Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur: The Beginning by: Amy Reeder, Brandon Montclare, and Natacha Bustos

 Genre: young adult, graphic novel

Published: February 19, 2019 by: Marvel 

Pages: 272 

Rating: 5/5 stars 

CW: bullying, racism, sexism 

Lunella Lafayette is a kid genius who plans to change the world. However, she also lives in fear of her Inhuman gene, which she vows to fix. Her plans to rid herself of the gene go awry when instead of fixing herself, she releases a prehistoric beast known as Devil Dinosaur into the modern world. Lunella takes it upon herself to use her new friend for good, and she and Devil Dinosaur team up in an unlikely duo, bodyswapping along the way to help Lunella cope with the struggles of growing up, while also dealing with some new dangers in her home city. 

I thought this was such a unique superhero text! My mother got me this graphic novel for Christmas, along with one of the original Moon Boy and Devil Dinosaur comics from the 70's. This graphic novel breathes new life into the story by depicting a young Black girl with a passion for science, who knows she will do great things, but is also dealing with growing up amidst unique changes that none of her peers can relate to. I thought Lunella as a character was incredibly likable, and Devil Dinosaur was a hilarious companion as well. Overall, this graphic novel captivated me as a new reader of the Devil Dinosaur character, but I think it may also delight people familiar with the original story arc. 

I really appreciated how the writers wrote Lunella to be a kid, and they didn't try to make her sound more mature than she needed to be. Lunella is so intelligent, that much is certain. But, she also doesn't have the same life experiences as the adults around her, and the writers didn't make her sound like a wise old man in the body of a preteen. Instead, she makes mistakes. She laughs, she cries. She has normal, kid emotions. I thought this characterization was super important to see because I think it allows kids to connect with her character, and it also reveals to adults how important it is to give kids the ability to let their voices be heard. 

I think this book played with different symbols very well. For example, Lunella is dealing with this unique gene that she wants to rid herself of, that none of her peers have. Such gene makes her feel isolated, and uncomfortable. The writers were able to play with the Inhuman gene in a way that ties it to Lunella's journey through young adulthood. She's experiences all of these new life changes, coming into her superhero powers, failing to be heard from the adults around her, and at her core, she just wants to be perceived as normal. However, the authors reveal that there really is no such thing as "normal," and that all of her abnormalities are actually what make her brilliant. 

The writers definitely took the original story of Moon Boy and Devil Dinosaur and decided to bring it into the 21st century by putting a diverse teen girl at the front of the story so that more young kids can relate to Lunella's experiences and feel connected to her character. I definitely found the story layout to be entertaining, witty, with some great comic relief throughout. There are also some cameos made by other Marvel characters which I very much appreciated, and I think folks will really like how the writers introduced Lunella into the greater MCU. I can see Marvel do a lot with her character, and I think she has been a welcome addition into this universe. 

Have you read Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur? What did you think? 

Emily @ Paperback Princess

Fancasting Book Characters with Characters from the Marvel Cinematic Universe

 **** This post will contain spoilers from Avengers: Endgame, Wandavision, and the novel Station Eleven  

Hello guys! So recently, I have gotten really into Marvel. For years I was a casual watcher of Marvel movies, mostly I was just into the Guardians of the Galaxy movies. However, my sister and I decided about a month ago to tackle the wider universe, and thus, my big interest in Marvel was born. I know now a lot more about the characters, and I have had so much fun watching all of the amazing content Disney Plus has been putting out. So, I thought it would be fun to put my love of books with my love of Marvel together, and fancast book characters as characters from the MCU! Basically, I would like to analyze which heroes/villains/in-betweens would be the best to portray these book characters in a movie or tv show. It's getting really fangirly up in here today, you've been warned. 

P.S. I read a lot of YA, so if I fancast an older Marvel character as a teenager, I am talking about a young version of the Marvel character playing that character. I can imagine that a lot of the energy these MCU characters have, started in youth. So, we're just going with hypotheticals here :) 

1. Percy Jackson (from the Percy Jackson series by Rick Riordan)  played by: Peter Parker 

I just think Peter would be an awesome (teenaged Percy). Peter has got this amazing, youthful energy, and he also has a bit of the Percy Jackson look with the brunette hair. I can imagine Peter playing Percy really well when Percy is older in the Heroes of Olympus series, because while he still does have some wisdom, he is also very much chaotic and trying to figure life out. 

2. Circe (from Circe by Madeline Miller) played by: Wanda Maximoff 

Let's start with the obvious here in that they're both witches. I just think Wanda would have such fun playing Circe. I can imagine her really tapping into Circe imprisoning Odysseus's crew... for obvious reasons. They are both such powerful witches and have troubled pasts. Give me this collaboration. 

3. Achilles and Patroclus (from The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller) played by: Young Steve Rogers and Bucky Barnes 

Stucky can relate to people erasing their chemistry, just as it happened with Achilles and Patroclus. I can see so many parallels between these two stories, that I think the young versions of these characters would play Achilles and Patroclus so well. Stucky would understand the complexity of fighting a war while also having such a close relationship, as well as the fact that Steve in particular is kind of like an Achilles character, an extremely powerful man with the weight of the world on his shoulders. 

4. The Darkling (from Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo) played by: Loki 

A younger version of Loki could totally portray the Darkling. They are both extremely complex villains, who are incredibly cunning as well. Loki would definitely play up the Darkling's cleverness. I also think both have a similar aesthetic, which could really work. 

5. Kiera Johnson (from Slay by Brittney Morris ) played by: Shuri 

Shuri would be an amazing Kiera! They are both super smart and talented women with a knack for inventing and technology. Shuri would be able to play up Kiera's gaming smarts so well. This would be an awesome adaption. 

6. Miranda (from Station Eleven by Emily St John Mandel) played by: Natasha Romanoff 

Miranda is this fiercely independent character, who has some extremely rough times and eventually carves out a path for herself. I see a lot of her in Natasha. Natasha, like most heroes, didn't have an easy go of it, but she is strong and capable of taking care of herself. Both Miranda and Natasha do end up with tragic endings, and both of them deserved better. Natasha would just understand Miranda. 

7. Thor (from the Magnus Chase series by Rick Riordan) played by: Thor 

This one is just for fun. Thor in The Magnus Chase series is kind of an idiot, he's all buff with no brains. While Thor from the MCU is definitely a different portrayal of the character, I'd like to think he would have fun playing this different version of himself. I mean, he does go through a rough patch in Avengers: Endgame after all. 

So that's my fancast! Do you agree/disagree with my picks? Which MCU character would you fancast in a book? 

Emily @ Paperback Princess