Timo the Adventurer

August 1, 2020
An adventure-seeking boy learns to use his judgment and not see the whole world through quest-colored glasses in this French import. Young Timo loves adventure stories and feels "stifled" and "cooped up" by village life. When he's read every book in his village, Timo runs away to become a hero--but it's much less fun than he'd thought. Adventure means he's sometimes cold, humiliated, or homesick. But it's not all bad. Timo frees a giant, talking raccoon from a trap, which surely defines him as a mighty warrior with a magical ally. His conviction that his every experience is due to his heroic destiny prevents Timo from realizing that not all heroes and villains are as they appear. Sepia-toned pages from Timo's journal between sections of his journey reveal his initial grumpiness that not everyone takes him seriously. Though early on in his quest Timo's arrogance and self-centered naivet� are on display, they vanish as points of character growth as Timo, who presents White, actually does become a semimagical hero. One ally/antagonist Timo encounters is a brown-skinned girl with a White father; all other characters of note are fair-skinned people or magical creatures. The occasional dragginess of Timo's maundering inner monologue is salvaged by the lovely muted palette of Sacr�'s dynamic, stylized illustrations, which are laid out in neat, squared-off panels. A perfectly serviceable hero's journey. (Graphic fantasy. 7-12)

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September 1, 2020
Grades 3-6 With his trusty books and journal in tow, Timo leaves his village in search of adventure, recording his discoveries along the way. Savvy readers will notice before he does that his journal entries, depicted on sepia-toned pages in a handwritten font, don't quite match up to the narrative in panels. As his adventure continues, he meets Broof, a fluffy fox-like creature imprisoned in the ruins of a temple, but Broof's secrets are complex, and Timo gradually comes to realize that adventuring is not as simple as his books made it sound. Sacre's warm, soft artwork has a distinct folk-art look, with exaggerated faces and bodies and stylized architecture and landscapes. The eye-catching scenes are certainly a draw, but Garnier also turns classic adventure tropes upside down?Timo learns that kindness and understanding, rather than brute force, can solve big problems and, importantly, that adventuring with no regard for the past or knowledge of history is a damaging enterprise. Though a touch heavy-handed, that ultimate message is a refreshing change of pace in middle-grade adventure comics.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2020, American Library Association.)