Pokémon Diamond and Pearl Adventure!, Vol. 1

I got this for my 9 y.o. for Christmas and even though he usually reads much harder books he does really enjoy these Pokemon ones. He likes how you read it backwards.

This book was wonderful for reading to my seven year old son. It was neat to show him that in different cultures things are done a little different. You get to read the book backwards from American style. I found it a good use of time and promotes reading and sitting quiet for a moment. It is a little bit of Pokemon violence so I would have to say that your child should be over six to enjoy this book. I hope your family enjoys it as much as Max and I have.

For those of you who don't know, Pokemon Adventure follows a less childish plot. Still childish, but THE ATTACKING MAKES SENSE! In the novels, characters will use their surroundings, and rapid switching of pokemon, along with attacks in cunning ways not presented by the show. Moves are often used in new ways. For example, in this manga, Mars, a leader of the evil forces, uses scratch from a pokemon to turn off the power, and then uses Zubat's supersonic so he's the only one who can see. Comedy is also better. There's a piplup joke that's pretty much the team rocket "Blasting off" joke, only funnier. The rival also falls in love with any girl he meets, much like brock from the anime, if brock fell in love with enemy girls and Misty/May. Overall, it's WAAAAAY better than the Anime. Things actually make sense. So if you're a pokemon fan that's too cool for the child's anime, this is good. There's nothing bad, really, so it'll amuse the little fans too.

Although it's a manga series targeted for kids around 9 to 12, I actually enjoyed the panels and dialogue. Not to mention all the amazingly funny scenes there were. (Hareta biting the grunt's butt) This first volume definitely had me wanting more from this author. I can't wait for the third volume to come out!