The Adventures of Team Pom: Squid Happens

Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:

When oddballs Agnes, Roberta and Ruby discover a shared passion for synchronized swimming, the trio become Team Pom. But between snack time, their favorite TV show, and raising pigeons, it can be hard to find time to practice.

"Good book alert! Drew and her daughters love biting into a good book together, and The Adventures of Team Pom is a hilarious series they revisit again and again!"
--The Drew Barrymore Show

"The ethnically inclusive team and their friendship dynamic is a highlight of this joyfully absurd, pleasingly overstuffed story."
--Publishers Weekly




"Will this unusual bunch find the teamwork, practice, and grace needed to become water-dance superstars? Readers will find out for themselves in this page-turning comic book filled with friendship, suspense and lots of charm."
--Illustoria Mag



This crew of self-proclaimed weirdos are tired of their loser status in the pool. But on their way to gain the respect and free snacks they deserve, they stumble upon a lonely giant squid. Will he be the secret weapon they need for synchronized swimming stardom? Will they be able to outwit the sinister strangers in bowler hats, or will they end up with ink on their faces?

The first in this series and a debut comic book from award-winning Filipino illustrator Isabel Roxas, Squid Happens is a hilarious read that explores friendship, teamwork and what it means to be yourself.

Reviews provided by Syndetics

Publishers Weekly Review

When pigeon enthusiast Agnes, oceanography buff Ruby, and synchronized swimmer Roberta can't recruit enough members to form a club at the Salmagundi Boys and Girls Club of Shadyside Queens, they band together to create Team POM ("pigeons, ocean stuff, miscellaneous"). A synchronized swimming competition ushers in a crushing defeat by Roberta's rivals and former teammates, but the crew's fortunes soon change. They encounter a friendly giant squid, Cyd, hiding from a villain and his rat agents, who seek the tentacled creature's ink. Offering Cyd sanctuary, the team hopes that adding a squid to their number will elevate their next routine to Junior Diving Diva status. Madcap and joke-filled, Roxas's (Our Skin) graphic novel debut expressively illustrates nonstop action and slapstick humor while grounding it in a recognizably depicted version of Queens and clearly delineating the primary cast members' personalities. The ethnically inclusive team and their friendship dynamic is a highlight of this joyfully absurd, pleasingly overstuffed story, and while "little boss" Roberta basks in the spotlight, Agnes and Ruby also make themselves felt. Ages 7--10. (June)