Barb the Last Berzerker
by Dan Abdo, Jason PattersonPublished by: Simon Schuster Books for Young Readers on September 28, 2021
Genres: Middle Grade, Graphic Novel, Fantasy
Pages: 256
Format: Hardcover
Source: Publisher
Rating:
She-Ra and the Princesses of Power
meets Dav Pilkey’s Dog Man in this sidesplitting graphic novel about a young Berzerker who has to rescue her fellow warriors from the evil villain Witch Head before he destroys the world!Barb is a Berzerker, one of a group of warriors sworn to protect the land of Bailiwick from the scourge of monsters that plagues it. But the fearsome crew seem to have met their match in the nefarious Witch Head. Using power from his magical sword, he tricked the Zerks and took them captive. Only Barb was able to escape—and she took Witch Head’s Shadow Blade with her.
Now it’s up to Barb to free her fellow warriors so they can stop Witch Head from taking over Bailiwick. On the way, she’ll battle vampire goat fiends, snot goblins, and a giant with serious foot odor issues (but don’t mention that to him—he’s very sensitive about it). Luckily, she’s got her best friend, Porkchop the yeti, to help her.
But the power of the Shadow Blade has a mind of its own, and the deeper Barb gets into her quest, the harder it is to keep the blade’s awesome power under control.
Content Tags:
Perfect for readers who want:
- Graphic novels with colorful, engaging pictures.
- A hero story along the lines of classic shows like He-Man and She-Ra.
- Except, you know, with a girl protagonist!
- A magical sword with some pretty interesting powers (and some yet to be discovered).
- Lots of different monsters and challenges to overcome.
- Very funny scenes with an overall light-hearted action atmosphere.
Many thanks to Simon Schuster Books for Young Readers and TBR & Beyond Tours for a copy in exchange for an honest, unbiased review.
I’m always up to try new graphic novels, because the kids at the library just love them. (I mean, I do, too, so that works out nicely, I think.) I’m always on the lookout for something that I think the kids will enjoy, and Barb caught my eye, partly because the art feels nostalgic and familiar as far as being similar to shows that I grew up watching on TV. Partly because the hero gets to be a little girl, which is something I didn’t see very often on TV growing up, so I thought it was really neat!
Barb the Last Berzerker is a colorful, engaging adventure filled with lots of quests, battles, an evil sword, monsters of all shapes and sizes, funny situations, and an endearing struggle for Barb to find who she is as a berzerker.
I had a lot of fun with this book! My only real complaint is that the plot felt a little disjointed and episodic to me, rather than flowing all together. However, I don’t think the target audience will actually mind (or even notice) that as much as I did, and it matches the style of the books this one is comped to, so it’s a minor gripe on my part!
Barb is a really fun protagonist that I think middle grade readers will not only relate to but also just have fun questing with.
Barb’s tired of being treated like a kid by the other barbarians . . . but then when she sets out on her own quest, she’s also not entirely sure what she’s doing, either. Evil sword, blah blah blah, slay monsters, yada yada, save the day. Sure, easy-peasy. Except for, you know, the evil sword and slaying monsters and all that. I loved the fact that Barb could be confident in her abilities but not always sure whether she was making the right decisions. Such a relatable thing for any age!
Barb gets swept up into some pretty exciting quests . . . and with a monster sidekick, too!
There’s something almost Odyssey-like about Barb’s journey. She’s got the overall quest from the beginning of the book, but then she’s waylaid by all these little quests that pop up along the way. They take her to some pretty dark, spooky places and pit her against a variety of different monsters. It was fun seeing all the different things she’d get up to and never knowing where the story would take her next!
Plus, see that big blue guy down there? Yup, that’s Porkchop, and he’s a yeti. But also Barb’s friend. It’s a bit complicated. Especially when you take into account that berzerkers are kind of supposed to kill monsters like Porkchop. I really appreciated the nuance in this, where Barb starts to question everything she’s been taught because “that’s how things are done.” Even though the book isn’t really about her personal growth, there’s quite a bit of it, and she really grows into herself by the end of this book. Plus, she assembles a rather unusual squad of characters to aid her on this quest, and I’m looking forward to seeing where the next book takes them!
More than anything, this book is just plain funny, and I think especially younger middle grade readers will appreciate the on-the-nose sort of humor.
Not gonna lie, there were definitely moments where it caught me, too. It’s the type of humor that can be enjoyed at any age, really, but the sort that especially middle grade readers seem to love. Also, any fans of Avatar: The Last Airbender might recognize the “cabbage guy” trope in this book with the poor gentleman selling sausages who just can’t seem to catch a break. That sort of humor gets me every time! I just can’t help it.
About Dan Abdo
Dan Abdo and Jason Patterson are long-time partners, best friends and co-creators of the animated comedy series Rocket Monkeys. Their credits also include developing shows for Disney, Sesame Workshop, Fox, and Nickelodeon, not to mention directing lots and lots of animated commercials!
You can find the full tour schedule here.
September 27th
Nine Bookish Lives – Top 5 Reasons to Read Barb the Last Bezerker
Confessions of a YA Reader – Promo Post
Rajiv’s Reviews – Review
September 28th
SubtleBookish – Interview & Top 5 Reasons to Read Barb the Last Berzerker
Twirling Book Princess – Review
September 29th
The Book Dutchesses – Promo Post
The Tattooed Librarian – Review & Top 5 Reasons to Read Barb the Last Berzerker
Justice For Readers – 15 Reactions While Reading Barb the Last Berzerker
September 30th
Stuck in Fiction – Promo Post
Jen Jen Reviews – Review
October 1st
TBR and Beyond – Promo Post
DJREADSBOOKS – Top 5 Reasons to Read Barb the Last Berzerker
The Bookwyrm’s Den – Review
October 2nd
Kait Plus Books – Interview
The Reader’s Game – Review & Mood Board
October 3rd
Fangirl Pixie Books – Promo Post
The Nutty Bookworm Reads Alot – Review
The Momma Spot – Review
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