Mascot to the Rescue! (review)

Sixth-grader Josh is not afraid to swoop in and save the day, because he’s sure he possesses an important kinship with a comic-book-superhero sidekick, Mascot. He’s therefore shocked to learn that Mascot is slated to be killed off in the next issue, and with his one true friend, Kelsey (known as “Large Lass” in Josh’s elaborate fantasy world), he sets out to find the author and convince him he is making a monumental error. Along the way the friends’ mettles are tested, their lives are changed, and their adventures help bring clarity to others in the best comic-book-adventure style. Josh’s vivid superhero fantasies, interspersed throughout the novel, are entertainingly exaggerated, with just enough inflation to set them apart from his real-life hijinks; the closeness in style supports Josh’s assertions that he is somehow closer to comic-book character than ordinary kid, as do the periodic black-and-white illustrations, formatted in typical comic panels. Although the mundane unveiling of the way Josh’s life came to resemble a superhero’s (the comic’s author had been basing the character on Josh’s mom’s parenting blog) hinders the fun a bit, this novel still offers plenty of humor, action, and comic-style dramatics to keep readers enthralled through to the last heroic event.