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Jellaby #2
Jellaby: Monster in the City
The second book of this award-winning graphic novel series. Ten-year-old Portia Bennett and her friend Jason continue their journey through the city of Toronto. They're one step closer to finding the home of their lost friend, a sweet, silent creature named Jellaby. Unfortunately, dangers await, including a tentacled monster with a taste for children. To succeed in her quest―and save her friends―Portia must step up and kick some monster butt.
178 pages, Paperback
First published April 1, 2009
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847 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 128 reviews
May 24, 2009
i feel like i have been waiting for the second installment of this forever. and then of course i bought it the day it came in and read it in about 20 minutes. such fleeting pleasures. but i do love it. i first discovered him in the "flight" anthologies, and was glad he had longer-form books. just not enough of them. this is one of the cutest characters ever invented. merchandise it already!
May 29, 2016
This is the sequel to Jellaby. It's a cute middle grade graphic novel about a little girl Portia who finds a monster in the woods behind her house. She ends up becoming friends with the monster. She also becomes friends with a boy named Jason who gets bullied at school. Portia sticks up for him. Portia shows Jason her monster friend and for a while they have fun together. But Jellaby is sad. He misses his home. Portia decides that she is going to take Jellaby back to his home. She thinks it might be at this costume fair in the city.
This sequel starts off with the kids walking to the city. I had forgotten about them getting off the train in the last graphic novel. This sequel is a little bit more dramatic. Jason and Portia are fighting. They meet a man that knows a little bit about their monster and so Jason trusts him. Unfortunately he should have listened to Portia because he turns out to be not who he seems.
The ending of this graphic novel hints at a third book and I will definitely pick it up if there is one. Overall it's a really cute illustrated middle grade fantasy. Love Jellaby and the color palette is in lavender with bits of primary colors thrown in. If you like fantasy, middle grade or really cute illustrations pick this middle grade book up :D
This sequel starts off with the kids walking to the city. I had forgotten about them getting off the train in the last graphic novel. This sequel is a little bit more dramatic. Jason and Portia are fighting. They meet a man that knows a little bit about their monster and so Jason trusts him. Unfortunately he should have listened to Portia because he turns out to be not who he seems.
The ending of this graphic novel hints at a third book and I will definitely pick it up if there is one. Overall it's a really cute illustrated middle grade fantasy. Love Jellaby and the color palette is in lavender with bits of primary colors thrown in. If you like fantasy, middle grade or really cute illustrations pick this middle grade book up :D
October 25, 2012
This was a really great book, but there's one thing that made me give it a one star: THERE'S NO THIRD BOOK TO CLOSE OUT THE SERIES! It was just as good as the first, but there's so many hanging questions left. It's annoying me.
May 7, 2015
Jellaby is just pretty much the cutest thing ever. :D
August 1, 2017
This builds well on the first one. Jellaby is still a very endearing monster.
The way Portia and Jason fight is somewhat less endearing, but realistic. That they can flare up and regret it and help each other can be important reinforcement for younger readers.
Raises some thoughts about how damaging loneliness and grief can be; I may never get over baby Xolotl's abandonment. That led to a question of whether it wouldn't be better to share some things, like a daughter telling her mother that she found a young monster in the woods, rather than hiding it.
There is an encouraging development at the end, but before that I had to consider how often adults shut children out of their problems. A desire to spare them may only result in them feeling like they can't open up.
There may be some launching points for good conversations with the book.
The way Portia and Jason fight is somewhat less endearing, but realistic. That they can flare up and regret it and help each other can be important reinforcement for younger readers.
Raises some thoughts about how damaging loneliness and grief can be; I may never get over baby Xolotl's abandonment. That led to a question of whether it wouldn't be better to share some things, like a daughter telling her mother that she found a young monster in the woods, rather than hiding it.
There is an encouraging development at the end, but before that I had to consider how often adults shut children out of their problems. A desire to spare them may only result in them feeling like they can't open up.
There may be some launching points for good conversations with the book.
October 22, 2020
Definitely not like I remember the first one to be and since it has been a minute since I read the last one, I wanted to go back in time to understand what had happened in the first one.
The story was jumbled and things were certainly mysterious, to the point that I was scratching my head a little, plus, the darkness! I'll remember the first one fondly but this one didn't work for me.
The story was jumbled and things were certainly mysterious, to the point that I was scratching my head a little, plus, the darkness! I'll remember the first one fondly but this one didn't work for me.
September 15, 2017
Sweet with some real darkness, Portia, Jason and Jellaby head to Toronto's CNE to help Jellaby find out where he might come from. There's lots of action along with sadness, danger and silliness.
January 26, 2019
Reading this was fun. I really loved the art style
June 13, 2014
Huge thank you to Stone Arch Books and Netgalley for this ARC!
I was a huge fan of the first Jellaby graphic novel. If there's one thing Kean Soo knows how to do well, it's create humor without the use of dialogue. This definitely returns in the sequel, but Jellaby, Portia and Jason have to face some scary situations in this book, some which are quite terrifying.
I'm not going to sugar coat my feelings for this book. A lot of the reason why I loved this story was that it reminded me of my father when I was a little girl growing up. This book takes place during the Canadian National Exhibition, an event my dad worked every year until his death. Seeing the Polar Express, the Zipper, the Food and Automotive Buildings, the Princess Gates, it all reminded me of him. When I was a young girl, he used to take me by the hand and guide me through the event like a VIP, and when I got older, I worked the CNE and it became a huge part of my summers.
Seeing Jellaby and the game roam through the CNE just brought up a lot of memories. When Portia is on the swings, her arms outstretched, I was reminded of myself at her age, and how weightless things can feel. I loved Jellaby trying to understand rides and people -- those moments made me smile the widest. At the end when Portia is talking to her father, and then again to her mother, my eyes welled up.
Soo does an amazing job of capture emotion, as well as the City of Toronto in a way that many people don't quite get. It almost makes me wish a big purple monster would be roaming around the city because that would make my life complete. However, I suppose I'll simply have to settle for Jellaby being immortalized in these comics, and in my heart as well.
I was a huge fan of the first Jellaby graphic novel. If there's one thing Kean Soo knows how to do well, it's create humor without the use of dialogue. This definitely returns in the sequel, but Jellaby, Portia and Jason have to face some scary situations in this book, some which are quite terrifying.
I'm not going to sugar coat my feelings for this book. A lot of the reason why I loved this story was that it reminded me of my father when I was a little girl growing up. This book takes place during the Canadian National Exhibition, an event my dad worked every year until his death. Seeing the Polar Express, the Zipper, the Food and Automotive Buildings, the Princess Gates, it all reminded me of him. When I was a young girl, he used to take me by the hand and guide me through the event like a VIP, and when I got older, I worked the CNE and it became a huge part of my summers.
Seeing Jellaby and the game roam through the CNE just brought up a lot of memories. When Portia is on the swings, her arms outstretched, I was reminded of myself at her age, and how weightless things can feel. I loved Jellaby trying to understand rides and people -- those moments made me smile the widest. At the end when Portia is talking to her father, and then again to her mother, my eyes welled up.
Soo does an amazing job of capture emotion, as well as the City of Toronto in a way that many people don't quite get. It almost makes me wish a big purple monster would be roaming around the city because that would make my life complete. However, I suppose I'll simply have to settle for Jellaby being immortalized in these comics, and in my heart as well.
Read
June 14, 2018I read these on recommendation from my 6-year-old stepson. He says "these are really good," and he is correct! I want 18 more volumes.
April 22, 2014
I love Jellaby!!!
I got this second-hand because for whatever reason I couldn't find it in my local bookstore... they should really work on that!
And it was wonderful, I just love Soo's imagery and character voices!
This is from Volume One, but google is failing me....
I just LOVE him, that is all!!
Thanks for the recommendation, Karen & Erica :)
I got this second-hand because for whatever reason I couldn't find it in my local bookstore... they should really work on that!
And it was wonderful, I just love Soo's imagery and character voices!
This is from Volume One, but google is failing me....
I just LOVE him, that is all!!
Thanks for the recommendation, Karen & Erica :)
January 30, 2018
Aww, cute! I want a third one...
April 9, 2019
What a sweet story. In this volume, Portia, Jason And Jellaby are trying to find a magical door to get Jellaby back home. But this mysterious door is located at a fair. The three venture through the fair and through the door. But rather than finding Jellaby’s home, they find amother monster instead! Will this monster be friend, or foe? How will Jellaby ever get home?
December 1, 2016
Story: 4 stars
Art: 4 stars
Lots of action in this second series installment, but this graphic novel leaves off on a cliffhanger and there is no Book 3 of Jellaby.
In this story, readers meet a huge, adult Jellaby-like creature, raising many unanswered questions as to who/what Jellaby is. How many more are there? Where do they come from and why are they here? How did they get here? What do they want? Jellaby and the adult creature don't seem to be related. Does Jellaby have a family? If so, where are they? Are they looking for him? I guess we'll never get any answers.
Art: 4 stars
Lots of action in this second series installment, but this graphic novel leaves off on a cliffhanger and there is no Book 3 of Jellaby.
In this story, readers meet a huge, adult Jellaby-like creature, raising many unanswered questions as to who/what Jellaby is. How many more are there? Where do they come from and why are they here? How did they get here? What do they want? Jellaby and the adult creature don't seem to be related. Does Jellaby have a family? If so, where are they? Are they looking for him? I guess we'll never get any answers.
January 10, 2018
In this story there is a girl who is not exited for having school starting again so as she was waking up in the morning she saw this mysterious creature so she walked towads it and it was a giant purple creature. So she saw that she was hurt and started to help her and found out that she is really kind so whenever she has a problem in school she gets her giant pet and scares them away and the purple giant is always there for her. THis book is great and i recommened it to anyone who loves helpful people.
April 2, 2023
Second book picks right up where the first left off. Portia and Jason are taking Jellaby to door to find his way home. They are at the fair in the city and not sure where to look. They go to the magic show and the magician leads Jason and Jellaby (not Portia because she and Jason fought) to a monster that wants Jason to stay with her. Fight ensues. Jellaby, Jason and Portia destroy the building and Portia apologizes to mom and introduces Jellaby to her.
A little confusing. No closure about Jellaby or Dad.
A little confusing. No closure about Jellaby or Dad.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 27, 2016
It was pretty good, I, of course, like this first one best but Jellaby is so cute and I'm a sucker for cute art haha the story was pretty good too, a normal story of a kid struggling with broken promises and not having a parent and trying to make friends and fighting off bullies and then some not so normal stuff because of Jellaby and sea monsters but because of the little stuff she fights off she was strong and determined to fight off the bigger monsters!
January 14, 2020
My son brought this home from the library and we read it together. Neither of us liked it. I noticed that this is the second in a series so we missed some of the story, but it literally felt like we were coming in mid-sentence. Aside from that the story was all over the place and hard to follow. There were a few places we would flip back a page because we thought we must have missed a page. While I like graphic novels for kids as a whole this is not one I would recommend.
February 1, 2017
A sweet and satisfying conclusion to the story of Partia, Jason, and Jellaby. I'm only sad that there are no more stories about the gentle monster..... Students from those with very little reading to older students will love these two books. Give to grades 2-5, especially those who love graphic novels.
November 21, 2022
Graphic Novel
Book two picks up with Chapter Six of this adventure. The three make it to the city and realize how large a task it will be to find the door so Jellaby can return home. They decide to explore some of the fair and encounter a dangerous creature committed to keeping them in the underground lair. Friendships are tested and proved. Looking forward to the next book.
Book two picks up with Chapter Six of this adventure. The three make it to the city and realize how large a task it will be to find the door so Jellaby can return home. They decide to explore some of the fair and encounter a dangerous creature committed to keeping them in the underground lair. Friendships are tested and proved. Looking forward to the next book.
November 20, 2018
Quick to read, but seeing as how this was the second in a series and I haven’t read the first, some of the references didn’t land. It really wasn’t about Jellaby, either, but seemed more focused on the children, especially the girl.
July 11, 2023
CN: Mild ableist language ("slow")
I liked it, but the fantasy elements seemed suddenly included in this volume when they weren't in the first, and there were a lot of unanswered questions in that regard.
I liked it, but the fantasy elements seemed suddenly included in this volume when they weren't in the first, and there were a lot of unanswered questions in that regard.
July 5, 2017
Fabulous series, can't wait to recommend it to parents with kids who are venturing into the comic book world.
July 22, 2017
I liked this, though not as much as the first one.
September 22, 2017
Jellaby is my spirit animal, absolutely loved!
September 24, 2017
Beautiful, cartoony, monochrome palette art style and story of two kids plus one dragon-dinosaur in the city of Toronto. Very exploring the relationships between friends whether it's human or dragon.
April 4, 2018
Totally confused with the ending??
April 29, 2018
I love this book it is so cute
July 26, 2018
So much darker than the original! Great for fans who like comics with a dark undertone, like The Witch boy or Suee and the Shadow - don't like the cuteness of the monster on the cover fool you!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 128 reviews