Zits: Chillax

by Jerry Scott, Jim Borgman (Illustrator)

Overview

Zits jumps from the comics page to the bookshelf, and Zits: Chillax is perfect for fans of James Patterson's Homeroom Diaries as well as the Zits comic strip!

Jeremy Duncan, future rock god, is going to his first real rock concert (Gingivitis rules!) without his parents (hallelujah!) and with a mission in mind. It'll be an epic night he'll never forget.

Comics genius Stan Lee calls Zits "a comedic masterpiece."

Featuring black-and-white illustrations on every page, Zits: Chillax is based on the hit syndicated comic strip.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780062228512
Publisher:	HarperCollins Publishers
Publication date:	05/21/2013
Pages:	256
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 8.90(h) x 0.90(d)
Age Range:	13 Years

About the Author

Jerry Scott has been a professional cartoonist (aka getting paid to do a comic strip) for almost thirty years, and has been the corecipient of the National Cartoonists Society's Best Comic Strip of the Year honor four times. Sweet! In 1997 (the nineties rock!), and along with the artistic genius of Jim Borgman, Zits the comic strip was born. Jerry is a total overachiever, the recipient of many prestigious awards, which are too numerous and we're too lazy to list—just trust us, he's awesome. He's currently livin' the dream in California with his family.

Jim Borgman has been a cartoonist since kindergarten. An overachiever like Jerry, he has been voted the Best Editorial Cartoonist in America five times (whoa!), been the corecipient (with Jerry) of the Best Comic Strip of the Year Award three times, and he's won most of the top cartooning awards ever presented. Jim's cartoons have hung in some pretty serious places, like the Smithsonian, the National Archives, and various presidential libraries—and above the president of the United States' personal toilet (okay, that one's pretty cool). Jim lives in Colorado with his family.

Editorial Reviews

Perpetual teenager Jeremy Duncan has been delighting comics fans since 2007. Now he and his supporting cast of family, friends, and classmates make the great leap forward into books. In this all-new trade paperback original, he goes parent-free to a rock concert and makes several personal breakthroughs. Timely, funny, and wry.

Zits is a comedic masterpiece!

Stan Lee

Zits is plugged in and ready to rock!

Lincoln Peirce

This is crazy fun all around, with just the right degree of seriousness to anchor the levity.Fans of Zits can rejoice in this new direction.

Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books

Gr 6–9—Chillax shares the humor and heart of the popular comic strip. An engaging and fast read, the book is chock-full of the black-and-white illustrations that "Zits" enthusiasts love. Readers follow Jeremy to his very first rock concert and watch him figure out how to deal with the illness of a friend's mom, all while learning how to communicate with his girlfriend. Throughout the story, even in the more serious parts, hilarious high jinks ensue, and readers will get a kick out of Jeremy's exaggerated teenage antics, including a bedroom so messy that he does not know where his bed is, and a van that can only be started with a smelly retainer (the wires are just the right length). Although the characters drive and attend concerts, the book will appeal to a younger audience as the treatment of the more mature themes may be too shallow for older teens. Reluctant readers of all ages, however, will enjoy the book, and it's a great recommendation for kids who have graduated from "Diary of a Wimpy Kid" (Abrams) and are looking for something similar, if a bit more mature.—Sharon McKellar, Oakland Public Library, CA

School Library Journal

A hybrid graphic-and-prose novel starring Jeremy Duncan from the author and illustrator's comic strip Zits covers well-trodden ground with charm and humor. Jeremy and his good friend Hector have scored tickets to see rock gods Gingivitis in concert. Just one problem: Neither one has permission from his parents. And one more problem: Jeremy and Hector's band mate Tim's mom (aka T-Mom) has been diagnosed with cancer, and Tim will be spending the night of the concert donating bone marrow. Can Jeremy and Hector make it to the concert and bring back something meaningful for their pal Tim? Black-and-white cartoon-style drawings are interwoven seamlessly with the text. Sometimes the drawings illustrate events described in the prose, and other times action and dialogue unfold within comics panels. There's nothing groundbreaking in the narrative's frequent comic observations: Rock stars are eccentric; guys don't talk about their feelings (though maybe they should). Nevertheless, the laid-back, stand-up-comedy–esque tone is good for plenty of chuckles ("Here's a free tip: Hollering ‘Dude!' at a rock concert is about as specific as hollering ‘Mom!' at a water aerobics class"), and the resolution is warm while retaining a humorous edge. Well-executed, clean fun with a heart. (Graphic-and-prose fiction. 12 & up)

Kirkus Reviews