When three students skip out of a school function, the principal assigns the unsuspecting trio to join the mathlete team that meets after school. In comic book format, this volume in the Lunch Lady series (not all to do with math) not only gives students a context for math (the Lunch Lady has to figure out how many cups of water to add to the powder to make scrambled eggs) it also, during competition scenes poses word problems that the students can solve. As the mathlete team from Thompson Brooks School is pitted against the team from Willowby Academy, something is up: why are they undefeated? The masked Lunch Lady does some snooping and finds something amiss. This light but enjoyable read could well trigger teachers and students to start their own mathlete teams. If teachers use the book as a read aloud and want students to calculate, problems given, they will need to read the text without showing the illustrations in order to avoid showing answer. ( )

If there is anything that a reader should take from Jarrett J. Krosoczka’s Lunch Lady series it’s this: heroes can come in unlikely forms. Krosoczka (award-winning author of Punk Farm and Max for President) has assembled perhaps one of the most unlikely of superheroes with Lunch Lady and her sidekick Betty; middle school cafeteria staff by day, seekers of vigilante justice by night. Before the main story begins, readers are treated to Lunch Lady protecting the innocent and defeating some ice cream parlor robbers.
Three children known as the “Breakfast Bunch” are in trouble for missing a field trip and as punishment are forced to join the Mathletes, a club that competes with other schools for regional mathematical prowess. Despite the Breakfast Bunch’s initial lack of enthusiasm, they soon acclimate to the group and even begin to excel at these math challenges. Their final competition is against the unbeatable Willowby Academy, winners for the last 20 years straight. This seems suspicious to the Lunch Lady, who uncovers an ugly truth at Willowby that will be spoiled by anyone that has read the title of the book.
Krosoczka’s illustrations are simple (yellow, black and white are the only colors he uses) but fun and are dynamic enough to do justice to the story’s action sequences. Any reader hoping for some light, silly fun, will be well-served by Lunch Lady. ( )

The seventh addition to the Lunch Lady graphic novel series continues to follow the adventurous lives of the Lunch Lady vigilante, her assistant, and the Breakfast Bunch, a trio of middle school friends at Thompson Brook Elementary. We join the Breakfast Bunch as they are being reprimanded for missing a Museum Field due to a previous adventure with the Lunch Lady. As their punishment, the Breakfast Bunch must join the Mathletes and compete in the mathlete championship against a rival private school. However, the Breakfast Bunch quickly realize that their competition is not who they pretend to be. The story gracefully captures the social challenges of middle school life while balancing humor and adventure. The panels consist of cartoon drawings primarily in gray scale, with splashes of neon yellow to match the Lunch Lady’s attire. Krosocza effectively uses a variety of panel designs that are accessible to new graphic novel readers while preserving artistic expression and displaying variations in panel design. This series is a great introduction to graphic novels, reading panels, and understanding the relationship between pictures and text. This would be a good recommendation for boy or girl reluctant readers and fans of the Captain Underpants and Diary of a Wimpy Kid series. This book and series is highly recommended for readers of fast paced, action packed, humorous books. (Ages 7-12) ( )

In the seventh installment of the Lunch Lady series, Lunch Lady, Betty, and the Breakfast Bunch have to take on a seemingly undefeatable team of mathletes. This volume can be enjoyed both by those who have read the rest of the series or those who are new to it.

Lunch Lady is good for transitional readers who are making the jump to chapter books. The text is supported by the images in each panel. It would be a good introduction to the form of comics and graphic novels. The balance between pictures and words as well as the small number of panels per page make it so young readers don’t get overwhelmed.

Lunch Lady is a unique protagonist in children’s comics because she’s an adult female. It’s especially unusual to see a superhero like her, since many have powers or money to help them stop crime. Lunch Lady has her friends, her own wits, and the tools of the cafeteria trade (which have some very funny) to help her save the day. The series shows children and adults working together instead of against each other, but with a sophisticated humor that shows the author’s respect for children’s tastes and intelligence. ( )

This novel is written in comic book style and I highly recommend it to children who are in that transitional stage between storybook and novel. It is an easy read full of middle school lunch room adventures that will have the child's imagination running wild. ( )