Hey Bookworm friends, I hope you’re having a good week so far. Today’s middle-grade review is for a graphic novel that warmed my heart: Kodi.
About Kodi
Author & Illustrator: Jared Cullum
Genre(s): Fantasy
Publisher: Top Shelf Productions
Format Read: E-book, Graphic Novel
Year Published: 2020
Series: Creator Working On Sequel
Cover Artist: Jared Cullum
Synopsis
Katya and her Meema are spending the summer in their cottage in Alaska. When Katya unexpectedly encounters a massive Kodiak bear, she develops an unlikely but heartwarming friendship with him. But when they have to return home to Seattle early, Kodi and Katya are not ready to let each other go. Kodi sets off on an adventure to reunite with his best friend.
Pace: Fast, Plot Driven
Tone: Adventurous, Emotional
My Review
I’m always a sucker for anything that’s about unlikely animal friendships, whether it’s a video on the internet or a book. So when I saw the cover for this one, I knew I was bound to like it! It’s about 180 pages of dreamy watercolour art and I enjoyed slowly flipping through them digitally to soak in all the details. It’s labelled as fantasy but the story is more of a drama. There is no magic in this world but the fantasy comes from the belief that a bear and a girl can be friends. In this story, the reader agrees to forget all the laws of how the world functions and instead focus on the fact that everyone needs friendship and belonging.
Katya is a young girl who has been through a lot; she’s being bullied and it’s implied at the start that she’s lost her parents. Therefore, some scenes carry a sad weight but are balanced by the humour that Kodi’s presence brings. There were so many funny moments of silly bear antics and the panels of Kodi in the city were some of my favourites!!
Since Kodi doesn’t speak, there is limited dialogue in some sections which I enjoyed because it let the art speak for itself. Cullum excelled at conveying emotion. There’s a panel where all you see is Kodi as he looks off into the distance and I got choked up from just the slope of his back. That’s pretty impressive if you ask me! During his travels, Kodi makes another friend and I appreciate the diversity and representation it included in the story as he was also an important character.
Final Thoughts on Kodi & Rating
The author’s website says he is working on Kodi 2 but this book is a self-contained story; it can be treated as a standalone. I recommend this to anyone who wants to read a heartwarming middle-grade graphic novel. Or to anyone who wishes they could be besties with a giant teddy bear! 🐻
Note: Typically, in CAWPILE, the A stands for Atmosphere. However, I feel like in graphic novels much of the atmosphere comes from the art so when I review graphic novels, the A will be for Art.
| CAWPILE | Rating (0-10) |
|---|---|
| Characters | 10 |
| Art | 10 |
| Writing Style | 7 |
| Plot | 8 |
| Intrigue | 8 |
| Logic | 8 |
| Enjoyment | 10 |
Representation
Black, Disability
Content Warnings
Graphic:
Moderate: Grief, Bullying
Minor (Mention): Death of a Parents
Let’s chat in the comments!
Do you like Middle-Grade graphic novels? If you could be besties with any wild animal, which would you choose?
I’d love to be able to talk to birds & squirrels with a view of telling them they don’t have to freak out, that they can go about their business when I’m puttering around in the yard without running away.
Ahaha yesss, I love that so much. “I would love to coexist with you, please don’t run go!!”
Aww this sounds really sweet and heart warming with the idea that the bear goes to reunite with the girl. So sweet. Plus the bear antics in the city sound entertaining. If I manage to get into graphic novels I may check it out one day.
As to your question maybe a giraffe? Or a red panda, they look so fluffy to make a fuss of. Or totally unrealistically a tiger? 😂
The silly bear antics kind of reminded me of Paddington bear in a way except this bear doesn’t talk. & It was so sweet it made me almost tear up.
haha I love the variety of animals you selected. I feel like I’d want to talk to all of them too lol 😂
Ooh that’s good to hear as I love the Paddington movies. And it’s lovely that it managed to move you like that too.
Well to be fair I probably could have gone for everything besides rats and spiders 😂😂🙈
I love the Paddington movies too!! ♥
Ahahha yes that’s fair, so many animals are wonderful!
This looks cute! I enjoy a good graphic novel, and the art style in this one looks superb.
It was pure adorableness. I love graphic novels and feel like I haven’t read enough this year so far so I was glad to read this one! The story is super cute but the art is the best part.
Hey, just a heads up — check out a game called “Fields of Misteria”. It’s like SDV but with some new mechanics, like jumping and swimming. Loving it!.
Oh cool, it looks like it’s early access. I looked it up on Steam and there’s a live video of someone playing it which is nice! It looks super cute and on the list it goes. haha thanks for the heads up and the rec 🙂