Masterpiece Robot: And the Ferocious Valerie Knick-Knack

by Frank Tra, Rebecca Evans (Illustrator)

When Laura—a.k.a. Masterpiece Robot—heads into the backyard with her little sister Molly—a.k.a. Sidekick—her active imagination places them instead on patrol around the perimeter of a dystopian city, guarding against super villains. Then older sister Amber—a.k.a. Valerie Knick-Knack—throws handfuls of fallen leaves at them, unknowingly initiating a battle for the ages.  


The transitions back and forth from suburbia to dystopia in this story within a story are deftly rendered with contrasting palettes. The rollicking interactions of the sibling heroes and villains make Masterpiece Robot pure fun to read.

Genres: Picture Books, Graphic Novels, Science Fiction

36 pages, Hardcover

Published April 17, 2018

Reviews

[Robin · Rating 4 out of 5]

A little rough around the edges, but this picture book graphic novel perfectly captures the joy and energy of creative pretend play. These kids and their backyard alter egos are awesome. Highly recommended for ages 5-8.

[Barbara · Rating 3 out of 5]

Laura loves writing science fiction, and when her mother insists that she take her little sister Molly outdoors for a while, she does so while imagining that they are playing parts in her story. As the two patrol the perimeter where their father and brother are raking leaves, they fall into their roles as Masterpiece Robot and Sidekick. When Amber (the Ferocious Valerie Knick-Knack) surprises them by plunging through the leaves and attacking them, they fight back furiously. The battle rages across the yard and Masterpiece Robot is forced to call for reinforcements in the form of Roman (Lord Mek-Mek). Many youngsters and aspiring writers will relate to the imaginative play on display here as the illustrations highlight a futuristic world with all sorts of nifty tech devices that Laura has imagined and three siblings who are willing to go along with their sister's ideas and world vision. This one reminds me of my formative years when I envisioned life in space and used tree branches as launch pads for rockets.

[McKenzie Richardson · Rating 5 out of 5]

For more reviews, check out my blog: Craft-Cycle

A beautifully imaginative book with a simple story, but a wonderfully unique way of telling that story.

The book is set up with a comic book-like style with dialogue bubbles and various frames, which alternate between the reality and fantasy of Laura's creative play.

I loved all of the details in the illustrations and how Evans worked in details from reality into the fantasy play. All of the children's drawings incorporated into the title page and beginning and ending pages were also a nice touch.

Such a wonderful book. The pages are very busy so I would recommend this for older children, especially those who like robots and superheroes.

Amazing book. I really enjoyed reading this one.

[Kellee Moye · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this book! I love the story, I love the spread of imaginative play, and I love the humor! It is so smart how the author and illustrator told both stories: the literal and the imaginative, and both stories are developed and fun to read together AND separately. This made for a quite complex book which is also really appealing to kids (and parents/teachers). I’m also a big fan of the artwork in the book. The illustrator did an amazing job changing the style just a bit for the imaginative and the reality but also kept her signature style in both. The illustrations definitely added to the narrative making this book a must get. I also loved that this is a sci-fi picture book because not many exist.

Full review with teaching tools: http://www.unleashingreaders.com/?p=1...