Heroes by a Hair (Link + Hud)
by Jarrett Pumphrey (Author)
Lincoln and Hudson Dupré are brothers with what grown-ups call "active imaginations." Link and Hud hunt for yetis in the Himalayas and battle orcs on epic quests. Unfortunately, their imaginary adventures wreak havoc in their real world. Dr. and Mrs. Dupré have tried every babysitter in the neighborhood and are at their wits' end.
Enter Ms. Joyce. Strict and old-fashioned, she proves to be a formidable adversary. The boys don't like her or her rules and decide she's got to go. Through a series of escalating events--told as high-action comic panel sequences--the brothers conspire to undermine Ms. Joyce and get her fired. When they go so big that even Ms. Joyce can't fix it, suddenly she's out. Finally, success! Or is it?
With warm and authentic humor, Jarrett and Jerome Pumphrey have blended prose and graphic novel-style illustrations to craft a unique and subversive new series full of brotherly mischief and mayhem.
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Publishers Weekly
In this hilarious illustrated novel, young brothers Lincoln and Hudson Dupré love turning simple tasks and daily chores into vivid make-believe scenarios that have them "hooting and hollering"; one scene involves them imagining garage cleanup duty as a Himalayan expedition in search of yetis. Their antics, which leave a string of beleaguered babysitters in their wake, frustrate their parents, who rely on outside childcare to balance family matters with their careers. Then the Duprés hire elderly, bespectacled Ms. Joyce, a no-nonsense woman who, when a pretend intergalactic space exploration impels a food fight, sentences the boys to "ten minutes of toyless, gameless, sit-and-think-about-your-actions time in the bathroom." Despite her efforts, an incident results in a water balloon-drenched, wet-tissue-paper-filled living room, and Link and Hud's parents dismiss Ms. Joyce. But the siblings--seeing the impact their behavior has on their parents' struggling businesses--determine to bring her back. Comics panels, full-page spreads, and spot art rendered in gray tones alternate between the boys' imagined adventures and their real-life consequences. The Pumphreys (Somewhere in the Bayou) reteam to present a hybrid prose and graphic novel offering that, rather than denouncing the brothers' actions, celebrates the far reaches and positive ramifications of the duo's imagination, making for an uplifting and spirited interpretation of family and boundless creativity. Ages 9-12. Agent: Hannah Mann, Writers House. (Mar.)
Copyright 2023 Publishers Weekly, LLC Used with permission.School Library Journal
Gr 3-7—Fresh, funny, and wildly imaginative, this book has everything in one place: graphic novel—style illustrations and prose, semi-autobiographical adventure, humor, and good fun. Two brothers, Hud and Link (Hudson and Lincoln Dupré), are ordinary kids living in a different world by using "active imaginations" in their parents' world of reality. The brothers Pumphrey have created an action-packed story that is laugh-out-loud funny for middle grade readers. Hud and Link's parents are trying to start a hair care product business that isn't going quite the way they'd hoped. The boys get into a lot of shenanigans, hunting for yetis, battling orcs, trekking across planets, climbing high mountains, and so much more. They go through many babysitters, and their parents can't take it anymore. Finally, Hud and Link's parents hire Ms. Joyce, an old-fashioned, no-nonsense woman to put the boys in their place. The brothers decide that Ms. Joyce is not the right fit and has to leave. Through many dynamic, black-and-white panels, the brothers decide to come up with a scheme and go against their adversary to get her fired. The boys find a solution to their problem, but is it the best laid plan? VERDICT Readers of all backgrounds will enjoy this story of two Black brothers growing up and using their imaginations in a unique story full of mischief and mayhem.—Jacquetta Etheridge
Copyright 2023 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.Review quotes
Brothers
Graphic novels
Babysitters
Babysitters and babysitting
