Customer Reviews

Mo and Jo Fighting Together Forever (Toon)

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

For a mom of three, I understand the ins and outs of sibling rivalry-- and this wonderful toon-book puts a delightful spin on the tired subject. The story combines the everyday arguments of a brother and sister and the not-so-everyday adventures of super heros. The result is something they can really relate to and want to read over and over!

Toon Books are a new set of graphic novels aimed at the emerging reader. They are written and illustrated by professional artists/authors and are wildly intriguing for the young reader. My son who is reading at a Gr. 2 level enjoyed these immensely. The three I am reviewing are the second and latest set (Aug. 2008) to be released.

Mo and Jo: Fighting Together Forever by Dean Haspiel & Jay Lynch is again for the more experienced reader, divided into chapters and is the highest reading level of the lot, approx Gr.2-3. My struggling reader had some difficulties with the vocabulary but with a little help from Mum and Dad he was eager to read the super hero story. With both a girl and boy character this should appeal to both, though I think boys are going to love this one for sure. Every boy's dream of becoming a superhero comes true when Mo and Jo's mailman comes to their house and admits that he is the Mighty Mojo but he is retiring and would like to give them his costume which contains his powers.

As a parent I was thrilled with these enticing books that held my reluctant reader's interest and kept him reading page after page without any pressure from mum or dad to just try and read one more page. In fact we all liked them so much I've ordered the first three for Christmas presents this year and look forward to the next books that will published next year. These 'early readers' are a fabulous use of the graphic novel format.

This is one of the most advanced of the Toon Books catalogue, both in concept and language. It's also the one most grounded in standard superhero ideas. But it's going to be immediately familiar to the younger readers it's aimed at, since, whether they've seen the movie, they've all seen something of the Incredibles and every child has some fundamental understanding of the idea of a superhero. Likewise, pretty much every child, even a singleton like mine, knows all about sibling rivalry.

Mo and Jo are Monica and Joey, twins who just can't stop arguing. But one day, their mailman turns up with a surprise and a secret: He's The Mighty Mojo and has decided to give one of them his costume; the source of his incredible powers.

The Mighty Mojo may be a powerful superhero but he obviously knows nothing about these argumentative twins. A huge fight breaks out over the costume and inevitably it ends up in ripped in half. But Mom comes to the rescue (as Moms always do) and turns those two halves into two separate costumes and the latest superhero team of Mo and Jo is born, each with half the powers of the Mighty Mojo.

Unfortunately Mo and Jo seem more concerned with fighting each other than rescuing the city from the evil Saw-Jaw. Can they find a way to put aside their differences in time to save the day?

What do you think? Of course they can! The fun of Mo and Jo isn't in the unsurprising ending, it's about the enormous fun that's had along the way. The bickering and fighting as the twins try to out-do each other is priceless. It's a funny, fast paced adventure with a lovingly realised pair of heroes. Lynch writes the bickering twosome really well and Haspiel's art is suitably superhero-ish whilst never failing to get over the fun story.

Mo and Jo are Mona and Joey, a brother and sister who love the same superhero, Mojo, but who can't seem to get along. When Mojo retires and gives the siblings his suit and powers, they have to learn how to work together. This book, too, was in chapters. I felt that this one was a little more preachy than the others, but I think it would work for the intended demographic - kids.

TOON Books are stories in comic book form for young readers. The series advisor is Art Spiegelman, author of the well-regarded Maus graphic novels. Each of the books is recommended for children ages four and up and children in kindergarten through second or third grade. I love this idea of introducing children to the comic book/graphic novel form and enjoyed each of the books. I highly recommend them for the intended age groups.

This is a really fun book for a pair of siblings. I got the book for my oldest son who is learning to read. He loves reading and superheroes. I hate books with tv and movie characters so this book pleases both of us.

Mo and Jo are a sister and brother who fight about everything. To save the day, they finally realize they need to work together. In this superhero comic for kids, children learn the importance of cooperation. The beautiful pictures and bright colors make Mo and Jo fun and easy to enjoy.

In this Toon Book (a series of comic books aimed at younger readers), Monica and Joey are twins who argue over just about everything. One of the few things they agree on is that the Mighty Mojo is the greatest superhero ever. One day their mailman shows up with Mojo merchandise the kids ordered. As they argue over who is the biggest Mojo fan, their mailman reveals a secret: he's really Mojo. However, he's gotten old and is tired of crime fighting. He decides to retire and he gives the kids his Mojo suit which contains all of his superpowers. Monica and Joey are ecstatic until they start arguing again and end up ripping the suit in two. Their Mom comes to the rescue. The ripped costume can't be repaired as a whole, but she's able to salvage the two ripped halves of the costume into two separate costumes. Thus Mo and Jo are created, each with only half of the Mighty Mojo's superpowers. Mo has stretchy arms and Jo has magnetic feet. However, they can't stop fighting, not even when they try to save the city from the evil Saw-Jaw.

MO AND JO FIGHTING TOGETHER FOREVER is an entertaining children's graphic novel. It's kind of like THE INCREDIBLES with a twist of THE GREATEST AMERICAN HERO, but with sibling rivalry. It makes a good book to get kids interested in comics as well as a book that young kids who are reluctant readers might enjoy.

This book is highly entertaining, with a sound moral and SO accessible to young readers! It's encouraging my new reader to test out his skills as other books are not. Hooray!

Mo and Jo fight constantly until they learn to get along and work as a team. Laugh-out-loud funny. I'll love reading this to my five-year old who could really take a cue from Mo and Jo.

Joey and Mona are typical siblings. They argue - a lot. They fight over the video game controller - a lot. They make fun of each other - a lot.

There's one thing they can agree on, though. Mighty MoJo is the most awesome superhero ever. And when they discover the secret behind MoJo's identity, and are given his superpowers to fight evil, you'd think the arguing between Joey and Mona would stop.

But it doesn't, until they realize they'll have to work together to use MoJo's powers to protect the world.

MO AND JO: FIGHTING TOGETHER FOREVER is the perfect book to introduce children to comics and graphic novels. My daughter, who is almost eight, loves the format of these types of books, but since they're usually written for older teens, the content isn't always appropriate. This one was perfect for her, and, as the younger sister of a nearly-teen brother, she could perfectly relate to the storyline, as well.

A great book with wonderful, full-color illustrations, you don't want to miss this one!

Reviewed by: Jennifer Wardrip, aka "The Genius"