A comedic variety show bursting with gags and unpredictable left turns, based on a popular YouTube series.Readers need not be familiar with Pencilmation before diving into this comic, but fans will find more of the accessible, silly, and sometimes gross humor here. The Everyman protagonist of many of the comic's vignettes, Pencilmate, faces a wide range of predicaments. Sometimes he exaggerates a benign situation, such as sneezing aggressively in search of a "bless you!" Small frustrations, like untangling an earbud cord or pumping a round number's worth of gas at the pump, each get their own quick episode of fraught emotions and amplified facial expressions. A narrator often provides context and sometimes a pun or fourth-wall break. With skin the white of the page, the stick-figure people who populate these stories are deceptively simple at first, right down to the ever present ruled-paper backgrounds that might suggest a disposable whimsy. However, where else will readers find such delightful ideas as professional thumb wrestling, cutout clothing for pencils, or an advertisement for the Fart Academy? The ideas and punchlines are so frequent and manic that at least a few will earn a laugh from readers.The most expressive stick-figure people you will find without using an internet connection. (Graphic fiction. 8-12)

Gr 6–10— This graphic novel of 23 short chapters is based on an animated Youtube series of the same name. The series started its run in 2009, aimed at an adult audience. Pencilmate, the lead character, was created by Bollinger when he was 16. As in the animated series, there are plenty of cartoon explosions, violence, and scatological humor here, as Pencilmate makes his way through a variety of dilemmas. The slapstick humor works in a few episodes, such as "Romancing the Stone," "Put the Pebble to the Metal," and "Host Busters." The full-color illustrations fill each page with a mix of panel sizes and bleed into the gutters. There are mock ad pages interspersed throughout for services, such as unusual pen pals, or items to make or purchase, such as clothes for pencils or (borderline creepy) best friend handcuffs. There is very little dialogue. All the stories are narrated by a sophisticated third party whose vocabulary and jokes buried in the chapter titles will go over most readers' heads. The YouTube series may have a huge following, but children (of any age) deserve better. VERDICT This wannabe Warner Cartoon/ MAD magazine mash-up is better suited for older teens who enjoy the animated series. For younger readers ready to move on from "Captain Underpants" and "Dogman," offer them Frank Cammuso's "Knights of the Lunch Table," Ben Hatke's "Mighty Jack" and "Zita the Spacegirl," Jimmy Gownley's The Dumbest Idea Ever , or Jennifer L. Holm's "Sunny" series.— Elisabeth LeBris