Low Riders in Space (Lowriders Series #1)

by Cathy Camper, Raúl the Third (Illustrator)

Overview

Lupe Impala, El Chavo Flapjack, and Elirio Malaria love working with cars. You name it, they can fix it. But the team's favorite cars of all are lowriders—cars that hip and hop, dip and drop, go low and slow, bajito y suavecito. The stars align when a contest for the best car around offers a prize of a trunkful of cash—just what the team needs to open their own shop! ¡Ay chihuahua! What will it take to transform a junker into the best car in the universe? Striking, unparalleled art from debut illustrator Raul the Third recalls ballpoint-pen-and-Sharpie desk-drawn doodles, while the story is sketched with Spanish, inked with science facts, and colored with true friendship. With a glossary at the back to provide definitions for Spanish and science terms, this delightful book will educate and entertain in equal measure.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781452143149
Publisher:	Chronicle Books
Publication date:	03/22/2023
Series:	Lowriders Series , #1
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	112
File size:	59 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.
Age Range:	1 - 12 Years

About the Author

Cathy Camper is a librarian focusing on outreach to schools and children in grades K-12. She lives in Portland, Oregon.
Raul the Third teaches classes on drawing and comics for kids at the Museum of Fine Arts and the Institute of Contemporary Art. He lives in Boston, Massachusetts.

Editorial Reviews

It's a fanciful story wonderfully illustrated by Raúl the Third's black, red and blue comic-book style drawings.

The New York Times Book Review - Héctor Tobar

"This book was created to celebrate the creativity and ingenuity of the lowrider culture."—Library Media Connection

“This buoyant graphic novel highlights lowrider culture with all the flair the subject deserves."—Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books, starred review

"Roars with high-octane energy, in both the artwork and the prose."—Common Sense Media

"A joyous, celebratory tale."—Latinos in Kid Lit

"A highly entertaining and culturally authentic romp."—Kirkus Reviews, starred review

“From the ’hood to the Hollywood Hills and the projects to the Poconos, Cathy Camper and Raúl the Third’s thrilling interstellar adventure is sure to put a smile on the face of any kid and any parent. I love Lowriders in Space!” —Davy Rothbart, author of My Heart Is an Idiot, creator of FOUND magazine, and contributor to This American Life

"A rollicking ride that’s totally cosmic and caliente. In other words, this lowrider delivers!"—Good Reads with Ronna

"Incredibly fun ."—The Planetary Society

"Check out these names: Lupe Impala. Flapjack Octopus. Elirio Malaria. Now imagine how awesome a story about characters with these names ought to be. Then double it. That’s pretty much how awesome this graphic novel is."— Gene Luen Yang, National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature

"A fantastic voyage for the ages. Your graphic novel section needs this."—Travis Jonker, 100ScopeNotes

"One of the most delightful comics to come out this year."—Brigid Alverson, Good Comic For Kids, a School Library Journal blog

"A fanciful story wonderfully illustrated by Raúl the Third."—The New York Times

"Only from the inventive mind of writer Cathy Camper could come such genius: A book for kids that has it all-kooky characters, cool cars and . . . outer space, no less! Not to mention a high-interest graphic-novel form, full of hip and hop, sure to grab the wits of the most reluctant of readers." - Megan McDonald, bestselling author of the Judy Moody and Stink series

"We need Low Riders in Space out there now. It's cool and funny and original. AND it fills a huge need for books about Latino culture."—Jon Scieszka, bestselling author of The Stinky Cheese Man

"It’s fun, it’s silly, it’s totally cool."—Amy Cheney, School Library Journal

“Lowriders in Space is a beautifully imagined graphic novel that will spark young readers’ imaginations while broadening their understanding of language. The art is inspired, the story fantastic, and together they make a truly magical tale.”—Mat Johnson, author of Incognegro and Pym

“Lowriders in Space is FAR OUT, and the illustrations are OUT OF THIS WORLD. Love this graphic novel. ¡Muy buena!”—Amy Sedaris

“Readers will rejoice in their triumph. As a celebration of Latino lowrider culture, too, it’s estellar."—Publishers Weekly, starred review

"Intricate ballpoint pen illustrations by Raul the Third could be pored over for hours."—St. Louis Post-Dispatch

"Celebrates the artistry and inventiveness that goes into modifying and customizing cars … in space!"—Geek Dad

"A fun and educational (don't tell the kids!) text for young readers."—Sense and Sensibility and Storeies

"Brings together Hispanic lowrider culture with astronomy and aeronautics for one wild ride."—Publishers Weekly

“Thanks to writer Cathy Camper’s passion for science, and Raul inventive drawings, this kid’s graphic novel about creatures (Lume Impala, El Chavo Flapjack and Elirio Malaria) who pimp their rides will make adults steal the book from children."—Entertainment Weekly, The Must List

From the Publisher

11/01/2014
Gr 4–8—Camper introduces readers to Lupe Impala, Flapjack Octopus, and Elirio Malaria, three friends who love working with cars and dream of having their own garage shop. One day they see an opportunity to achieve their goal—a car competition where the prize is a "carload of cash and a solid gold steering wheel." When they start working on a lowrider to prepare it for the competition, an out-of-this world journey begins. Through anthropomorphic characters, the author narrates a tale of friendship, teamwork, and the passion for lowriding. She incorporates astronomy to this adventure, providing readers the opportunity to familiarize with terms from both worlds. Raúl the Third's colored pencil-and-marker illustrations effectively depict images from the lowriding subculture, while including references from Mexican pop culture, such as the iconic comedian Cantiflas and Chespirito's El Chavo del Ocho. The way he alternates among full-page artwork, spreads, and non-rectangular panels works well with the story and strongly supports its visual understanding. However, although it is true that some Latinos code-switch in their conversation, the use of Spanish words didn't feel organic to the story. There is also inconsistency in the use of accents, and footnotes that point readers to phrases and word meanings are explained as "nonsense words in Spanish," when that's not necessarily the case. Lowriders in Space fills a gap of Latino graphic novels for kids, and its quirky characters and illustrations have the potential to engage children. Let's hope that future installments will have a more accurate and natural use of Spanish. A helpful glossary of astronomy and lowriding terms is appended.—Sujei Lugo, Somerville Public Library, MA

School Library Journal