The X Files – Earth Children Are Weird by Jason Rekulak and Kim Smith


The X Files – Earth Children Are Weird by Jason Rekulak and Kim Smith
Publisher: Quirk Books
Genre: Children’s (0 – 6 y.o.), Sci-Fi/Fantasy, Mystery/Suspense/Thriller, Contemporary
Rating: 3.5 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

One the most beloved TV shows of all time is now a sweet, silly, sci-fi bedtime story perfect for kids and their parents!

Best pals Dana (Scully) and Fox (Mulder) have pitched a tent in the backyard for a sleepover. But the night is full of strange sounds, lights, and shadows. Surely there’s a rational, scientific explanation for everything . . . or is there? With beautiful illustrations of pint-sized Dana and Fox, this humorous and not-scary-at-all story will introduce the cult TV show to an entire new generation of fans.

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Dana and Fox’s personalities were written perfectly. I enjoyed seeing the way they talked their way through the odd things they began to experience during their backyard camping adventure. She was just as logical as she should have been, and his alternate explanations for what was happening when they heard a weird rustle or saw a strange shadow often made me giggle. It was fun to see what these characters might have been like as kids.

It would have been nice to have more foreshadowing. The first half of it was so different from the second half that they felt like separate books at times. There were so many missed opportunities to tie them together either with references to the show or by leaving small clues in the first few pages that adult readers will understand but kids might need some time to puzzle out.

With that being said, the ending was well done. I smiled and nodded as I followed every twist and turn. This was where it really started to feel like it was part of the X-Files universe, but it was written in a way that could be understood perfectly well by someone who had no prior experiences with this type of storytelling.

The X-Files – Earth Children Are Weird should be read by anyone who likes thinking critically and talking about what they’ve just seen, especially if they’re a fan of the original X-Files or want to share this story in a kid-friendly way with the next generation.

Buffy the Vampire Slayer by Kim Smith


Buffy the Vampire Slayer by Kim Smith
Publisher: Quirk Books
Genre: Children’s (0 – 6 y.o.), Sci-Fi/Fantasy, Horror, Contemporary
Rating: 3.5 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

The cult classic TV show is now a charming picture book for the youngest fans in the Buffyverse!

In this new picture-book story brought to life with cute and colorful illustrations, young readers see what the world’s strongest vampire slayer was like back when she was a kid! Join not-so-brave little Buffy, Willow, and Xander as they investigate strange sounds coming from the closet, seek advice from their school librarian Giles, and encounter everyone’s favorite Buffyverse monsters. Charmingly illustrated by Pop Classics artist Kim Smith, this sweet, silly, and not-so-scary book borrows Joss Whedon’s beloved characters to tell an endearing bedtime story.

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This tale included the perfect amount of scariness for young readers. A little dab of it is honestly all that is needed for this age group, so I was glad that the author kept things so lighthearted and fun even when Buffy was fighting the bad guys. It fit both the source material and the intended audience well.

I would have liked to see more plot development included. So many pages were taken up by introducing the characters that there wasn’t quite as much room for the main storyline as it needed. Given the short attention spans of young children, I did wonder if they’d have some trouble paying attention during the first few scenes because of it even though things became much more interesting after that point.

One of the best things about this picture book had to do with how many different ways it could be read. A preschooler could understand it as an urban fantasy take on the important of facing one’s fears even when they involve frightening things like figuring out what that scary thumping noise is in the closet. Adult readers who are already fans of this franchise can find many hidden references to storylines and characters that will only make sense if one understands those fleeting moments on a deeper level. It was cool to see how these layers were woven together while still being able to be understood on their own.

Buffy the Vampire Slayer should be read by anyone who loved the 90s TV show by the same name and to any little ones who like scary stories.