We’ve got some exclusive news this morning about an intriguing new book from Papercutz, Double Booking: Tail of the Mummy Cat, by brother and sister team Chas! Pangburn and Kim Shearer and artist Nic Touris. The book, which will be released on April 16, 2024, follows the adventures of siblings Otto and Nan, who accidentally release a mummy cat from a pharaoh’s tomb and have to chase it down in an adventure that mixes action with historical facts. What sets this book apart is the format: It’s a double-sided flipbook, in which Otto and Nan each tell their own version of events, and the reader can turn the book over to switch from one to the other. Sometimes both narratives cover the same events from different perspectives, and sometimes they are talking about totally different things.
“Our goal with Double Booking is to establish that there are two sides to every story,” Pangburn said in a statement accompanhing the announcement. “While not all facts may be seen/known by one party, you sometimes have to place your trust in other individuals. Sibling rivalries can sometimes create a teachable moment!”
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“I know first-hand how impactful comics can be on a young person’s relationship with reading,” added Shearer, who was the 2012 Kentucky Teacher of the Year. “From the ages of 6 to 11, I would ONLY read Archie comics! I didn’t realize it then, but every time I opened one of those comic books, I was learning about narrative structure and word choice and conflict and a long list of foundational skills. Comics made me a reader!”
Here’s a preview with pages from both different sides of the story. We’ll start with Nan…
And here’s what you see when you flip the book over:
And here’s Otto’s side (literally) of the story:
Filed under: Graphic Novels, News
About Brigid Alverson
Brigid Alverson, the editor of the Good Comics for Kids blog, has been reading comics since she was 4. She has an MFA in printmaking and has worked as a book editor and a newspaper reporter; now she is assistant to the mayor of Melrose, Massachusetts. In addition to editing GC4K, she writes about comics and graphic novels at MangaBlog, SLJTeen, Publishers Weekly Comics World, Comic Book Resources, MTV Geek, and Good E-Reader.com. Brigid is married to a physicist and has two daughters in college, which is why she writes so much. She was a judge for the 2012 Eisner Awards.