BOOK REVIEW: Snow Man and the Seven Ninjas by Matt Cosgrove

BOOK REVIEW: Snow Man and the Seven Ninjas by Matt Cosgrove

Koala Books
February 2017
Paperback, $5.00
Reviewed by Steph O’Connell

Middle Grade / Fairytale Retelling

7/10

Don’t worry! This ISN’T the story of Snow White & the Seven Dwarfs that has bored children for years.
This digusting and completely awesome retelling of the classic tale brings the story to life for a whole new generation of bloodthirsty booger hunters!

INCLUDES:

• Muscle-bound snow monsters
• Nasty ninjas
• Really rich vampires
• Evil super dudes (and super cats)

+ HEAPS MORE!!

 

The premise of this series of retellings is an interesting one. Stuck at home for the holidays with nothing to do, our narrator-of-sorts “borrows” his sister’s copy of Snow White, and decides to make some improvements. 

The end result is a story as far away from Snow White as one might possibly imagine.

Here we have a super strong and talented Snow Man, adored by the people.

Little Snow Man grew up and became bigger and hairier, and with each push-up was more muscly than before. All those who saw him marvelled at his sixpack and were certain that never before had such abdominals existed.
Surely, no act could compete with the beefcake Snow Man, they though.

Super Dude is jealous of Snow Man’s strength and fame and wants to destroy the Yeti so his mirror will stop insulting him.

‘You may have a nice sixpack,
But you also have a hairy back!
The one with abs that make me blush,
Is the young Snow Man, you toilet brush!’

And so he enlists the stunt man, to embarrass and then slay the Snow Man.

The stunt man was horrified by the super dude’s command, but he was so frightened of his powers and what he might do to the stunt man’s pet goldfish that he promised to do as ordered.

 

 

It’s not possible to take in all the levels of this book at first glance, but as you begin to read you will see how the various elements will appeal to readers of different ages. 

For the youngsters who haven’t read the originals or aren’t as familiar with them as the rest of us, it’s a sometimes gross, always silly story, sure to illicit plenty of giggles.

For the slightly older readers (and the adults) who are more well-versed in the originals, it’s an interesting new take on a classic, which can be read at face value, but can also be examined on a deeper level, comparing this tale to the original, and examining the choices Cosgrove made.

There’s a lot of silliness here, and some deliciously punny lines.

He’s so sweaty… Yeti’s so handsome!”

But upon closer reading there is a lot more here than meets the eye, and the layout of the book will likely appeal to readers of Diary of a Wimpy Kid, Tom Gates, Diary of a Minecraft Zombie, and the like.

At the introductory price of $5, this is definitely worth a shot, and I, for one, can’t wait for the second book in the series, Attack of the Giant Robot Zombie Mermaid due in May. Because what’s not to love about The Little Mermaid with a nice helping of zombies thrown into the mix?!

Category: Book Reviews, Other Reviews