Published February 2025 via Random House Graphic
★★★
Books four and five of this graphic novelization showed up at my library on the same day, so I read them back-to-back. Here, Jessica is determined to go to the Johnny Buck concert...never mind that her parents have said no and she doesn't have $60 to spend on a ticket. The solution: to commit to a few days of dogsitting, convince her parents that she will absolutely be the one taking care of the dog...and then evade even the slightest whiff of responsibility while trampling her twin's feelings (and new possessions) at the same time.
Again, this adaptation feels pretty true to the originals. I've reread some of those originals in recent years, and it's safe to say that Jessica is and always has been an absolute terror, and Elizabeth is and always has been a bit of a doormat. Does she sometimes yell at Jessica and tell her to do better? Sure. Does Jessica sometimes apologise and promise to make it up to her? Sure. Does Jessica ever follow through on those promises? Hah, nope. Not ever. And yet Elizabeth forgives her every time.
Having ranted a bit about The Haunted House, I don't have as much to say about this one. The art style is still a bit comic-y, but I prefer the facial expressions in this one compared to those in The Haunted House. And I can't blame the people adapting the series for the sheer wtf-ery that is Jessica—honestly, sort of wondering whether Sweet Valley High might ever be graphic-novelized in a meaningful way, because tween Jessica is a terror, but teen Jessica? Total sociopath.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.