October 15, 2023
Grades 1-4 Astrid the Unicorn and Stella the Squirrel are on another series of adventures in their rocket ship, blasting through space. When the intergalactic Wi-Fi goes down, they make an emergency landing on planet Bargle Dorf, overseen by the Evil Screenius, a robot that powers his planet by mind control. Bobo, Astrid and Stella's pun-heavy robot butler, saves the day by eliminating mind control with a slime ray. But that's not their only adventure! When nightmares won't allow them to sleep, they travel to Wink 40, the planet of dreams, where the Sheep Guardians send them into The Slumber Games to encounter and defeat their deepest nightmares. The colors and spreads are wildly appealing in their bubble gum brightness, and the pace moves at an intergalactic clip. There are even valuable lessons hidden in the delightfully silly plotlines (for example, in one story they test Bobo's prototype friend pods and learn about personal space and boundaries between friends). With more puns per page than a Dad Convention, this latest addition to the Moyles' early-graphic-novel series is a total blast.
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October 15, 2023
As they journey through space, Astrid the unicorn and Stella the flying squirrel learn big lessons. It's all fun and games until the Wi-Fi goes out, or so Astrid and Stella discover during one of their gaming sessions. They find relief at the Megafun Gaming Lounge, an arcade full of food, but the vibe is spoiled by poor sportsmanship. In another story, nightmares render Astrid and Stella sleepless, so Bobo the robot and the sheep residents of Planet Wink 40 offer multiple tools to calm them down and turn their night terrors into sweet dreams. Finally, Bobo invents "friend pods" that allow users to enforce a variety of personal boundaries. The topic generates some self-awareness in Astrid over past offenses. Throughout all three chapters, Bobo uses a wheel of emotions to help our duo figure out how they're feeling, and characters learn to address unresolved needs--handy skills for readers to adopt. Astrid and Stella model positive behaviors and emotional regulation, such as their free exchange of apologies and forgiveness. An immersive game at the Megafun lounge renders everyone within an isometric, pixelated world, a stylistic flair in a book already brimming with colorful and creative style. Galaxies and emotions are equally ripe for exploration in this new trio of adventures. (Graphic fiction. 6-9)
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