August 15, 2021
The cafeteria foods must defend the school against the conquering office supplies and their bad ruler in this series opener. At night, all of the food and objects of Belching Walrus Elementary come to life. With the premise stated, the main trio are introduced in profiles: upbeat Slice (pizza), artistic Scoop (ice cream cone), and shy spoken-word poet/rapper Totz (a tater tot). When Baron von Lineal, both a ruler and the ruler of the office supplies, demands nightly freezer access (on account of broken air conditioning in the office), what results is an invasion and hostile takeover. The heroic protagonists set out across the school in search of allies but find most of the school denizens either apathetic or openly hostile. Even a diplomatic summit fails to unite the downtrodden against the totalitarian ruler, leaving the cafeteria crew standing alone in a full-tilt battle that takes several chapters, twists, and some quick thinking to resolve. Throughout the story, characters make time for running jokes such as a discussion about whether a hot dog is a sandwich (which manages to pay off in the main storyline). The punny humor is absolutely delicious, pitched perfectly to the target audience. Black-and-white cartoon doodle illustrations decorate chapter heads and margins, as well as showing the characters in action. The simple yet effective facial expressions, expressive motion, and stick limbs enhance the zany humor and action. A food fight for the ages, epic in both action and laughs. (Graphic fiction. 6-10)
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