Toy Academy: Some Assembly Required (Toy Academy #1) (1) - Hardcover

Brian Lynch is a screenwriter whose work includes the movies The Secret Life of Pets, Minions, Puss in Boots, and Hop. He has also written the comic books Monster Motors, Bill & Ted’s Most Triumphant Return, Spike, and Angel: After the Fall. He currently lives in Los Angeles with his wife and son. He firmly believes that the greatest toy is either an Adventure People Daredevil Skydiver or Shipwreck from G.I. Joe.
Edwardian Taylor works as a freelance visual development artist for mobile games, TV, films, and commercials in Dallas, Texas. He is the illustrator of the Toy Academy series, written by Brian Lynch, as well as the illustrator of the picture books Race!, written by Sue Douglass Fliess, and It's Not Jack and the Beanstalk, written by Josh Funk. Learn more about him at edwardiantaylor.com and follow him on Twitter, Instagram, and Tumblr @edwardiantaylor.

Gr 1–3—Grumbolt, a stuffed toy shoddily constructed from an advanced sewing pattern, first came to consciousness in the garbage can. He liked it there (if he got hungry, there was half a waffle) until he saw the angry letter addressed to "U CAN SEW" from his eight-year-old creator: "he is simply unplayable. His arms are two different lengths, his head is too big for his body." So begins the epic adventure of a rejected homemade toy trying to find his true place in the world. A few chance encounters land him a seat at Toy World's Toy Academy, "Commander Hedgehog's Institute for Novelty Academia," where he dreams of a future with a kid but cannot find his strengths as a toy. While he looks like a "plush" rather than an action figure, collectible, or educational toy, he struggles in his Tea Parties 101 class and Introduction to Dress Up. Meanwhile, when Commander Hedgehog's arm goes missing and fingers start pointing at nearby Evil Toy Academy, the action accelerates along with Grumbolt's troubles. The simple plot is made more interesting with the amusing and clever details about the toys and Toy World itself. The freshman dorms are "actually Princess Dream Mansions that Margie, the most successful doll ever, had graciously donated." Grumbolt's roommate is a neat and tidy paper doll, and his friend Micro is an action figure who wears a bag over her head and dreams of being a collectible. High-energy illustrations on every page help to keep less confident readers engaged while amplifying the silliness of the story. VERDICT This light cross between a talking toy and doll fantasy and a boarding school story contains a fast-paced adventure (and a few winks about modern toy marketing) for readers, particularly those who enjoy the energy and humor of its author, who wrote the screenplay for Minions and was a writer for The Secret Life of Pets.—Julie Roach, Cambridge Public Library, MA