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Sanity & Tallulah #1

Sanity & Tallulah

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Sanity Jones and Tallulah Vega are best friends on Wilnick, the dilapidated space station they call home at the end of the galaxy. So naturally, when gifted scientist Sanity uses her lab skills and energy allowance to create a definitely-illegal-but-impossibly-cute three-headed kitten, she has to show Tallulah. But Princess, Sparkle, Destroyer of Worlds is a bit of a handful, and it isn't long before the kitten escapes to wreak havoc on the space station. The girls will have to turn Wilnick upside down to find her, but not before causing the whole place to evacuate! Can they save their home before it's too late?

Readers will be over the moon for this rollicking space adventure by debut author Molly Brooks.

240 pages, Hardcover

First published October 16, 2018

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About the author

Molly Brooks

16 books57 followers
Molly Brooks currently writes and illustrates the Sanity & Tallulah graphic novel series (Disney-Hyperion, 2018-). She also did the artwork for Flying Machines: How the Wright Brothers Soared by Alison Wilgus (First Second, 2017), and her shorter comics and assorted illustrations have appeared in a variet of publications including the Guardian, the Nib, the Boston Globe, the Nashville Scene, Kazoo Magazine, BUST Magazine, ESPN social, Sports Illustrated online, and others.

Molly lives and works in Brooklyn, where she spends her spare time watching vintage buddy-cop shows and obsessively documenting her cats.

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5 stars
706 (30%)
4 stars
946 (41%)
3 stars
489 (21%)
2 stars
112 (4%)
1 star
32 (1%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 404 reviews
Profile Image for La Coccinelle.
2,254 reviews3,565 followers
December 29, 2018
Sanity & Tallulah seemed like it should check all the boxes for me. But, due to a number of factors, I ended up not enjoying this one very much at all.

First, this is a graphic novel that really needs to be read in a larger format. I read the e-book on my laptop, and even then, I couldn't clearly see some of the pictures or read all the text without zooming in. This would be impossible to read on something like a Kindle. It doesn't help that the actual innards of the book only use a couple of colours (navy and dull red). Sometimes it was difficult to make out what I was looking at. (It's always disappointing when the cover promises something other than what you actually get. I might have liked this a bit more--and been able to see it better--if it had been in full colour like the cover.)

Second, I'm not a fan of the way the punctuation was used. Question marks versus periods were used not so much to differentiate between questions and statements, but to indicate inflection. Unfortunately, a lot of those characters are the kind of people who make everything sound like a question, making their voice go up at the end of every sentence. So there are question marks everywhere. I was not a fan.

Third, I didn't really like the way the book couldn't decide whether or not the adults were stupid or smart. When things started to go really wrong on the station, there were engineers and specialists running around all over the place trying to find the source of the problem. It wasn't until the girls found the problem (in a place that seemed like a really obvious place to start looking, given the situation) that the plan for saving the station could be put into place. I thought that was kind of stupid. On the other hand, some of the adults were also portrayed as capable, loving parents, which is a nice change from some middle grade books where parental involvement is almost nonexistent.

The main problem I had with this book, however, was simply that it was boring. The plot was quite thin, and it seemed like there was quite a bit of filler. (Searching for the escaped mutant cat took up way too much of the first part of the book, in my opinion.) There were some fun touches like the taffimatter (no matter how scientifically implausible it might be), duct weasels, and plums that could power light bulbs, but there weren't nearly enough of those kinds of things to hold my interest. I honestly thought I might DNF this one because I was just so bored.

A science fiction graphic novel for middle graders featuring two young girls as the main characters sounds like it should be great. Unfortunately, it wasn't... and I'm just glad I'm done.
Profile Image for Dan.
230 reviews168 followers
October 30, 2018
So delightful! Two best friends on a space station try to prevent the entire thing from falling apart, which may or may not be their own fault. There are hints at a larger, unexplored universe of space station-type activities going on, which I really enjoyed. What is all this science for? What are they protecting themselves against? Who built the station originally, and why? Of course, there's also great character moments and humor.

I would have devoured this when I was younger -- ok, I still devoured it now. The story reminded me very strongly of the Disney Channel Original Movie: Zenon, Girl of the 21st Century.

The art here is spectacular as well! I felt it captured the variety of emotions very well, from the funny moments to the frightening ones.

This is the first book I've read specifically to prepare for the store, and I couldn't have gotten off to a better start! Excited to start sharing it.

(edit: I also couldn't have had more typos and grammatical mistakes. WOW.)
Profile Image for Skye Kilaen.
Author 18 books355 followers
May 25, 2019
Girl BFFs on a space station! A bio-engineered three-headed kitten called Princess Sparkle Destroyer of Worlds! A diverse cast! Action and adventure! Seriously, it's an amazing middle grade story that this adult enjoyed thoroughly. I had read a couple of self-published short-stories about these gal pals, and I was so delighted to see a full-length graphic novel. Hoping for more, especially because the worldbuilding here is intriguing.
Profile Image for orangerful.
952 reviews50 followers
December 18, 2018
This book is adorable! Two BFFs that live in a space station that get into trouble when one's science experiment gets a little out of hand. The experiment? Well, I won't spoil that for you, but it is both cute and terrifying.

It reminded me of an episode of 'Star Trek' but for kids. I can't wait to read the further adventures of these two girls.
Profile Image for Dena McMurdie.
Author 4 books135 followers
December 10, 2018
Anyone that tells you that graphic novels are not sophisticated should read this book. It's a science fiction story about two girls that live on a space station. Sanity has "grown" her own three-headed kitten, but when her pet escapes, the station starts malfunctioning. She and Tallulah put on their sleuthing hats to find the kitten and determine what is causing all the trouble.

I was a little surprised at the turn this book took. I thought it was going to be the outer-space equivalent of Ellie Engineer or Junie B. Jones. It's quite different--and that's not a bad thing.

Besides having well-developed characters and an interesting storyline, there are new vocabulary words and several interwoven storylines that offer an immersive and complex experience for the reader.

My only complaint about the book is that sometimes the storyline could be difficult to follow, either because of the advanced vocabulary or the illustrations didn't clearly show what was happening. But that only happened two or three times in the book. Other than that, I found it an enjoyable and interesting science-fiction novel that kids will like.

My ten-year-old has read it several times and really likes it. She keeps coming back to this book because she loves sci-fi and graphic novels, even though some of this book is probably over her head.

Content: Two mild curse words, adventure action, and suspense. Movie rating would be PG.

Source: The publisher sent me a copy of this book.
Profile Image for destiny ♡ howling libraries.
1,882 reviews6,115 followers
December 4, 2022
This was adorable! I love cats anyways, so of course I adored Princess Sparkles, Destroyer of Worlds, but I also really loved Sanity & Tallulah, and their parents. Tallulah is such a mischievous little trouble-maker, her mom is firm but very loving, and Sanity is absolutely brilliant and a total superhero! I wish we'd spent more time with Sanity's dad, because he was great, too—and I wish we'd gotten more backstory on Tallulah's dad, since he's apparently famous or something but I don't think we were told why. I thought this was such a fun graphic novel and I definitely recommend it for anyone who enjoys MG graphic novels or has a kid in their life who needs a fun new adventure to enjoy.

Representation: Sanity and her dad are Black, multiple side characters are BIPOC

Content warnings for:

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Profile Image for Ms. Woc Reader.
663 reviews862 followers
April 2, 2020
At first I was declined for this story then the original file had a glitch and upon realizing they sent their apology email to those who were not approved Disney publishing approved me and those other recipients for this arc. I'm quite happy they approved me because this graphic novel was a fun delight for the young and young at heart. I could easily see this being turned into a Disney XD show. First I'd like to commend them on the diverse cast which includes two young co-leads one of whom is black and the other half latina. Sanity is a young girl who's skills in Stem are advanced for her age. Just the kind of lead our young girls need to inspire them. Tallulah though not quite as tech savvy provides much needed support and is always quick to help her best friend. And the sci fi aspects with the space station setting were just an added bonus to this tale. Can't wait to purchase it for my young niece.
Profile Image for Sam (she_who_reads_).
739 reviews17 followers
December 19, 2018
This is one of the cutest graphic novels I’ve read all year! Packed full of adventure, danger, and a lot of laughs- I enjoyed every minute of reading this! Sanity and Tallulah are great characters, and I loved that Tallulah was a total badass scientist! Also this graphic novel is super diverse, which is always appreciated. I would absolutely recommend this to any graphic novel reader, regardless of age!
Profile Image for Zayda Love (Babybibliophile).
72 reviews39 followers
May 19, 2018
Sanity and Tallulah are best friends living on a satelite in space. Without permisson they create a life form that gets loose aboard the ship. It ends up causing chaos and the two best friends must find it before it's too late!

I loved the illustrations in this book and how well they went with the story. This book was a wonderful, fun read and I highly recommend it!
Profile Image for Carrie.
154 reviews11 followers
November 14, 2018
The most endearing element of Sanity and Tallulah’s adventures that I’ve enjoyed from them before their big book debut is that these girls always save the day and I’m glad to report that very theme has transitioned over from the zine format to graphic novel format without losing any of that awesome message–not that I had any doubt!

Best Friends, Mad Science

The girls remain curious, bright inquiring minds that are growing up in a place that’s unfamiliar to most of us: a space station yet they are soaking up everything they observe, learn and happen to uncover while exploring. Granted, Sanity is the more reserved, more level-headed out of the two while Tallulah is the more spontaneous, happy go lucky type the two best friends compliment each other well and together they are the dream team that wins our hearts over by the end of the book. It is so important to see girls centered in narratives that involve S.T.E.M. minded activities and circumstances. It is so important to see girls centered in narratives located in space located in the science fiction genre which may very well have been started by a woman, a teen girl at that but hasn’t always been kind to women.

And I can’t stress how important it is to see girls of color centered in diverse narratives that present them as important! This book features our dear Sanity Jones who is Black and her BFF Tallulah Vega-Davisson who is biracial with a Latinx mother and a white father. I was so stoked to see the girls’ world expanded to include some of their families which make up a superb support cast with Sanity’s father Darren a station director and Tallulah’s mother, Soledad in a similarly high ranking position. I’d be remiss to make note of Tallulah’s super chill dad Hank who has a leg prosthesis.

Read more of my review here: http://blacknerdproblems.com/sanity-t...
Profile Image for Kaethe.
6,508 reviews514 followers
May 7, 2019
The mad scientist is Sanity: that should give you a good feel. There's a lot to appreciate: the leads are a diverse group, and so are the extras, the best friends are there for each other, there's mad science, but it's not too bizarre. I really like that an adult relies on a child based on specifics, and that other adults listen and understand and accept that a child is an authority and behave accordingly. Real life is sadly full of people who expect to be given authority and respect based on age rather than actually knowing anything.
And there's a great set-up: a space station on the periphery, political or military unrest somewhere else, the suggestion that much is going on which implies a depth of world-building that isn't necessary for this story. Definitely one I will continue to follow. And I am not saying that just because Brooks wrote an utterly unrelated valentine to hockey that I can strongly relate to.

Quality mix of STEM and pop culture, good balance of stakes and humor, a future worth looking forward to. It has the potential for broad readership and I hope it finds it.

Library copy
Profile Image for Raina.
1,662 reviews152 followers
August 21, 2019
There's a new adventury duo on the scene!
This was really good!

Sanity and Tallulah live on a space station. Sanity gets some extra privileges in the labs and has done some less than sanctioned experiments which may or may not lead to a whole book worth of trouble.

I loved all the twisty turny adventure, diverse cast, and surprises.

The illustrations were effective and readable, and I liked the color treatment.

Looking forward to hearing more from these characters and this world.
...Preeeety sure I'll be booktalking this in Elementary schools in 2020.
Profile Image for Laura.
2,982 reviews88 followers
September 23, 2018
This is a fun book.

Sanity, who is advanced in her understanding of science, and Tallulah, her best friend, who is not quite as in to science, have created a three headed cat, despite the fact that no animals other than humans are allowed on the space station that they live on.

Here is the three headed cat, below.



The world building is well done. The adults are not stupid to Sanity’s smarts. Everyone has a personality, and background, and although we don’t know all of it yet. It appears as though this is a first in a series, which will be fun.

This will be an excellent series, with miscivious but normal pre-teens, and exasperated parents, and bureaucracy and all the fun things that go into a good science fiction story.



Thanks to Netgalley for making this book available for an honest review.

Profile Image for Destiny Soria.
Author 3 books381 followers
July 27, 2020
Fun, funny, and sweet with tons of girl power and a 3-headed mutant cat. What's not to love?
Profile Image for Mish.
432 reviews5 followers
January 5, 2019
A very cute story about a small science project gone wrong...in space. Sanity and Tallulah are smart for their age, one in science and the other in mischief. This is, of course, a combination often seen on earth but man, these gals are in Space! So, of course, the science project is found out and then everything keeps on getting worse. And it is up to the girls to figure out how to save the day.
I really liked this story. Very cute, smart, and on point. Sciency but not too hard to follow and well-done. Kids take the lead in both accidentally creating the problem, but also helping find a solution, and are treated well by the adults, who also recognize the talent and intelligence the girls have and let it shine.
Profile Image for USOM.
2,934 reviews276 followers
October 11, 2018
This graphic novel will charm the socks off of you. I want posters of this, pins, and sequels. Not in that order though because I need to know there will be more before I lose my mind over the merchandise for this. Seriously new mega fan here. Where do I even begin? Do I start with the adorable friendship between our main characters? Or the diversity in the details? Or the fact that this middle grade graphic novel celebrates strong families, intelligent female scientists, and imagination?

full review: https://utopia-state-of-mind.com/revi...
Profile Image for Leanne.
286 reviews18 followers
December 7, 2018
Ugh this was so cute! I loved it! I did get a bit lost with all the science talk, because I'm not great with science, but it was such an enjoyable book. The art is adorable, all the characters were well written and relatable, and I was surprised by the twist! I didn't see that coming! I definitely recommend this to anyone looking for a cute, easy read.
Profile Image for Jess (freaks over books).
260 reviews33 followers
December 15, 2018
This was a cute little comic, the two main characters are very adorable and I enjoyed the setting, the story itself was just ok for me, but I can appreciate it for what it was. The sci-fi/mystery aspect set in Space was fun, and I liked the illustrations as well.
Profile Image for Courtney.
493 reviews6 followers
March 10, 2019
Sanity Jones and her best friend Tallulah Vega live on the space station Wilnick on the edge of the galaxy. Sanity is a gifted scientist and Tallulah is always eager to make a little mischief. So when Sanity decides to make herself a pet, she goes all out. The three-headed kitten, Princess Sparkle Destroyer of Worlds, is a healthy mix of mad science and adorableness. Princess Sparkle Destroyer of Worlds is the perfect pet for a couple of preteen girls in space until their parents find out. Apparently doing unsupervised science experiments that create whole new species is frowned upon. Sanity is grounded and her new pet is moved to a supervised holding cell for observation. But when her kitten escapes from the lab and the whole space station starts to malfunction, Sanity and Tallulah take it upon themselves to find the kitten before anyone else can. This reads like an episode of Star Trek for kids with adventure, humor, and heart mixed with a little bit of science.

This is a graphic novel drawn in pinks and dark blues but the choice not to use full color illustrations does not detract from the book. The diversity of the characters is a nice touch especially for a book with such a strong science-minded female lead. This graphic novel is perfect for fans of Zita the Spacegirl or older fans of Ivy and Bean, but anyone who loves a good science fiction adventure should enjoy their time spent with Sanity and Tallulah.
Profile Image for Alicea.
651 reviews16 followers
December 29, 2018
Sanity & Tallulah by Molly Brooks is a middle grade graphic novel about two little girls living on a space station on the fringes of populated space. These two best friends are polar opposites. Sanity is a gifted scientist who is more often than not working diligently at her homework or brainstorming her newest lab project. Tallulah, on the other hand, is a mediocre student (at best) and a champion mischief maker (the best). After Sanity's latest science project (a three-headed creature) gets loose, the two girls are desperate to clear the animal's name as technical failures and disasters of all kinds begin happening at an alarming rate. There's a race against the clock to find the creature and save all life as they know it on the space station. This story is all about the bonds of friendship...and what happens if you don't properly follow safety protocols when docking your ship at a space station. My opinion: I don't know if it's because I read this one right after Space Dumplins but I found it very similar in tone and content and therefore not altogether that interesting. Additionally, the illustrations were good but weren't nearly as stunning as the aforementioned Space Dumplins. I couldn't give it more than a 4/10.
Profile Image for Tonia.
32 reviews
May 23, 2020
Sanity & Tallulah written and illustrated by Molly Books is a science fiction graphic novel featuring the adventures of two girls, Sanity and Tallulah, who live on a space station. The book is very heavy in science terms but the graphic novel format is helpful for readers who are not as strong or not knowledgeable of the terms. Sanity and Tallulah’s mom are written as very intelligent, strong independent characters who can solve any problem. This book will appeal to 4-8th grade audience especially those that enjoy science fiction.

As someone who is not a science fiction fan, I have mixed feelings on the book overall. I had originally purchased for my child as it featured science-loving girls on adventures. I was really hoping to like it more than I did...hello high expectations! However, there are so many great things to like about the book that cause me to bump the rating: main character (Sanity) is a girl of color who is very intelligent, shows a strong friendship among girls, does not deal with boy relationships (which is a common complaint I hear in the 4-6th grade girls), shows that girls get stuff done, diverse characters in very positive light, all wrapped up in an engaging story.
Profile Image for Abby Johnson.
3,373 reviews342 followers
Read
November 25, 2018
Ohhh this was a fun one! Sanity and Tallulah are two best friends aboard a space station. Sanity is super into science and when her science project - a bioengineered three-headed kitten named Princess Sparkle Destroyer of Worlds - escapes and starts wreaking havoc on the ship, Sanity and Tallulah know they have to find her before the adults find her or who knows what will happen to her. But is the strange (and potentially life-threatening) stuff happening on the ship all due to a tiny kitten? Can Sanity & Tallulah get to the bottom of things before their home is irreparably damaged?

This is a fun and witty graphic novel featuring two strong girl characters having a fast-paced adventure. It reads like a captivating cartoon in the best way possible. I would hand this to fans of Hilo by Judd Winick or any middle grade readers looking for space capers or strong girl characters.
Profile Image for Fenja.
47 reviews12 followers
November 19, 2018
Finished this in nearly one sitting. It was my first ever Graphic Novel and the absolute cutest thing I've read in a while.
Not only was it super cute, it was also really adventurous and exciting and a real page turner! I LOVED all of the science and the jokes and diversity of the characters! It was just perfect!
My favourite thing about this had to be the parents/kids representations. That was just so amazing and I think I need a reread to write down all of the important life lessons this book contains ❤
Profile Image for Child960801.
2,388 reviews
August 17, 2019
This is fun graphic novel about two friends who are living on a space station and who’s science project causes a whole lot of trouble. I love so many things about this book! The art is beautiful. I love the world building. There are so many details that are given with just a side comments or pictures. There is a lot of diversity in this book as well. The adults in this book are neither mean nor incompetent. Characters actions make sense and when someone is wrong, they admit it and grow. I absolutely want to read more of these. Excellent.
Profile Image for Blue.
1,174 reviews54 followers
June 25, 2019
A whacky, zany, action-packed adventure in space. Well, OK, more like two friends get in a lot of trouble by creating lovable kitten with three heads in secret in a space station. But worry not, they are kick-ass girls who will get to the bottom of the mysterious thing or things that are chewing away at the stations vital organs (it can't possibly be the tiny little kitten, can it?!)

Recommended for those who like knitting, utility tunnels, and very angry parents.
Profile Image for Meredith Spidel.
Author 6 books44 followers
July 6, 2018
This books captivates kiddos because it has such an incredible creative plot! Life on a space station and conducting your own scientific experiments as a kid? How could my son not love this?! Thanks to Disney for sending us an ARC for review. It's tricky to find books that grab his attention, so this was a win!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 404 reviews

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