November 1, 2023
Odd mishaps and hostile grown-ups plague a lonely child in this set of surreal episodes. Channeling the spirit of Franz Kafka in the plot and the gothic sensibility of Edward Gorey in the art, Clement alternately strands tiny schoolboy K in large, sparsely furnished rooms or sends him ricocheting through crowds of forbidding adults in finely drawn belle epoque urban settings. After skipping a breakfast of grayish porridge and sardines "swimming in oil," then being left for eons in an empty waiting room at school by harsh Frau Headmistress Z, K meets a friendly talking bug. Another day, when he's home alone, a flock of crows bursts in to wreck the apartment. His miseries continue as he finds himself abandoned on a class outing, accused of theft and chased by crowds of passersby--including dogs and cats--after venturing to the market, and unjustly blamed for waking up all his neighbors after he locks himself out on a snowy night. Despite the calamities, shouting adults, and lonely moments, it's not all existential gloom--K does get a free afternoon, for instance, thanks to the bug that frightens Herr Principal Y into evacuating school. Still, there's little relief in the general run of dismal events. Readers may have difficulty seeing K as anything but a powerless victim, despite hints of at least a lively sense of curiosity and a modicum of resilience. The cast appears white. A series opener with niche appeal. (Graphic fantasy. 9-12)
COPYRIGHT(2023) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
January 1, 2024
K is a bourgeois school boy in what appears to be late-nineteenth-century Bohemia. He is frail, anxious, and lonely, isolated at home, withdrawn at school. In each of five graphic short stories, Clement presents a situation of powerlessness, oppression, or ennui in which K encounters a small moment of grace. An errand to buy a carp turns into a nightmare of chaos and alienation, but when K finally makes it back home, pursued by angry townspeople, his mother stands up for him. Faced with the cruel, absurdist bureaucracy of his school, K is comforted by a helpful beetle who advises him to write about it all one day. Based loosely on the life and work of Franz Kafka, this volume makes adept use of the graphic format, as everything from the pace of the panels to the size of the type effectively conveys the feeling of being small, quiet, and timid in a world that can be giant, loud, and aggressive. This isn't parody, pastiche, or melodrama but rather a sympathetic and respectful portrait of the condition of being a child, a condition as familiar now as then. Pair with Theule's Kafka and the Doll for an introduction to a sad boy who became one of the most influential writers of the twentieth century. Sarah Ellis
(Copyright 2024 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)
Starred review from February 1, 2024
Grades 2-6 *Starred Review* The works of Franz Kafka might seem a poor fit for young readers, but Clement's debut graphic novel makes a good case that this age group could find great relevance, at least, in those things we've come to call "Kafkaesque." It's the uncommon child who doesn't occasionally see the world filled with the sinister martinets of a vast, indecipherable power, whether that power is family, school, society, or even fate itself. So, as our young protagonist, K, makes his way through several vignettes--punished at school for an infraction he didn't commit, hauled away by police for trying to follow proper directions, foiled in his effort to procure a holiday fish for his mother--readers will find it uncomfortably easy to connect, though many specific references to Kafka's stories will surely be lost on them. Tone is crucial here, and Clement manages to adroitly balance funny ha ha and funny strange, both in situations and visuals. His Richard Sala-like depictions of bustling late-nineteenth-century Prague, the isolation of huge, empty rooms, and the ever-uneasy face of K himself touch the amusing, the human, and the uncanny all at once. Definitely not for everyone, but a truly unique effort that will become a deeply resonant touchstone for anyone who recognizes in it the occasional strangeness of their world.
COPYRIGHT(2024) Booklist, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
May 24, 2024
Gr 4-6-Across five short stories, readers follow the day-to-day adventures of a young boy named K. K is surrounded by adults who don't seem to understand children-from what they eat for breakfast (certainly not "sardines swimming in oil") to the accidents that can disrupt the best laid plans. In each chapter, K gets in trouble for something he didn't do or that was out of his control, such as a search for his teacher's missing glasses, leading to him being abandoned by his class at a train station. Clement's use of soft colors, with an emphasis on browns and greys, creates a bleak setting that adds to the Kafka inspirations drizzled through each short tale. While most young readers won't recognize the Kafka connections, they will recognize K's inability to please the adults around him. The art is painted through a child's eyes, with K surrounded by tall, endless file cabinets and spaces that just seem more empty and dire-seeming as time drags on. The strange humor and often advanced vocabulary, such as "interminable" and "intransigent," will remind readers of Lemony Snicket. VERDICT While not every young reader will recognize the nods to Kafka, this book certainly will have its fans.-Annamarie Carlson
Copyright 2024 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.
January 1, 2024
K is a bourgeois school boy in what appears to be late-nineteenth-century Bohemia. He is frail, anxious, and lonely, isolated at home, withdrawn at school. In each of five graphic short stories, Clement presents a situation of powerlessness, oppression, or ennui in which K encounters a small moment of grace. An errand to buy a carp turns into a nightmare of chaos and alienation, but when K finally makes it back home, pursued by angry townspeople, his mother stands up for him. Faced with the cruel, absurdist bureaucracy of his school, K is comforted by a helpful beetle who advises him to write about it all one day. Based loosely on the life and work of Franz Kafka, this volume makes adept use of the graphic format, as everything from the pace of the panels to the size of the type effectively conveys the feeling of being small, quiet, and timid in a world that can be giant, loud, and aggressive. This isn't parody, pastiche, or melodrama but rather a sympathetic and respectful portrait of the condition of being a child, a condition as familiar now as then. Pair with Theule's Kafka and the Doll for an introduction to a sad boy who became one of the most influential writers of the twentieth century.
(Copyright 2024 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)