The Fog Mound

Travels of Thelonious (book 1)
by Susan Schade & Jon Buller
PRMS hardcover 214 pages
genre: YA graphic novel, adventure

Billed as "part graphic novel, part heroic fantasy," this book is about the adventures of Thelonious (Chip)Munk . . . a clever play on words that most middle schoolers would miss. (In fact, though I've heard of Thelonius Monk and knew he was a jazz musician, I'm not sure I can think of any of his music . . . )

Thelonious gets washed away from his tree stump home in the Untamed Forest during a big storm. He ends up in the Ruined City and meets up with a sneaky lizard (Brown), a kind bookstore porcupine (Fitzgerald), and a bear who works with motors and builds a flying machine (Olive). As the four unlikely friends band together to get Olive back to her home - The Fog Mound - they barely escape the clutches of the Dragon Lady and her minions.

On their way through the secret passageway, they encounter Bill - a miniature human scientist who doesn't talk. Based on the map of the land (page 99) and the map of the Secret Underground Passage (page 100), and the fact that Olive laments accidentally leaving the maps behind, I'm guessing book two involves the Dragon Lady and her minions finding their way into the Fog Mound.

Fun, easy mix of graphic novel panels and prose. I have it shelved in graphic novels. Now that I've read it, I'll be better able to recommend it to the right readers.