Chad SellRecensioni

Heartwarming stories that are knitted together to create a beautiful sense of community. Great representation of color, age, and circumstance.

Probably the best iteration of the series

i don't know any black family that calls their grandmother memaw

A series of linked short stories in a graphic novel format, with varying art styles, focusing on different characters in the neighborhood and their imaginary identities/alter egos (e.g. the Sorceress).

"Who IS the Sorceress?"
"She's what I WANT to be...Magical. Powerful. And amazing." (187)

This is a fun Middle grade title that was chosen as an Illinois Reads title a few years ago. It’s all about kids’ imagination. They don’t need fancy toys or video games; they just need some cardboard and some friends. This book works quite well and there’s more than one volume. Perfect for elementary and middle grade leaders.

This graphic novel follows a diverse cast of characters and the bonds they form while making an imaginary kingdoms. The book covers a wide variety of topics such as divorce, Bullying, gender, friends, violence. This book can help educate kids on some of the harder things in life without shoving into their face.

So good.

I received this as an ARC from NetGalley and below are my honest opinions of the book.

I really enjoyed reading this ARC, I enjoyed Chad Sell's "The Cardboard Kingdom" so I was excited to hear about a new book from him. "Doodleville" is a great addition to any middle school library, it's illustrations connect famous paintings from Chicago's Art Institute with the art clubs own creations. Drew connects with the art club and learns a valuable lesson in friendship and teamwork. As someone who withdrew as a child into her own doodles, I enjoyed reading about another child who was able to create such a wonderful world. When Drew creates a leviathan it evolves into something that she never expected. Will her friends in the Art Club be able to help her learn how reign it into control before it destroys all of Doodleville?

3 stars

Reminded me of summer days in my childhood when us kids created whole worlds in dusty village streets.

This was fun but lacks depth. Feels a little choppy. Heavy on morals.

How many “amazing!”s can I fit into this review space!

I love the complicated emotional stories and the parents who sometimes just don’t understand but are trying. I love the way the kids try on variations of play until they find one that feels right to them. And how everything isn’t always fixed in the end.

Awwwwww, this is awesome -- inclusive, hilarious, adorable baby geeks having a grand summer with play and imagination, and despite all the challenges that being a kid brings. Lurv it.

Drew draws doodles that escape and cause mischief. An art project goes wrong and causes trouble with the art club. Great art, and there are some excellent messages in here -- don't let your own darkness overwhelm you, trust your friends to help you out, be kind. I like the diverse characters, including gender-nonconforming Beck. I felt like Drew takes too much on herself. The story is fun, but kind of simplistic and the art teacher may as well be a cardboard cutout. It will be interesting to see how this series develops -- it feels like good bones that haven't had a chance to really get fleshed out.

children's graphic novel (diverse, LGBTQAI interest)
I didn't really buy into the whole "doodles coming to life" but kids should LOVE this, please don't hesitate to put this into their hands. I really like Sell's use of diversity and the positive ways these kids can come together and create neat, imaginative stuff. (See also: [b:The Cardboard Kingdom|30623090|The Cardboard Kingdom|Chad Sell|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1511473063l/30623090._SX50_.jpg|51155086].)

children's graphic novel (friendship, imagination LGBTQA interest), 3rd/4th grade and up
It all starts with Jack, a kid who likes to pretend to be a Sorceress; soon other neighborhood kids--including kids of different ethnicities and body types and family types and various social and emotional misfits--are joining in to create their own costumes and personas. A big WIN for imagination and for inclusiveness. I would definitely like to see more of this, please please PLEASE.

Chad Sell illustrates and various authors contribute storylines for the different characters; these authors/illustrators are also a diverse bunch.

The creation of the Cardboard Kingdom happens in the neighborhood over summer break. It spreads as each of the characters are developed and introduced. Many of the chapters are contributed by different graphic novelists.
The individual stories explore different topics within from bullying to inclusion to making friends to playing with gender roles within fairy tales. Characters appear within other character's stories. Starting with light text, the stories start to build together to tell a charming story of summer fun, inclusion, acceptance, and an epically fun final battle between good and evil.½

I enjoyed the cute artwork, diversity, and magical realism, but I was wholly irritated by Drew. all you have to do is leave that doggone sketchbook HOME!

Liked this well enough. The story lines with the bully kinda bugged me, but otherwise they were all pretty great. I was especially impressed by the diversity of art (while still keeping very consistent colors and character designs!) in general, great compilation.

holy heck 5/5.

great if you love lumberjanes, nimona, she-ra and the princess of power. a precious middle grade graphic novel where all the kiddos made characters out of cardboard. much representation! challenging of gender roles via evil witches and mad scientists.

precious precious precious i love.

OH. MY. GOD. This is so adorable! And, yet, it wound up being so much more than I expected! Cute kids make cute doodles that come to life and leave the page to get into mischief, but that's just the surface; there are deeper lessons about accepting negative feelings as something to work through rather than to ignore or "kill," along with subtext about "feeding" the bad feelings, etc. Lots of diverse representation in various ways: the characters are different races and genders, and one of the kids draws "butterfly boyfriends" who rule warring kingdoms but go on romantic vacations together. The author, a gay man, wrote The Cardboard Kingdom, which was also nicely nuanced and had amazing representation, so I'm not surprised.

Graphic novel. Imaginary play with cardboard...buildings, costumes ,etc. Addresses social issues in gentle ways.

Real cute! And queer positive! And colorful and fun. I liked it a lot.

There is nary a cell phone or screen in sight in this exuberant work about neighborhood kids creating a fantasy kingdom out of cardboard boxes and leveraging their imaginations to the hilt. Nicely balancing the rowdy chaos are smaller moments of truth: the fighting parents, a bully's loneliness, a grandma's stinging criticisms, the boy who dresses as a sorceress. Bright colors full of KAPOW! action will draw readers to this one.½

Literary Merit: Very Good
Characterization: Very Good
Recommendations: Middle Grades, Lovers of Graphic novels, diversity, friendship
Reading Level: Middle Grades

The book, The Cardboard Kingdom, by Chad Sell, is a fun and inspiring book for young readers. This book shows young readers that they can overcome challenges and fit in with a group. There are 16 kids who live in a diverse neighborhood, use their wild imaginations, and dress up in cardboard creations to assume a different persona. Each kid can take on their own personality when they dress up. They can be whoever they want to be and overcome any challenge they face. I like how the kids are dealing with their different life situations and they are all just trying to fit in.

I recommend this book for middle grade readers. The illustrations are really well done. The book was very fun and full of color. As you were introduced to each new character, you would see that there were different creators/collaborators that worked with Chad Sell to create the Cardboard Kingdom. Through the book you get to know each of the various characters of Cardboard Kingdom. In the last chapter, you get to the “Summer’s End”, which is a collaboration from all the creators of The Cardboard Kingdom characters. Here you see the characters together in their final battle before summer ends and school begins.

"Comics creator and illustrator Sell teams up with 10 different authors to create an extraordinary linked anthology, seamlessly interweaving stories of unabashed joy and friendship.

In a suburban neighborhood, an ebulliently diverse group of children gathers with glee to create a vibrant world of pretend play, find themselves, and support one another. In the story written by Katie Schenkel, Sophie feels terrible that people say she’s too loud until she crafts a Hulk-like play identity known as “The Big Banshee.” Manuel Betancourt’s Miguel loves fairy tales and is thrilled when Nate asks him to play in “The Prince”—only to discover he’s actually been cast as the “magical pea” and not the romantic role he’d been dreaming of. Seth pretends to be a superhero to try to protect himself from his dad in Michael Cole’s “The Gargoyle,” while in Sell’s sole authored tale, “The Army of Evil,” Jack identifies as the Sorceress because “She’s what I want to be… / Magical. And powerful. And amazing.” Some neighborhood kids prefer STEM to fantasy while others build businesses; some have trouble making friends while others choose roles on the sidelines. Sell’s cheerful, friendly artistic style, with bold borders and bright colors that unite all the stories, will appeal to fans of Victoria Jamieson. Thoughtful representation provides a true diversity of body shapes and sizes, races and ethnicities (the majority of the cast is kids of color), gender identities and expressions, sexualities, and family structures. Bios of all 11 contributors conclude the book.

A breath of fresh air, this tender and dynamic collection is a must-have for any graphic-novel collection. (Graphic fantasy. 9-13)" From Kirkus, Kirkus Starred Review, www.kirkusreviews.com