My younger son, now 14, has been a fan of Cucumber Quest webcomic for years, and he and I were both very exited to get the book in our hands--he because books are more fun to read, and me because books are all I read, and I was very curious to see what this Cucumber Quest thing was all about. It's the story of a young rabbit person, Cucumber, whose plans to spend peaceful years at magic school are derailed when a mysterious oracle tells him he has to go save the kingdom. He knows he's not up to the task of overthrowing the evil queen, and so does his little sister, Almond. Fortunately Almond sets off after him, determined to be an epic hero in her own right, and her sword skills save him from almost immediate defeat.
She's thrilled to be off on a quest for the fabled Dream Sword; Cucumber less so. And Carrot, the really rather pathetic excuse for a knight who's joined them, doesn't add much to Cucumber's confidence. As for the oracle, she turns out to be much more interested in keeping up with her tv shows than she is in helping quests along, and in fact has carelessly handed the Dream Sword over to an infamous young thief, Saturday. Can the brave (and less brave) bunnies really succeed against the powerful enemies who are threatening world domination? Almond thinks yes, Cucumber not so much.
The bright pictures and zippy story carry readers along very nicely indeed. It's funny, and a tad subversive (Almond's heroic potential is dismissed at first, but she's not going to let anyone keep her from the fun!). This first volume is something of a stage-setter, and apparently things will get even more exciting in future adventures. Enthusiastically recommend to fantasy loving eight to ten year olds, who will, if they are like my own child, eat up the zesty sweetness of Cucumber's adventures!
disclaimer: review copy received from the publisher
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You had me at doughnuts! But the story really does sound engaging. I'd read it even if doughnuts weren't mentioned on the cover. ;)
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