Salt Water Taffy: A Climb Up Mt. Barnabas [Paperback]

Matthew Loux (Author, Artist)

Book Description

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

Eleven-year-old Jack Putnam and his eight-year-old brother Benny are being dragged against their will on a summer-long vacation with their family. And not to somewhere cool like Disney World, but to a little port town in Maine named Chowder Bay, far away from anyplace fun. But what promises to be a very bleak summer quickly becomes a series of exciting adventures in one of the most mysterious places on earth! This second volume finds the boys scaling a nearby mountain to confront a giant kleptomaniac eagle with an obsession with fancy hats!

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

Continuing their summer adventures in the seaside small town of Chowder Bay (following The Seaside Adventures of Jack and Benny, 2008), brothers Jack and Benny Putnam seem to have a knack for stumbling across the town’s mysteries. When Jack “borrows” their dad’s lucky hat and it subsequently gets stolen by Chowder Bay’s resident giant eagle, who has a thing for fancy hats and blueberries, Jack and Benny set out to get the hat back. The trick is, they have to scale the treacherous Mt. Barnabas and dodge a scheming wolf to do it. Loux again hits the mark with this second volume of his new graphic-novel series. His line work is clean, lively, and expressive, showing scenery, characterization, and movement equally well. Loux’s approach to Jack and Benny’s adventures, through both the story and the art, has a whimsical and childlike flair, and his characterizations ring true with an authenticity that kids will easily identify with. Grades 3-6. --Tina Coleman

Review

The second volume of a new series is, in some ways, more telling than the first. With your first story out of the gate, the creator might still be finding his or her creative feet, trying to make it so what's on the page matches what's in the imagination. Other times, all of the energy and excitement out of the first issue is gone with the second, all of the great ideas getting used up in that initial story. In the case of "Salt Water Taffy" and its second issue, though, it was a real relief to see that Matthew Loux was able to make it just as entertaining and funny at the first.

After the first story dove into the depths of the waters of Chowder Bay, it makes sense that Loux next takes the reader up into the sky, with the mountains that surround this remote part of Maine. Benny and Jack's parents take them on a hike up Mount Small, but it's there that they (and we) learn about Mount Barnabas, a mountain so steep and dangerous that no one is allowed on it any more. Add in a story of the giant gold eagle, Barnabas, that lives on top of the mountain as well, and the kids are entranced by the idea of going there themselves. When Barnabas steals their father's hat, though, all bets are off as they struggle to retrieve it before he notices it's missing. And that's when the craziness really begins.

What I love about "Salt Water Taffy" is how Loux's stories feel like an aimless, rambling, making-it-up-as-you-go sort of tale at first. He brings the action from one location to the next, introducing new characters and plot elements left and right. And then, just when you wonder if this is going anywhere, he effortlessly brings all of the plot points together in the second half of the book and makes you feel bad for ever doubting him. What's nice is that not only does he make it feel really easy, but all of the different additions to the story are a lot of fun. From a kleptomaniac eagle to a crafty wolf, allies and foes alike each have strong, defined personalities that quickly stand out to the reader. Characters from the first story make a welcome return as well; it's a nice reminder that "Salt Water Taffy" is an actual series and it feels like we've got some bigger reveals regarding Angus and the lobsters just around the corner.

Loux's art is still crisp and clean, here, and he's able to tackle people, animals, and fantastic settings all with equal ease. The art is easy to follow, which is good for an all-ages title. The art, like the story, never seems to be trying to appeal to any one age group; there's a little something for everyone old and young alike. At this point I think it's safe to say that "Salt Water Taffy" is a bona fide hit. You may not be able to actually eat issues of "Salt Water Taffy" (unlike its namesake) but in every other way, it's just as deliciously great. Definitely check this series out. --Comic Book Resources

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 8 and up
  
• Paperback: 96 pages
• Publisher: Oni Press (October 1, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1934964034
• ISBN-13: 978-1934964033
• Product Dimensions: 7.7 x 5.4 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,351,805 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Matthew Loux Was born in eastern Connecticut. He attended college At the School of Visual Arts in New York City where he majored in illustration. His first published comic was the graphic novel F-Stop, written by Antony Johnston and published by Oni Press. Matthew then Wrote and illustrated the graphic novel Sidescrollers, also by Oni Press. Sidescrollers was placed as one of the top ten 'Great Graphic Novels For Teens' in 2008 by the American Library Association's YALSA list. Matthew Is currently working on the Oni Press All ages series Salt Water Taffy, of which Three volumes are currently available in stores with the forth and fifth due out in 2011. Salt Water Taffy was listed on the Texas Library Association's prestigious Maverick list of 2009. Matthew does all his cartooning in Brooklyn NY.