Review - Livi & Nate

Livi & Nate
by Kalle Hakkola & Mari Ahokoivu
Date: 2019
Publisher: Owlkids Books
Reading level: C
Book type: graphic novel
Pages: 74
Format: e-book
Source: NetGalley

Livi and Nate are a sister and brother who live with their mom and grandpa in a house deep in the snowy hills. Every night after dinner, they have a bath, followed by story time, and then bed. But tonight, Livi can’t sleep—her vivid imagination takes over, turning little moments from everyday life into fantastical adventures. This book tells the story of one eventful night inside her imagined adventures: a giant snow bear comes to visit, Mom becomes a superheroine, and Livi grows wings and plays with butterflies.

Cartoon-style illustrations in warm colors bring the brightness of Livi’s fantastic dreams to life in this entry point to graphic novels. Speech bubbles, sequential art, and bold, energetic sound effects are paired with sweet and true depictions of a loving family life. This book celebrates a strong sibling relationship and is a charming tribute to the joys of imagination and dreaming.

(synopsis from Goodreads)

Did I miss something? Where's the plot? This has got to be one of the weakest graphic novels for kids that I've ever read. It had the potential to go somewhere, but it just got lazy.

This is basically three little "stories" about Livi's dreams. In the beginning, there are some tantalizing hints that something might be wrong with Grandpa (not that there being something wrong with Grandpa is a good thing, except maybe for plot purposes). But Grandpa has absolutely nothing to do with the rest of the story. He's just a sleepy babysitter. Oh, and that third "story"? How does a butterfly repeating, "Hi Livi!" ten times (before switching to, "Yes!" for seven repeats, followed by further inane interjections) constitute a plot? Livi grows wings in the attic. That's literally it.

Maybe something was lost in translation from the original (Finnish?), but I really don't see much of value here. It's boring, tedious, and the characters are so badly developed that I can't even tell how old the kids are supposed to be. (I really hope that Livi is only supposed to be a toddler, however, because she's drawn as completely naked at one point.)

I'm afraid this just isn't for me. I'm not sure if the terribly thin plot and somewhat creepy drawings are going to win it many young fans, either.

Thank you to NetGalley and Owlkids Books for providing a digital ARC.

Plot: 1/5
Characters: 1/5
Pace: 2/5
Writing & Editing: 1/5
Illustration: 2/5
Originality: 1/5

Enjoyment: 0/5

Overall Rating: 1 out of 5 ladybugs