Writers Pangburn and Shearer team up with cartoonist Nic Touris to tell a single story in two different ways through an intricately crafted “flip book.” Each half of the graphic novel presents the story of two siblings’ trip to Egypt from a different character’s point of view. One half follows the perspective of tween Otto, an aspiring cartoonist who draws stories featuring his own superhero characters. When the book is flipped over, it tells the story of the same Egyptian adventure from the perspective of Nan, Otto’s teenage sister who wants to be a travel blogger like her mother.

Pangburn and Shearer ingeniously weave Otto and Nan's stories together, avoiding repeated scenes while using each character’s different context and viewpoint to cleverly link the two halves of the tale. When the siblings decide to explore a tomb, Otto is tasked with tracking down the spirit of an ancient mummified cat to placate the tomb’s resident mummy, while Nan focuses on searching for the special bracelet she lost in the chaos of their hasty exit. Pangburn and Shearer smoothly integrate historical and contemporary facts about Egypt as the siblings pursue their own goals and work through their conflicts.

While each narrative is satisfying on its own, the different points of view it offers enriches the story in surprising and amusing ways—in Nan’s version of the siblings’ snorkeling trip to the Red Sea, she focuses on how Otto tripped and pushed her into the water, while Otto's version omits that event but reveals a shark Nan didn’t see. The authors’ succinct and vivid prose keep the narrative’s momentum moving briskly forward, and Touris's art is energetic and wildly expressive, giving life to chase scenes and the climactic conflict with the mummy. More than just a gimmick, the book’s novel format will enhance readers’ understanding of the siblings’ conflict and better appreciate their journey toward mutual understanding.

Takeaway: Creatively formatted graphic novel of Egyptian history and sibling relationships

Comparable Titles: Dav Pilkey’s Dog Man series; Judd Winick’s Hilo series

Production grades
Cover: A
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: A
Editing: A
Marketing copy: A