Squish 3 ‘The power of the parasite’, is a fun graphic novel
aimed squarely at kids. I have not read the first two in the series, but I don’t
believe it is necessary to enjoy this book. The story construction is very
clever, two tales in one. The first involves
Squish, an amoeba who is forced to go to swim camp, he can’t swim, and to top
it all makes an iffy, new friend. The second involves Squish’s favourite comic
book hero, and you actually get to read the comic when Squish sits down to read
it. The superhero character faces a similar dilemma to Squish, but comes at it
from a completely different angle. Children get a relatable character and an
action packed superhero tale in one book. I would have loved to have read this
as a child.
The artwork is simple, but it does really work for this age
level. What I really like about this book is that there is a useful moral story
about doing what is right and not following the crowd. I think that this would
be a good book to give children who are suffering the results of peer pressure.
Children’s reading groups would find a lot to discuss in this book about the
characters actions. It could even be used in a lesson on friendship. A
surprisingly good read, even this adult laughed at some points in the book.
