Mega Awesome Notebook is a graphic novel for young adults and preteens written and illustrated by Kevin Minor. It would have been an ordinary school day except that it wasn’t. He decided that a quick slice of pizza would have to do for breakfast, and he tossed it into the microwave oven. In his haste, however, he failed to notice that his wire-bound notebook had also ended up inside the oven. As one might expect, the combination of wire and styrofoam being nuked was volatile. He had no idea that he and his notebook had formed a synergistic alignment, one that profoundly changed both notebook and teen. Munching on the pizza that had somehow survived the explosion, the teen cycled off to school. Sometime during the day, he’d discover that his doodles had changed. Confronting him on the familiar page of his notebook was a wise-cracking and extremely obnoxious dude named Dud.

Kevin Minor adroitly answers the question so many have pondered: what if you put metal in your microwave while compounding the offense with the inclusion of a styrofoam plate and a slice of pizza? And what if you then eat that radioactive slice? Enter the Creator, the newest superhero to grace the pages of a graphic comic. Like Clark Kent, his everyday appearance is pretty normal -- that of a kid in jeans and a hoodie -- but he can alter reality with a stroke of his pencil (or the eraser!) and his creations take on their own zany and strange lives. How will the Creator cope with the surly and impetuous Dud and keep from flunking out of school at the same time? Minor had a real challenge in getting me as a reviewer. I have an extremely limited sense of humor. Most funny things fly right past me. But as I read Mega Awesome Notebook, something strange happened. Maybe it was the alternate reality thing zipping through time and space to reach me, but I started laughing and getting the humor that’s ingrained throughout this hilarious and extremely clever book.

And, as if that’s not enough, it’s filled with the most marvelous of Easter Eggs -- Tom Sawyer makes an appearance as does Edgar Allan Poe and even the fable Cask of Amontillado. Added to the literary bonuses was an extended artistic homage to one of my favorite artists, M.C. Escher. And that’s just the start of this really quite astonishingly good graphic novel. If you’re going to read one graphic novel, make it Mega Awesome Notebook. It really is Mega Awesome, and it’s very very good. Mega Awesome Notebook is most highly recommended.

In Mega Awesome Notebook, a graphic novel for tweens by artist and writer Kevin Minor, a middle school student accidentally gels with the contents of his notebook, rendering them alive and able to communicate with him on a one-on-one basis. The characters that he creates, namely Dude (his alter ego, a.k.a. Dud), and Dude’s creation (Lil’ Creation, a.k.a. Lil’ Cretin), are the main protagonists in this account, although there are also multiple real-life characters that are described as part of the burgeoning artist’s world. As the cartoonist traverses his day, whenever he feels at conflict with others in his environs or needing to sort out his emotions, he doodles away, creating an increasingly complex world of invented creatures and other images. How he manages to come to terms with his own reality is a key element of the Mega Awesome Notebook.

The range of artistic techniques employed by Minor in Mega Awesome Notebook shows the depth of the author-artist’s understanding of the development of the creative process, which ranges in the book (and Notebook) from the highly sophisticated full-color portrayal of the cartoonist’s everyday world of school and home to the bubbleheaded, amateurish monochromatic line drawings of Lil’ Cretin. I also enjoyed the allusions to the works of Edgar Allan Poe, which help give the work solid literary as well as artistic appeal. Although Mega Awesome Notebook is primarily targeted at the 8- to 12-year-old market, it should have a far wider appeal, due to its widely diverse content.

Mega Awesome Notebook by Kevin Minor is a comic book for kids. A boy, a gifted cartoonist, is late for school. His notebook accidentally gets put in the microwave with a slice of pizza, releasing a big green cloud of radioactive awesomeness. Doodling in his notebook later, the boy suddenly realizes that his drawings are coming to life. He draws a character called Dud and all sorts of mayhem ensue as the boy tries to get through the school day, past the bullies, and through his schoolwork. But Dud just keeps on interfering. Try as he might, the boy can’t get rid of him and, eventually, Dud becomes a guide. Can Dud help the boy overcome the troubles and struggles he faces every day?

Mega Awesome Notebook by Kevin Minor is a cool book for kids. I loved the artwork, the flip between cartoon and drawings on paper, and the story was wonderful. It is a refreshingly original story but its more than just a kid’s comic book. It’s a creative way of helping kids deal with real struggles, like bullies, like divorced parents that aren’t around much, like being socially shy and awkward. I thought the characters were great, the artwork is something very special and the whole story just came to life, jumping off the pages right at you. It was really easy to follow, told its story clearly and in language kids can understand. It really is a book that kids can relate to, no matter what struggles of their own they have to deal with – a real confidence booster!

A teenager, late for school, accidentally microwaves his doodle notebook while heating his breakfast. This brings alive the cartoon characters in the notebook. Now he needs to deal with a typical teenage day in school—replete with problems like social awkwardness, bullies, boring classes, love trouble—while trying to remain on an even keel with his notebook’s suddenly animated characters. One of the characters, Dud, becomes the boy’s alter-ego as they continually poke each other. Can Dud help the boy realize that running from one’s problems won’t solve them? Can he make the boy face them? Grab Mega Awesome Notebook by Kevin Minor to find out.

Minor’s Mega Awesome Notebook is a fun, fast-paced, and short graphic novel that will appeal to young readers in late elementary and middle grades. Despite its brevity, the novel packs quite a punch due to its message as well as the way it is delivered. The artwork is simple yet fascinating. It shows the protagonist’s overactive imagination and how he is unable to express his feelings. He is lonely as his divorced parents work long hours and he has no friends. Consequently, he pours out all his feelings into his doodle notebook, creating awesome cartoon characters in the process. Each of these characters reflects his different fears which he defeats in the notebook but sadly is unable to conquer in real life. This is where Dud steps in and makes our protagonist realize his folly. The content is equally entertaining for adults who are young at heart. Kevin Minor’s Mega Awesome Notebook is recommended for middle schoolers looking for a light-hearted, fun read.