Official Review: The Wild Card Kids by Hope and Wade King

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Juliana_Isabella
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Official Review: The Wild Card Kids by Hope and Wade King

Post by Juliana_Isabella »

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "The Wild Card Kids" by Hope and Wade King.]
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4 out of 4 stars
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The Wild Card Kids: A Journey to Magic by Hope and Wade King is a short book about five kids who learn that they can create their own magic. Using elements from both picture books and graphic novels, this story follows the journey of Zian, Piper, Zak, Skye, and Maverick, four students who discover a wild card that leads them to another world. Throughout their journey, each child discovers that they must remember the advice that their teacher, Ms. Wild, has given them in order to discover their superpower and return to their world.

The plot of this book is fun to follow as each child has a moment to shine and a lesson to teach. Any child could learn these lessons alongside the characters and use them later in life. I also appreciated the graphic novel style of the book, which made it feel like a superhero comic book. This fit perfectly with the theme of kids finding their superpowers and added to the sense of adventure. The illustrations by Mat Sadler helped me imagine the children and empathize with them.

My only critique of this story is that some parts feel rushed and undeveloped. For example, the children must overcome a number of obstacles throughout their journey, but some of the resolutions of these issues were anticlimactic. At one point, the book basically says the kids worked together to conquer the obstacle, but there is no detail given about how they did this in the text or accompanying picture. I appreciated that the authors wanted to focus on the lesson of teamwork, but, in situations like this, the lesson seemed to overtake the plot and made it a less interesting story overall.

I would rate this book 4 out of 4 stars. Despite my issue with the less descriptive parts of the story, the professional style, engaging story and art, and age-appropriate message forced me to give this book four stars.

I would recommend this story to parents and teachers of children ages 5 to 10. If you want an action-filled adventure that can teach your child practical skills for life, this could be a great choice for you.

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The Wild Card Kids
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xoxoAnushka
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Post by xoxoAnushka »

It seems like a fascinating, plus mystical adventure for children. Great review!
adamgreenrock
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Post by adamgreenrock »

Lessons over story isn't really a bad thing when it comes to being a kids book. Though I see why you would take an issue on that. Thanks for your review!
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AstridAlpha18
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Post by AstridAlpha18 »

I can understand some authors wanting to skip over scenes of details but just saying, "and they did this, and this and this - With Teamwork!!!" but only if it makes sense. Even a little thumbnail of our main characters standing triumphantly on top of a defeated beast or on the other side of a maze would have helped the story along. I appreciate that the children must remember their teacher's advice, helping kids reading that maybe their teacher isn't such a bad guy full of homework.
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marsmate
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Post by marsmate »

l think imagination part has given more priority. It will help a child to imagine.
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Ria710
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Post by Ria710 »

This sounds like a great adventure book for kids. Packed with action. Thank you for the review.
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