Link + Hud: Heroes by a Hair (Link & Hud, 1)

The Pumphrey Brothers are some of the best in the biz, and I’m so excited they’ve moved into this space. They crushed it! Very happy they’re making more Link and Hud books.

The Pumphrey Brothers are a magical duo. My 9yo read this book three times in a day! This mix of graphic novel and traditional chapter book format is a unique and engaging feature of this book. My 9yo summed it up as “imagination.” My only hope was the graphic novel pages would be in color (please, Publisher) so my 9yo could see himself on the pages of this book.

It had great character development and it was age appropriate. My son thought it had funny action sequences and identified with the characters!

This was a unique read for me. See, the book switches between prose and comic panels depending on what the main characters are doing. When Link and Hud are playing with their imaginations, the book is a comic book. When they are not (mostly due to getting in trouble), the book is written in prose (though there are a few illustrations still in these parts.)As it deals with two boys with active imaginations, the story is full of humor brought about by their antics. From two brothers bickering about how their games should go to driving their parents and babysitters up the wall, there is no shortage of humor and wacky situations that were just fun to read/see.

I work with reluctant readers (4th, 5th, and 6th Grade), so I’m always trying to find texts that grip them from the start and leave them wanting to find out what happens next. This book about the Dupre brothers is highly engaging, and my kids love it. It’s a combination graphic novel and chapter novel. The graphic novel portion is very nicely done, making excellent use of the format. That is, it reads like a comic book rather than a story trying to be a comic book. Of course, the chapter book part is also a fun read.I’m blown away by the talent of Jarrett and Jerome Pumphrey as their storytelling and art are incredible. I will have to pick up their other books, as their imagination seems to resonate with my students. I'm well past middle-age, but I also found the story pretty relatable and fun to follow.

I first encountered the Pumphrey brothers at the Texas Book Festival where they discussed Somewhere in the Bayou, a wonderful book for readers around the age of 7. I am glad they expanded their writing to include readers at the next age range. Link and Hud are two brothers who go on "adventures" in their imagination and take the reader along with them-- they hunt crypto creatures, battle all sorts of enemies, and try to thwart their nemesis Ms Joyce. The book is a great combination of graphic novel and regular reading. I really like this as it takes fans of the graphic into regular printed text. The stories are entertaining, age appropriate, and show great imagination (both on part of the writers and the characters). I also like that it focuses on young boys in an appropriate manner. If you have a child around the age of 9 or so (especially boys), I think they will enjoy it.

A really cute book about a couple of kids with overactive imaginations. My 11 year-old really dug it!

Our 8-year old son devoured this book in one sitting and really, really liked it. He compared it to his beloved Dav Pilkey books (Captain Underpants and Cat Kid series) and says that he would absolutely read more by this author or if this book became a series. It's a story about two brothers who have wild imaginations that take them on wacky adventures. There are pictures and comic strips scattered throughout the book, though there is more text than a strict graphic novel. The drawings are good and really funny. Our version is a sturdy hardcover of about 240 pages and the chapters are quite short. Highly recommend.