Arie Kaplan

As an (obsessive (lifelong)) Jurassic Park fan, picking this up became weirdly prioritised after the birth of our little Robin. While I can't wait for him to get more responsive to my reading, I'm unsure how this could possibly hold up well to being a successful children's book alongside a successful tie-in targeting nostalgic millennials.

The Jurassic Park plotline is *really* condensed, and it feels like it focuses way more on the third act than anything. Because of that, there's not really a strong sense of arc. The writing is messy -- too wordy (and with too many big words for the LGB audience), often focusing on incidental details or ensuring every major character is fully named and established (despite mostly referring to characters by their jobs afterwards).

While, yes, I adore all things Jurassic Park -- even this -- it feels like a hastily put together project without enough care given to the story itself. The art and the IP are the two selling points, and while it's awright, it's *just* awright.

(Opinion subject to change once Robin can give me more feedback beyond just staring intently at pages or shaking his head left and right.)… (más)

Harley Quinn steals a huge diamond so that she, the Joker, and his henchman can play a game of baseball using the jewel in the place of a ball. Can Batman stop them?

I saw this cover and immediately had to read this book since I love Harley as a character. It was a bit disheartening to see she's still labeled as a "villain" here rather than her more complicated character arc, but it makes some amount sense given that this book is for young readers. Her whimsical style still comes across with the use of the diamond for a baseball game as well as her 'weapon' of choice being "glitter bombs."

It is the Batman who comes across quite badly here. He uses tear gas on a bunch of the Joker's henchman, which seem excessive for a robbery (which incidentally they weren't even a part of it as Harley acted alone). Perhaps I'm being overly sensitive, but when the news has been filled lately with overuse of force by either police or vigilantes in the name of 'protecting property,' I'm not thrilled with that being depicted in a children's book as the action of the so-called 'good guy.'

The book has a couple of the puns you'd expect from the cheesier versions of Batman. Generally speaking though, it uses fairly simple and clear language for beginning readers to work through on their own. Illustrations are colorful and fitting with the story.… (más)