Gordon: Bark to the Future!

April 1, 2018

Gr 1-4-This latest spin-off from the "Binky" series, which centers on an imaginative cat who thinks he's an astronaut as he explores space (the backyard) and battles aliens (insects), focuses on Gordon the dog, Binky's companion and a fellow member of Pets of the Universe Ready for Space Travel (P.U.R.S.T.). In this installment, aliens have invaded, P.U.R.S.T. is incommunicado, and Binky and friends are incapacitated. Now it's up to Gordon to save the day. He decides to use his new invention to travel back in time to a few days ago and prevent the invasion. However, he ends up five years in the past, and his troubles only get more complicated. The tale has the same visual humor and funny narration that endeared readers to the "Binky" books, but Gordon is a strong hero in his own right. Initially he tries to solve his problems the way his friends would, but he learns that their strengths are not his. Spires once more offers strong writing, and her adorable and quirky cartoon illustrations are well composed. VERDICT Sure to please fans of the "Binky" graphic novels while drawing in new ones.-Rachel Forbes, Oakville Public Library, Ont.

Copyright 2018 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

March 1, 2018
Can a trip back in time save Pets of the Universe Ready for Space Travel and the humans they protect from being overrun?Agent Gordon is usually the pup on the spot when P.U.R.S.T. needs tech help--not combat--but it appears he is the only agent left. His partner, Binky the Space Cat, has been captured. The P.U.R.S.T. commander has been trapped...and the humans in Gordon's space station (depicted as an ordinary suburban house) have been chased away by aliens (dastardly flies). Gordon needs a technological fix, so he uses a prototype time machine to travel back five days to stop the invasion. However, a nefarious alien (a literal bug in the machinery) changes the setting, and Gordon goes back five years. He can't change anything, or the ramifications for the future could be catastrophic. He can't leap forward because he's out of fuel; he needs the help of P.U.R.S.T....but five years ago, dogs were the enemy. How's a dog gonna save the future? Spires' second post-Binky graphic tale in her ongoing series is wry, dry, and adorable. As always, the animal characters do not speak, but their expressions and body language (and the hilariously deadpan narration) tell the tale across the small panels drawn in muted tones. Newcomers to P.U.R.S.T.'s human fan club will want to start at the Binky-beginning when done.As Gordon would think: more fun than a game of ball. (Graphic fiction. 6-11)

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April 15, 2018
Grades 2-4 Tragedy has struck space dog Gordon's space station (house). An alien invasion (bug infestation) has taken his feline partner, Binky, hostage and chased off his humans. Even the P.U.R.S.T. (Pets of the Universe Ready for Space Travel) headquarters appears to have been compromised, leaving it up to Gordon to save the day. Knowing he can't fight the aliens single-pawed, he resorts to a risky course of action?using his (untested!) time machine to stop the invasion before it starts. Unfortunately, Gordon goes back in time too far, without enough allofuzzium (fuel) to return home. What's a time-traveling space pup to do? As the clock ticks down and the mishaps pile up, Gordon doggedly endeavors to save his friends. Spires ramps up the laughs with Gordon's melodramatic reactions, which are perfectly portrayed in the energetic artwork. Details within the paneled scenes add new layers of humor, and the abundant sound effects (scrush, scroosh, snarfle) will get kids' senses firing. This second P.U.R.S.T. adventure is ridiculous in the best way and sure to be a crowd-pleaser.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2018, American Library Association.)

January 1, 2019
Agent Gordon, introduced in Spires's Binky series, finds himself in charge during an "alien" (read: insect) invasion that has other agents of P.U.R.S.T. (Pets of the Universe Ready for Space Travel) immobilized or captured. Fighting against his canine distractibility, Gordon turns to time travel--a dangerous if ultimately effective solution. This episode in the new-reader graphic-novel series has its characteristic deadpan tone, scatological humor, and high-stakes plot.

(Copyright 2019 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)