Wizkit An adventure overdue

In the vein of Adventure Time and Regular Show, debut creator Scott conjures a surreal sojourn about finding magic in the mundane and learning that even the most tedious endeavors can become a grand adventure. Cyclops cat Wizkit, a wizard-in-training, has always shown aptitude in her magical studies, but she also has a penchant for laziness, often enchanting household objects to do her dirty work. When her wise and wizened teacher tasks Wizkit with returning sentient Book--who's absolutely devastated that they're overdue to the library--the ordinary, two-day-long task becomes more fantastical with every road traversed. Scott's jewel-toned palette and gently rounded panels render bizarre settings and delightfully far-fetched situations to craft a graphic novel jaunt that explores the precept of kindness and the need for connection, whether through acquiring knowledge, friends, or confidence in one's abilities. Witnessing Wizkit's small steps toward self-discovery is rewarding, and through her encounters with mystical creatures great and small, and her hesitant efforts to help them weather varying conflicts, Wizkit learns what Scott posits is the greatest lesson of all: perspective. Ages 8--12. Agent: Chloe Seager, Madeleine Milburn. (Apr.)

An indoor-loving wizard cat must return a library book. Wizkit, a charmingly triangular feline cyclops with a taste for carbs, lives with Teacher Magus, a long-haired dog who suggests that the cat not use magic for everything and that she occasionally leave the house. Magus assigns Wizkit the task of returning an overdue library book. Book is a silly, friendly, sentient volume with limbs and, as Wizkit quickly discovers, completely blank pages that transport the duo into new adventures. First, they encounter a dragon stranded in a dry riverbed and must help it by stopping a frog who has dammed up the river and created a pool, where they charge fish for admission. Then, in a less compelling part of the adventure, they assist some mice, who freeze up when exposed to light, in return for a magical lantern. Finally, they encounter a three-headed bird, bickering triplets who are having trouble working together to build a hot air balloon. Wizkit, whose cynical edges have been gradually worn away by her companion's enthusiasm, and Book are able to help the triplets and, as thanks, get a ride in the flying machine to the library. Though Wizkit's growth is lovely, the narrative is at times didactic, with characters delivering heavy-handed statements about trying new things and learning from others. Still, this graphic novel uses colorful, legible cartoons to show off the fantastical, silly world, and the text is generally short and punchy, ideal for newly independent readers. Lightweight and likable. (behind the scenes art development) (Graphic novel. 7-10) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.