In the first line of the acknowledgements page of Toonopolis: Gemini author Jeremy Rodden thanks his family and “especially” his mother. I would also like to thank Jeremy’s mother. I have a feeling she's a pretty cool lady. I think she probably let Jeremy watch cartoons and movies, let him play video games, and encouraged him to read anything he could get his hands on. I suspect he still does all of those.Jeremy is a scholar of imaginary worlds and he knows that in those worlds anything goes. He's filtered that scholarly knowledge through his crazy (I don't mean that in a bad way) brain and given us this great book.
Jeremy's cartoon world is meticulously detailed and terrifically humorous. From the moment you enter Toonopolis with the book’s protagonist, Gemini, you begin a journey like no other. Every character you meet will remind you of someone in a movie, book, cartoon, comic book, video game, or even a family member or friend, but they will also have a unique quality that only Jeremy can assign to them.
A young man, Gemini, is unsure of who he is and what he’s doing in a strange place called Toonopolis. His memories are lost. He can’t remember anything that happened before this moment but he knows something just isn’t quite right. The book follows Gemini on his quest to find out who he is and what he’s doing there. Along the way he makes many great friends and a few enemies. What’s a great adventure without enemies, right?
Toonopolis is indeed a strange place full of fascinating characters. By "characters” I mean, cartoon characters. Gemini realizes he’s a cartoon character himself, but he has a feeling there’s a real Gemini in the real world. He needs to find a way to make sense of all this while living in a very non-sensical world.
As the quest unfolds, the characters travel from one section of Toonopolis to another; each as unique as the characters in the book. A description of Supercity, a comic book section, is spot on:
“Supercity looked like the drawings in a comic book. All the building lines were very sharp and outlined in black. It also seemed to him if he focused on one building or one vehicle in the street that it would become more brightly colored while the scenery in the background became duller.”
The action, the comedy, the quest, the characters themselves, and the unique sections of Toonopolis make this a terrific book. But wait! There’s more. Jeremy has an intimate understanding of how the cartoon world works and he's happy to share the details with you. Want to find out how cartoon characters can just pull random items out of thin air? Want to know why they don’t fall to a horrible death when they run off a cliff? All will be revealed as you read this book.
Toonopolis: Gemini is a classic tale of adventure, friendship, determination and honor told in a Bugs Bunny, Roger Rabbit, Groucho Marx sort of way! You’ll love it!
Before I go, I want to acknowledge the terrific illustrations by Cami Woodruff. You'll find it hard not to skip ahead to the next chapter just to see what Cami's done next!
Until next time... stay cool!
Martha
Visit Jeremy Rodden here.
Purchase Toonopolis: Gemini here. For pre-teens to 100+
Jeremy on Twitter: @toonopolis
Toonopolis Facebook Page is here.
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