human is always out saving the city, and they miss him at home. Becoming his new sidekick would mean spending lots of time with him, and Roscoe and Fluffy are both determined to audition. Even Captain Amazing’s brand-new pet, a chameleon named Shifty, is interested in trying out.
Roscoe is a large dog with his own superpowers. Shifty can at least use his chameleon camouflage to sneak around. But Fluffy has never demonstrated any special abilities, and, well, he’s a hamster. Still, he won’t give up. Fluffy and Shifty team up to practice fighting crime… and find an unexpected ally who helps them learn how to be heroes. And they’ll need all the help they can get, because some major supervillainy is afoot.
This is a fun romp with cool powers, crime-fighting action, humor, and heart. Captain Amazing’s pets have very different personalities: Roscoe is bossy and impatient, Fluffy is determined and clever, and Shifty is nervous and excitable. There is also Manny, the jaded superhero cat who becomes Fluffy and Shifty’s mentor. What they all have in common is courage and caring about each other, even if they don’t always know how to express it. As the pets learn how to be heroes, they also learn how to be a family.
The art uses color, texture, lighting, and perspective to create a rich world that feels three-dimensional, like moving through a video game. The human characters are detailed and on the realistic end of the cartoon spectrum, while the animal characters are more caricatured. They are also partially anthropomorphic: their front paws are hands with opposable thumbs, Fluffy and Shifty walk on their hind legs, and all the animals have very human facial expressions. The artist makes good use of superhero-comic visual tropes like action lines, midair poses, and dramatic rooftop silhouettes. There is a wide and dynamic range of panel layouts, especially during action scenes, which adds visual interest and increases the sense of movement and drama.
This volume was originally published in 2011. This 2024 edition includes sixteen new pages at the end, which hint at an intriguing connection between Captain Amazing, Manny, and certain other characters. (No spoilers!) The art style in these pages is different: both appear to be created digitally, but the original art has a smoother, more painted-looking style, while the new art has sharp, fine black outlines and more visible digital “brushstrokes,” making it feel more like a drawing than the immersive, three-dimensional looking original art.
Like most superhero stories, this one involves some peril and violence. No one dies, but there are some close calls and injuries. The main supervillain, in the big final showdown scene, is quite menacing.
This book will already be familiar to some readers from its 2011 version, but the new edition presents an opportunity to hand it to a new crop of young readers who like superhero and action stories with heart. Fans of the original will also be happy to learn that this new edition is Book One in a series, with three sequels in the works.
Sidekicks Book One, Vol. 1 By Dan Santat Scholastic GRAPHIX, 2024 ISBN: 9781338879155
Memories and truth often lay buried in our distant past, waiting to be aroused and awakened. For award-winning children’s author and illustrator Dan Santat (The Adventures of Beekle: The Unimaginary Friend;Drawn Together) that time has come, and he conjures forth his magical creativity to reimagine a 13-year-old version of himself in the graphic memoir A First Time for Everything. What unfolds is an endearing character-building story that chronicles the adventures of a middle schooler on an overseas trip one summer before entering the throes of high school.
The story starts off in Camarillo, a small town located on the outskirts of Los Angeles where Santat grew up. He was a shy kid, preferring to be invisible, and when asked to recite an impromptu poem during an assembly in the school gym one day, gets jeered at by his classmates. During the summer of 1989, through the encouragement of his parents, he embarks on a three-week class trip to study abroad in Europe. Many “firsts” abound for him: Trying out a Fanta orange soda drink, dancing at a night club, having a beer, asking a girl out, and experiencing his first (albeit botched) kiss. A chance encounter later leads him to fall into love with a blonde named Amy Glucksbringer from Illinois. Together, they sneak in to watch a Wimbledon tennis tournament. At one point he even gets lost in the streets of Salzburg during the middle of the night and is chased by a gang of punks.
Santat narrates his travels and escapades with honesty, wonder, and charming humor, transporting his younger self across France, Germany, and England. Panels packed with lively action peppered with humorous moments—some wordless and filled with sound effects—drive the narrative scenes between characters. Flashbacks shaded in light somber blues capture moments in time that impact his present circumstances. Sightseeing excursions unfold through quarter to full-page panels featuring sketches of world landmarks such as the Arc de Triomphe, Palace of Versailles, and the Eiffel Tower in Paris, showcasing his burgeoning talent as an artist. The back matter features a collage of photographs and mementos marking key points in his travels along with insightful tidbits on the process of constructing a memoir from memory.
A First Time for Everything packs much love and heart into the zany and often awkward exploits of an adolescent encountering milestones of self-discovery. A coming-of-age story replete with themes on risk-taking, identity seeking, and reconciliation, this graphic memoir will make an enchantingly delightful addition to middle grade collections, demonstrating that it’s never too late to live life to the fullest.
A First Time for Everything By Dan Santat Macmillan First Second, 2023 ISBN: 9781250851048
Publisher Age Rating: 10-14 NFNT Age Recommendation: Middle Grade (7-11) Creator Representation: Thai-American Character Representation: Thai-American
Sashimi is new in Barnacle Bay school. He has a hoodie pulled over his wide eyes and orange skin. And he’s squishy – he sweats all the time! All the kids he meets at his school are surly, critical and awkward, (or even mean!) but he doesn’t seem to notice. He even thinks the school bully and the bully’s toadies are funny!
plan to hold auditions for a sidekick, no one is more excited than his own pets, Roscoe the dog and Fluffy the hamster. Their beloved human is always out saving the city, and they miss him at home. Becoming his new sidekick would mean spending lots of time with him, and Roscoe and Fluffy are both determined to audition. Even Captain Amazing’s brand-new pet, a chameleon named Shifty, is interested in trying out.
Memories and truth often lay buried in our distant past, waiting to be aroused and awakened. For award-winning children’s author and illustrator Dan Santat (The Adventures of Beekle: The Unimaginary Friend; Drawn Together) that time has come, and he conjures forth his magical creativity to reimagine a 13-year-old version of himself in the graphic memoir A First Time for Everything. What unfolds is an endearing character-building story that chronicles the adventures of a middle schooler on an overseas trip one summer before entering the throes of high school.
