Lunch Lady and the Cyborg Substitute

BIBLIOGRAPHY
Krosoczka, Jarrett J. 2009. Lunch Lady and the Cyborg Substitute. New York: Alfred A. Knopf. ISBN-10: 0375846832 ISBN-13: 978-0375846830

PLOT SUMMARY
Lunch Lady, who is a secret crime fighter, and her assistant Betty do more than just serve up lunch. When a favorite teacher, who has never missed a day of work, is taken ill and replaced with a creepy substitute, Lunch Lady knows something is just not right. With three curious students, her assistant Betty and her assortment of crime fighting gadgets, Lunch Lady will serve up lunch while saving the school form the Cyborg Substitute. HIIYAAAH!

CRITICAL ANALYSIS
Lunch Lady and the Cyborg Substitute is a graphic novel targeted towards a younger audience, but will be enjoyed by adults as well. The story is easy to follow and predictable but wonderful for engaging young children, especially ones who don’t like to read.

The drawings are fun and the gadgets are hysterical. Who wouldn’t want to see a yellow-gloved lunch lady using fish-stick nunchucks, a spatu-copter, boomerang banana, lunch-tray laptop, milk-cam and more. Here is an unusual heroine, who uses witty sayings like, “Should I serve up some whaaamburgers and cries?” while fighting the army of cyborg substitutes. Three curious students, who follow Lunch Lady, to see where she goes after work, get to see Lunch Lady in action.

There is a good lesson about bullying and how the three children, after watching Lunch Lady in action, realize that you don’t have to be big to stand up to the school bully.

The illustrations in this book were created using ink on paper and digital coloring. The Lunch Lady’s yellow gloves were the inspiration for the only color besides black used in the illustrations. Jarrett J. Krosoczka drew each page in brush and ink and some pen. The color is done on the computer but given the look of the old printing press.

When I was teaching 6th grade there were several boys who drew cartoons. It was fun entertainment. I can see Jarrett J. Krosoczka in the boys I had and can only imagine his cartoons then. Here he has taken his hobby and turned it into a very rewarding career. I hope that the young people reading these graphic novels will be encouraged to continue with their visions. Lucky for us that Jarrett J. Krosoczka continued with his, for they are hilarious and entertaining. You will find yourself laughing out loud!

REVIEW EXCERPT(S)
Publishers Weekly
In this campy graphic novel series debut, Krosoczka (Punk Farm) introduces Lunch Lady, a scrappy, permed crime fighter with rolled-up sleeves, yellow dishwashing gloves and an apron. Down in the school's boiler room, she and her older sidekick, Betty, test gadgets (like a handheld spatula-helicopter and a banana boomerang) and keep an eye on things. Three children—Hector, Dee and Terrence—speculate about Lunch Lady's after-school life and follow her when she jumps on her moped, in hot pursuit of a suspicious substitute teacher. Krosoczka's plot is somewhat thin: the title and cover illustration announce the trouble with the sub; the only mysteries are the mastermind and motive behind the sub's deployment. Yet Krosoczka crafts Lunch Lady as a tough, capable heroine who deploys such exclamations as “Nutritious!” and bon mots like “Should I serve up some whaaamburgers and cries?” when on a robot-destroying tear. With plenty of silliness and slapstick in the text and panel art alike, this comic should alleviate lunch-line boredom with visions of servers wielding fishstick-nunchucks and growling, “Today's special is a knuckle sandwich.” Also available: Lunch Lady and the League of Librarians. Ages 7–10. (July)

Children's Literature
This book is a wonderful way to introduce mysteries to the younger child. The super detective is called the Lunch Lady and has a helper called Betty. While busily investigating a missing teacher and a strange substitute, she still finds time to make the school lunch that consists of pizza with gravy, as she likes to put gravy on many items. During her investigation she has a variety of tools at her fingertips like a spatu-copter and a lunch-tray laptop. She also uses chicken nuggets for bombs and fish sticks for nunchucks. Gee, I wonder how old and dried up they were? Three students help her in her quest to solve the mystery. Not only do the children fight for what is right, they also learn more about themselves. This is a delightful mystery with a surprise ending that will please the reader. Books written in graphic format are favorites of mine. They make it just the thing for students who are reluctant readers and never seem to finish a book on their own. They are also a wonderful way to introduce a variety of genres to young people. Young readers who want to read anything they can get their hands on will enjoy the graphics and fast-paced text. The full-color graphics make an enormous impact on the story. Lunch Lady is a colorful character, and both boys and girls will enjoy the mystery! Reviewer: Kathie M. Josephs

Kirkus Reviews
Punk Farm creator Krosoczka breaks out of picture books with this agreeably silly graphic novel for young readers. Classmates Hector, Dee and Terrence have always wondered about the Lunch Lady: What does she do when she's not making chickenpatty pizza? Tending to her many cats? Taking care of her family? After some amateur sleuthing, the kids discover that their Lunch Lady is out fighting the forces of evil, of course, with her trusty sidekick, Betty. This dynamic duo uncovers a nefarious plot hatched by a villainous teacher to overrun the school with cyborg substitutes. Backed up by Betty's ingenious arsenal of amalgamated cafeteria utensils including Spatucopter, Chicken Nugget Bombs and Lunch Tray Laptop, the two are on the case. This graphic novel alternates between boxy, regular panels and fullpage spreads, keeping readers' visual interest piqued. Filled with goofy puns and grayscale art with cheery yellow accents, this is a delightfully fun escapist read. Be sure to recommend this to fans of Captain Underpants. Publishes simultaneously with Lunch Lady and the League of Librarians (9780375946844; paper 9780375846847). (Graphic fiction. 710)

CONNECTIONS
Jarrett J. Krosoczka
http://www.studiojjk.com
Educators and librarians, for a variety of teaching tools, visit us at
www.randomhouse.com/teachers

AWARDS/HONORS
Winner 2009-Kid’s Indie Next List “Inspired Recommendations for Kids from Indi Booksellers”