School Library Journal Review
Gr 4-7-Nine stories irreverently capture a child's offbeat, often overly literal view of the world. Sardine and her friends Little Louie and Captain Yellow Shoulder are space pirates, out for fun, adventure, and the never-ending fight against Supermuscleman, chief executive dictator of the universe. In one selection, they find out that all children have a monster assigned to their bed to frighten them, and then move it to a grown-up's bed; in another, they find a baby rocket that fell from its nest and tenderly nurse it back to health with kerosene. The shaky lines and bright colors of Sfar's drawings evoke a childlike simplicity and exuberance. Young readers may not understand all of the jokes, but they should be entertained by the limitless fount of silly ideas and the array of whimsical space creatures, including the ghost Pallid Pete and Octo the octopus.-Lisa Goldstein, Brooklyn Public Library, NY (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Publisher's Weekly Review
"The pirate humor and gothic panels provide surprises in every space vignette," wrote PW of the launch title, which is now in its third installment, Sardine in Outer Space 3 by Emmanuel Guibert, illus. by Joann Sfar, trans. from the French by Elisabeth Brizzi and Alexis Siegel. Here Supermuscleman and Doc Krok plan to ruin the galaxy--and Sardine and Little Louie in the bargain, via the Space Boxing Championship. (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Kirkus Review
Doughty young Sardine and her cohorts continue to vanquish hilariously dopey Supermuscleman, mad scientist Doc Krok and other villains in nine more or less independent new adventures that range from helping out a crowd of cartoon characters angrily protesting because they're so lamely drawn ("Hey! You could at least draw me some pants!") to rescuing acres of stolen French fries and herds of wild "Burgeegies" in the mouthwatering kingdom of Yummy. Presented in colorful, crowded cartoon panels and well-endowed with both self-referential comments ("Comics are cool but we only get 10 pages per story . . . A movie's longer, so we'd have more time to kick Supermuscleman's butt") and characters with names like Emailia and Fetcher Bone, this expert mix of action, gross humor and clever side remarks will, despite the lack of a cohesive plot line, draw carloads of Captain Underpants graduates. (Graphic fantasy. 8-11) Copyright ©Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Booklist Review
Feisty Sardine and her equally spunky pals Little Louie and (good) pirate Captain Yellow Shoulder continue their series of pun-filled, frolicsome adventures. In this round, the tales include an Internet-inspired bit of hooliganism, a boxing match, a fast-food fight, and a rock concert. Scoundrel Supermuscleman appears often, and there are several unique characters here--among them, the locals of the planet Topdog and the Queen of Applet. Some characters smoke and drink, and there's a sexy dog-woman character in a straining halter top, but the tales, which originate in France, are still wonderfully appealing, and the bouncy, bright art perfectly suits the Sardine troop's energy and sass. It's never too late to pick up this series. --Francisca Goldsmith Copyright 2007 Booklist
