It's time for another edition of Family Comic Friday. The book I have selected this week is called The Not-So Secret Society. The book is actually classified as a Halloween book on Amazon. When I first learned of this 2017 graphic novel from Kaboom!, I didn't even realize that it was a Halloween book.
I knew of this book as it was a selection of potential all-ages best of 2017 picks by Goodreads. So, when I found this at my local library, I was excited to read it because of that honor and didn't really know of the book's holiday implications. So please forgive me for not having a timely selection this week.
So what is the book about?
A group of middle school misfits called the Not-So Secret Society love science. But they're constantly overlooked by another group of science loving students that seem to make magic with their science projects. Tired of being upstaged, one of the members of the Not-So Secret Society challenges their rivals to build the greatest science fair experiment of all-time. The only problem- they've only got the weekend to do it and it just happens to be the same weekend that Halloween falls on.
Working with all their might, the students create a machine that can potentially bring any piece of candy to life! After some trial and error, the group finally manage to get a gummy bear candy to come alive. Only, this confection has a sweet tooth and everytime it eats sugar, the gummy doubles in size. With it being Halloween and candy everywhere, how can the members of the No-So Secret Society stop their mad science experiment without destroying the whole city block?
I actually enjoyed this book. It had heart, personality, and was pretty funny. Plus, I had fun reading it. The book started off very different than I expected however.
In the beginning, the Not-So Secret Society are in a subway terminal attempting to open some magical portal to another dimension. And they actually succeed. However, the book's authors Matthew and Arlene Daley never return to this plot line! I was convinced that somehow the kids had goofed in not securing the doorway and some creature got out. But that wasn't to be. Amazon seems to indicate that the Tale of the Gummy is the first in a series. So maybe they'll return to this plot point in the future?
There's a ton of extras at the end of this graphic novel. The Daley's, along with co-creators Trevor and Ellen Crafts are educators and they include several activities designed to make learning fun. Plus there's over 25 mini comic one-pagers that expand the personalities of the No-So Secret Society. The last story is actually a prequel to the beginning of The Tale of the Gummy. While only gag is by series artist Wook Jin Clark (Regular Show), I'm not sure why these adventures weren't placed at the beginning of the book. They really add a depth to the characters that is lacking in the first 30-pages of the book.
The No-So Secret Society have potential to be a great series for readers of all ages. But you, the readers are going to have to go out there and show your support if there's to be a volume 2. Yes, Halloween is the time of year this book is set, but The Tale of the Gummy can be enjoyed 365 days of the year! That's right, I'm saying it- this would make a great holiday gift!
Along with being available in paperback in bookstores everywhere, the NS3 can be found digitally on ComiXology and Kindle.
And that will do it for this week's Family Comic Friday. Next week, I turn big 4-0 and I count down my top 10 all-ages books and series of all-time. Until then, read on!
Worth Consuming!
Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.
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