 | | ▪ | RELEASED BY: | | DEL REY | | | ▪ | AUTHOR / ART: | | ELIZABETH HURCHALLA | | | ▪ | FORMAT: | | WESTERN / COLOR | | | ▪ | PAGES: | | 96 | | | ▪ | RATING: | | Y | | | ▪ | RELEASE DATE: | | 10/22/2009 | | | ▪ | REVIEW DATE: | | 12/22/2009 | | | ▪ | REVIEWED BY: | | SCOTT CAMPBELL |
One day, strange cards began to fall from the sky. All over the world, kids picked them up and created a battle game. The best players were Dan, Marucho, Runo, Shun, Julie and Alice. They called the monsters on the cards "Bakugans" and their team the "Bakugan Battle Brawlers". But these aren't just cards. And it's more than a game. The cards correspond to a world called Vestroia where a fierce battle is raging - a battle that could destroy both Vestroia and the human world. Now it is up to Dan and his friends to save both places. What they thought was just a game has become a race to restore peace throughout the universe! In volume three, our heroes are stuck between a rock and a hard place! When the shadowy figure known as Masquerade enlists the battle-hungry Rikimaru in his fight against Dan Kuso and his Bakugan, Drago, things get ugly. This new foe is no pushover, and Dan and Drago are in for an intense and dangerous battle. Worst of all, they can’t seem to agree on the best battle strategy! Can they learn to work together as a team to overcome their rival, or will their division lead to defeat? This Bakugan book series is based on the toys and the hit TV show. The comic itself is actually screen shots from the TV show, adapted into a book format with word bubbles and text. There are many kids shows that are adapted into a book format like this, adding to the choices that fans of the shows have when choosing how to next be entertained by their favourite new series. Creating this book series was a good idea for kids because it gives them a good reason to read. Often it can be difficult to get kids to read, and even more so with boys. If kids like Bakugan, than it will be easier to have them read if they can read a Bakugan book. That in itself is a good review of this product because it shows that it has the potential to be a good educational tool, as well as a thing for entertainment. In relation to the actual visuals and the story, Bakugan is fairly simplistic in the way it sets out to tell its story – but this is a children’s book after all. It’s exciting, it has friendship and adventure, and it features lots of monsters and big fights. It’s enough to get kids interested and get them to do a bit of reading if they otherwise wouldn’t pick up a book that doesn’t relate directly to something they fully enjoy like Bakugan. With colourful imagery, and a fast-paced story, Bakugan is sure to be a winner with younger children who are looking for the next big thing!
IN SUMMARY:
Bakugan could be the next Pokemon – it’s hard to say yet. What is easy to tell is that it is gaining popularity with the younger generation of late, and it’s a great way to get them to read a book! Action and adventure await in this latest volume of Bakugan! |
