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jbeoin's review
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
CONTENT NOTE: gentrification, family estrangement, death of a loved one
Malcolm Kid and the Perfect Song is a delightful story about pursuing your dreams, friendship, challenging family dynamics, and, of course, breaking magic curses with music and love.
What Worked for Me:
✦ Okay, first of all-- opening up with being so broke a robber makes fun of you and asks if everything's all right at home AND doesn't believe you when you say you have good stuff to steal?? Amazing opener! 😂 This is a great example of the delightful humor this book has from beginning to end.
✦ This team works remarkably well together-- it's evident that everyone brought their own strengths to the comic with an excellent understanding of how to pair it well with the others' strengths. The story, art, and lettering flowed together as if from a single source, and that's a truly beautiful thing to behold in a comic.
✦ I didn't want to put this book down at any point, the pacing and story were both so well done. There were a few scenes where we see the characters catching up, which is normally where the story can get a bit bogged down in exposition, but Austin Paramore wrote it so that it paired perfectly with the visual nature of the comic by giving us bits and pieces that were just enough to keep us informed and intrigued without slowing down the pacing. This truly felt like a dream team of comic creators!
✦ Sarah Bollinger's art is just fantastic! I love how expressive the characters and body language are in this comic. She gives every scene and every character a sense of life and movement that looks so smooth and cohesive.
✦ Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou's lettering is something I always enjoy, but it felt especially dynamic in this comic! I absolutely loved the expressive nature of it, and it really brought to life the conversations and the characters' voices. I feel like his style of lettering with the combinations of font sizes and shapes paired with the lively balloons was perfect for a book all about "hearing" a story because I swear I could hear these voices and sound effects. His work remains undefeated in my book!
✦ I have to admit that I'm not a big music fan. I enjoy it, but I don't typically enjoy conversations or stories about it, so I was thrilled that this book wasn't like that. I had worried it would be an exposition about exploring notes and technical details that would bore me, but it couldn't be further from that.
✦ I loved the portrayal of the family dynamics here. I was able to predict a little of what was coming toward the end, but I enjoyed that because it felt like I was picking up on little clues here and there left by the author.
✦ The final ending surprised me a bit, though, too! I'm very curious to see if this means we'll get a second book!
✦ The relationships between the characters were fully developed and gave a sense of dropping me into a world that's fully formed. I enjoyed the slow revelations that came throughout the story and led us to the big reveal.
✦ I also loved the attention to detail in the art, too-- Sarah Bollinger didn't miss a chance to tell a visual story in any of these panels. We were given so much detail about the lives of the characters' lives and feelings, as well as the settings we see them in. Excellent world-building all around.
✦ I loved the way Sarah Bollinger played with the shapes of the panels throughout the comic, too. There was a particular scene showing Malcolm's routine as he transitioned from outside to inside the home that I particularly enjoyed. I also really loved the dynamic between Miles and Malcolm in that scene-- so sweet!
✦ I also love the overall message of the book, too! I don't want to spoil anything, so I'll just say that the themes of this book really struck a chord with me.
✦ While it was a compelling read the entire time, I felt like this could be classified as a low tension story in the best possible way. I was invested in what was happening, but I also didn't feel overwhelmed by stress thinking about what would happen next. My blood pressure appreciates that 🥲
What Didn't Work for Me:
✦ I do wish we had gotten a little bit more of a resolution with the mysterious figure at the heart of this story! I'm hoping that will be addressed in a book two because the ending left it as a bit of a wait and see. But even if we don't, it's not so open-ended that I'll lose sleep over it lol.
✦ I wish we had been able to see or hear about Malcolm's other grandparent; I get why it wasn't really talked about in the story, but it would have been interesting to see that dynamic, too.
Overall
I give Malcolm Kid and the Perfect Song 5 out of 5 speech bubbles: this book was a heartwarming story with charming, funny characters who will have you rooting for them right away!
How to Read It
Interested in checking it out for yourself? Here are a few ways you can get your hands on a copy!
Local Options
Your Local Library!
Your Local Comic Book Shop!
Your Local Book Store!
Small + Indie Options
Loyalty Bookstores
Bookshop
Midtown Comics
Big + Boxy Options
Barnes & Noble
Kinokuniya
Target
Read This Next
If you liked this, check out The Hazards of Love: Book One: Bright World, Needle & Thread, and Squire
If you enjoyed this review, I have a monthly comic review series called More Comics Please! on my website with interior page excerpts and additional information not shared here on Storygraph. You can sign up to receive them in your inbox by subscribing to my newsletter Into the Bramble.
Malcolm Kid and the Perfect Song is a delightful story about pursuing your dreams, friendship, challenging family dynamics, and, of course, breaking magic curses with music and love.
What Worked for Me:
✦ Okay, first of all-- opening up with being so broke a robber makes fun of you and asks if everything's all right at home AND doesn't believe you when you say you have good stuff to steal?? Amazing opener! 😂 This is a great example of the delightful humor this book has from beginning to end.
✦ This team works remarkably well together-- it's evident that everyone brought their own strengths to the comic with an excellent understanding of how to pair it well with the others' strengths. The story, art, and lettering flowed together as if from a single source, and that's a truly beautiful thing to behold in a comic.
✦ I didn't want to put this book down at any point, the pacing and story were both so well done. There were a few scenes where we see the characters catching up, which is normally where the story can get a bit bogged down in exposition, but Austin Paramore wrote it so that it paired perfectly with the visual nature of the comic by giving us bits and pieces that were just enough to keep us informed and intrigued without slowing down the pacing. This truly felt like a dream team of comic creators!
✦ Sarah Bollinger's art is just fantastic! I love how expressive the characters and body language are in this comic. She gives every scene and every character a sense of life and movement that looks so smooth and cohesive.
✦ Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou's lettering is something I always enjoy, but it felt especially dynamic in this comic! I absolutely loved the expressive nature of it, and it really brought to life the conversations and the characters' voices. I feel like his style of lettering with the combinations of font sizes and shapes paired with the lively balloons was perfect for a book all about "hearing" a story because I swear I could hear these voices and sound effects. His work remains undefeated in my book!
✦ I have to admit that I'm not a big music fan. I enjoy it, but I don't typically enjoy conversations or stories about it, so I was thrilled that this book wasn't like that. I had worried it would be an exposition about exploring notes and technical details that would bore me, but it couldn't be further from that.
✦ I loved the portrayal of the family dynamics here. I was able to predict a little of what was coming toward the end, but I enjoyed that because it felt like I was picking up on little clues here and there left by the author.
✦ The final ending surprised me a bit, though, too! I'm very curious to see if this means we'll get a second book!
✦ The relationships between the characters were fully developed and gave a sense of dropping me into a world that's fully formed. I enjoyed the slow revelations that came throughout the story and led us to the big reveal.
✦ I also loved the attention to detail in the art, too-- Sarah Bollinger didn't miss a chance to tell a visual story in any of these panels. We were given so much detail about the lives of the characters' lives and feelings, as well as the settings we see them in. Excellent world-building all around.
✦ I loved the way Sarah Bollinger played with the shapes of the panels throughout the comic, too. There was a particular scene showing Malcolm's routine as he transitioned from outside to inside the home that I particularly enjoyed. I also really loved the dynamic between Miles and Malcolm in that scene-- so sweet!
✦ I also love the overall message of the book, too! I don't want to spoil anything, so I'll just say that the themes of this book really struck a chord with me.
✦ While it was a compelling read the entire time, I felt like this could be classified as a low tension story in the best possible way. I was invested in what was happening, but I also didn't feel overwhelmed by stress thinking about what would happen next. My blood pressure appreciates that 🥲
What Didn't Work for Me:
✦ I do wish we had gotten a little bit more of a resolution with the mysterious figure at the heart of this story! I'm hoping that will be addressed in a book two because the ending left it as a bit of a wait and see. But even if we don't, it's not so open-ended that I'll lose sleep over it lol.
✦ I wish we had been able to see or hear about Malcolm's other grandparent; I get why it wasn't really talked about in the story, but it would have been interesting to see that dynamic, too.
Overall
I give Malcolm Kid and the Perfect Song 5 out of 5 speech bubbles: this book was a heartwarming story with charming, funny characters who will have you rooting for them right away!
How to Read It
Interested in checking it out for yourself? Here are a few ways you can get your hands on a copy!
Local Options
Your Local Library!
Your Local Comic Book Shop!
Your Local Book Store!
Small + Indie Options
Loyalty Bookstores
Bookshop
Midtown Comics
Big + Boxy Options
Barnes & Noble
Kinokuniya
Target
Read This Next
If you liked this, check out The Hazards of Love: Book One: Bright World, Needle & Thread, and Squire
If you enjoyed this review, I have a monthly comic review series called More Comics Please! on my website with interior page excerpts and additional information not shared here on Storygraph. You can sign up to receive them in your inbox by subscribing to my newsletter Into the Bramble.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child death, Death, Death of parent, and Abandonment
There is some gentrification in here of a beloved spot.b_currently_'s review
funny
hopeful
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Notes:
● it feels so cute and so many little parts are heart-warming
● the ending! It's one of those endings where you KNOW the story isn't over.
Positives:
● funny
● likeable characters
● the art is so good, the artist is NAILING expressions
● heart-warming
Negatives:
● it could have been a tad longer, I feel like it just went so quickly and the ending felt slightly abrupt
● it feels so cute and so many little parts are heart-warming
● the ending! It's one of those endings where you KNOW the story isn't over.
Positives:
● funny
● likeable characters
● the art is so good, the artist is NAILING expressions
● heart-warming
Negatives:
● it could have been a tad longer, I feel like it just went so quickly and the ending felt slightly abrupt
Content Warnings
Minor: Bullying and Death
woolfinbooks's review
adventurous
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Minor: Alcoholism, Bullying, Death, Grief, and Murder
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