Rocks and Minerals by Andy Hirsch

The Science Comics line has around 20 books, as of this writing, and they are all separate storylines delving into a concept in science.  

In Rocks and Minerals, Wally is trying to prove he can be a worthy assistant to geologist Sedona. He brings her a rock sample, and this starts Sedona down the path of describing where rocks and minerals come from, starting with the Big Bang.  Sedona then covers the different layers of the earth, plate tectonics, volcanos, caverns, minerals, and so much more. ​There is a lot of great information for the budding geologist or rock hound, and I really liked the inclusion of a glossary of terms that are highlighted in orange throughout the book.

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As a once-hopeful geologist, I gravitated to wards this title as my introduction to the Science Comic line, and I am glad I picked it up.  However, I felt that this book would have benefitted from some chapters, something to break up the topics and allow for time to digest what was learned.  There are a lot of really visual yet abstract topics in geology - like plate tectonics, for one - so I felt natural stopping points would have helped.

There’s also a statement about coal being better left in the ground that I imagine won’t sit too well with anyone from that industry, but truth hurts sometimes.

I felt that Wally was absolutely hysterical. Many science-y comics use the story structure of mentor-pouring-knowledge-into-mentee's-head, but Wally also added a lot of funny moments and commentary to the story, so he wasn't the normal doe-eyed sponge I've seen in other comics.  Adding in the fear of caves for Sedona made her a human instead of just a fact recitation machine.

The artwork in this has a cartoony element, but it is absolutely fitting.  The coloring is beautiful and bright, and some of the illustrations of the different rock formations and minerals reminds me what I liked about them as a kid.

Sara's Rating: 9/10
Suitability Level: Grades 3-8

This review was made possible with an advanced reader copy from the publisher through Net Galley.  This graphic novel will be on sale October 20, 2020.

Tags: Rating: 9/10, Suitability: Elementary School, Suitability: Middle School, Graphic Literature, Science

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