Masterpiece Robot

A child ofVietnamese immigrants, FRANK TRA proudly calls Wichita, Kansas home. Frankattended the University of Kansas to wrestle and write comic books. Whilethere, he also earned a Doctorate in Pharmacy. He has been a cancerpharmacist for the last ten years. Frank's writing credits include two graphicnovels and several comic books. Masterpiece Robot is his first children's book.Dr. Tra resides in a quiet neighborhood with his wife, Katy, and their sixchildren: Amber, Laura, Roman, Molly, Tommy, and Isaac. He spends hisspare time writing, fishing, and coaching his high school wrestling team. Rebecca Evans worked for nine years as an artist and designer before returning to her first love: children’s book illustration and writing. Her books include Someday I’ll Fly; Friends in Fur Coats; The Shopkeeper’s Bear; Naughty Nana; Mei Ling in China; Finding the Speed of Light (starred review, Kirkus); and Alone Like Me (starred review, Kirkus). She lives in Maryland with her husband and four young children, teaches art at the Chesapeake Center for the Creative Arts, and works from her home studio whenever time permits. Rebecca’s boundless imagination enjoys free rein at www.rebeccaevans.net.

"Comic-book action, an innocent backyard, and four siblings with wild imaginations combine to create an adventurous afternoon. A girl of mixed Asian/white descent named Laura heads out into the front yard with her little sister, Molly, to help rake leaves. But Laura has a secret identity—Masterpiece Robot—and so do her siblings. To them, the outside world offers exciting perils and the potential for adventure. Each vivid, dynamically illustrated spread splits into comic-book panels that alternate between brightly colored reality and a somber comic-book world in which Masterpiece Robot and Sidekick (Molly) battle the Ferocious Valerie Knick-Knack, an older sister, with the help of their brother, Lord MekMek. The children crash and smash through piles of leaves in a sci-fi battle with spaceships, blasters, and robot parts as our heroes try to save the world. Humorous text, split between dialogue and narrative in a manner typical of comic books, asks, "Will the world as we know it become forever shrouded in despair, misery, early bedtimes, and extra servings of vegetables?" Family, imagination, and the endless possibilities of outdoor play intersect at the core of this lively, memorable story, written by a Vietnamese-American graphic novelist. This story neatly celebrates the dailiness of a diverse family and the magic of togetherness in the face of all kinds of adventure. (Graphic fiction. 7-11)"