Customer Reviews

The New Brighton Archeological Society

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I purchased this for a 10-year-old boy with good reading ability, and having read through it myself, I'm really pleased with it. The dialogue can be a little formal, but not impossible for kids who're already at the Harry Potter stage. The graphics are really nice, combat scenes weren't too violent/bloody or scary.
The story has a page or two of Judeo-Christian themed religious content, involving God and the angel Gabriel; I didn't have a problem with it, but parents of other faiths or those who aren't religious might want to take that into consideration.

Awww! THE NEW BRIGHTON ARCHEOLOGICAL SOCIETY is so friggin' adorable! The full title is actually THE NEW BRIGHTON ARCHEOLOGICAL SOCIETY Book One: THE CASTLE OF GALOMAR, and it's a handsome looking, all-ages graphic novel. Co-created by writer Mark Andrew Smith and artist Matthew Weldon, this is an entirely kid-accessible story brimming over with magic and high adventure and, again, sheer adorability.

The kids are plucky and seem to be having a great time in these fantastic adventures. Even though there are scary creatures popping out here and there, a true sense of jeopardy isn't really invoked. You never get the feeling that the children will get hurt, just maybe frightened a bit. This makes it pretty perfect for the younger kids.

Four pre-teen kids. Joss and Cooper are of Chinese-American descent. Benny and Becca are Irish-American. When their famous explorer parents are presumed dead while on an expedition in Antarctica, these new orphans move in with their godparents, whose sprawling estate once upon a time was the childhood home of both sets of parents. While in a snowball fight, the kids stumble onto a hidden chamber and discover that their parents were members of something called the Brighton Archeological Society. It's pretty predictable, actually, that leap of thought which convince Joss and Cooper, Benny and Becca to resuscitate this club, to be like their moms and dads. And, from there, it's a short step to a grand adventure.

There is a Great Library full of magical books, and these books have become a bone of contention between the goblin kingdom and the fairy kingdom. And, it turns out, the families of the Brighton children have had ties to the Great Library. There's a sinister main adversary who will do anything to possess all the books belonging to the Great Library. This is something the parents of the Brighton kids have tried to keep from happening. So now there's a deadly mission involving the braving of a castle chock full of savage monsters. But in this castle is a map which can track these books. The kids don't hesitate to volunteer.

Not to compare this story too much to C.S. Lewis's Chronicles of Narnia, but one of the things I liked best about the Narnia series was the sense of empowerment I felt when I read it as a kid. From THE LION, THE WITCH, AND THE WARDROBE on, the various children protagonists were able to make hefty contributions in their respective desperate quests. Although, come to think of it, since NEW BRIGHTON ARCHEOLOGICAL SOCIETY is set more or less in a comic book-type format, maybe it's more apt to mention Power Pack children, who are even more self-sufficient than the Brighton kids. The Brighton children do get massive help from Mitch the Goblin (who is a hoot), although the kids are more than willing to hold up their own end. There are magical monsters in this book, but I like that these monsters aren't always bested with violence. Mitch the Goblin's knowledge and application of certain rules and etiquette when dealing with these frightening creatures come in really handy.

At times THE NEW BRIGHTON ARCHEOLOGICAL SOCIETY takes on the feel of an epic quest, but things are kept lighthearted enough that the mood doesn't ever get heavy handed or too somber. Not when you have ghosts who bus in an ice cream parlor and a giant kitten lurking in the woods and goblins addicted to butterscotch. Not when the youngest girl in our group proclaims that she doesn't believe in fairies, and the next panel shows a fairy clutching her chest and keeling over. Plenty of fun elements in these pages.

There are only two things which bug me here, otherwise I really recommend this graphic novel. I really like the art, which is deceptively simple looking, but observe the composition and how the simplicity of how the characters are drawn contrasts very nicely with the details in the background. The images somehow tend to be more dynamic because of this. My initial beef was that all the characters have heads disproportionately larger than their bodies, the kids AND the adults. It's like watching Bobblehead dolls spring into action. There were times when I had to do a double take to figure out if the characters were the kids or their parents. But, once you get past that, the art is really fantastic.

The second bugaboo is that there are occasional jarring transitional miscues. One scene would end and the next page starts off on its own tangent. The more grown up readers will adjust to this, but younger kids may be baffled for much longer. It's disorienting sometimes to have things end abruptly.

I read this with my 6 year old son, who really enjoyed it. The adventure story was a bit confusing for him at times, but the art is great, and we are eagerly awaiting the next book.

The Castle of Galomar is a fun and adventurous graphic novel for the younger set (middle grade). Instantly it gives off a bit of A Series of Unfortunate Events vibe for me, parents disappearing under mysterious circumstances but this time around the kids have more than their siblings to rely on!

The Castle of Galomar is a mixture of mystery, adventure, fables, goblins and fairies! I think most kids that are interested in mysteries and adventures would enjoy this graphic novel. It's definitely set up as the start of a series but can just be enjoyed on its own as well.

I loved the full color illustrations which a lot of graphic novels do not have and I especially loved the full frame pages, some really beautiful imagery. There was a nice balance between sharp detailed facial features or more abstract backgrounds. I did encounter some confusion as to what was going on in a few cases where dialogue wasn't being used and I was supposed to rely just on the imagery to understand what was going on. I think if the jump between the frames was shorter maybe those instances would have made more sense, it would have meant more frames but things would have been clearer for me.

Why I read this: I am just simply in love with graphic novels and when I saw the cover of this one, I knew I had to read it. The illustrations on the cover alone are fantastic and I loved the subject of this graphic novel.

Plot: It's a fun-filled plot full of discovery, adventure and some really cool magical aspects. It has it's good versus evil underlying plot and I love the connection between their parents and what they are doing. Definitely a series my students would enjoy!

Characters: Graphically I just love the way the characters look. They have the big heads but otherwise look fairly normal. I really think this graphic novel is stunning and I'm in love with the style - especially of the character. I also like that there's enough characters that each reader will have someone they relate to. Also, it's nice to see sort of nerdy kids turned superheroes (not exactly but they do fight otherworldy creatures).

Relatability: For me, it was the sort of geekiness that the characters had going for them. Also, the general curiosity and adventure seeking of the kids reminds me of some of my escapades as a kid. I think I could match up most of the kids with some of my best friends when I was younger and it was kind of fun to just jump right in and imagine you were the one on the adventure.

Cover Commentary: Love it. Definitely a graphic novel that would capture my attention at a bookstore. Great full colors and the characters are in action making the person looking at it want to know what it is about.

The New Brighton Archeological Society is a really fun and interesting read for younger teens. When I first opened this graphic novel, the first thing that I did was take in the illustrations. They are beautifully done. I loved how the illustrations are full of contrasts. There are lights... there are darks, and it all seems to fit in with the tone that the novel is currently undergoing.

The story itself within The New Brighton Archeological Society was fantastic. It is a mixture of mythical creatures and adventure that kept me turning the pages waiting for more. As for the characters, I liked them enough. But for me, they did not stand out too much. I think my issue was relatability. I did like them, but as an older reader, it was hard at times to find a common ground. However, for younger readers, I do not think that they will have this issue. The characters are very diverse, so I believe that readers will be able to find at least one character to root for.

Overall, The New Brighton Archeological Society was really fun. There were many elements for me to enjoy, even if I did have a harder time with the characters. But for younger readers, I think this graphic novel will a blast.

My 12 year old son, NOT a big reading fan, finished this book within an hour of opening the mail. High appeal for kids who like adventure/mystery.

With the popularity of graphic novels these days it is always nice to come across a new adventure series for those reluctant middle school readers! The way I look at it is if a good story line in a graphic novel can keep my attention, then I think it will be interesting for the average middle schooler.

The first book in this series introduces us to four orphaned children who are now living with their godparents after the tragic, mysterious death of their parents. Soon after moving to their new home the kids find clues to their parents mysterious lives and the mystical forces that may have had something to do with their deaths.

Soon they find themselves drawn into a conflict over a great library that has kept two kingdoms at war for centuries, the children must save an enchanted forest, the birthplace of magic itself.

Beautiful artwork, awesome fantastical creatures and some great battle scenes will keep readers turning the pages. The storyline maybe a bit confusing for younger readers, best suited for 5th to 8th grade.