Steven Universe Original Graphic Novel: Too Cool for School (1) - Softcover

Rebecca Sugar is an American animator, director, screenwriter, producer, and songwriter. She is well known for creating the Cartoon Network series Steven Universe, which has made her the first woman to independently create a series for the network. Sugar was formerly a writer and storyboard artist on the animated television series Adventure Time, until 2013. Her work on the two series has earned her five Primetime Emmy Award nominations.

Gr 3–6—Based on the Cartoon Network series, this original graphic novel explores what happens when homeschooled Steven follows his friend Connie to school. Wherever Steven goes, chaos soon follows, and an innocent show-and-tell activity goes terribly wrong, requiring his three magical alien guardians, the Crystal Gems, to swoop in and save the day. The story reads like an extended television episode, which fans should enjoy. The artwork starts off well enough, but some strange departures in style occur later on. The characters have expressive faces and animated movement, and the backgrounds are well rendered, but as the narrative continues, the line work abruptly becomes less delicate and the characters appear awkward and flat. There are also inconsistencies in the costuming and eye color of the characters. The text itself needs a great deal more editing and some heavy proofreading throughout. It's a fun book in concept diminished by sloppy execution. VERDICT This graphic novel is funny and warm and has much of the same charm that attracts viewers to the television show, but it is difficult to recommend it as a purchase with so many errors and discrepancies.—Kelley Gile, Cheshire Public Library, CT