Grown-Ups Are Dumb! ((No Offense)) [Paperback]

Alexa Kitchen (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 8 and up | Grade Level: 3 and up

Dumb parents, little brothers, gigantic messes, and homework--this is the plight of young readers everywhere. And, until now, it had not been expressed by someone so close to  the source.

 

Ten-year-old Alexa Kitchen may have an unusual talent--she is the world's youngest comics artist--but she really is just like many girls her age. Just trying to get by in a world that seems determined to undermine her at every turn. Luckily she's got a way with a pen and a good sense of humor. This collection of funny, insightful cartoons based on the real-life trials of many families will resonate with young readers everywhere.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Kitchen is a veteran cartoonist, having been publishing her work for the past five years. That's not unusual. The surprising part is that she's 10 years old, and what she lacks in technical skill she makes up for in brio. Call her the real life Greg Heffley. It's fascinating to see which parts of a mature cartoonist's skill set she's just beginning to develop—proportion, observation, storytelling—and which are already pretty much there. She can compose a panel or a page at least as well as most cartoonists three times her age, and her gag writing has absorbed a lot from her older colleagues. (Matt Groening is a particular influence.) Unsurprisingly, Kitchen's protagonists Kathy Ford, Molly, Sharon and Hurricane Abby are all preteen girls a lot like her. Her sense of humor is unmistakably a 10-year-old's idea of what's funny—messy bedrooms (drawn with scribbly glee) and annoying siblings are reliable sources of comedy. But there are some unexpectedly calm, pensive moments, too, particularly a wordless two-page strip about the frustrations and consolations of art. As a look inside a very young artist's mind, Kitchen's work is pretty charming; aspiring preteen cartoonists may find it inspirational. (Sept.)
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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 8 and up
  
• Paperback: 96 pages
• Publisher: Hyperion Book CH; 1 edition (September 8, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1423113314
• ISBN-13: 978-1423113317
• Product Dimensions: 7.7 x 5.9 x 0.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #972,130 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Potential, but not much else yet., August 24, 2010

By 

Robert P. Beveridge "xterminal" (Lakewood, OH) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Grown-Ups Are Dumb! ((No Offense)) (Paperback)

Alexa Kitchen, Grown-Ups Are Dumb! (No Offense) (Hyperion, 2009)

A lot of potential in this ten-year-old cartoonist, and it's too much to expect someone of that age to have grasped subtlety in humor, or to have mastered the art of drawing; this is a book you should pick up with the expectation of being able to say "I knew her when", though it's not going to stand up to repeated readings very well. First time around it's quite amusing. ** ½

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars They truly are!, September 27, 2009

By 

Arlette Stuip (The Hague, The Netherlands) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Grown-Ups Are Dumb! ((No Offense)) (Paperback)

Alexa Kitchen's graphic narratives are visually bold and contain both humor and truth. She invites the reader to share her vision of life, thus reminding us of what it was like being a kid. Her images are drawn from ten years of life experiences and she tells it like she sees it. This funny and goofy book is proof that no talented artist need wait until she is old, to share her stories and art. It's perfect for children but it's fun for adults too. It's a page turner and each anecdote is delightful!

5.0 out of 5 stars Good read, January 1, 2012

By 

Napoleon K. Sefordzi - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Grown-Ups Are Dumb! ((No Offense)) (Paperback)

My son loves this book. He finished it in a flash just after it arrived. I wish this book is in series so that I can get the other copies for him. Thanks for the prompt delivery too.