Review Detail

Snoopy's Beagle Scout Tales: Peanuts Graphic Novels

Middle Grade Fiction 160

Camp Snoopy

June 01, 2024

Overall rating

4.3

Plot

4.0

Characters

4.0

Writing Style

4.0

Illustrations/Photos (if applicable)

5.0

Even though Schulz has been gone for over twenty years, his Peanuts characters are more popular than ever. Snoopy, of course, is the most endearing of his creations, and his daring exploits are highlighted in this collection of stories that combines the classic work of Shulz with new stories involving his characters. This graphic novel reminds me of the comic books my brother and I would get at the local Lawson's Dairy Store with our allowance, although the trim size is smaller and the book is sturdier. The bite size adventures are still perfect for summer reading on the porch while eating candy!

The classic 1977 Race for Your Life, Charlie Brown starts off the collection. Charlie has a hard time at camp, dealing with bullies and physical challenges. Of course, he and his friends end up in distress, and Snoopy and Woodstock come to the rescue! There is another adventure, Summer Camp, that is a bit shorter and once again contrasts Snoopy's talent and bravery with Charlie's ineptitude. There are new tales as well, and several original strips of Shulz's between chapters.

Good Points

The colors are vivid and bright, but the book does not have the bitter, inky smell that many of these books have! Robert Pope has clearly studied Shulz's style, and does a great job keeping the vintage feel of the older stories as well as making the characters modern and relevant in the newer ones.

Graphic novels seem to be the favorites of modern readers, and there is no shortage of camp stories in this format, including Smith, Tanner, and Gomez's Absolute Zeros: Camp Launchpad, Karim's Summer Vamp, LaMotte and Xu's Unhappy Camper, Gibbs and Sarkar's Spy Camp: The Graphic Novel, Mercado's Chunky Goes to Camp, Gardner's Long Distance and Brosgol's Be Prepared. If you have a young readers lucky enough to go to a summer camp, Snoopy's Beagle Scouts would be a great book to hide away in the camper's duffle as a special surprise. Who knows? Maybe you will get a stylish lanyard in return.