Publisher's Weekly Review
In this graphic novel debut from 12-year-old Lucy Lareau and her mother, protagonist Lucy and her confident older sister, Marina, have just moved to Normal, Ill. Lucy has some new-school jitters, but she immediately makes friends at Earhart Elementary with fellow fourth graders Sofia, a glitter-obsessed computer coder; A.J., who loves to build things; and Zara, a singer and math enthusiast. Comics artist Jampole illustrates the story with upbeat graphics that emphasize each character's distinctive traits, while the Lareaus cheerfully detail how the capable friends bond over their "geek" pride while raising funds to design and build a new school playground. Themes of female empowerment resonate throughout the episodic chapters, though the dialogue can be didactic: Marina offhandedly informs her mother, "Yeah, girls are coding now. They design games, and solve all kinds of problems.... Just a heads-up, NASA is training women astronauts right now for Mars!" The Geeky Fab 5 might take a cue from the more authentically portrayed Lumberjanes, but fans will look forward to seeing what the protagonists get up to next. Ages 7-11. (July) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
Booklist Review
Lucy's nervous about her first day at her new school, especially since everyone else seems to know what they want to be when they grow up, except her. It gets worse, though, at recess: when Lucy gets hurt while playing on the monkey bars, the school closes the playground, since they lack the funds to fix it. Luckily, there's hope for her to save face, thanks to the help of her new geeky friends, a supportive teacher, and an ambitious plan to raise money for a new playground of their own design. Jampole's bright, rounded artwork befits the bubblegum tone, with distinct character designs, cartoonish action, and a comically grouchy cat. While it's a little unfortunate that the actual design of the playground was less of a focus particularly given the somewhat awkwardly shoehorned-in commentary about women in STEM the emphasis on the hard work of fund-raising is more realistic, and the actions the girls take are potentially achievable for tweens. More stories about Lucy and her friends are on the horizon.--Sarah Hunter Copyright 2018 Booklist
