I loved almost everything about Timo the Adventurer by Jonathan Garnier and illustrated by Yohan Sacré. And I’m quite torn on whether or not I would have loved everything were I quite a lot younger than I currently am. The truth is, though, that I would probably recommend this book to a great number of children that I know, especially if they are book-loving dreamers of adventure. Despite my not liking one thing, I know there is a lot to love about this graphic novel.
Timo is a young boy who lives in a small village. On the day he learns he has finally read every last book available in the tiny world within which he grew up, Timo now knows it is time for him to have an adventure of his own. No longer will he be gushing to the other village children about adventures that great heroes have. Now it is his turn to have an adventure and become a great hero himself.
Love, love, love the journal.
This premise alone, coupled with the fact that Timo later chronicles his adventures in a notebook made this book a fantastic read for me. His journey is an easy one to engage in and his naive innocence makes him all the more endearing. I loved every second of Timo’s adventure, especially in the beginning.
The artwork in this graphic novel is absolutely adorable, but it gets even better when you pair it alongside the cute creatures and the amusing names Timo gives them. A part of me actually really wants a mushpuff and a scampermunk now.
Plot twists are okay.
I feel like the twist and conclusion were really just all over the place. The truth about Broof and the magician weren’t delivered in a way that really shocked me. Nor did it make me feel as though the way things ended was satisfying at all. The fact of the matter is that the ultimate fight never really happens where it should have. And then there’s a bunch of info-dumping and suddenly, though everything is resolved, you never really feel closure.
It is, however, very clear what story the author was telling. And despite my wanting to reorganize the ending a little bit, I can’t help feeling that I might not have cared had I read this when I was eight or so. Especially since I didn’t think the twist and ending were bad, but rather that it was poorly organized.
I was provided a free copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
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Reader Fox 