Barb the Brave; Dan Abdo & Jason Patterson

Barb is a Bezerker, and in the land of Bailiwick her tribe do battle to protect themselves against terrible beasts. Being young, Barb is normally kept well away from the action but when the evil Witch Head tricks and captures her band of Bezerkers she is the only one able to escape, taking with her the legendary Shadow Blade. With yeti Porkchop by her side and with the power of the sword, Barb sets out to rescue her tribe and stop Witch Head taking over the land…

Bags of action and plenty of humour collide in this gross-out adventurous quest with a heroine who not only loves to fight but shows kindness and compassion to anyone and everyone. Vibrant pages burst with all the things children love - a fearless heroine, an evil villain, monsters, fight scenes, surprises, a powerful sword and unlikely friendships.

Barb is the kind of heroine that you are cheering for from beginning to end. The She-Ra-esque heroine has bags of heart and is courageous and determined, all of which help with overcoming many of the challenges along the way; vampire goat fiends, snot goblins, the Grub of Death and one very large monster with a very large stinky foot all need dealing with. Questing and slaying beasts is all in a day’s work for this brave and big-hearted little warrior, it is what she does best and no challenge is too much.

As much as this book is about defeating the terrible monsters in order to save the world, it is also about making friends, helping those in need, righting your wrongs and not judging people, or in this case creatures, based on their appearances - even monsters can be cool.

Ending on a cliffhanger with Barb and her ragtag alliance of creatures staring down the monster city of Maug Horn, ‘the wildest, most dangerous city in Bailiwick,’ much more lies in store and in the closing words of Barb…‘It’s gonna be so RAD!’

Sure to be a hit with graphic-novel fans.

Recommended for 7+.