Pebble and Wren - Chris Hallbeck - ★★★.¾

AUTHOR: Chris Hallbeck

GENRE: Graphic Novel, Middle-grade Fiction.

RATING: 3.75 stars.

In a Nutshell: A cute graphic novel for middle graders. Goes a bit lengthy in some aspects but ought to be a fun read for its target age group.

Pebble is a little monster who has to go through a rite of passage to unlock his hidden monster skills: he needs to go into the human world and stay with a human family. Needless to say, little Pebble is quite apprehensive. When he reaches the home of human girl Wren and her two dads, Pebble realises that humans can be quite weird but caring. Wren teaches Pebble the ways of the human world. In the process, does he also understand how to become a better monster?

The rapport between Pebble and Wren is cute. Both of them have a mutual friendship, sharing fun as well as learning. Pebble loves maths and uses his common sense in solving practical problems, which Wren is sometimes stumped by. Pebble’s being a shapeshifter and his love for eating (and eating and even more eating) adds many comic elements to the plot.

Through Pebble’s need to leave the comfort of his home and wander into an unknown place, we also get to see his uncertainty over handling new elements and how Wren’s welcoming attitude worked wonders for his confidence. (Helpful to remember and implement this in case of a new child coming to your school.)

Plus points for portraying Wren as having two dads without making a big hoohah about it.

The story is divided into chapters, with each chapter having an episode kind of structure with varying lengths. Each episode has an interesting interaction between the two leads. This could be something as frivolous as having a day out or something educational such as understanding temperature or gravity. It is in the latter that the book falters a bit. The explanations tend to drag at times, making the comic suddenly feel like an illustrated textbook. Sometimes, the concepts are too tricky to be covered within a chapter and hence feels rushed and boring. For instance, refrigeration is too complicated a concept to cover within a few panels.

This book is based on a web comic of the same name on webtoons. The comics have been structured and colorised for this graphic novel. The graphics are quite simple but they work well for the book.

This is no Calvin & Hobbes, no matter what the blurb claims. Though it has some deep thoughts and philosophical ponderings, at its heart, it is a cute comic for kids and just kids.

Recommended to the target age group of 8-12 year olds. The silly + serious combo will work better for them.

My thanks to HarperCollins Children's Books, Clarion Books, and NetGalley for the DRC of “Pebble and Wren”. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.