★ 01/16/2023
Taking the source material as a starting point, this lovingly crafted retelling sets Beowulf among bold suburban children for whom mischief and misbehavior are all. The remix kicks off with an entire chronology of kid-lords, starting with Carl, whose discovery of a golden treasure begins a legendary toy hoard, and continuing down the line to Roger, who establishes a magnificent tree house. Treeheart, as it is known, attracts the wrath of joyless adult Mr. Grindle, whose touch ages kids out of childhood. When Grindle wreaks havoc on Treeheart and adults its inhabitants, mighty five-year-old Bea Wolf, “forged in sparkles and fury,” comes to aid Roger and “banish the hall-beast.” Leaning into alliteration, wordplay, and imagery-rich kennings, Weinersmith (Soonish) creates a joyously lyric, rapid-fire epic that honors the original’s intricate linguistic constructions. Close-hatched b&w cartooning from French artist Boulet vividly illuminates the text, presenting in full spreads and paneled vignettes a racially diverse cast of fierce, distinctively rendered children. It’s a truly fresh, inventive remix that privileges childhood’s insular sensibilities alongside an unsettling truth: “Time lingers for no kid.” Extensive back matter affectionately and accessibly contextualizes Beowulf’s history and construction. Ages 8–12. (Mar.)
"Weinersmith’s richly evocative turns of phrase run the gamut from hilarious to heart-rending and maintain the flavor of the original without bogging the pace down amid the kennings. Boulet’s illustrations imbue the shenanigans with gleeful energy and a touch of dark absurdity that children, seeing their own fears and triumphs reflected, will delight in."—Kirkus, starred review
"Readers will wish they could pledge their plastic swords to defending Treeheart and the sanctity of wild childhoods everywhere."—School Library Journal, starred review
"This is true bardic glory, a wild embrace of absurdity and wit with exaggerated language used for maximum impact...Boulet’s illustrations are no less epic than the story, and the finely lined black and white drawings invite careful examination, with the payoff being clever visual side jokes."—The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, starred review
"It’s a madcap adventure that’s a sheer delight to read out loud..." —Booklist, starred review
"[Bea Wolf is] a truly fresh, inventive remix that privileges childhood’s insular sensibilities alongside an unsettling truth: 'Time lingers for no kid.'"— Publishers Weekly, starred review
"Zach Weinersmith’s metered language is a fine, fun feat that pays homage to the strong beat and distinctive alliteration of the original poem. And it’s a brave thing to try to woo kids to an old narrative like Beowulf." — The New York Times
“Bea Wolf is a) Beowulf retold for kids;
b) a genuinely funny story in its own right;
c) a pretty much perfect melding of words and the most charming illustrations in an alliterative romp through the oldest surviving English poem, served fresh and fabulous; and d) glorious, accurate, profoundly silly, and hilariously profound.” —Neil Gaiman
“As haunting, hilarious and perplexing as the ancient stories one hears around the campfire, castle or cafeteria.”—Lemony Snicket
"The story that inspired J.R.R. Tolkien and entranced Seamus Heaney has now been reworked with vivid illustrations, heroic kids, and extra Fudgsicles. The result is the most delightful, inventive, joyful epic ever created. I simply can't express how much I love Bea Wolf." —Tim Harford, host of Cautionary Tales
“In this uproarious rampage of rowdiness, the Bea Wolf is heroically preteen, when normal horrible kids fight off adult monsters trying to make them grow up. Highly recommended for grandparents and grandkids of all ages.” —Dr. Kevin Kiernan, Editor of the Electronic Beowulf, Emeritus Professor of English, and T. Marshall Hahn, Senior Professor of Arts and Sciences
"What a joyous romp! I was utterly enthralled." —Dr. Jennifer Neville, Reader in Anglo-Saxon Literature, Royal Holloway, University of London
“It's Seuss and Dahl's mutant offspring, gorgeous and darkly witty." —Mary Roach, New York Times–bestselling author of Fuzz: When Nature Breaks the Law
★ 01/01/2023
Gr 5 Up—High up in the halls of Treeheart, children party for as long as their bodies can stand. Their sweets and games are glorious to behold, but the noise disturbs Mr. Grindle below. Grindle's touch ages his victims, transforming some of the erstwhile partygoers into "aching, anxious, angry at the internet" dullards who obsess over cable news, stock markets, and hygiene. The remaining children are demoralized by his constant cleaning and straightening of their otherwise epic clubhouse. Bea Wolf, who is white, appears one-third of the way into the story, the latest among generations of child-heroes renowned for feats of strength and bravery. The children of Treeheart are a diverse bunch, including Black king Roger and his war-guard Wendy, who is Asian. Several story elements are lightly adapted from the original Beowulf and will reward anyone familiar with the tale. Weinersmith's iambic alliterations will invite intense imitation from readers. Bea and Grindle's powers pale in comparison to those of artist Boulet, whose work with texture, moonlight, and distorted faces stuns at every turn. Back matter includes a history of Beowulf, how it became a popular legend, a comparison between Old English and Weinersmith's modern homage, and some Boulet sketches. VERDICT Readers will wish they could pledge their plastic swords to defending Treeheart and the sanctity of wild childhoods everywhere.—Thomas Maluck
★ 2022-11-16
The first third of the ancient epic Beowulf adapted for a young audience.
Long ago, in an unnamed suburb, lived Carl, “detector of gold,” who, with toys and treats, cemented a lasting legacy of childhood revels. As time claimed countless kid-kings, the cardboard crown was passed on. Roger, king of our age, turns his ambitions skyward and constructs Treeheart, a stronghold against such evils as bullies. But the safehouse is besieged by detractors, the worst of them the dreaded Mr. Grindle, a cranky middle-aged man able to condemn kids to the pall of adulthood with a single withering touch. One wild night, Grindle desecrates the hall, heralding an age of silent sorrow. Hope washes in from foreign ’burbs in the form of Bea Wolf, “bride of battle,” with “sixty kids’ strength” in each hand. Will she reclaim Treeheart from Grindle’s fell grasp? Weinersmith’s richly evocative turns of phrase run the gamut from hilarious to heart-rending and maintain the flavor of the original without bogging the pace down amid the kennings. Boulet’s illustrations imbue the shenanigans with gleeful energy and a touch of dark absurdity that children, seeing their own fears and triumphs reflected, will delight in. However tempted time-broken adults might be to scoff at the slapdash magical realism and sympathize with Grindle, doing so in the face of such an unabashedly joyful ode to the freedom of the child’s mind is an impossible task. The cast of characters is diverse.
Wonderfully weird. (note detailing the history of the original and the author’s adaptational techniques, sketchbook) (Graphic novel. 8-12)
