ALA Booklist

Robotics genius Zoe was burned by friendship in the past, so now she's happily a loner, despite her parents' and teachers' protestations. With the help of her companion robot, B-4, she busies herself with building impressive machines, watching kaiju movies, and avoiding the mayhem of her toddler triplet siblings. That all changes when she finds a ring (which fans of Eliopoulos' Cosmic Commandos, 2017, will recognize) that summons a huge, green, pudgy Godzilla type named Chomp, who eats buildings. At first, Zoe thinks she can handle things on her own, but when more kaiju arrive, she has to ask for help. After all, what's better at breaking down walls than a swarm of monsters who love eating them? Eliopoulos' amiable cartoon artwork is a charming combination of round-headed, Peanuts-style figures and B-movie monsters, with plenty of comical slapstick and robot- and monster-fighting action and a sweetly satisfying conclusion about friendship. A hint about a further story centered around the wish-granting ring will pique the interest of series fans.

Horn Book

Colored by Rebecca Nalty. In a standalone companion graphic novel to Cosmic Commandos, black girl Zoe--a young inventor, monster-movie fanatic, and loner--accidentally dons a magic ring and calls forth city-eating monsters. Simultaneously saving the city and her new monster friend, Zoe finds greater social acceptance. Adorable, energetic full-color comics and appealing subject matter (monsters! robots! wish-fulfillment!) help to balance the heavy-handed insistence that Zoe should make friends.

Kirkus Reviews

A robot-building genius named Zoe discovers that making friends is worth the risk of disappointment. Zoe, a black girl with puffy hair and no tolerance for dresses, is a natural at building complex robots, but she has a hard time making friends. Once, a classmate coaxed her away from her robot to play outside. But Zoe overheard her telling others that they weren't really friends, and Zoe has avoided peers and shunned the idea of companionship ever since. She is a fan of kaiju—monster movies—and no one knows that she spends her spare time in an abandoned amusement park building a giant robot from spare ride parts. One day, she finds a ring and puts it on, and later that day, a monster from her kaiju movies appears outside her house. Chomp becomes her friend, but his friends and family come after him, and Zoe must find a way to save the city from the horde of building-eating monsters. When she finally turns to her teachers and classmates at her Advanced School of Technology, she discovers that getting help and being friends may not be so bad. The illustrations are endearing, Eliopoulos taking advantage of the graphic-novel format for appropriately cinematic double takes and exaggeratedly funny reactions, and the story will keep readers giggling, gasping, and turning pages all the way to the thoroughly delightful end.Adventurous and exciting—and warm and fuzzy, too. (Graphic fantasy. 6-11)

Publishers Weekly (Fri Oct 06 00:00:00 CDT 2023)

Zoe has trouble making friends, but she excels at inventing robots and getting lost in classic monster movies. When she stumbles upon a magic ring, it summons a giant, building-eating monster, nicknamed -Chomp,- to be her friend. It also calls to Chomp-s pals, who begin to arrive and cause widespread destruction until Zoe, her classmates, her robot assistant, and her new monster friend find a way to protect the city. Through her confrontation with the monsters, Zoe makes friends and learns what it means to trust and collaborate with others. Cartoon art by Eliopoulos (the Ordinary People Change the World series) renders the monstrous antagonists menacing but not entirely terrifying, while Chomp is round and friendly looking, with a protruding lower tooth. This fun, relatable tale captures how children can lose themselves in interests to distract from feelings of loneliness and isolation. While the story occurs in the same universe as Eliopoulos-s Cosmic Commandos, it also works perfectly as a standalone. Ages 8-12. (Aug.)

School Library Journal

Gr 3-6 Zoe, a young black girl, is too busy building robots and watching movies about kaiju (giant monsters) to have friends. Besides, getting close to other people can lead to heartbreak, as she knows from painful experience. Zoe keeps to herself at the Advanced School of Technology, and in her free time she escapes to the abandoned amusement park, where she is building a robot so big that she can sit inside to control its movements. When she finds a ring on the ground and puts it on, her dreams of kaiju come to life. The first creature is friendly, but more keep appearing, and they want to eat all the towering buildings. Zoe realizes it's going to take more than just her, her robots, and one friendly kaiju to save the city. Maybe relying on others isn't such a bad idea after all. While the magic ring ties this book to Eliopoulos's Cosmic Commandos , it easily stands alone. The simple panel design, clear black linework, and vibrant color make the tale inviting and accessible. The theme of the importance of friendship and asking for help is a bit overdone, but the story is so fun that readers won't mind. VERDICT With robots and giant (and cute) monsters, this is a surefire hit among younger graphic novel fans. Jenna Friebel, Oak Park Public Library, IL