Starred Review Violet's dad works for the sawmill, which refines space-whale poop into valuable fuel. It's a tough, thankless job, and along with her mom's work as a low-level fashion designer, they eke by. Soon, though, their income is the least of their problems. While her dad is away on a top-secret mission for the sawmill, a devastating wave of sticky whale diarrhea (eerily like an oil spill) sweeps through their sector, and she and her mother don't know whether her father is safe. Her mother can't afford the help they need to find her dad, so intrepid Violet launches her own mission, along with Elliot, the seizure-prone, hyperintelligent chicken, and Zaccheus, the loud-mouthed, runty Lumpkin. For all its scatological humor, Thompson's sci-fi adventure is packed with sensitive commentary on all-too-familiar issues pendence on a destructive energy source, stark economic divides, and prejudice against the poor. His kinetic full-color illustrations are jammed with wacky aliens and Seussian space architecture, while the intensely detailed backgrounds signal economic differences: poorer sectors are dusty, brown, and full of cobbled-together spaceships and piles of rusty junk, while the tony space station is full of sleek, swooping lines; transparent walkways; and bright, shiny colors. With thrilling adventure, a stalwart and good-hearted hero, some well-timed laughs, and a meaningful message at its heart, this will surely be a star.

Violet's hard-working parents are barely scraping by when her father disappears. On a search mission with oddball pals, Violet stumbles into adventures that reaffirm the importance of family, tenacity, and creativity in a society over-focused on status and materialism. Dynamic art, an imaginative space setting, and a successful blend of juvenile humor with serious social commentary set this graphic novel apart.

Gr 5 Up-Violet's family lives among the Roids, the boondocks of the galaxy, where her father collects the whale droppings that fuel society. It's a dangerous job, for these massive space mammals eat anything stationary. During a bout of whale diarrhea (the equivalent of an oil spill), Violet's father goes missing. However, this capable young lady isn't about to sit still. With teamwork, she and her diverse group of alien friends learn they can pass impassible obstacles, save baby whales, and survive the harsh realities of space. This volume is a cornucopia of wacky aliens, cool ships, and space junk. Every panel is crammed full of minutely detailed line art and colored to match the status of the place (the elitist space-station Shell-Tarr has bright hues, while "outer space" has all the rusty and grimy shades of a junkyard). For this whirlwind adventure, Thompson uses dynamic layouts, opens up smaller spaces with cross-sections, and even mimics the action with some panels. While the work scrutinizes the energy crisis that humanity has yet to avert, it mostly focuses on the themes of family, friendship, and cooperation. VERDICT With its fully realized artistic vision, oddball humor, and fantastic story, Space Dumplins will appeal to those who loved, but have outgrown, Zita the Space Girl (First Second, 2011) and Cleopatra in Space (Scholastic, 2014). Rachel Forbes, Oakville Public Library, Ontario, Canada