Lucy & Andy Neanderthal (Lucy & Andy Neanderthal #1)

Gr 2-5--Popular author Brown brings his fun cartoon style, often seen in his "Star Wars" adventures, to this prehistoric tale. Lucy and Andy are two Neanderthal siblings who take us through a fairly normal week (mammoth hunting, crafting tools, making clothes). At the end of each chapter, modern scientists on an archaeological dig at their cave provide factual commentary. The last chapter and author's note include a time line and more information about the world of the Neanderthals. With his extensive research and these notes, Brown has created a graphic novel that is as much nonfiction as fiction, containing historical context and a lovely fictional story with siblings, crushes, and other adventures. The resulting blend is sure to draw reluctant readers and send some students scurrying for more in-depth material. Kids will learn a great deal about the Neanderthals while laughing their way through the story. Brown demonstrates a depth of knowledge of the subject, with a few winking anachronisms.

Brown's (the Jedi Academy series) episodic graphic novel about a clan of Neanderthals starts out low-key enough, as goofy Andy, his much smarter sister Lucy, and other children bicker over tool-making and food-gathering. (After debating mammoth-hunting options, they settle on "the usual," i.e. "Chase one down and stab it until it stops moving.") Two archaeologists pop up at the end of each chapter to demonstrate how the objects that Lucy and Andy use and make--their tools, the bones they chew on, even their teeth--reveal information about their lives. The female Neanderthal bones show just as much wear and tear as the males, the scientists point out; they may have done the same kinds of work. Hints sprinkled throughout about a lost spear and missing mammoth meat build to a climax as Andy and Lucy's group encounters a smoother, more sophisticated, and possibly menacing group of humans. Readers with an interest in fossil discoveries won't be able to put this down, while those who have never given cave life a thought may find themselves with a new interest. Ages 8-12. Agent: Marc Gerald, Agency Group. (Aug.)