Monsters, Friendship, and Fun: ‘The Last Kids on Earth’ Breaks the rules.
An e-arc has been provided by the publisher, Penguin Random House International, in exchange for an honest review.
I first encountered The Last Kids on Earth by Max Brallier when browsing through the Libby app. I was looking for graphic novels and was recommended this book. If you didn’t know, it’s actually a children’s book with some illustrations, not a full graphic novel. So, like anyone looking for a graphic novel, I didn’t bother reading it when I saw that it wasn’t exactly what I was looking for. But then, Penguin Random House International released a graphic novel adaptation of the book. Woohoo!
Jack was left alone in this post-apocalyptic world. He’s an orphan, so it wasn’t new to him, the feeling of loneliness. But this time, it’s different. He has his friend, Quint, whom he needs to find. And his crush, June, whom he needs to save. But are they still alive? Is there a point in wandering around town looking for these people? That’s what the story is about, hope, friendship, and compassion for others. But also, being an apocalyptic superhero!
Like any other readers of graphic novels, the first thing I noticed from this book was its art. Initially, when I saw the first page, I mentioned to my fiancé that it looked familiar. Then, for some reason, I said it reminded me of Archie, but that was completely off the mark. It was more like Captain Underpants, with the circular designs of the art. However, that’s beside the point.
After some more pages, I realized it was like Code Name: Kids Next Door. That was a better comparison for the entire art style. Not just that, though, the story was somewhat similar in that they both fight monsters. The vibrant and playful illustrations by Brian Churilla perfectly matched the tone of the story, keeping things light and fun while still highlighting the chaos of the post-apocalyptic world.
For something so short, I didn’t expect it to have interesting character development. Throughout the story, you get to understand these kids and how their motivations affect their decision-making. But you also begin to realize that these are kids. They want to have fun. They want to be kids, even despite the ruined world they live in.
The only thing that possibly threw me off from the story are the zombies. I was a little bit confused about what or how they came to be. And why would an apocalyptic world start with zombies then, suddenly, monsters are everywhere too? That’s the magic of it, though. It’s a children’s story. It wasn’t bound to make sense. It was made to entertain, and that it did.
A refreshing and funny story, The Last Kids on Earth was not what I expected it to be. The fault was all mine in expecting more from a story made and written for kids, but I blame Rick Riordan for making me have expectations. Taken by its face value, it is a truly enjoyable story that will definitely keep your kids from doom scrolling through their phone and, instead, pick up a book.
What’s your take on The Last Kids on Earth? Has a book ever surprised you by being something totally different than what you expected? Let me know below!
