The Terrible Trio 2: The Day the Mac 'n' Cheese Ran Out product reviews

Mr Seven and Miss Eight were happy to learn that they were to review the second graphic novel about Zeb, Marge, and Barry. It is not long since they reviewed the first in the series with me, so the characters were still very familiar. The combination of adventure, superheroes, and pure silliness is a compelling draw for this age group.

Mr Seven's initial reaction was anxiety as he started reading and realised that Marge's loss of her powers could result in Zeb's being eaten. He was so upset that he refused to continue reading; a potential unhappy ending is still too much for him. Luckily, his father checked the book and then they had a chat. The result was that Mr Seven decided to be brave and read on. He was so glad that he did as the characters all lived happily ever after despite his fears. And he was also interested to find that lions enjoy mac and cheese; marinated zebra would not be nearly as good!

Miss Eight, being older, found the message of being yourself and not comparing yourself to others is particularly relevant. The story emphasizes surrounding yourself with friends that do not put you down by telling you what others can do. Celebrating your own skills and achievements is the most important thing. Zeb is already quite insecure, and Lion is so full of his own self-importance that he basically gaslights Zeb into thinking everything is his fault. Lion's insistence on being given a replacement food if he is to spare the friends is the typical attitude of a bully.

Friendship and loyalty are major themes in the story Each of the three is prepared to sacrifice him or herself for the other two. There is huge relief at the end when Marge finally regains her magical powers, and the reader finally understands why she lost them in the first place. A third major theme, of course, is that of bullying as opposed to helping your friends by restoring their confidence. Because the three friends are comfortable together, there is lots of teasing which also boosts their ability to accept and support one another.

There are some lovely touches of humour. When Zeb looks for supplies in the fridge, he finds that Marge is using it to store bouncy balls since she does not need specific materials to produce her signature dish. It is also funny that Lion stubs his paw because he is texting while crossing the road. This is a subtle reference to youngsters' addiction to their screens!

Both children enjoyed the story, although it is too long to read at one sitting and they found it difficult to find their place again. They both suggested that having chapter or similar divisions would make it more accessible. Now that they are both reading independently, this would be useful. Neither of them is into dogeared pages, while bookmarks just fall out. However, this was the only negative comment they made on an otherwise very enjoyable book. They are now looking forward to the third in the series.